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Do any speakers image/sound-stage close to walls?

I'm about to spend a huge amount of $$ on full-range speakers, but realise from all the published acoustical data and conventional wisdom, that the laws of physics are absolute. So, in a 17 X 23 X 15ft ceilinged room, when I have to place the speakers no more than 12" from the front (short) wall, 2 ft from the side walls (for WAF and furniture and structural reasons - dont ask,) am I blowing my money? The source, preamp, amps are all superb - but what do I do about finding speakers to match? Sure, I could buy a superb $19K SP Tech Revelation or Zu Definition or Coincident Total Reference, but what about the sound-staging and imaging? Surely I'm not the only person with this dilemma, yet there are so few posts on A'gon regarding this issue, that I wonder whether the problem is exaggerated in my mind or is it just that most A'goners are smarter than I and designed their wives' furniture choices better?:) Room treatments dont help much, or do they? Is there any solution, other than moving the whole sytem to a wifeless room? Please dont ask why these space restrictions apply - believe me, they do, and the interior decorating details are not relevant here.
System: EMM CDSD, DCC2, Sota Cosmos IV, Ear 324 Phono Preamp, Atma-Sphere MP-1, Atma-Sphere MA 2.2, PAD Dominus S/C, etc.
springbok10
audiokinesis
2,737 posts
 
Springbok10, there are tradeoffs both ways but overall a dipole would not be my choice for your speaker placement. You'd have a strong early-arriving reflection off the wall behind the speaker, and that tends to be detrimental to clarity (as well as to imaging and timbre). These detrimental effects are psychoacoustic functions of how our ear/brain system processes sound, so they aren't really affected by speaker quality. I'd be willing to bet those dipole Tetras would sound significantly better pulled out into the room several feet farther, to a more psychoacoustically-friendly location for a dipole.

If a dipole has to be placed close to the front wall, I recommend either diffusing or absorbing the backwave (which works best depends on the room's acoustics).

Duke
jimateo
32 posts
 
I WOULD SECOND THE KLIPSCHORNS. I DON'T THINK YOU'LL FIND ANYTHING ELSE TO COMPARE IN SONIC OR ESTHETIC VALUE. THEY ARE A TRUE CORNER SPEAKER AND WONDERFULL WITH SOLID STATE OR TUBE. NO ROOM TREATMENTS NECESSARY!
eril
52 posts
 
Check out the new J.M. Reynaud EMP.
Built specifically with this in mind.
http://www.jm-reynaud.com/jmr_us/emp2.html
reelsmith
40 posts
 
You don't necessarily have to follow all of the rules. I have a pair of Aerial 10Ts ...they are not supposed to be close to the back wall or side walls.

Due to circumstances which I'd imagine are much like yours, the rear of my Aerials are just 12" from the back wall. The left speaker is 3' from a side wall and the right speaker is 12' from a side wall. Between the speakers is a large wall unit, which the speakers are very close to.

Because of the layout of the room I am forced to listen in the near field (speakers 8' apart and I am 8' back).

The sound is wonderful. There is good depth, there is pinpoint imaging, there is a good sense of space, the bass is tight and deep, there are layers upon layers of character and detail.

Could it sound better? Of course. Does it sound good enough? You bet.

This is not a plug for Aerials, just a suggestion that when you go listen to speakers, have them put in a situation that as closely approximates yours as possible.

Good luck.
audioconnection
1,271 posts
 
We have successfully installed many pairs of the Vandersteen
Quatros and 5As within inches of the front wall.
they both offer a built in room compensation feature that has working placement even 4 inches out with excellent measured in room response.
I work at a Vandersteen dealer as well.
Best John
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