Martin Logan CLS setup


I recently obtained a pair od Martin Logan CLS IIs and just wonder if you guys could get me some pointers on setting them up for optimum performance. My room is about 22' X 26' with a very high cathedral ceiling about 20 feet at the peak. The front wall where the speakers will be has a fireplace in between the speakers with a window on each side of it. Behind the listening chair is open into the kitchen and rest on the house. Any advice on distance from back and side wall etc room treatment??

Carey
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Nice big room, symmetrical, not a square, open behind the listening chair -- I'd say you're going to need minimal treatment, if any, beyond the usual furnishings -- rug, furniture, bookshelves. Perhaps some diffusion at the first reflection point behind the speakers to tame the curved diaphragm focus effect (dipoles don't interact much with the side walls). In my experience, windows are problematic behind dipoles, their contribution will depend on their location. You may find that you want to put in heavy drapes or shutters to cover them when you're listening. As to position, at least three feet from the front wall, two feet from the sides, and on an equilateral triangle with the listener and toed in to face the listening chair should be a good starting point. Then mark the floor and experiment, dipoles are very sensitive to position and the optimal position will depend on the specific room. You'll likely find that the further out from the front wall the speakers are, the more depth they exhibit, and that you have to compromise between best imaging and best bass. (There are formulas such as Cardas for optimal bass response, but in my experience anyway they aren't all that useful with dipoles.)
First we should talk about the rest of your system to be sure we are not wasting our time with room placement and room acoustics. The CLS is picky about electronics and cables.