Speaker placement and soundstage
I've been thinking and that is not usually a good thing. The recommended speaker and listening position roughly forms an equilateral triangle. This positions the speakers 30° to the leaf and right for a general sound stage of 60°. Sure, some recordings have a very rich sound stage that can go beyond that 60°, but in the music I listen to, that is few and far between (progressive rock, arena rock, symphonic rock, etc.). The birds in Even in the Quietest Moments register a solid 60° to 80° left and right so my system can present a wide sound stage, but the "normal" 60° feels like sitting in row Z at a concert. I'm tempted to explore toeing the speakers in more and getting closer to create a wider field between the speakers knowing it might blow up that sensitive "beyond the speakers" sound stage. Has anyone gone down this rabbit hole?
@markcasazza - because of different speaker designs and different room conditions, there are general guidelines on how to place speakers, then dial it in to one’s specific speakers and room. There is no one size fits all. It’s common to move speakers and maybe listening positions to dial in speakers including experimenting with toeing and distance from back wall for bass energy. Also, make sure you have adequate room treatment especially for first reflections to avoid muddling up the Sonics. |
Playing around with the toe-in will definitely alter the soundstage. The less toe-in the wider the soundstage, usually. One can also angle both speakers towards the opposite ear or beyond. Gotta experiment. After adjusting, check the center "phantom" image. Don't let a hole open up. If one does, move the speakers closer. Also, the listening position should be at least 3 ft. from the wall behind it to avoid bass peaking. Absorbing traps behind both the speakers and the listening position will also help. First reflections must be accounted for, as mentioned by someone else. |
Per many suggestions her on Audiogon, I used the Sumiko Master Speaker Guide free at https://www.thesoundapprentice.com/2019/11/sumiko-speaker-placement-guide.html along with the XLO Test & Burn-In CD available at https://referencerecordings.com/recording/xlo-test-burn-in-cd/ I couldn't be happier with the results.
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