Speaker set up tweak, maybe old, but worth repeat.


This may not be news to many of you, but I was recently reminded of the benefits of precise speaker placement.

I had to move my speakers, and when I replaced them, I took the time to make certain they were both at precisely the same angle:

1) On the vertical plane (I found that with Martin-Logans in my room, with my listening chair, I must extend the rear spikes to make the panel closer to vertical as opposed to the factory set "leaned back" position)

2) On the other vertical plane- or plumb (not tilted left or right, my floor is apparently not perfectly level)

3) Toe in- set using a laser level-- place it against each side of the speaker. Aiming for where your head is in the money seat works best for my room & speakers, but you may find you like less or more toe in- the point is, make sure they're equal and that your speaker is pointing where you think it is (mine were not pointing where I thought they were and the $15 laser level was very enlightening)-- I stuck pieces of masking tape at the target points and tweaked until I liked the sound, imaging the best.

For a while, I was convinced my right ear was going bad- but since I've done this, my soundstage is no longer shifted slightly left, and getting the panels matched up in the vertical plane has improved midrange clarity. The amount they were "off" before was very small, to be sure, but panels are pretty "beamy" on the vertical plane-- if you stand up while listening there is a pretty big change.

Anyhow, just a reminder on this important thing. I didn't find a thread just like this anywhere else so hopefully this isn't a total re-hash of something-- I think we all know it's important, but I personally hadn't spent enough time lately on this aspect of tweaking.
pmkalby
One of the reasons that I like my Acoustat 2+2s is that they are 8' tall. They have tremendous sound stage height whether one is seated or standing. Being panels, they beam like a flashlight. An Argent Room Lens, however, increases the "sweet spot" from one listener to the entire couch.
I went through a similar experience with my Maggies. Even a quarter inch change in the toe-in had a noticable effect on the soundstage. My floor was not entirely level either, and leveling the speakers helped as well.
My Prodigy's are 5 FT off the front wall and in 2 FT from the side walls (measured from the center of the stat panel).
They are 8 Ft apart and I sit back 9 FT. The toe in is only 1 IN. My components are low to the floor and no TV or cabinets between the speakers. The soundstage is huge and deep. Your room may vary.

Good luck,
Mike
I read something on another site today from a guy at Martin-Logan-- Copied text credited to author and poster below:

Original link: http://www.martinloganowners.com/tweaks.html (bottom of the page)

Jim Power's Toe-in Technique
Sent in by Ken Henegar - as told to him by Jim Power of ML.
Posted on March 13, 2003
My technique for ideal toe-in is pretty low tech but extremely accurate. Get a flashlight. Sit in the listening seat. Hold the flashlight directly above the top of your head. Aim the beam of light at the electrostatic element of each SL3. You will see a vertical streak of light reflected off of the film inside the grid. It will be a very narrow and distinct vertical streak. As you change the toe-in of the speaker, the vertical streak will move across the front of the speaker. Toe the speaker until the light streak is between 1 ½ to 2 inches from the edge of the wood trim on the inboard side. In this position, the SL3s will be aimed past you to the outside. In other words you will not be facing the dead center of the speakers. You will be facing the inner 1/3rd of the panels curve.

This technique works extremely well regardless of the distance to the speakers or even between the speakers. It will also provide you with the flattest response across the bandwidth.
Hope it works for you,

jp

-- I've not tried this yet, but it sounds promising. As I commited the sin of changing more than one thing at once (toe and tilt), maybe I need to play around with this more.