All Merlin family members.

Last night, without mentioning the change to my wife, I moved the VSMs together from 8' to 6.5' apart (maintaining a constant 9.5' to the listening position). As we sat on the couch reading and listening to music, she mentioned she felt "cramped and compressed." I moved the speakers apart to 7.5' and she said it felt much better. If only all such problems could be solved with an audio tweak...

In my system, moving the VSMs together to 6.5' produced a slight improvement in perceived depth (that is, of depth unchanged but perceptually increased relative to diminished width and height). There was also an increased concentration of sonic energy and excitement(like a nuclear fusion reaction floated inside a magnetic containment field). Moving the speakers to 7.5' liberated the entire front wall and produced a much more relaxed, lifelife presention. The larger presentation also revealed more inner detail and precise imaging.

All things being equal, I think a larger presentation with the speakers farther apart is always more impressive. Perhaps some factor in my electronics enables this: the silver Audio Consulting speaker wire in natural cotton sleeves, my modified BBAM running on 55AH SLA batteries with no voltage regulation stage and 5000uf capacitance, the BAT VK75SE. In any case, the improvement of moving the VSMs wider apart is greater than can be accounted for as a subjective opinion.

Dave

Has 7.5 feet been an improvement over 8?

hi dave,
you and i spoke of your specific situation a number of times. with silver cable and bat gear in particular, the presense range will be enhanced and enable you to move the speakers farther apart. a more continuous sounding set of cables and electronics would benefit from my suggestions and show more depth of field due to the contrast potential being heightened. it sounds like you are not trying to get as much depth out of them anyway but a wider presentation. the wilson would have benefitted from your ancillaries due to the way they sound. the merlins are more continuous and therefore like other things for them to show their true potential.
have fun.
b at merlin

Dave,

As a newbie, I have much to learn. It does appear to me that speaker placement is system and room dependant. When I get my tsm based system together, it will be fun to experiment.

How far from the front wall have you placed the speakers?

btw....I`d also like to apologize to Tab for taking his thread off topic, but as merlin family members, perhaps we can discuss all things merlin and make Tab`s thread the official merlin forum.

Dick

Possibly a tad more energy & better focus at 7.5'.