Toe in is crucial


I’m like the rest of us, obsessing about the smallest tweaks in power supplies, USB cables, cable risers, room acoustics, etc. But an underrated (or discussed) speaker tweak is toe in.

in my system (SF Amati, Mc components, Cardas, Weiss) adjusting speaker toe in by as little as ¼ inch has greater impact on SQ than many cable and other tweaks I’ve made at the tail end of refinement. The impact (and trade off) on sound stage, imaging, and treble presentation, by the smallest adjustments is profound.

I wasn’t quite satisfied with my system tonight—a little too forward; a narrower soundstage than I like. A ¼ inch toe in adjustment took me from hifi to the concert.

Not sure if others have experienced this, but thought I’d share.

w123ale

It took us 4 hours to get my speaker placement correct, and the use of tape on the floor so you know where you started. That is only part of the equation, room treatment changes everything.

Setup in general, including toe-in is definitely a big deal.

Our living room doubles as my listening room, and most of the time the speakers are placed too far into the corners, per order of my chief decorator. On occasion (mainly when she leaves town to visit sisters), the speakers get moved to a more optimal position....it takes hours to get the spacing and toe-in just right, but it can really make or break the sound.

I'm the rest of us, and I don't obsess over the smallest tweaks, most of which are simply conduits for confirmation bias. However, toe in can indeed make all the difference. Like, @hilroy48, i blue-taped the placement grid for my Spatial Audio M3's and found that even 1/2" made an audible (though not huge) difference. And I'm still dubious about how Reference 3A advises NOT to toe in my de Capo's. Yet anytime I do toe them in, the sound muddies up.