B&W 802d Room Placement

The B&W 802D can be compared to the above link I gave for the N805 above.

To compare - see the lateral response plot here.

Note the "scoop" is deeper than the N805 (because the tweeter is crossed over much higher - probably to allow greater dynamics withiout audio compression) - this will make the 802D more sensitive to toe-in and side wall placement than the N805 (as off axis response is more variable). Of course the 802D will blow the N805 out of the water in terms of realistic dynamics, no compression and awesome bass response - no constest there as the 802D is an outstanding speaker...

I think that side wall relationships are more significantly
related to toe-in as is speaker to listener distance.

That is an indisputable fact. However, it can be minimized by designing a
speaker with an off axis response that is wide with even dispersion and matches the on axis response very precisely in the shape of the response curve. A speaker that does this is more likely to sound the same over a larger area or sweetspot. This is because the response that you hear remains consistent at the majority of angles and the reflected sound field matches the primary sound field.

The B&W N805 horizontal dispersion plot is a good example. Note the relatively
small midrange scoop off axis (for a two way it ain't bad) and note how very consistent (in shape) is the behaviour of the off-axis response.

I use about twice that for my 802Ds but I think that side wall relationships are more significantly related to toe-in as is speaker to listener distance.

Kal

24" from the front wall to the back of the speaker.

I agree with Kal. Since the 802 is not that smooth in off axis versus on axis response through the midrange then the room + toe in will make quite a difference and it could be a different toe-in for each room and listener tastes....

Depends a lot on the room acoustics and, particularly, what is on the side walls.

Kal

Where does your 24" measurement come from? When I set up my N802's, I measure from the plane of the tweeter to the wall and I like 42". I like a small amount of toe in, set with a laser pointer to just hit the outside edge of my chair. Toe in set for direct aim at the ears is too much.

Other room factors and personal preference will result in different setups. It always pays to experiment.