Speaker Placement and Toe-In

@patrickdowns I've got the Townsend Podiums on my short list of near term upgrades and have had the same question, are they worth the cost?

I read somewhere that Townsend has never had a pair of podiums returned for a refund

That's a heck of an endorsement and has influenced me to give them a try in the next 12-18 months

I have the speaker bars. Max Townshend told me the were as efficient as the Podiums but not as easy to install and manage the the right position under the speakers. Aesthetically they are less fancy but the price is more friendly.

my 2cents

This can be a maddening process. I researched many online demos and used various calculators showing where to place the speakers based on room dimensions. Most would put my speakers way too far into the room in both distance from back and side walls. Cardas method 1/3 or 1/5 Golden Ratio....etc.

So, I am still moving and trying. What I am having the most trouble is with the center image. Sometimes it seems to shift a little to the right. Do I move the speaker out/back, sideways...uggh! I have also noticed that not all recordings are centered.

I suppose mono recordings is the best to use.

BTW, even though the Townshends podiums under the speakers makes moving them around very difficult, I would not want to be without them. They are that important.

ozzy

My soundstage is always naturally to the left because of room shape, but my amp has gain trim controls for both channels, so I just trim the left channel more to get it centered.  Maybe your preamp has a pan L/R knob?

I played with toe-in and distance from my chair the last couple of days after reading this thread. I wound up with a little less toe-in, a little further apart and sitting a little closer. Not a big change in any one spot, BUT, wow I think I really have it dialed in. I will give it a few more days, but I do think this is the best my system has sounded, ever. Thanks to all that contributed to the discussion.