Short wall / long wall

[BobC]

Well that was woth getting off my fat arse and trying, just moved the speaks to within 10cm off the rear wall, placing the divers at 50cm (from 50cm and 1m) and the bass has just got a tad deeper and crisper all round....tip top advice that.

[JANDL100]

I prefer speakers against the long wall.

IME speakers sound best with space to the sides. I am sometimes tempted to do it t'other way around, but that never lasts long and I always revert.

[volante]

Shaun ...never mind the speakers - what are those spaceships doing in your listening room?

PS speakers on long wall every time for me.

[kernow]

Ssh they're in disguise I plan a mission to venus by the end of the year.

[ncdrawl]

the 38 percent rule comes from ethan winers page, Mr. Bob

[rocky raccoon]

After reading Genelec's advice on positioning I experimented (and measured) with different box-to-wall distances and my findings (see this thread) coincided with theirs:

This means that your speakers should go back around 40 cm.

My listening spot is right between the sofa and the TV so I put a small chair into place and move the sofa sideways whenever I'm listening:

Cheers,
R

Nice speakers you have there. Never heard that flavour of spendor. I bet they sound gorgious.
I started out with the speakers less than half a meter from the rear wall here (about 6 years ago). They have been creeping forward incrementally - but bass really isn't a problem here. Not at all. Closer to the wall shuts down the air.

Ever tried some more exotic amplification with your speakers ? Of the monoblock variety ?

[tuga]

Nice speakers you have there. Never heard that flavour of spendor. I bet they sound gorgious.
I started out with the speakers less than half a meter from the rear wall here (about 6 years ago). They have been creeping forward incrementally - but bass really isn't a problem here. Not at all. Closer to the wall shuts down the air.

Ever tried some more exotic amplification with your speakers ? Of the monoblock variety ?

They do sound very nice but look a bit on the hideous side, my wife hates them, my friends say I'm crazy for placing such things in the living room...

I'm quite happy with this custom made integrated and haven't really felt like trying anything else except perhaps a valve amplifier of similar ilk.
Might go active someday (if I can afford it) but I feel that treating the room and replacing the Spendors with sealed-box speakers would make more significant improvements.

Ric

[Mr Cat]

yeah, just moved my speakers back towards to wall from around 65cm to about 40cm and there is a marked rise in the bass...

[rocky raccoon]

They do sound very nice but look a bit on the hideous side, my wife hates them, my friends say I'm crazy for placing such things in the living room...

I'm quite happy with this custom made integrated and haven't really felt like trying anything else except perhaps a valve amplifier of similar ilk.
Might go active someday (if I can afford it) but I feel that treating the room and replacing the Spendors with sealed-box speakers would make more significant improvements.

Ric

I think they're lovely. I don't understand non audiophiles. They park these massive 1 cubic meter glass & iron -on veneer chipboard things in the middle of the joint to put their massive flat screen TV's with all the TV boxes, DVD players etc. underneath and that's fine. You put an elegant furniture grade loudspeaker which takes up a quarter of the floor space or less and they have a fit. Why should the eyes get preferential treatment ? You can have all that crap out of the way and hang the damn screen on the wall. TV & film might be entertaining but I wouldn't describe it as soothing the soul. Which do you think we need more of ? Oh no - I'm ranting.

Have you tried resistive damping in the ports ? David Berriman uses packed drinking straws. Open cell foam would provide even more damping. It would be a darn sight cheaper than changing the speakers (if it worked). 'Course - you could move them further away from the rear wall ; )

[tuga]

I think they're lovely. I don't understand non audiophiles. They park these massive 1 cubic meter glass & iron -on veneer chipboard things in the middle of the joint to put their massive flat screen TV's with all the TV boxes, DVD players etc. underneath and that's fine. You put an elegant furniture grade loudspeaker which takes up a quarter of the floor space or less and they have a fit. Why should the eyes get preferential treatment ? You can have all that crap out of the way and hang the damn screen on the wall. TV & film might be entertaining but I wouldn't describe it as soothing the soul. Which do you think we need more of ? Oh no - I'm ranting.

Have you tried resistive damping in the ports ? David Berriman uses packed drinking straws. Open cell foam would provide even more damping. It would be a darn sight cheaper than changing the speakers (if it worked). 'Course - you could move them further away from the rear wall ; )

I will try the open cell foam, though I am not looking for less LF output (and if you look at my measurements you will see they are adequatly positioned) but for a better bass quality:

Stedy state 1/3 octave, left speaker

Even in good designs such as these Spendors, the reflex loading is no match for a sealed-box topology in low frequency reproduction; try to listen to a pair of BW801Fs (Serge's?) and focus your attention on clarity, frequency gradations and transient response.
I listen mostly to orchestral music and I can assure that the difference is more than a little obvious.

Ric

[vacdac]

This is really good news for me as I have mine around 34cm off the rear wall & to maximize room space etc. I can't really pull them much more forward into the room, if I want to maximize floor space. This is something I've had the usual Audiophool angst about for some time, lol .

Other than that it looks like I've got toe in, speaker distances & clearances from sidewall boundaries pretty much spot on, or at least close to the best compromise I can achieve. I've got my new replacement power amp & mark 2 crossover boards arriving late/morning early afternoon. I somehow doubt I'm going to get round to the crossover/speaker surgery today, but hopefully by this W/end or early next week....I am thinking tho' that once I've done this that I may need to do some small amount of tweaking re positioning of the speakers & also possibly to the crossover configuration i.e. bass/treble level settings & also to the in room tuning options i.e. ports, sealed box/semi sealed box etc. Hours of fun & fiddling, no doubt

Cheers Fellas.

Chris ooooooooooot

After reading Genelec's advice on positioning I experimented (and measured) with different box-to-wall distances and my findings (see this thread) coincided with theirs:

This means that your speakers should go back around 40 cm.

My listening spot is right between the sofa and the TV so I put a small chair into place and move the sofa sideways whenever I'm listening:

Cheers,
R

yeah, just moved my speakers back towards to wall from around 65cm to about 40cm and there is a marked rise in the bass...

[awkwardbydesign]

They do sound very nice but look a bit on the hideous side, my wife hates them, my friends say I'm crazy for placing such things in the living room...

In about 1970 some friends wallpapered their big speakers with a large flower print design. Just ask your wife to pick the wallpaper.

[vacdac]

In about 1970 some friends wallpapered their big speakers with a large flower print design. Just ask your wife to pick the wallpaper.

[russ abbott - royds brother]

Have been trying to use ikea racks as a false wall as it is a bit to wide apart other wise.
Also poxy sofa gets in the way.

[kernow]

Nice space between em, some vintage quad too hehe. Bet that gives you a lovely soundstage.

[russ abbott - royds brother]

About 9 or 10 foot apart.

[KevinF]

Interesting thread.

My room is 21' 6" by 12" 6". Have tried various systems firing down long axis, and across the room and, like others here, have found the long axis to be much better. Listening chair is 9' from the speaks which are themselves 9' apart. Bookshelves adjacent to speaks both sides damp wall reflections very well. Speaks are 4" from front wall.

I had a very trying time getting speakers to work well in this room. Positioning ProAc 3.8s, Vandy 2 sigs and PMC IB1s according to the Cardas method tamed the bass boom to some extent but it never sounded satisfactory. I think things might have been better with serious room treatment but such stuff was a) not readily available then and b) would have had my wife hoiking me out of the house on my ear on account of the visual brutalism. My amplification was very different then, of course - a pair of Bryston 7Bs and a BP25 pre.

The ANEs took away room-boom misery at a stroke.

[kernow]

Follow up to my speaker positioning / seat positiion journey:

Last friday night I drank myself unconscious and awoke at 4am in my listening seat puking all over myself. I've had to move the listening seat forwards 2 feet to cover the un-removable stain on the carpet and I now have a perfect equilateral triangle. erm.. result?

[russ abbott - royds brother]

Top work.

[kernow]