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question about speaker placement. dead end room?

sorry for what may seem like a stupid question but here it is anyway. my "hi-fi mentor" came over yesterday to give a listen to my new system upgrades and tweeks. recently upgraded my power lines and cords along with IC's and speaker cable (still waiting for one final IC and power cord but i'm 90% there).

he stated that regardless of what i upgrade and how good i think it sounds, my speaker placement is too close to the rear wall. he said i shouldn't bother upgrading anymore until this can be resolved (waste of money until i get the speaker position right in his opinion) my aerial 7b's are about 14 inches off the wall measuring from the rear port and 28 inches if measuring from the front woofer. the room is such that even testing the aerial's at a "good distance" off given wall is impossible. my listening position would be way too close.

i use a velodyne dd12 which comes with a very useful/in depth tuning kit. spent many hours with this kit and finally got a pretty flat curve in the end (which also happened to sound right/good to my ears). it did take alot of work to get rid of a few huge base peaks, but i did get them hammered out eventually.

there is no way to put the aerial's in a postion that meets the general guidelines of speaker placement...per the cardas web site and other resources. would need to relocate the entire system to a different room and install a new dedicated ac line. neither of which is something i want to do.

my question is....

do i really have a "dead end room" where i've basically gone as far as i can go?. am i wasting my money on these IC and power source upgrades when such a glaring "sin" is present in my system.

like i said before....i think my system sounds pretty good. just wondering if i'm spinning my wheels (and tossing money away) by pushing forward with small, incremental upgrades and tweeks.
levy03
levy03 OP
442 posts
 
oooops....forgot. room is 12x25 with the fireplace sticking out about 3 feet into the 25 foot length. this makes for two 3'x4' covey holes at each corner next to fireplace.

the only possible option i've come up with is putting everything opposite the fireplace. but then the fireplace would be behind me (not good for a pyro like myself. i really enjoy the flames)

could always seal off that PITA doorway but then i'd have to wear dirty cloths all the time =) (doorway leads to laundry room)
richlane
167 posts
 
Ok, Now we are on to something. You have plenty of length in your room.

I believe that you have your audio system on the wrong wall. You will need to be open minded about my suggestions:

I know it will be a pain in the neck to move it and re setup that sub, but I think it will be worth it.

I'll quote my Father, he's still alive, but he used to say; "Son you need to get your priorities in order."

I know this is harsh, and I'm sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this right now, but your priorities are your TV and your Fireplace.

If you want to make your Audio System your priorities then you have to move your set-up.

1) Your speakers can flank the fireplace and place them about 4 feet out into the room, then you can consider a front projector and a motorized pull down screen above the fireplace, and put it up when your using the fireplace.

2) You could also leave the TV where it is and buy a second pair of movie speakers to flank the TV, and move the Audio Speakers to the sides of the fireplace.

3) you could also put the speakers opposite the fireplace, along the the window wall in conjunction with the TV, and buy some curtains to cover the windows. Then buy a couple of swivel chairs, or a couch the offers seating on both sides, like they have in hotel lobbies, or a sectional couch that you can move around.

You could also probably consider some stick-on acoustic ceiling tiles for the wood ceiling.

Well, there you have it.

Rich
levy03 OP
442 posts
 
second set of speakers just might work Rich. you're a genius!. question is...will in need to pull the speakers out 4 feet in front of fireplace or the back wall?.

4 feet in front of fireplace would put it in front of TV. 4 feet from back wall would work near perfectly. just need to reposition some equipment so my speaker wire will reach.

make listening to music a priority?? such a simple answer. your dad was smart man!
richlane
167 posts
 
Great!

3- 4 feet is the general starting point..., it is the distance from behind the speaker, to the wall directly behind the speaker, also called the front listening wall, because you are facing it.

If the "back wall in your room" is the one with the windows then yes that would work there too, you should start with the links below, for best positioning.

Here are some links on speaker placement:

The first link, has 3 additional links at the bottom of the page, regarding speaker placement.

http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/speakerplacement.html

http://www.thielaudio.com/THIEL_Site05/PDF_files/PDF_owner_info/CS3_7ownerinfo.pdf

Good Luck,
Rich
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Time for a 'Toole', the book that is: 'Sound Reproduction'. A must read for you and your hi-fi mentor. But yes, the speakers must come out from the wall.
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