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Speaker Placement

Hi
I just finished my Audio Room and need help regarding speaker placement. The room is 20ft long by 16ft wide with ceiling height 8ft 9 inches. This is located in a basement all poured concrete. The front half of the room is carpeted while the back is wooden floor. If I sit facing the speakers the right wall is all uneven stonework and on the left I have placed some DIY panels at the first reflection points. Behind the speakers I have placed 2 DIY corner traps. So far the ceiling is bare and I have no panels behind the speakers. I have placed the speakers 3ft from the side wall and 4ft from the front wall all measured at the centre of the drivers. While the sound is very good (no bass bloat ect.) I am unable to get a good sound stage.  The seating position is about 3ft from the back wall. 
My 2 Ch. equipment is as follows. 
Speakers B&W 800D (Not Diamonds)
Power Amp Krell KRS 200 Mono Blocks
Pre Krell KRC 3
Sources Cambridge Audio Stream Magic V1 and Clear Audio DC Performance with Dynavector D17.
Phono is Project Tube Box DS. 

I just want input if this sounds right as far as the placement goes. Should I try and move the speakers closer together? 

Thanks
srafi
newbee
4,767 posts
 
I like Pop's response. Believe it or not everyone has a slightly different perception of what constitutes a good sound stage. FWIW I started with the Cardas recommendations and after a long time I ended up with my speakers 9' apart, 5.5 ft off the back wall, my chair 9 ft from the plane of the speakers and about 4' off the wall behind the chair, slightly off an equilateral triangle. I toed the speaker in so their axis crossed in front of my hear to avoid sidewall reflections. What I get is a very clean clear precise imaging between the speakers with substantial depth. What I don't get is out of phase sounds outside the boundaries of the speakers that is not in the recording itself, unlike many panel and bipolar speakers make and a lot of folks seem to love. 
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Hi Srafi
Lots of good recommendations from others. 800 series need about 10 feet for the drivers to align. I would do this in about 4 steps. 

1) I would start with a 10 foot triangle, with the drivers pointing straight out and the speakers at least 5 feet from the wall. From there I would move speakers and chair together - toward or away from the front wall and listen.
Once complete.

2) You can begin moving your chair further away (if desired) and listen.  

3) Start angling them in. Horizontally.

4) Adjust for rake. Vertical. This will affect the smoothness heard at the listening position and the imaging height. 

See also this link from Patrick at B&W for some more placing tips, adjusting rake (tilting forward or back in the vertical plane)

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f12-headphones-and-speakers/new-bowers-and-wilkins-800-series-2573...

Have fun and hopefully you get back to listening to your music soon.
socfan12
28 posts
 
Speaker positioning requires a lot of patience IMO.   It's taken me months to find the right speaker position/listener position for my S5s.  Play around with toe in to get the 'best' balance of imaging and soundstaging (best being what you like most).  Once you think you have it, then maybe consider adding some treatments to the wall behind the speakers.  I use Vicoustics and it has really helped deepen and widen the soundstage.

Remember, have patience, and good luck!
xti16
1,525 posts
 
I agree with all the above posts but would like to add - measure from your seating position to the center of the speaker base. I was amazed at what an inch or two can make. From there start with no toe in and adjust from there a couple of degrees at a time. As you adjust the toe in also verify the seating position to speaker base.
adg101
1,062 posts
 
Look up how Wilson Audio teaches their sales reps to set up speakers. A lot of people bash Wilson's but their setup technique works. It's real simple, and it's using your voice with your ears. 
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