soundstage question
Discussion
Chaps,
I want to know how I can help the sound staging of my hifi.
I have B&O Beolab 6000 speakers. Yes I know thay aren't the most audiophile speakers out there, but they are what I happen to have in the room I am referring to.
Anyway, the speakers are positioned quite wide apart (they have to be due to furniture etc) - 5 metres apart in fact.
However, the sofa is a little close to the speakers so that the listener's ear is only 4 metres away from each of the speakers.
I always thought that to get a proper sound stage, you need the distance between the speakers to be less than the distance between speaker and lister, and clearly I don't have this.
But, to compensate, can I angle the speakers inwards to point directly at me? Or will I never get acurate sound staging with the speakers slightly "too far" apart?
Thoughts welcome.
Thanks.
I want to know how I can help the sound staging of my hifi.
I have B&O Beolab 6000 speakers. Yes I know thay aren't the most audiophile speakers out there, but they are what I happen to have in the room I am referring to.
Anyway, the speakers are positioned quite wide apart (they have to be due to furniture etc) - 5 metres apart in fact.
However, the sofa is a little close to the speakers so that the listener's ear is only 4 metres away from each of the speakers.
I always thought that to get a proper sound stage, you need the distance between the speakers to be less than the distance between speaker and lister, and clearly I don't have this.
But, to compensate, can I angle the speakers inwards to point directly at me? Or will I never get acurate sound staging with the speakers slightly "too far" apart?
Thoughts welcome.
Thanks.
In stereo, the 'sweet spot' is roughly 1.2 times as far as the distance between the speakers.
So if you've got 5m between them then you should be sat 6m away.
Angling them in slightly would move this forward to where your sofa is but staging is more often than not a product of room acoustics.
So if you've got 5m between them then you should be sat 6m away.
Angling them in slightly would move this forward to where your sofa is but staging is more often than not a product of room acoustics.
johnny senna said:
Thank you. So I am OK angling them in a bit? Not wasting my time? Sometimes the sound seems to too "spaced apart" so I can hear the same instrument coming out of each speaker, but not in the middle if you get me, which is wrong in my view.
Thats because you're sat in front of where you should be, if you see what I mean.The stereo image converges behind you, so you're hearing the sound before it converges, hence its duplex nature.
Plotloss said:
johnny senna said:
Thank you. So I am OK angling them in a bit? Not wasting my time? Sometimes the sound seems to too "spaced apart" so I can hear the same instrument coming out of each speaker, but not in the middle if you get me, which is wrong in my view.
Thats because you're sat in front of where you should be, if you see what I mean.The stereo image converges behind you, so you're hearing the sound before it converges, hence its duplex nature.
Through the written word and without knowing practically everything about the room they are sited in its impossible to say if they're in the 'wrong' place.
The important thing is making them work as best as they can where they are, as I'm guessing its not a listening room but a living room or similar.
The important thing is making them work as best as they can where they are, as I'm guessing its not a listening room but a living room or similar.
Ideally you want the speakers closer together. Even if you can squeeze a foot it will be worth it.
You can 'toe in' the speakers.
The advantage is it makes the positioning of instruments between the speakers more defined.
The downside is you reduce the 'width' of the soundstage from the outside of the speakers a bit. However, in my opinion it is a good trade off.
The focus of the angle should be your listening position. The other downside is the 'sweet spot' between the speakers is reduced, even to the point where moving your head a foot left or right will make a difference.
Give it a try. Nothing to lose!
You can 'toe in' the speakers.
The advantage is it makes the positioning of instruments between the speakers more defined.
The downside is you reduce the 'width' of the soundstage from the outside of the speakers a bit. However, in my opinion it is a good trade off.
The focus of the angle should be your listening position. The other downside is the 'sweet spot' between the speakers is reduced, even to the point where moving your head a foot left or right will make a difference.
Give it a try. Nothing to lose!
JustinP1 said:
Ideally you want the speakers closer together. Even if you can squeeze a foot it will be worth it.
You can 'toe in' the speakers.
The advantage is it makes the positioning of instruments between the speakers more defined.
The downside is you reduce the 'width' of the soundstage from the outside of the speakers a bit. However, in my opinion it is a good trade off.
The focus of the angle should be your listening position. The other downside is the 'sweet spot' between the speakers is reduced, even to the point where moving your head a foot left or right will make a difference.
Give it a try. Nothing to lose!
Thanks mate, will do.You can 'toe in' the speakers.
The advantage is it makes the positioning of instruments between the speakers more defined.
The downside is you reduce the 'width' of the soundstage from the outside of the speakers a bit. However, in my opinion it is a good trade off.
The focus of the angle should be your listening position. The other downside is the 'sweet spot' between the speakers is reduced, even to the point where moving your head a foot left or right will make a difference.
Give it a try. Nothing to lose!
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