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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
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,323 posts
 
OP,
My room is slightly smaller than your's. But my positions are very close to what newbee has mentioned. Start there and also keep in mind about the toe-in. That also needs to be accounted for. Like everyone mentioned - it takes a few hours to days to get the perfect imaging.
timlub
2,039 posts
 

Hi Srafi,

      I haven't seen any questions asked that I would need to give you guidance.

Is the wall behind your speakers the 16ft wall or the 20ft wall?

Are you firing into the carpeted area or away from the carpeted area?

How much Furniture is in the room and where is it?

No Windows? If yes where are they? 

How far is your seating position from your speakers in their current configuration? 

There are a couple of methods to follow, one has already been mentioned.  with the above questions answered,  we'll get you set up fairly quickly where you will definitely pull a decent sound stage.

Please let me know, 

Tim

srafi OP
17 posts
 
Guys thanks for your responses and some very helpful tips. 
Tim to answer your questions. 
The wall behind the speakers is the 16ft wall. 
The carpeted area is where the speakers are placed. It extends beyound the speakers about 6ft towards the listening area. 
There is one sofa in the room (3 Seater) in the listening area and two rather large chairs with cushions in front of the sofa. The chairs are in between and forward of the speakers (not directly in front.
There is one window 1ft*8ft on the left close to the ceiling. More of a skylight. Does not open, just for light.  The seating position is about 12ft from the speakers. 
I would like to tune the room so that it has a more generous "sweet spot" as compared to one within a few inches of one single position. Audio is more of a communal experience with my children and friends usually joining me. I would like the children to experience what a decent system sounds like compared to the MP3 they usually listen to. 
Thanks
newbee
4,751 posts
 
To widen the sweet spot try crossing the axis of your speakers several feet in front of your present listening chair. That should do it, but you are still talking about a fairly focused image that will be appreciated by several people sitting in front of the speakers. If you want something more than that you probably need something like 'omni' speakers which would do a much better job of filling a room (at considerable loss of specificity).
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
If you start with the premise that most speakers are too far apart (one supposes because somebody assumed that placing them far apart would provide a bigger, wider soundstage) then you’re on the right track. If you start out with the speakers much closer together - say 4 feet apart -then use the speaker placement track on the XLO Test CD which if memory serves is actually the out of phase track, moving the speakers very gradually apart and listening as you go you will undoubtedly discover the placement where the sound all comes together. When I had Fulton floor standing speakers that sweet spot turned out to be five feet apart.

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