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Speaker positioning: why do audiophiles neglect this so much?

Went to a recent seminar featuring Jim Smith, well known author of the book  "Get Better Sound"  and hi fi set up guru.

The basic gist of the discussion was that the most important elements of a high end stereo installation are listening position and speaker positioning, in that order.  The actual hardware (speakers, amplifiers, source, cables etc) are of less importance relatively speaking.

Yet it is clear from this web site and it's contents, that set up is discussed much less than the actual hardware.

When I look at the Virtual Systems page on site, I'm estimating that, maybe, 10% of the systems posted are close to well set up.  Thus, hardly any of the featured hardware is performing close to it's maximum potential.

Shame, and why is it so?  Not sexy enough to talk about system set up in depth?  Lack of knowledge?  Or is it simply too hard to do and too complex a subject?

Just my 2 cents ...

bobbydd

Showing 2 responses by holmz

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

A lot of setups are in dual purpose rooms.

Systems in living spaces just aren’t going to have speakers pushed into the room as they should be to breathe.

Every time I set them up the Haus-boss will say that the sound is coming from behind the wall, or the sound is too spread out.
And secondly that the speakers are too far out into the room.

This is the curse of the domesticated male, in a domestic cave managed by the females of the species.

A compromise is… some marks on the floor and they come out occasionally,.. but stay they back most of the time.

holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

 

@mahgister said:

I am not a gear fetichist but a student of experimental acoustic IN MY ROOM ....

My wife puts up with acoustic panels on walls and I have autonomy in speaker and listening position - but don’t think I’d get away with the experimental room tuning you’ve got going on:

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8221

There are lot of crystals, beads, pyramids, copper foil wrapped gizmos, and bottle resonators in that room. Even beads against cables and copper discs on power connectors.

It conveys a sense of the arcane.

I do not think I would run the scheme by the Haus boss.

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