Wilson Alexia V seating distance


I haven't had my dealer out to calibrate my speakers as I've been working on some remodel work.  But I noticed in the manual for seating distance is says:

"The listening position should ideally be no more than 1.1 to 1.25 times the distance between the tweeters on each speaker."

Does this mean I should be sitting between 1.1x and 1.25 times the tweeter width?  Or does no more than 1.1x mean that I could sit closer than 1.1x.  

Let's say my tweeter width is 10 feet to make it simple.  Does that mean I need to sit between 11 feet and 12.5 feet away?  Or just closer than 11 feet....

Thank you!

chauncey

If you go wider (closer to the speakers and wider apart) you will need to toe them in more and the sweet spot gets smaller. For a single seat it is honestly fine to have them wide. No real harm but the sweet spot will be tiny if you get too wide. If you don’t toe them in more as you get closer you will lose the phantom center. I find wilson’s need about 9’ for the drivers to integrate. 

I had them toed in pretty extreme but they were far apart....maybe 10 feet wide and i was sitting 8 feet from the tweeter.   Room is NOT traditionally shaped.  The randomness of the room makes for some good acoustics I would say.  I don't think the boundaries play as big of roll as most rooms.  20 foot ceiling for the most of my living room....speakers are about 24" off the wall and it's the corner of the room.  back of the room is the kitchen/bar so lots of pieces to cause dispersion. 

I would say that at 8 feet away from 10 wide speakers the center vocal sound was crazy good.  Johnny Cash on American IV and many other vocals were right there....I didn't have time to evaluate the other elements before I rolled (yes my Wilson Alexia V are still on casters) closer together and lost this pronounced center vocal sound.  Trying to stay without the 1.1 to 1.25x...

 

No recognition of vertical seating height?  Really?  

Vertical height of people's ears and drivers of course are quite variable.  I was asked to measure the seated ear height of my wife before ordering Sound Anchors for her ATC 20s.  I realize the Wilsons to be floorstanders, but still, on and off casters they will sound differently. 

You bought Alexias and your dealer didn't offer to set them up properly? For shame!

I would just do what you like. I don’t follow my JBL manual. They want them pointed straight ahead close together (8’-9’) and back farther (10-12’) but I have them at 10’ wide and 10’ back, toed in. Following the manual’s setup I felt like I lost some presents but the center image was probably wider and more correct. 

 

I have found this setup pretty true for all box speakers. If you want vocals to pop out get them wide and toed in. This type of setup is more likely to cause comb filtering depending on how much to room fills back in that comb filter… I find setups close and farther back a touch boring with a more defused sound.