Nightmare


I am sleep deprived!

Will be moving in to a newly bought house mid next year and I will not be "allowed" to keep the Hifi in the Living room anymore. Living room is so awkwardly shaped, it is not hifi-worthy anyway.

However, I will have a room of 8'X16' dedicated for Music. Now I am seriously worried about the width being only 8'. I currently use ML Aerius i's and they are kept well away from the side walls (2 feet away) and at least 6 feet apart from each other. Will I have any chance at all, getting the placement right in such a narrow room?

Alternatively, I am considering parting with (sadly though) my electrostatics and exploring the Nirvana in Horn/SET camp, since I have heard that horns can be safely placed right next to the side walls. Did listen to Lowther DX-4s driven by an Atma S-30. Sounded pretty good, but something was missing.

Please SMS (Save my Soul) !!!

Thanks,
amal
I think there's an excellent chance your Martin Logans will work at least as well as anything else; I'd say give 'em a fair chance before succumbing to "new speaker fever". Put 'em right up against the side walls, treat the area along the sidewall just in front of the panels (which is where your first reflections will happen), and treat the back wall where the backwave bounces off of it. I use diffusion instead of absorption, but that choice depends on your room's acoustic signature. Don't overdo absorption or you'll suck the life out of the sound.

Note that horn/dynamic hybrids usually don't integrate well at close range; some distance between you and the speakers is required. Now a single-driver speaker (like Cain & Cain Abbeys or something from the Omega line) doesn't have this problem, and will work well with SET's, but won't give you much in the bottom octave and a half or so. I'd say give the Martins a chance first.
Just set up the stereo in the living room and tell whoever is not 'allowing' you in there that they are no longer allowed in the living room. Issue settled. Soul saved.
Elgordo, Boa2 and Celtic66 : You guys are funny. Good sense of humour... Cheers.

Newbee and Audiokinesis, I tried a similar 'up against the side wall' set-up, not so long ago as a basic experiment before posting this thread, and the MLs sounded terrible. After about two weeks of labour I gave up. While I didn't have access to designer room treatments, I used several fabric wall hangings on the sidewalls (where the primary reflection takes place). This experiment scared me, as it was a sign of things to come, when I move next year.

I do agree with most of you that I have to wait and see and should not loose sleep over it. But I live in a country where representation of respected Hifi brands are rare and buying a brand that is not locally represented is a lengthy procedure. Besides, listening to such brands involves finding a dealer in a country I travel to often and fixing appointments etc., which again is time consuming. Thus the urge to expedite the process (and the newly earned reputation :)

Let' hear more about this unconventional way of placing the speakers along the long wall and setting up for near field listening. Sounds interesting...

Thanks,