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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
toddsyr's avatar
toddsyr
234 posts
 

My room is really tricky. Even a door in the corner of the back wall. I ordered a total of 13 panels and bass traps. Some panels are for the ceiling.  Not all have arrived yet. They are produced on demand so be prepared for it to take a couple months for everything to arrive. 

fire_water's avatar
fire_water
256 posts
 

Like others have pointed out speaker placement is never one-size-fits-all, and upgrading your gear can completely shift the dynamics. I loved my Klipsch LaScala AL5 speakers, but upgrading my Accuphase DC-37 DAC to the reference DC-1000 suddenly highlighted a slight hollowness and glare in the presentation. By reducing the toe-in and pulling the speakers 4 inches further out from the front wall, the sound was completely transformed. Musuc has become incredibly engaging, yielding punchier bass, stronger note authority, a massive 3D soundstage, and much better coherence.

hjdca's avatar
hjdca
253 posts
 

After experimenting with moving my speakers farther apart and less toe in, I was surprised how much better I liked the sound stage and the way the speakers "disappeared" during playback. 

jw944ts's avatar
jw944ts
378 posts
 

of course, it is all an auditory illusion, and changing and moving things changes the illusion.None are right, none are wrong...it is just what you like/prefer...ENJOY

goose
785 posts
 

@markcasazza I would suggest that you take a look at the Wilson Audio Setup Procedure (W.A.S.P.).  I tried a lot of the recommended mathematical procedures and found that they were helpful.  The things that they didn't consider are the furnishings in the room which also affect the sound and subsequent speaker placement.  I used this in my room and it worked out pretty well.    

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