@millercarbon That's right. You start with the left speaker and find where the bass sounds the best. I did it with the right speaker unplugged. My surprise (shouldn't have been) was that there was a place because of the dimensions of the room where the bass did sound more pronounced. Frankly, I'm not sure that I want everything based on bass, but that's the methodology. And then, yes, you're supposed to move the right speaker around until you get the sound you want. I guess I cheated by starting the speaker in the normal "triangular" position. I did try the "slanted" configuration where one speaker was "behind" the other. I thought it was interesting for one song but moved the speakers equidistant after that. I did find that moving the speakers closer and farther away from one another made significant changes in the soundstage. Moving them 6 inches one way or another was enough to make a difference. The end result was basically an equilateral triangle. I don't know if I was prejudiced by the expectation that it "should" end up that way. Sometimes one song sounded better with the speakers in one position, then the next song sounded better with the speakers in a slightly different position. The hardest measurement is toeing... How do you measure that? I think I had a compass back in junior high and that was a while ago. So, I have to fiddle with more and less toeing. Oh, and my issue is that my speakers are 145 pounds and they're on wheels because they stick out 4+ feet from the wall when I'm listening to them... right in the way of everyone who wants to walk through the den to the kitchen. I wheel them back to the wall when I'm done listening for the night. So, my placements will always be close but never "final." Bottom line, the triangle is a good guide. Placing the first speaker where the bass is pronounced was a revelation. Measuring is a good guide. All of those things get you close. But it pays to make even 6-inch adjustments because you might get surprised. BTW, the method also talks about tilting the speakers up. I can't do that because I have to move my speakers. But it'd be fun to see if tilting makes a big difference.
Do you really use the formula for speaker placement?
There are lots of good discussions on here about improving the room your speakers are in to get the best listening experience. This includes speaker placement. I've moved my speakers all over creation and found where they sound good to me. But then I saw several "speaker placement calculators" and I thought, great, something else for me to tinker with. :-) Besides enforcing the standard guidelines of using an equilateral triangle between the 2 speakers and the sweet spot, and the speakers being equally distant from side walls, the formula specifies the optimum distance from the front and side walls. My room is 15.5 ft x 23 ft. The algorithm says the front of my speakers should be a little over 7 feet from the wall and a little over 4 feet from the side walls. The distance between the speakers then is about 80 inches, which is the measure for the sides of the equilateral triangle. Basically, I was about the same distance from the speakers as they were from the wall. I felt like I might as well be sitting between the speakers. For me, this algorithm did not result in a great listening experience. There are about 5 different algorithms, each arriving at slightly different results. Has anyone found success using one of these algorithms, for example, the Cardas algorithm? Or any other algorithm? Obviously, I'll let my ears be my guide. But I'm always open to the proposition that there's something I don't know that I could benefit from.
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- 20 posts total
- 20 posts total