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Planar speaker placement

Hi again. I just came across this, being new to the hobby, but would like to put it forth for those few who might not know it yet, and to get feedback from those that do and have experience with it. It being hk/limage theory speaker placement. I tried this with my Maggies and, holy cow. What a difference it made in my room! The speakers disapear from the room and the soundstage is amazing. The speakers are brought out about 40%of the room size from the wall, instead of the usual 2-4 ft, set very close to the sidewall, amd tweeters on inside. I'm sure the regulars here have heard about it, and would like to hear your thoughts. Thanks for your time.
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tomcarr
1,534 posts
 
Jim Smith has an excellent book titled "Get Better Sound". He also is very familiar with Maggies and has an entire chapter devoted to planars.
Invaluable aid for setting up a system to "play the room".
Best $ you'll ever spend in this hobby...

Tom
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,379 posts
 
You might also want to read about setup & room treatments on Sound Lab's website. Dr. West's approach to live end - dead end setup has worked well with my Sound Labs and might be worth a try with your Maggies too. Cheers,
Spencer
randy-11
1,913 posts
 
kalali is right - the dipole design reduces side radiation - tho I assume diffraction helps quite a bit on the close side walls or a co. like ARC would not use it when testing

the book by J Smith is just a rehash of obvious principles that have been known for decades mixed in with a bunch of excess verbiage - it sells to people who don't know much, including where to find the info for free.   sad.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,379 posts
 
Yeah, but absorption & some diffusion behind the planars will improve the depth & clarity because without it all that rear-firing energy will reflect back and smear what is heard.

Agreed, with cone drivers first reflection points are much more impactful on results. Cheers,
Spencer
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cleeds
5,983 posts
 
sbank
... absorption & some diffusion behind the planars will improve the depth & clarity because without it all that rear-firing energy will reflect back and smear what is heard.
This is not at all the case in my experience. Much of the depth and soundstaging of planar speakers is the result of the dipolar reflection. Manufacturers of dipoles could easily use cabinet design to obstruct the rear wave ... but they don't. It's by design.
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