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Corner Placement

My visit to Capital Audiofest last weekend reminded me that the Audio Note speakers with their corner placement are always one of the more enjoyable listens at these shows.

It got me wondering more both about the speakers and corner placement.

Corner placement done well is clearly good for bass levels but not so good for depth of soundstage.  That seems to be the main trade-off.    Would you agree?

Also I am not sure I can determine anything unique about the Audio Note speakers compared to others that give them any special advantage for corner placement.  I suppose they are designed to produce the right level of bass with that placement especially being acoustically sealed rather than ported I believe.   But why could not other speakers that may be a tad bass shy benefit similarly?

How much of the Audio Note sound is the speakers versus the corner placement?

It made me get around to trying out corner placement at home.   I have at least two pair of smaller monitor speakers that might work best that way, like seemingly Audio Note does.   So far I am liking what I am hearing with these speakers that are also very good but would be considered a tad bass shy otherwise perhaps.



128x128mapman
mapman's avatar
mapman OP
22,211 posts
 
WAlan, but I am trying to understand what constitutes a speaker designed for corner placement?

Corner placement tends to enhance bass. That’s the only thing I can think of. So the speaker is designed to sound right with that corner bass boost and may be bass shy otherwise.

If so, any speaker that is shy on bass otherwise might benefit from corner placement.

The downside I can identify and hear with corner placement in general is sound stage depth.

Yes, I remember reading that about the AN cabinets. Definitely a unique feature. Tonian is another brand I recall that designs cabinets that way.

Not sure cabinets that flex have anything to do with corner placement being best though.


mapman's avatar
mapman OP
22,211 posts
 
I am trying out my Triangle Titus monitors with corner placement for the first time.    I like what I am hearing so far.    More bass out of those known to be somewhat bass shy speakers.    Big soundstage but not necessarily deep which may be a good tradeoff for me with those.

I also have a pair of Boston A40 speakers I refurbed recently to try there as well.

Also a pair of old OHM Ls I refurbed myself as well to try.   These are larger and more comparable in size at least to Audio Note. 

Something new and easy to experiment with.  We'll see. 


inna
7,296 posts
 
Who needs a sound without soundstage depth? I certainly don't.
erik_squires
16,063 posts
 
To make a speaker that works well in the corner you must have the right bass but also the correct (not wide) treble dispersion.

Here are some advantages I thought of.

  • More likely to excite all of the room modes evenly, allowing for smoother bass. 
  • Corner speakers take up less floor space.
  • Sensitivity. If you are designing for the corner, your crossover design may end up creating a speaker that is 3-6 dB or more sensitive than it would have been otherwise, allowing for the use of smaller amps.
So, in absolute terms, while you may use any speaker in a corner, a speaker designer who expects a speaker to go into a corner should make different crossover choices, not to mention tweeter choices.

As for imaging depth, that's a personal value thing. I think sometimes we place too much on depth and spacial reproduction, even when it's not real. That is, I think some systems create a perception of location that has no relationship with what we would hear live.  Like I said though, this is a personal value thing. :) I'd trade for instance, smooth and accurate timbre for hyper-etched 3D localization of instruments if I had to make a choice.

Best,

Erik
pops
2,275 posts
 
Mapman, sounds like an interesting experiment.  I have always wondered about AN also, have heard them many times at the CAF and at Voodoo in VA and always enjoyed the immediacy in the presentation.

 As a younger audiophile I used to value soundstage depth and precise instrument and voice placement more than now.   My priority is now accurate timbre, bass and more realistic decay, at least as accurate as possbile compared to a live event.

I have had my speakers as far as 9 feet into the room and it does create a 3D experience that is interesting.  But live music is not presented that way and there are too many tradeoffs. 


If a speaker has a wide dispersion capability I find placement closer to my boundaries, 2 feet from sidewalls and 3ft from the front wall works best which puts them near the corner, but not as close Mapman as you are going.  My corners and sidewalls are also treated.

Interested to hear your take as you get more listening time. 

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