Help Total Confusion

Personally, i prefer a taller rack than a longer rack. This might vary with different installations though.

Having said that, don't underestimate the the potential difference in sonics that a rack can make. I would HIGHLY suggest taking a look at this thread about what to look for in a rack. You might also want to do a search of the archives to find other related threads. Sean
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Don't dispare,Dan.Life has larger problems. Might try one of them there room dividers. You know one of those free standing 3 panel thingies.

Dan,
I'm not going to dispute those who say such things about the placement of equipment racks between speakers-they've probably found problems in their experience.
However not only do I have a very wide AV rack between my speakers,I also have a 28 inch widescreen TV on top of it!
The good news is my system sounds great,big soundstage and no boomy bass,in fact it sounds as good as most systems (except the very very expensive)that I've heard in Hi-fi shops were obviously there's been nothing between the speakers.
Maybe my system would sound better set up another way but that is not practical in my room.
Also I tried the suggestion from this forum to cover my TV screen with a towel etc. to stop reflection-I found no difference whatsoever.
My theory is that my speakers are about 2 metres diagonally in front of my rack therefore I believe the soundstage is projected in front the rack minimising it's effect.
My speakers are floor standers,Proac 150's.
Hope this helps.

Thanks for the link, Sean; it was well worth the read! Ben, I'm with you on this one. Room limiations sometimes cannot be avoided, and you just have to live with them the best you can and enjoy the music. I'm seriously thinking about ripping out a major portion of my roof and adding a second floor dedicated HT, but short of that, which would obviuosly come at an enormous cost, I'll have to continue to live with real world room limitations. I don't think anyone who has posted above has argued differently, but it's comforting to know that well-informed folks such as Ben have achieved workable solutions.

One of the puzzling things about the audio hobby in my experience which is admittedly limited, is that if one tried to follow every bit of sage advice in a literal fashion, he would end up with an audio system that would be the equivalent of an Ed Norton golf swing! (For those of you who remember the Honeymooners episode where Ralph and Ed were trying to learn how to swing a golf club simply by reading a book.) Experience teaches, and that's where the link Sean has proved comes in - lots of good ideas to work with.

A single Argent Room Lens, placed about 18" in front of the TV when listening to two channel, will give you depth and stage that you would not have thought possible. Go to Audio Asylum to learn how to make your own for nearly nothing. Don