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Moving from mid-fi to hi-fi -- Imaging questions

Hi. I am in the processing fine tuning the placement of my Magnepan 3.6's. I am new to the kind of detailed imaging these magnificent speakers provide. A few questions arise ...

What does it mean when I have excellent imaging but the instruments are in the wrong place? For example, I can pinpoint the high-hat cymbals and the snare drum but they are like 6 feet apart. I know from playing drums that that is just not possible. Also on drums, the distance when between tom toms is unrealistic -- like on the out edges of all the other instruments.

Sometimes voices are right on top of each other when I feel sure one is actually standing on the left and one on the right. Other times, the voices are clearly side by side.

I have a wide variety of cds, many considered audiophile grade. I am wondering if these are differences in the way the recording and or mixing is done. Overall, the music sounds great and imaging is exquisite but I want to get the most these speakers offer. Do I need to keep working my placement or am I reaching the limit of the source material?

As a side question: Is there any difference in the quality of manufactured CDs? I read once that some cds (BMG for example) were lower quality. I always buy my music used. Is there any difference in brands of cds? And down side to buying used cds?

Thanks all.
mcmanus
newbee
4,767 posts
 
To set up your speakers properly you need a sources with which you are totally familar. When your system reproduces these recordings properly you're done (although you can always revisit set up for fine tuning).

Recordings which don't sound right after this set up are just giving you what the engineer did with the recording. One of the benefits (and sometimes downside) of a highly revealing, well set up, system is you hear all the information upstream, which can include some warts. Panels can be difficult to set up properly but the things you are noticing aren't consistent with set up. They sound like recording artifacts to me.
jax2
3,031 posts
 
Newbee is spot-on with his advice. As an addendum, there are many test CD's out there that will aid you with your setup and in troubleshooting basic issues. Stereophile makes a whole series of such test CD's with very clear explanations of how to use them. You can order them through the magazine, through the site, borrow them from a friend, or watch for used ones here on the Gon'.

I agree that it sounds more like a recording issue in the case of your description, than it does a placement issue. That is not to say that you can get more out of careful speaker placement as well as adjusting your listening position.

Good luck!

Marco
mthieme
74 posts
 
Do they have to be placed according to serial number the way smaller models do to put tweeters on inside? I guess you would have already read that in setting them up but it was the first thing I thought of.
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