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Positioning and Listening distance

As run-off from another thread ( Legacy speakers ), we ended up talking about speaker positioning, listening distance and minimizing room interaction. While we are all aware of the various formulas for speaker placement and listening position, none of these take into account the size or design of the speaker. As such, i've found that speakers with a lot of drivers or drivers that are spaced out quite a bit typically require a greater listening distance than a physically small speaker or speaker that uses just a few drivers. On top of this, the greater listening distance also tends to highlight problems that may be present in the speaker / room interface. While we can theorize on why this might be so, i was wondering if anybody else has run into this situation and what their experience / results were. Any / All comments appreciated and welcome. Sean
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sean

Showing 2 responses by dds_hifi

dds_hifi
26 posts
 
I'm working the same speaker placement and listening distance issues. My problem is that my room is relatively small (12 feet x 12 feet), so it forces me to more closely position the speakers (Harbeth 7ES's), which tends to diminish the soundstage.

Does anyone have any recommendations on cheap, effective and not-ugly ways to dampen the sound reflection on the walls? This way Sean and I can place our speakers a little closer to the wall boundry. Next week, I'm going to test 4 inch foam squares on the wall. I'm going to frame them and cover them with canvas (e.g. like a sound absorbing picture). I'll keep you posted on the results.
dds_hifi
26 posts
 
Hiflyer,

How did you treat the wall behind your speakers? Sounds like we have similar issues.

By the way, you might consider auditioning a BBC speaker like the Spendor or Harbeths. They were designed for nearfield listening, and they are very good in the vocal range. I own Harbeths, so I'm biased. But I love accoustical music and female vocalists. And, both the Harbeths and Spendors are very "sexy" in the nearfield with this type of music.

That said, I do need to tame my back and side walls.
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