Is this my imagination?

Here is a picture.

http://s1208.photobucket.com/user/austinsuvunnapaph/media/IMG_0745_zpst4ytdk5j.jpg.html

Glad you posted the picture.  Don't see why that small table on top of the equipment table should disturb your soundstage to any significant degree.  Any chance of positioning your speakers about 4-6 farther out from the wall behind them?  Also what brand and model speakers do you have?

There are resonances that you might want to be addressed.  Try using brass cones under the equipment over the little table.

It is entirely possible that this table could have some affect on your soundstage (and tonal balance as well). It will change, to some small degree, the sound radiating off the back wall.

I have a bigger console between my speakers and  even the distance it is placed from the wall makes a difference.

FWIW though, I agree with highfiman5. You will get a much better sound stage if you pull those speakers out into your room more. Also, play with toe in order to minimize side wall reflections.

Room acoustics! It's not so much vibrations, it's reflections. Throw a blanket on top of it all (not permanently)

Best,

E

And no, it is not your imagination, this is why I repeatedly encourage listeners to play with pillows and blankets on the floor, and between the speakers.

It is a MUCH bigger deal than cables.

It's funny how everyone is responding to questions you didn't ask.

It's not strange that putting the amp and cd player on the table has changed the sound. This is why people pay good money for equipment racks. I just use an Ikea console which I spiked to the floor and then isolation platforms or springs directly under the component. You can find all kinds of isolation footers and platforms on the internets, as well as many threads here on the topic.

Here's my view: you need to isolate or couple the table, then you need to isolate the components. You can go DIY like me or find a variety of products to purchase. Remember though, you want to isolate the components from the table, not couple them. So don't get cones or spikes for the components and place them on the table. Spikes or cones are great, but only to couple the component to an isolation platform.

I hope that makes sense. The changes you hear are from vibrations induced in the table, both seismically and airborne, which are seemingly greater than those the amp and cd player were subjected to on the ground.

Apparently they are not the good vibrations

Was the table there previously when your gear was on the floor? If you just dropped that table between your speakers then that is what's affecting your soundstage. If it was always there then it's less clear.

Anytime you stick a big piece of furniture in between the speakers , your going to lose sound stage and depth and imaging!

I would get a less evasive audio rack, a skinny taller one if the sound change is bothering you that much.


Matt M

YEP!! :)

Try stuffing the floor between with illows and/or throwing a comfortor on top of the parts that aren't tubes. :)

Just for listening, this is a quick exercise.  Prove it to yourself. Also put stuff on the sides, those speakers are pretty close to the walls.

You could ask GIK to make custom floor standing panels, maybe half height? They would work a treat.

Ahhh, I thought the table was there before. Yeah, if you just put the table there and it wasn't there before, then the room acoustics will be different than when it wasn't between the speakers.

What I said about isolation still holds true as well.

You might consider decoupling your speakers from the floor. Vibrations from the speakers would not then travel to your components on the tables. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use vibration absorption materials under your components.

Visit Herbie’s Audio Lab..They have grungebuster feet for vibration absorption and they also have decoupling gliders for the spikes of your speaker bases. http://herbiesaudiolab.net/spkrfeet.htm#cone

Thank you everyone for your value input.  I will remove the table and will give you guys the feedback.

The more clear space between your speakers the better the soundstage.

@hifiman5 while decoupling speakers from a suspended floor would help reduce vibrations transferred to the components through the floor, there would still be vibrations induced through the movement of air. So, like you said, isolating equipment is still necessary. Just wanted to make that subtle point

Thank you,

I had a wide ikea rack that I now use for records only that I put my components on for awhile and when I changed to a basic component rack the soundstage improved quite dramatically.