Dipole Asymmetry


I am considering purchase of a pair of Martin Logan Summit X speakers. In my room, I am somewhat constrained for speaker placement. I could place the speakers about 3-4 feet off the front wall. My main concern is my audio rack would be placed directly behind the left speaker, while there would be nothing placed behind the right speaker. How detrimental would this asymmetry be on sound quality?
imgoodwithtools

Showing 3 responses by sbank

If you have a turntable, putting it directly in the line of fire could potentially cause a feedback issue. 
IMHO, to get the sound you are paying for at those price points you need absorption behind the dipoles, even more so if less than 5' distance.

If you can't do that you could try floor standing absorbers that go right behind the speaker. Warning, they are big, ugly and rare but Sound Lab makes a model and I believe there are DIY versions online. 

The best solution might be getting a longer set of interconnects and moving the rack if possible with just the amp(s) near or behind the speakers. Cheers,
Spencer
Would you please explain why you'd put absorption behind a dipole speaker, when part of the dipole concept includes reflection off the wall behind the speaker?
@cleeds the sound reflected off the wall behind the speaker is not a GOAL of dipoles it's the DOWNSIDE aka THE COST of dipoles. Try reading the setup tips page on Sound Lab's site for detailed explanation including the math. It boils down to minimizing what you hear from the late extraneous back wave of sound will give you the most satisfaction from dipoles.

The dynamic woofer behavior is another ball of wax with another pile of suggestions I'm sure. That's why I prefer full range electrostatics to hybrids. Cheers,
Spencer 
@sleepysurf Good suggestion. 
@cleeds So Janzen closes their cabinets and Sound Lab recommends a "Dead End/Live End approach that absorbs the rear wave. Who recommends your preferred "Let the rear wave bounce approach" besides Bose? Cheers,
Spencer