I don't think there is a 'general rule' regarding sitting in the middle of a room. Nor is it necessarily bad to toe speakers in. If I had to guess, I would have thought your "new" set up would sound much better than your "old". So much for that. No real suggestions except to move the speakers around as much as possible, searching for the better sound. Re your girlfriend--she's 'compromising' quite a bit (from my experience) in being ok with all that equipment in the room period. Good luck!
Re-arranged Room Sounds Awful...How to Improve?
You can click on my system below to see the old set up and the new setup of my room. My old setup was the only arrangement my system had ever known, and I didn't even realize how good it was until everything got rearranged. Now my imaging is all but gone, and a chunk has been taken out of the midrange.
Current constraints:
1.) The setup has to remain basically the same because of the girlfriend.
2.) Room treatments are limited to things that are aesthetically pleasing (yes, because of the girlfriend).
I need help with creative solutions! The room dimensions are listed in the pictures of my system, the ceilings are 10 feet high, the floor is hardwood, and there is a canvas curtain in front of the bay window. The bookshelf is full of books (which helps), and the couch and chair with the ottoman are leather (which doesn't help).
I'm open to anything that you think might bring back some of the musical characteristics that were lost.
-Dusty
Current constraints:
1.) The setup has to remain basically the same because of the girlfriend.
2.) Room treatments are limited to things that are aesthetically pleasing (yes, because of the girlfriend).
I need help with creative solutions! The room dimensions are listed in the pictures of my system, the ceilings are 10 feet high, the floor is hardwood, and there is a canvas curtain in front of the bay window. The bookshelf is full of books (which helps), and the couch and chair with the ottoman are leather (which doesn't help).
I'm open to anything that you think might bring back some of the musical characteristics that were lost.
-Dusty