O.C.D. Speaker placement

I think speakers are the one item in a system that a person should have O.C.D. over. Speaker placement is very important and if done right delivers great results and if not the system will sound like sh...

I missed this thread but after reading through, Csontos recommendation is spot on with how my set up is. Speakers are about 10' apart, the speakers are about 9" out from the front wall and my head rests on a sofa against the back wall which makes it roughly 9" from said wall. The speakers each aim to where they fire less than a foot to either side of my skull which alleviates any beaming and allow as wide a soundstage as a recording can produce and creates a sweet spot big enough for Jabba the Hutt to enjoy.

As for the OPs OCD lament, it's just what we do to get the best out of what we have and it's really not that bad since once it's set, we forget.

All the best,
Nonoise

I've found a placement that dounds pretty good to me now. For me, once I began to understand how each of the different positions effects the sound it was much easier for me to just place the speakers and be done with it.

Too much bass, pull the speakers out from the wall, pull your listening chair out from the back wall.

No center stage, push speakers closer together.

Too narrow of a center stage? Pull the speakers apart.

Adding absorption panels on the side walls and front wall made me less picky about speaker placement and yeilded better results than a 1/4 inch here or 1/2 inch there, 5 degrees of toe in, etc.

I became much less picky about exact measurements (even though I'm pretty sure my speakers are still pretty dang close to identical mirror image) and more concerned about room treatments. With absorption panels on my side walls I'm able to put my speakers closer to those walls and get a wider soundstage. I'd like to become more ocd about room treatments now; adding a mixture of diffusors, bass traps and absorption. I think that will yield better results.

Get your hearing tested professionally and get a copy of the test results. Incorporate the results into your placement strategy. Or at least consider why exact measurements might not be the best bet, due to differences between each ear.

I would respectfully say you are wrong. Your premise is a second use for a balance control on your pre or separate attenuators on your amp.