Weird Speaker Placement Configurations



My latest listening room has presented me with many challenges, because it is not only a listening room, but also a "music room", study and spare living room.

So fitting everything, including a piano, a big desk and two sofas, working around a glass pocket door and fireplace, while accomodating Magneplanar Tympanis has been no small feat.

In the end, my solution has me sitting with my back in the corner of the room behind the desk most of the time.

This has me wondering: could it be possible to successfully fire speakers diagonally across a room?

Obviously there has been lots of discussion of short vs long walls, distance from walls etc. but is it possible to create the classic triangle where the speakers vary in their distances from their respective boundaries in the room?

Or would this create obvious problems?

Of course I can also experiment, but experimentation can be a full day's work with Tympanis.

Has anyone stumbled into success with an unusual or unexpected placement of their speakers?

Thank you,
cwlondon
You could try some of the computer programs that are now available; the main thing to remember is that bipolar radiators HAVE to be away from the wall. They also have a completely different and more complex radiation pattern than cone drivers. An extreme solution would be to use something to absorb the backwave to allow the speakers to be placed close to the wall, some electrostatic speakers have done this in the past and the new JanZen is doing something like this. Good luck. Stan
I have 2 rooms set up with a diagonal placement and it's worked out fantastic. If you check my system page you can see one of my rooms with speakers set on about a 20% plane to the back wall. I recently set up a small room system (in my son's former bedroom) with the speakers firing diagonally across the 12x12 room with my chair in near-field position approx 6 ft from the speakers.

I like the results of both setups and tried many, many more "standard" configurations before settling on these.
This might help:

http://www.decware.com/paper14.htm

I've tried a couple of diagonal set-ups with both Spendor and Audiokinesis speakers. In most cases, you can get really good sound from this type of set-up.
A diagram of your room would help the Audiogon members who would like to help. Or at least room specs. How big is the piano?, etc.
Joe
My office setup isn't the best for listening... nor are it's dimensions... 9 x 12.

My desk is in one corner. One long wall is dedicated to gear resting on two racks. A closet and entry door are either side of the desk with racks of DVDs and visual aids and file cabinent to either side.

so my 'free standing' ear phones sit on opposing corners. Now and then I'll roll right a bit and lean back into the sweet spot... which is why I am seriously considering powered two ways to mount onto the walls to each side of the corner desk.

All my speakers though, are cones. Good luck with that.