Question How well positioned are your loudspeakers?

[Fandango Andy]

I visit many people’s homes with work. As most people don’t have anything resembling a HiFi system, it’s always a pleasant surprise when I see one. I recently visited a house that had two systems made up of quality equipment. However, the main one had speakers sat on a marble fireplace hearth less than a meter apart and only about two centimetres from the surround, also marble. I have no idea how the system sounded but I guarantee it could have sounded considerably better with a little adjustment to the position; they had plenty of space to do this!

I see things like this all the time, not just in homes, but also on this forum when people post images of speakers against walls, or on shelves. Like many people my main system is in my living room and comes with some positioning compromises. This became more noticeable a few years ago when I moved from the most forgiving speakers to a pair that need careful positioning. I got it right in the end. This is why I ask purely out of curiosity:

How well positioned are your loudspeakers?

 

[daytona600]

How well positioned are your loudspeakers?
Married - Small speaker , Terrible position stuck in corners
Single - Big speakers , Ideal laser aligned position well into the room

 

[Gray]

How well positioned are your loudspeakers?

Not badly.
Front ported, 2 metres apart, on solid stands and toed in to form an equilateral triangle with my listening position.
One speaker is closer than I would prefer, to a corner.
But, more importantly, for the good of the sound, there is no bare floor in the room and two of the walls and the entire ceiling have been treated to (very successfully) reduce the overall reverberation in the room.
Better still, there's never anyone else in the room, so I only ever hear the speakers.....at proper volume levels (which, during the daytime at least, must always be above conversation level)

 

[DougK1]

I'll try and post a pic later and let you guys decide

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Pretty well. They are compatible, size-wise, 4.5m+ apart, plenty of room to either side. Could possibly be a little further from the rear wall, but I don't want the dogs getting in the habit of going behind them.

 

[Al ears]

Pretty well. They are compatible, size-wise, 4.5m+ apart, plenty of room to either side. Could possibly be a little further from the rear wall, but I don't want the dogs getting in the habit of going behind them.

I did wonder where 12th Monkey went.....
My speakers are positioned as well as I can get them for a bedroom set-up.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I did wonder where 12th Monkey went.....

Absolutely nowhere! Might not have helped that I changed my avatar just before my name.

 

[DougK1]

I'll try and post a pic later and let you guys decide

Excuse the blurred image, either phone cam is kak or I can't keep still

 

[Deliriumbassist]

Pretty well. I use the Sumiko method because - unlike many other methods - it actually takes into account the room. Symmetrical positioning in a real room is almost never the ideal, because most real rooms are not acoustically symmetrical.

It's also important to remember that close positioning to a wall is not necessarily bad positioning - it's often better to be close coupled to the wall rather than 6-18" off, which is often a 'dead zone' area. Try it yourselves - stand with your back to the wall, and talk in a low, consistent tone. Shuffle off the wall, and you'll find the power in the voice drop or disappear, and then eventually come back. Problem is, this dead zone often aligns with where a lot of people like to place their speakers - in line with the furniture.

 

[Cricketbat70]

Mine aren't great, but with my wife's hearing issues I never get to listen properly anyway.

 

[ianrjones]

I had a workmate, who had his "hi-fi" grouped together under his TV. Just like the picture in the catalogue, he bought it from!

 

[Rui]

Mine aren't great, but with my wife's hearing issues I never get to listen properly anyway.

you have to change them either the seakers or the wife, my first wife made me walk in the living room always with headphones so i ended up changing her for other that likes 80´s alternative music and loud ,like other said "let´s dance to Joy Division" , i think it were the wombats

 

[Al ears]

you have to change them either the seakers or the wife, my first wife made me walk in the living room always with headphones so i ended up changing her for other that likes 80´s alternative music and loud ,like other said "let´s dance to Joy Division" , i think it were the wombats

Well that makes sense......
Though not sure what wombats have to do with anything

 

[Gray]

I had a workmate, who had his "hi-fi" grouped together under his TV. Just like the picture in the catalogue, he bought it from!

A mate had one of his Kef Coda speakers inside a wicker basket 😜

 

[Cricketbat70]

you have to change them either the seakers or the wife, my first wife made me walk in the living room always with headphones so i ended up changing her for other that likes 80´s alternative music and loud ,like other said "let´s dance to Joy Division" , i think it were the wombats

When I said not great, I didn't mean the quality of the speakers just the positioning, I've got them in the best position I can. I'd have to completely rethink my room to get the speakers in the best position.

 

[nopiano]

I’m fortunate to have most of the living room devoted to the Hifi, so these speakers are pretty ideally placed. They aren’t as symmetrical as they may look, as the bay window isn’t actually central.

My experience from many years ago is that avoiding symmetry, even if by just a small distance, often yields better results. YMMV.

https://imgur.com/hhDdTw9

https://imgur.com/hhDdTw9

 

[davidf]

A mate had one of his Kef Coda speakers inside a wicker basket 😜

I hope you had a word with him...

 

[Cricketbat70]

As I said my speakers are not in the best position but then neither is my hifi. I said in a previous thread a while back, I'd love to make a shelf along the wall rather than having the cheap alphason rack. Mainly because an early 1900's house with suspended wooden floors doesn't play well with my Rega Planner 3 "bouncy bouncy". Please excuse the mess on the floor, my 26 year old twins are in the middle of trying to make their first cosplay outfits 🤣

 

[Fandango Andy]

As I said my speakers are not in the best position but then neither is my hifi. I said in a previous thread a while back, I'd love to make a shelf along the wall rather than having the cheap alphason rack. Mainly because an early 1900's house with suspended wooden floors doesn't play well with my Rega Planner 3 "bouncy bouncy". Please excuse the mess on the floor, my 26 year old twins are in the middle of trying to make their first cosplay outfits 🤣
View attachment 7575

Rather than going the whole hog with a shelf, have you considered a dedicated wall shelf/bracket for the record player?

 

[Cricketbat70]

Rather than going the whole hog with a shelf, have you considered a dedicated wall shelf/bracket for the record player?

Yep I have to be honest.

 

[Gray]

I hope you had a word with him...

I think his wife wanted things to be tidy 🙄
He's one of those more into music than hi-fi - yet he'd bought Kefs..... then compromised his music 🤔

Some people are beyond help.

 

[daveh75]

He's one of those more into music than hi-fi

Normal, you mean?

 

[Fandango Andy]

I think his wife wanted things to be tidy 🙄
He's one of those more into music than hi-fi - yet he'd bought Kefs..... then compromised his music 🤔

Some people are beyond help.

"more into music than hi-fi" is a good thing! Shame he doesn't make the most of what he has.

 

[davidf]

Nothing wrong with being into the hi-fi as well...

 

[Cricketbat70]

For badly positioned speakers my dining room hifi is the worst but this is the room I listen to music the most. We tried to move the sofa to the wall opposite the speakers instead of the side but the room just didn't work. I want to lower the speakers too and replace them with my dad's old Celestion speakers. Rach isn't keen on the idea.