Anotherspeaker placement question (distance measurements)

The key is you use something consistently, that is all. I always use the front plane and tweeter for toe in.   As you know, all the recommendations are only starting places. So, it only maters you use something consistently. 
 

As an example, the recommended starting toe in for my speakers is to cross the beams 18” behind my head in the listening position. In my room, they sound best…. by a large margin with zero toe in. None. 
 

So, it is really true. Formula are simply a starting point. For me, I did my movements over a year. I plunked them in the prescribed place. And listened for a couple months (they are really awesome speakers). I realized they were capable of disappearing, but were not and the soundstage was restricted. So, I toed them out some. Listened for a couple weeks. No question… better. Moved again. Better. Some folks move, listen, move, listen… in a day. I find that confusing. I prefer listening to the music and wholisticly appraising the change. 

😊

OP,

Thank you for your kind words.

I can’t tell you how much better my system sounds with the careful tweaking I have done (something a system at any level can benefit from). The room tweaks… getting the equipment racks from in between the speakers. Deadening the wall behind, speaker placement… etc. have improved the sound quality.

You noticed the room… well that was luck. The best room I have ever heard. My audio guy as well… and he has been installing $100K+ systems for over 20 years… many in dedicated, purpose built rooms. As I said luck there.

BTW, in a previous house, with ribbon speakers using a 1’ wide by 4’ strip of thick wool carpeting made a huge difference in imaging. While a much more modest system, I would have put it up against much more expensive systems. It is not all about cost… tremendous advantage can be gained by effort. 

But, your system can be every bit as rewarding to you. I have had many systems, and listened to dozens “better than mine”. They helped me shape the direction I took in constructing mine. Listening to great systems is a great way to learn. Surprisingly, often jealousy does not ensue.

My dogs enjoy music and are why my audio seat is a love seat… one place for me, and one for the dogs. I also love it when they take up an attractive pose in front of the system.

As far as stuff between the speakers. In general, yes it usually screws up the imaging. It is unfortunately, like everything in audio, somewhat dependent. I had apogee ribbon speakers for many years… for some reason the equipment rack did not make much of a difference if any. But all the other speakers I have had, definitely matters. Not subtle at all.

First of all, typically, to develop the capabilities of speakers soundstaging you first have to get the toe-in, rear wall distance, and rear dampening correct… then hopefully your soundstage will go beyond your speakers, left and right. Then you work on depth.
 

Typically, an undampened rear wall, will either cause confusion in the imaging or present the rear limit the of the sound stage. If you add dampening… I have always liked thick wool oriental carpets. The dampening changes from almost none (a sheet), a bit (blanket), to good… a thick, heavy, tightly woven wool rug… like mine (hold your breath… these things are expensive… hence people use other stuff).

Anyway, so in my current room, the sound stage extended from my speakers (front) to the wall without the carpet (wall is plasterboard, 2x4s, with concrete and solid earth behind that ((yes… I am really lucky)) ), about 4.5’. Adding the carpet.. the soundstage goes into the wall two or more feet. Somewhat recording dependent of course. Put my audio rack there… and there is a gaping hole where the equipment rack is. Not a subtle thing. A hole… no sound in there. I am sure I could bring in a neophyte and point out all the characteristics of my system, and point out the hole and they would be able to “not hear it”, easily during the first session.

All of this is contingent on doing the work to get your system set up correctly. It is also dependent on your speakers and associated equipment, but probably less so than many think. I am pretty sure you could put a system together for $2K speakers and $1K components and craft outstanding imaging… probably less. Most “decent” equipment is capable of great things in the right hands. One must be patient and listen.