Toe in is crucial


I’m like the rest of us, obsessing about the smallest tweaks in power supplies, USB cables, cable risers, room acoustics, etc. But an underrated (or discussed) speaker tweak is toe in.

in my system (SF Amati, Mc components, Cardas, Weiss) adjusting speaker toe in by as little as ¼ inch has greater impact on SQ than many cable and other tweaks I’ve made at the tail end of refinement. The impact (and trade off) on sound stage, imaging, and treble presentation, by the smallest adjustments is profound.

I wasn’t quite satisfied with my system tonight—a little too forward; a narrower soundstage than I like. A ¼ inch toe in adjustment took me from hifi to the concert.

Not sure if others have experienced this, but thought I’d share.

w123ale

@hsbrock   I suppose it depends on how one interprets the term point source.  While a singer themselves are a point source, when I listen to performances the sound radiate outward and will reflect in the room.  By the time it hits me some distance away, it sounds full and expansive.  Were they standing a meter in front of me, it may sound like a point source.  When I toe in too much, everything collapses and the singer can sound narrow, like through a tube and even the instruments are next to the singer.   I agree that the singer should be placed on the sound stage, but I prefer a fuller expansive voice as compared to it sound narrow or confined when I listen, which also spread the instruments to reflect their position on the stage.  Of course, personal preferences are most important in this hobby and it nice that we can adjust the speaker position to our personal preferences.  Sometimes I even adjust them for a listening session to mix it up.  

Correct - once you find that speaker position, a little change can bring the soundstage into focus.  Most people cannot find that position so they never her the change.

@xpsvwino. Do you place a piece of paper @ your listening position, mark the point and then move the laser to the other speaker? Was just thinking two of these units might make it easier (including setting points further behind listening position precisely)

Toe in is important, but too rarely do we talk about listening height. We are all of different stature and surely have different listening chairs. Standmount speakers are put on whatever stands with different footers, maybe backward slant etc. That is an important and difficult variable, the professional reviewers sometimes mention it, often not.

@fynnegan 

I raised my Joseph audio perspective speakers up several inches

on footers and a marble platform, and the result was a wonderful

Increase in height and overall soundstage scale.