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Placement of Components

I've read that the ideal placement of components is on a side wall (not between speakers).  I am wondering if this applies to turntable set-ups only or across the board to all components? I am guessing that having a turntable between the speakers will degrade the sound quality due to the vibrations that the turntable cartridge picks up from the speakers?  Would a streamer have the same issue if it was placed between the speakers?  

I am running a Musica Pristina A Cappella III > Denafrips Terminator + > Asthetix Calypso Eclipse Preamp that are are on a side wall on a basic Salamander Archetype rack and are connected using a 25 ft. XLR runs of the World's Greatest Cables ( about $100 on Amazon) to Audio Mirror Reflection 45 SET mono blocks into Cornwall IVs. There is also an Intel NUC running Roon in the next room.  I am wondering if the long run of my modest XLRs are limiting my sound quality and I would be better of placing my components between my speakers and buying higher quality XLRs.  25 ft. runs of high quality XLRs are prohibitively expensive but I could swing one or two meters of higher quality XLRs (i.e. Cardas, Kimber, etc.) if it makes sense to place my components between my speakers.

Or maybe it's just six of one; half a dozen of another?  Any thoughts from those of you that have experimented with both set-ups in a balanced system would be appreciated. 

bgchz
roxy54's avatar
roxy54
8,074 posts
 

@aewarren,

I agree with you. I definitely depends on the speakers and their pattern of dispersion. I had a running battle with georgehifi when he was still on this site. He said that it was a no-no under any circumstances to have the rack between the speakers, and I said that in my particular case, I was using horn speakers whose dispersion pattern could not even interact with the rack that is between them. 

I think that in some cases it is a problem, although I never noticed a problem even with ordinary direct radiating speakers, but I think that the reason that some people imagine it to be a problem is because they think that the gear is getting in the way of the sound waves that are creating the "image" when in fact the image is not being created where the physical rack is, but at your ears, even though you perceive it to be at the rack location.

My belief is that individuals should try it before they just believe out of hand that it won't work for them.

jmalen123
165 posts
 

One of the benefits of the Klipsch Heritage speaker line is that they are generally forgiving to these types of issues. Those Cornwalls will sound good whatever you do, so just enjoy the hell out of them.

charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 

@roxy54 

My belief is that individuals should try it before they just believe out of hand that it won't work for them.

👍

This advice is applicable for many situations with regard to audio matters.

Charles

 

yoyoyaya's avatar
yoyoyaya
810 posts
 

Placement away from the speakers is good for imaging, but this can be mitigated by moving the equipment towards the front wall - assuming the speakers are some distance forward of it. Placement between the speakers does allow for shorter (cheaper) cable runs, freeing up budget for, for example, better racks.

dinov's avatar
dinov
846 posts
 

+1 @roxy54 

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