Five feet from the front wall


Just what does "X" feet from the front wall mean? Is this from the front of the speaker or the back of the speaker?

 

 

 

 

dsper

Some standardized definitions can avoid confusion and errors.  I use these::

Front wall- wall in front of the seated listener.

Back wall- wall behind the seated listener

Speaker distance apart- distance between centerlines of the tweeters (this works even for speakers like Magnepan)

Use the center point of the tweeter at the baffle surface to define measurements from the front wall and side walls.  Speakers come in different shapes and sizes and the drivers are not always in the same vertical plane, ie many speakers place the tweeters a bit farther from the listener.  So use the tweeter position as the reference point.  It does not make much sense however, to compare positions of different speaker models since their cabinets and designs such as ported, sealed, driver size, etc determine the best placement.  But these measurements are useful for someone trying to decide on the best type of speaker for their particular room.

Toe-in can be defined as an angle but that requires some geometric type calculations.  I have defined it for myself as rise over run or distance change from one front corner of the speaker to the other front corner.  But I found the most accurate way to set toe in is to use a laser.

I use a laser measuring device to dial in the speaker toe in.  Place the measuring tool on top of the speaker and square it and center it to the front baffle.  I do this by using a block of wood.  Align the block of wood to the side of the speaker and then place the laser measuring tool against the block of wood.  ( I made the width of this block of wood to place the laser tool at the speaker tweeter centerline).  I extend a tape measure across my listening position and then activate the laser.  The laser spot shines on the back of my listening position and I can now position the toe-in precisely using the scale of the tape measure.  Repeat for the other speaker.

Does this sound over the top?  C’mon, most of us here embrace this level of intensity.  How could I listen without anxiety otherwise?

 

Stop for a moment thinking about yourself. Think of the speakers. Then you understand it’s the back wall. 

I should add,

Listening distance- distance from centerline of the tweeter to the listener’s ear.

Well with my Clarisys Minutes (Planars, Ribbons), I have found 5 feet from the front wall with some diffusors behind them to be ideal. No absorbers nearby. I do however have acoustical tile over the drywall ceiling and carpeting on the floor.

The distance between them also matters. Too far apart and you lose the center image and some treble. In my 17W X 25L x 8H foot room I have found about 8.5 feet from the center panels to be about right.

ozzy

On the "front wall" being in front of the listener vs behind the speakers:

People (listeners) are aware of their position in time and space and can contemplate their position relative to objects in their environment.  Speakers are not aware of anything, so they should be disqualified from having an opinion about what's in front, back, to the side, below, on top, or inside of them.  They just do what they are told to do via electrical impulses controlled by the listener.  So, I vote for the listener, and defining walls relative to the listener.

@mijostyn 

"Because loss of volume with distance is much less severe with line sources"

My understanding this subject is something like this:  sound attenuates 6db as distance doubles.  With a line source (array) the height of the array pushes the phenomenon back relative to the height of the array.  So, if the array is 8', the attenuation process is pushed out 8' before it begins the process of attenuation.  Correct?