Speaker positioning: an ongoing saga?

Ultrasonic

Ultrasonic

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Now we all know that almost every conventional speaker on the planet needs to be positioned correctly in order to get the best out of them(apart from ones using room correction EQ software)

But has everyone released this potential of their speakers?I think the answer is very few!Ive owned a fair few pairs of speakers and i find that i move them around every few months bcoz sumfin aint quite right about the sound.Its usually when i dig out some old music or bought some new stuff that i find problems-for example, i put on an old Missy E so addictive album and the bass seemed waaay too bloated with lots of overhang.Then i put a familiar cd back in(Rage against the machine debut album) and i noticed the same bass flab which i previously did not notice as much. Moving the speakers away from the side walls and a few cm from the back paid great dividends, the bass is now immaculate from top to bottom although the soundstage is abit more narrow. I think my room is the problem as my speakers are quite large....

does any1else find themselves moving their speakers around alot?

Ultra:D
 
I've had best results when I can fill the centre of a room with stuff cos thats where standing waves live.

Obviously you need a line of site to the speaker fronts, but generally the more cluttered the middle is the better. Of course, this is at odds with modern room layouts, women, etc. It could be done with a bed or sofa or dining table [preferably soft furnishings]. In a dedicated room it should really be multiple mosquito nets, graded absorber cubes, bean bags etc. Filling the centre is far more effective than absorbent on the walls, because thats where the air moves the most.
 
Originally posted by wadia-miester
Hi Ultra,

I have to admit, every time I've tweeked the Hardware I enevitiably end up adjusting the speaker postion, which used to be a weekly occurance :D
I use this method of positioning Works well
Now a have a novel way of adjustment, they're on ceramic balls, much less hassle :) Wm
Click to expand...

Cheers WM,

I have printed that article out and will read through it! My most recent adjustment is very satisfying and i fink i will kp em dis way til i have to much time on my hands:o

Out of interest, did the ceramic balls add anything to the sonic signature of your system?I find my speakers very hard to move around as they weigh 25kg without sand, and as mine are fully filled they weigh ALOT more than that! Breaks my back every time:eek:

Cheers, Ultra:D
 
I've been playing with the position of mine an awful lot lately.

The NAD's less bright tonal balance than my old rotel has lead to the discovery of an interesting interaction between the time-aligned Meadowlarks (baffle/drivers sloped back, pointing upwards somewhat) and the pitched roof (reflecting this upward projected sound straight down to the floor), which manifested itself as a very uncomfortable heaviness in the sound (which combined with another effect with the floor having several specific frequencies of resonance was rather unpleasant).

Getting away from the sidewalls and pitched roof was important in my setup, and now I have a good 3.5ft or so to the sides. Front to back I have been playing with quite a bit too. Too far back and the rear "port" (outlet for the transmission line) means that the bass gets heavy and bloated. Too far forward and the floor effects get worse, and the bass doesn't have the sort of weight that is enjoyable (but not over the top). About 18" from the rear wall.

In order to try to reduce the floor effects, I will shortly be embarking on another DIY support project, involving mdf, concrete, granite, spikes, cones, and, of course, inner tubes.

However, I know for sure that the FULL potential of the speakers I have can't be achieved in this room. It's too compromised in construction, layout and purpose (in that it also serves as a bedroom, office, electronics lab and general living space).
 
Oh, gratuitous picture of new layout.

room4s.jpg
 
Originally posted by Graham C
I've had best results when I can fill the centre of a room with stuff cos thats where standing waves live.

Obviously you need a line of site to the speaker fronts, but generally the more cluttered the middle is the better. Of course, this is at odds with modern room layouts, women, etc. It could be done with a bed or sofa or dining table [preferably soft furnishings]. In a dedicated room it should really be multiple mosquito nets, graded absorber cubes, bean bags etc. Filling the centre is far more effective than absorbent on the walls, because thats where the air moves the most.
Click to expand...

I must say i havent really noticed this til ive read your post, it is true! Hifi sounds better in a messy room! My room always made my hifi sound abit bright as it is quite bare but when its a complete tip-2weeks worth of clothes all over the floor, table full of crap and duvet on the floor(dont ask how:D ) it does seem alot more listenable!Of course i can treally live like that and my rom is tidy most of the time. I will need some cheap room treatment me thinks:D any idea's?

cheers, Ultra
 
I only had to do it once, as I have bass below 60hz routed to my two subwoofers, I just have to adjust their level if I change something significant in my system... :MILD:
 
Originally posted by Ultrasonic
I must say i havent really noticed this til ive read your post, it is true! Hifi sounds better in a messy room! My room always made my hifi sound abit bright as it is quite bare but when its a complete tip-2weeks worth of clothes all over the floor, table full of crap and duvet on the floor(dont ask how:D ) it does seem alot more listenable!Of course i can treally live like that and my rom is tidy most of the time. I will need some cheap room treatment me thinks:D any idea's?

cheers, Ultra
Click to expand...

Ideas? Go to Tesco and buy 24 packs of value bog roll. Experiment by stacking them around your speakers, or make a wall between them, or try making pillars down the centre of the room - that sort of thing. Find out what makes a difference in your room. I gather you have women visiting. If you want to keep it, buy some cloth to throw over your sculptures. If you don't want to keep it, it should only take 12 months to use it all up [I think they eat it]. My missus can use 1/2 roll going for a pee...
 
Did anybody else read the copy of Hifi News with the Musical Fidelity M1 turntable on the cover?

There was an interview of a guy and his system. It comprised of DCS/Halcro and Audio Physic Medea speakers.

What was interesting (for me) was the reccomended speaker positioning by Audio Physic for these speakers.

Id previously read the Audio Physic reccomendations on speaker positioning, but I hadnt fully thought how UN-room-friendly this was..

Literally, the speakers are positioned Equally spaced between ALL walls

Literally they were in the middle of the room.

How impossible to live with would that be in the average room?!
 
Dont you see it, as no one will place the speakers in the middle of the room, they can always say it sounds bad because it is not properly placed... :p
 
Thats looking good Isaac, I like...

Back on topic, I havent moved my speakers for well over a year. So its not ongoing for me :)
 
I spent a few hours playing with positioning. I've found positioning to have a huge effect on the sound in the past. Mine could probably be tweaked some MOre, but room restrictions and the fact that it's a real pain MOving the slabs, stands, and speakers.

My room's small at 10'6 x 9' :o

The speakers are along the shorter wall about 1ft in and about 6" or so from the side walls (going on closest corner of the speaker). So the closest corners of the speakers (which are toed in to meet at the listening position) is about 6'6 apart. With the listening position being pretty much the middle of the back wall.

All CDs and DVDs are wall MOunted, the computer's in a sliding door cupboard built into the side wall, and so, apart from the hifi/av and the double bed (which is only about 1ft high), it's only that and the dirty undies, weights, and dog taking up room in here.

I might try MOving the speakers in from the side walls a bit MOre and reducing toe in. I've prefered having them as wide as possible and toed in before (though at low levels there's a bit of a "gap" in the middle", but bringing them away from the side walls will have to be checked out (new house) soon.
 
Usually pointing them forward increases depth... I only toe-in if the tweeters are so directional I cant hear highs properly...
 
Bah!

Ceramic balls now is it WM:D Must be the male menopause;)

It's mumbo jumbo I tell ye Master P, mumbo jumbo! Be afraid - be very afraid.

I must admit I have yet to hear a single stand/support/rack that I cannot happily live without.
 
If my dealer doesnt sell me the Isobearings I am using at the moment, he says Marck Levinson himself sold them to him, I might order a set of Stillpoints too... :JPS:
 

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