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New to this. How do I stack my stuff?

I'm new to hifi. I've asked a lot of questions here and some of you may already know my situation but I got the following by chance and for free: Audio Research LS16 tube pre-amp, Arcam CD92 cd player, Madrigal Proceed HPA2 amp. 

It is all up and running and I'm loving it. Now just trying to maximize the little things that I can. For instance, speakers had spike stands but spikes were missing so I made a set.

Now I read in the CD manual that it recommends sorbothane feet and says sound quality will be better.

I'm now figuring out that placement of components is important and that proper stands, expensive ones, are best. Well, expensive stands are not going to happen. But I can try to make accommodations that are cheap and won't turn the room upside down.

Here is how it is all situated now...let the ridicule flow, but keep in mind that I am space limited to a serious extent. Was not sure I'd get the system in my house at all:

The (very) heavy Proceed amp is sitting on a carpeted floor on strips of wood which raise the bottom of it well above the carpet. It is higher above the carpet than it would be above a hard surface just on its own feet.

The CD player is sitting on a small, simple, wooden, antique side table. It is sturdy. The pre-amp is on top of the CD player. I have no idea what this might mean in terms of SQ but the CD player actually puts out a fair amount to heat which rises up into the pre-amp of course. That concerns me.

So other than getting some sorbothane feet for the CD player, what else would be a priority here?

Finally are there issues with which cables contact which cables, how much speaker cables are looped, etc. (Most of the cabling is Transparent Super Bi-wire.)

Thanks for any assistance.
n80
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
djones, the chair can be moved. I had not thought about putting the pre-amp down low, but can do it easily. There is other furniture in the house that I could also use in place of the little table. A simple but very sturdy and heavy oak desk. But it could hold the pre-amp and CD player side by side rather than stacked. PITA getting it downstairs and will require the approval of she-who-must-be-obeyed.

celander, the XLR cable between pre-amp and amp are about six feet long and the RCAs between the CD and pre-amp are about four feet. They are very nice Transparent cables. I don't think I could afford to spend the kind of money to get longer cables of the same quality.

shadow, unfortunately the speakers have nowhere else to go. Even if I could get them on the long wall the listening distance would be too close since the room is 10'x20'. They could be twenty feet apart but listening distance would be less than 8 feet. Fortunately, I think, ceilings are 10' high and the other walls have windows with heavy drapes on them. There is not much echo in the room. I will do some reading but any changes I'll be able to make will be minor.
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shadowcat2016
132 posts
 
N80

OK, gotcha on the speaker placement thing. My room is similar in dimension, but slightly bigger, 14x23, but with low, 7'8" ceiling. My speakers are also set up across the short end of the room, which is actually preferable in many setups, so you're OK there. 

Suggestion on placement, measure your room, length and width and divide each by 3 and 5, or even 7. In essence, this divides the room in thirds, fifths and sevenths. These will give you approximate places to place your speakers for better bass, as well as improve most everything else. Depending on your room layout, you can experiment with each position and see where they sound the best. 

Now, it doesn't sound like you'll be able to leave them there on a full time basis........wife factor, etc. because they'll be out into the room somewhat and that doesn't always go over well with our "better half". However, once you find a spot that sounds good to you, you can mark it with tape or simply write down the dimensions that worked the best.

For casual listening or when not in use you can keep them stuffed back in the corners as they are now. When you really want to sit back and get into the music, pull them out to the previously noted spots and enjoy. You'll find that it can make a significant difference, for the better, by getting them away from the rear wall and giving them room to breath. Placing them on odd interval spacing isn't the only or necessarily the optimum way to set them up, there are others, but I've found them to be similar mathematically, plus or minus a few inches. Every room is different acoustically, so what I do may not be the best for you and vice versa, but it's a place to start. From there you just experiment and have fun with it.

Moving your speakers around, possibly several times a week, might be inconvenient......and annoying, but if that's your only option, I think you'd find the improvement worth the trouble. Perhaps your wife will appreciate the improvement also and cut you a bit of slack............We all have to make compromises to maintain domestic tranquility :)
n80 OP
2,116 posts
 
I have experimented with pulling them out into the room a little but I have to say I could not tell a huge difference. In fact the bass seems better where they are in the picture. But, I will continue to play around with that. They are a load and with the spikes on them I have to lift them straight up and carry them...about 120 pounds each with nothing to grab onto. Oddly, moving my chair a few feet into the rooms seems to expand the soundstage (I'm probably not saying that right but the sound is more "3D"...I think some people say holographic.)
boxer12
8,656 posts
 
" Oddly, moving my chair a few feet into the rooms seems to expand the soundstage (I'm probably not saying that right but the sound is more "3D"...I think some people say holographic.)"

Makes perfect sense to me. I would keep experimenting with the speaker placement as well. Also love the Bonhoeffer book! 
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