Speaker toe-in & stereo imaging

This is a speaker specific question. A lot of dynamic speakers like to be fired straight ahead, listening to the tweeter on axis would be too hot (Theil speakers come to mind). Others like a mild toe in and, as you mention, some want to be heard on axis. It all depends on the horizontal dispersion of the tweeter. Just keep an open mind when setting up you speakers and listen to them in several variations of toe in. When the highs seem natural and blend well with the midrange you've probably found the right spot.

Toe-in can be speaker specific, and also can be influenced by your room and intended listening position. It has been my experience that speaker owners' manuals often suggest optimal speaker positioning, including toe-in.

I agree wholeheartedly with Newbee's comments suggestions above.

I would also like to add that the wider you space the speakers apart, the more likely you will have to toe them in. The more toe in that you use, the narrower that the sound stage will be. If the speakers are situated where you have a lot of gear / equipment / TV situated between them, you may end up having to toe them in slightly more. How much the gear in the middle affects the speakers will depend on how solid that structure is, if the speakers are in front of / equal to / behind the structure, etc...

I posted a method that i use to locate speakers that works pretty well in most any size / shaped room. This approach allows one to take into account the individual types of speakers used and the listening distance that one would normally use. That was a LONG time ago though and it requires having a "mono" switch on your preamp. Some newer gear doesn't have this feature, so it may be harder to achieve optimum results even if you were to find and follow the directions i made in that post. Sean
>