Johnk, I think we have two separate concepts here. The equilateral triangle you
mention is the relative spacing between the two speakers and the primary
listening seat. And some manufacturers recommend an isosceles triangle.
A separate consideration is the toe-in angle. Some recommend the equilateral
spacing but with the speakers parallel to the front wall and projecting straight
into the room.
As I understand it, Duke recommends significant toe-in with his speakers,
whether or not they are in an equilateral configuration. |
Equilateral triangle speaker set up is pretty common knowledge among audiophiles,depends on design but works for many loudspeakers. I thought Paul Voight has the 1st to suggest such but not sure. |
The toe-in that Duke recommends works extremely well to provide both the sense of an extremely wide soundstage and a smoothness to the highs that I've rarely encountered in any dynamic driver.
Duke has stated many times that his inspiration for his speakers was the wonderful SoundLab. I owned the A-1PX previously, and can confirm that he certainly hit his target - with one minor exception. The physical height of my Planetarium Betas is, of course, somewhat less than that of the SoundLabs. As delivered, the illusion of height is not quite the equal of the A-1PX. There is a very simple solution, however. I placed the main speakers on a pair of 4" spiked, extremely dense lyptus wood amp stands that I had available, and was fairly well amazed at the difference they made. Since the main units are only handling frequencies down to about 65 Hz or so, there are no deleterious effects that I can discern. The stands can be seen in my system photos if anyone cares to have a look.
I think it's a shame that Duke's speakers are not more well known amongst the audio press. After 35 years of this mad hobby, I've found few if any products that provide so much value for money. |
Congratulations Duke
If you're ever in Toronto Canada please look me up |
I should have added that I've never heard one of Duke's speakers and I've never spoken with him asking for any advice. But I hold him in high regard for his straight forward answers on the audio sites, even when it does not involve one of his speakers, or products. If only we had more designers/manufacturers/retailers like him! |
It's fascinating to hear a manufacturer talk so openly about his design goals and the choices he makes to achieve them. Thanks for sharing. |
FYI, back in the mid-70s James Bongiorno gave a talk to our local audio club. Talking specifically about Magnepans, he recommended aiming them to cross 3-4 feet in front of the listener to widen the apparent "sweet spot". That seemed pretty radical at the time. |
Clio09 wrote: "I'm now using the 45 degree toe-in in my new condo and I have to say I'm liking it very much. I'm getting a whole new perspective on the sound stage and there is definitely a larger sweet spot. I guess the designer knew what he was doing."
Giving credit where credit's due, that's Earl Geddes' concept. I don't think he's the first to criss-cross speaker axes in front of the listening position, but he is (to the best of my knowledge) the first to specify the combination of 90 degree constant-directivity waveguides, pattern-matching in the crossover region, AND 45 degrees of toe-in, or whatever amount of toe-in is practical such that the speaker axes criss-cross in front of the listening area. So the smart thing that ye olde designer here did was to pay attention to Earl! |
Paul, in my old condo when the speakers were on the carpet I used Adona platform shelves under them. The shelves are a layer of granite combined with a layer of MDF bonded by some type of epoxy. Granite side was face down to the carpet and speakers resting on the MDF. My reason for using these was to give the speakers more stability and I feel the results were very good. In my new condo the speakers are on a very smooth and level tile floor. I found no need to improve stability, so they rest on the rails that Duke attaches to the bottom of the speakers. No issues and they sound great.
In the article Duke discusses the preferred off-axis listening set-up with 45 degree toe-in. In my old condo this was not possible and toe-in was never more than 20 degrees. I'm now using the 45 degree toe-in in my new condo and I have to say I'm liking it very much. I'm getting a whole new perspective on the sound stage and there is definitely a larger sweet spot. I guess the designer knew what he was doing;) |
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Anthony, do you use footers with your Jazz Modules? I liked them so much at RMAF, I almost thought of selling my.....well, I couldn't do it, but I did like what I was hearing in the Audio Kinesis room, those amps weren't bad either:) |
No Duke, THANK YOU...You not only build products with high value/price ratio, and support then well, but you also changed the way I listen to music. |
Thank you all very much for taking the time to post here, I appreciate your good thoughts and encouragement. And especially thank you Clio09 for starting this thread.
Duke |
I was beginning to lose my interest in audio for awhile...then I found the Jazz Modules. Thanks for making this hobby fun again, Duke. |
I've never had the privilege of speaking with Duke, but I came away from that piece thinking: "What a stand-up guy". |
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I'm not an Audio Kinesis customer, but I've had numerous discussions with Duke over the phone. He's certainly one of the good guys, and I'd love to spend time with his speakers one day.
Oh yeah, cool article. :) |
Can't think of anyone in the business who deserves more recognition than Duke. Very nice interview. |
I always enjoy reading Duke's knowledgable responses to forum topics. A real asset to the gon!
Byron |
It makes me even prouder to be a Jazz Modules owner. The only piece of my system that I can absolutely say will be with me for the long hall.
In fact, when I was speaking to Duke the other day I told him when I die I'm requesting my ashes be distributed evenly in both speakers and I be buried in them. Then again, maybe one of my heirs can still use them in their system and my ashes will act as a damping agent, sort of like poly fill. The potential for an interesting after life:0 |
Right on!
Satisfied AudioKinesis customer. |
I agree - thanks for the heads up! |
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Thanks for the link Clio09 I also agree Duke is one of the good guys in Audio;he offers help and never pushes a sale in exchange for that help or advice;very rare in my opinion. |
