Advice on system and speaker placement-B&W

You didn't mention how far back your listening position is. If there is any way to get them a little further out, then I would do so. I've alway used the 1.5 rule (or manufacturer's recommendation) when first setting my speakers up and experiement from three. If your speakers are 10' apart then your listening position should be about 15' from each speaker. I also tow mine in so they point to about 6" to the side of my ears while seated in my listening position. This works well for me with speakers that have good dispersion. However, some spekers sound better towed to a point just in front of the listening position. Just some things to try, but you'll just have to experiment and see what works best in your room. BTW, setting them up along the short wall is best IMO.

You do have a dilema. I would think that the BAT would have smoothed things out. Are there enough dealers near you that you can bring any demos home and try them for a weekend? That way, you can listen in your environment.

Jack, I do listen 15ft from the speakers. Something else that I notice is that once I am further than the 15 ft the speakers sound thinner with less bottom end, so I wonder if the room is being pressurized (maybe a sub?).
Thanks,
Jeff

Your speaker set up should be an equal-sided triangle (three equal lengths) - speaker to speaker is the base of the triangle, your ear (listening position) to the speaker is one side, your other ear to the other speaker is the third side. You might try positioning the speakers a bit closer together and also bring your listening position in closer so you form a smaller, but equal-sided triangle. Because the metal dome imparts a brighter sound, you don't necessarily want them directed (toed-in) at your ears. Try toeing them out a bit (not actually toed-out - still "toed-in", just not directly at your ears) so the line from the tweeters is directed past your ears. Because your room is so long, you may not be experiencing a harsh return from the back wall (behind your listening position). Even so, it is always a good idea to eliminate a "reflective" back wall with simple treatments (a thick tapestry works well). The distance your speakers are placed away from the wall should have more of an impact on lower frequencies than the highs. However, if you could bring them out just a bit more, you may gain some imaging. Also, do the "slap test". When the room is quite, slap your hands and listen for an echo. Use room treatments to eliminate the slap echo. Don't buy expensive room treatments - be creative (placement of furniture, wall treatments, pillows, etc.) You can also make cheap 1 x 2 frames fitted around some high-density foam and covered with some "artsy" fabric - these make good wall treatments. The idea is to experiment with what you have. Understand that poorly recorded CD’s are always going to sound worse than recordings that have been engineered/recorded well – a down side to this hobby. Oh, and when Judy chimes in here and tells you that it's all because B&W can't build good sounding speakers, just ignore her!!

Good luck.

Jeff, this might sound ridiculous, but with my B&Ws, even increments of 1" can make a difference when you're talking about distance to the back wall. Have you tried moving them out 1 or 2 inches?