Room Acoustics: Where to place the squares?

If one measures the room, the speaker placement, and the listener position… then one can ray trace the bounces to get the delays from the reflections relative to the direct path.
If one then does a correlation the combing will show the reflections.

Usually one wants to take out the early ones, so the sides off the walls, maybe using a mirror, and ones behind the speakers and maybe behind the listener would be the earliest.

I would do the sides and then behind the speakers and then the behind the listener… and then from there who knows.

This is a great situation in which to use the correlation (or autocorrelation) to put numbers to things.

Of course people will advise you to put them at 1st reflection points but honestly I find that alone this is never enough.  You need to have a critical mass of room treatment before you get a noticeable benefit IMHO.

^To cut down the decay time ~ I agree^

But to cut down the early reflections is another matter.

The specific goal was not stated by the OP, however some measurement would be useful before ordering the stuff to address what the exact goal is, and where the OP wants it to end up at.

(i.e. what specific problem is the OP addressing?)

I believe REW does the RT60 decay time, and also the early reflection as a correlation. Is this OP doing that?

My point is, if you don’t have control over the room decay you won’t notice first reflection point absorption. I’ve treated several rooms, and never have I heard a big improvement by treating first reflection points alone. Only once the room was better treated did those panels suddenly become worthwhile. We pay too much attention to first reflection points, IMHO. It’s not, alone, going to do much good.

Good for what?
And how are you quantifying, or describing, improvement?

it would only be for imaging and maybe ease of listening.
A few squires should not tonally change things.

@magister and @erik_squires

That acoustics.com site talks about room modes.
Are you two fellows also discussing room modes?

And what is OP looking for? Room modes?

The GIK Acoustics web site has lots of excellent free advice.

is it? 😀