Two surprising things I found that improved my imaging and staging...


... First off I have a odd room for my two channel listening and have been getting beat up trying to find proper placement. I have been reading a lot here and on the inter web and decided to use the room setup calculator on the Cardas site. ( http://www.cardas.com/room_setup_calculators.php )

#1 was how close to each other the speakers are now. I wouldn’t have placed them that close together.

#2 was that the best imaging and staging is with zero toe in.

Having a hard time wrapping my head around these changes but it’s the best my system has sounded since I finished the putting it together. lol

128x128captbeaver
willy-t
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the goal to get a solid center soundstage, great sound,and the speakers disappear? Towing in too much gives away the location of the speaker.

Speakers big enough I guess would need to be towed. Still, once the truck leaves I think you will find they disappear just fine once they are positioned precisely equidistant and symmetrical.
@gp4jesus using ht for stereo and setting that up is beyond my pay grade.

In stereo systems, first reflection points at side walls and ceiling should be first place for room treatments. I'd suggest diffusion is best for all first reflection points, absorption will deaden the sound. Diffusion also works well for center of front wall.

Toe in and width between speakers work in concert, the further you space the speakers the more toe in is usually required. Get the ratio right and you'll attain the widest sound stage and still retain strong center image. As previously mentioned there are no hard and fast rules for speaker placement in any particular room and system. Multiple owners of any particular speaker will likely end up with speakers in different positions relative to side walls, front walls, toe in and spacing. The best advice I can give is to experiment, you may be amazed to find previously unthought of positioning may be optimum. Also, not too many rooms are perfectly symmetrical, mine being one that isn't, this requires different positioning for each speaker.
As with all parameters of sound quality, the spectrum of performance based on location and toe in is variable, and subject to highly personalized preferences. One typically cannot capture the entire range of parameters of sound quality desired and maximize them all with one setup. It is usually a preferred set of compromises. 

And it's a whole lot of fun to play with setup!  :)