Measuring Speaker Distance


When speaker placement is recommended to be, say 3-5 from the front wall, is that measured from the back of the cabinet to the wall or from the front driver side to the wall?
128x128orelayer
Most folks are talking about from the wall to the front of the speaker, although is is as simple to measure from the wall to the rear of the speaker an add to that the depth of the speaker. Some times it is just simpler to do that, physically speaking.

BTW, this distance is not a constant number for any particular speaker. The distance is determined by the speaker design, the room design, the listening chair position, ad infinitum, so if you have a sloping speaker don't be concerned whether your measuring from the base or the top. It works when your ears tell you you've got it dialed in. FWIW, although you didn't ask, the same applies to side walls, except for a speaker with a wide baffle it is more important to consider the distance from the tweeter and mid-range drivers as they are responsible for most of the first reflections from the side wall. Once again the distance is determined by ear not any formula.

If you are concerned with getting the best bass it is helpful to have a SPL meter and a test disc. Mids and highs are a different issue and are best tuned by ear.

IMHO.
"Tried to go to the thread but says it was deleted"
That's very odd. I just now clicked on the link above and up popped the thread I'd remembered. Anyway, not from the back of the speaker. Most folk say from the front, or from the plane of the drivers -- something like that.
-- Howard
With Vandersteens, its from the front of the cabinet...others may be different. I advise also to use a laser and mark the back wall with an X or dot for each of the speakers and shim one of them so that the dots superimpose on each other.
A search of the forums will show that you aren't the first to have had this question. Here's my post on the matter:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl_u?cspkr&1284815594&&&&&/When-someone-says-his-speakers-are-
Regards,
Howard