Loudspeakers with a wide sweet spot

Hmmm--I don't agree with the planar suggestion. Planar's can throw of a wide soundstage but the sweet spot is usually very small.

In general achieving a wide sweet spot I find comes at the price of imaging and detail. While the Eidolons do have a very good measured off axis response and sound decent off axis, they are far far better when seated exactly in between with very very precise set up.

My old Klipsch La Scala's had a wide sweet spot. Not great imaging or sound stage depth, but you could sit in many locations and get about the same presentation.

Personally at that price point I think B&W has a pretty reasonable compromise. It's not the best at imaging or soundstage depth but it's pretty darn good. It has very good off axis response and the listening experience off axis is very good, not nearly as hampered as many other speakers.

I do strongly recommend that you listen for yourself to some of the suggestions because it really is a balance. You'll gain a larger sweetspot at the expense of something else.

ohm, mirage, shahinian, 901......lots of others too..pretty much any omni or reflective design

"In general achieving a wide sweet spot I find comes at the price of imaging and detail"

Hmm, I'm not sure that is necessarily the case.

I do agree about planar designs though, Maggies for example. The sweet spot is very small.

Better omnis I've heard, like OHM and mbl, certainly do not have imaging and detail shortcomings in their sweet spot however the sweet spot is much bigger and amenable to listening from various locations in the room than other designs, in particular when it comes to imaging and detail.

Omnis I've heard are way different though in how they do imaging. But I find their imaging is just different than conventional designs, not inherently better or worse in general. Some will like it and some not, same as with any good piece of gear.

Most speakers have a midrange scoop, by this I mean a dip in the off axis response through the midrange. If you want something with a wide sweetspot then you need something with an even off axis response. In a two way this is not easy to find because large woofers "beam". A three way with a small roughly 3 inch midrange like the Accuton on the Eidolon will be a good choice. Omni's will also work if you can pull them far enough out into the room so that rear wall reflections do not have any deleterious imaging effects.

Here is an example of a rare two way that would work B&W N805.

Regarding the Eidolons, I've lived with a pair for over 8 years and I'll stick by my recommendation for someone looking for speakers "with a wide sweet spot." Members of our local audio group certainly have no problem enjoying a listening session seated all across the room, and my wife, who is my regular listening partner, often enjoys sitting well off to one side enjoying the music we're playing. Yes, the holographic soundstaging is even better sitting right in the center, but the frequency balance, resolution and detail when listening well outside that center position is still exceptionally good.

While the Eidolons do have a very good measured off axis response and sound decent off axis, they are far far better when seated exactly in between with very very precise set up.

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