Speakers for placement close to the wall.

whiskywheels

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We've drawn a blank at rearranging our room in any other way other than at present, where our B&W 685 speakers are placed either side of a chimney breast and rather too close to both the rear and side walls. I've been experimenting with the port bungs, and minor position adjustments of the soundstyle stands. Although the system sounds good, I feel there are uneven frequencies, some booming of the bass, and inconsistent soundstage, although some of the time I don't really notice it. Given the poor speaker placement, is this the best I can hope for, or would there be any point in trying different speakers? If I tried different speakers, my budget would be roughly £500 - £800. My amp is the Rotel RA1520, with Audiolab CD8200.
 

CnoEvil

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Audio Note AZ-1 (small floorstanders) are designed to be placed in or near corners. They are now discontinued but may still be available for £500 (were £800), and are only available in Cherry.

If this is of interest, let me know and I'll give you Martin Grennall's (Audio Note) contact details. He couldn't be more helpful.

Cno
 

Cold Roses

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WW - are your speakers literally either side of the chimney breast or have you been able to edge them out into the room a little bit?

Also, when you've been playing around with minor adjustments to positioning, I presume you've tried toeing the speakers in? My 685s always sounded better slightly toed-in. Although, that's very much going to depend on your other room constraints, including your answer to my above question.
 
whiskywheels said:
We've drawn a blank at rearranging our room in any other way other than at present, where our B&W 685 speakers are placed either side of a chimney breast and rather too close to both the rear and side walls. I've been experimenting with the port bungs, and minor position adjustments of the soundstyle stands. Although the system sounds good, I feel there are uneven frequencies, some booming of the bass, and inconsistent soundstage, although some of the time I don't really notice it. Given the poor speaker placement, is this the best I can hope for, or would there be any point in trying different speakers? If I tried different speakers, my budget would be roughly £500 - £800. My amp is the Rotel RA1520, with Audiolab CD8200.

Hi whiskywhreels

Have a look at ATC's SCM7 or if budget allows SCM11 monitors. The ATC's with their closed box designs and importantly flat and honest presentation enable them to be placed closed to walls without the LF in particular getting itself into a twist. With the ATC's you'll also get even higher levels of performance from your RA-1520 and 8200CD.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft
 

Frank Harvey

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Have you tried using the supplied bungs in the rear ports? This is your first port of call.

As mentioned, toeing in helps reduce bass a little, and you could also experiment with stands. Some speakers sound bassier on heavy stands, some bassier on lighter stands. Choose whichever doesn't bring the bass out :)
 
CnoEvil said:
plastic penguin said:

PP, don't they have your name written all over them. ;)

They do: They have 'Come and Get Me... now!' scribbled all over them. But my new (or old) car is priority. In addition, as I mentioned a month or two back, I'm so happy (or content) with my current system.
 

whiskywheels

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Thanks all for some interesting and helpful suggestions.

I hadn't considered floorstanders, even PPs, and prefer the look of bookshelf speakers on stands. The B&W's are toed in. The right speaker is in the alcove separated from the chimney breast by the TV. The left one, is adjacent to the chimney breast, and both speakers with a minimum of 15cm from back or side wall. The bass port is at the front on these speakers, but I'm using the outer ring port bung.

The ATCs look like an interesting prospect if they really can cope with the proximity. The various manufacturers give no info about whether their speakers 'need air' or can be placed close to a wall, so I'm dependent on reviews and other expert opinion. It'll be an expensive experiment if it doesn't really make that much difference, so I guess I need to try out some speakers at home if I can.
 

whiskywheels

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.........and I'm getting more confused. I've read a review elsewhere that says the ATC 7 should be placed well away from any walls. Also, I read that only speakers with rear mounted bass ports are a problem near walls, so my 685's with their front mounted ports shouldn't be a problem?
 

rendu

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i used to have the B&W 685 as well and had the same problem. Those speakers just have too much bass and to me the high was not very clear so, I ended up selling them. I purchased Dali Ikon 1 from ebay for 250 and I m very he appy with the purchase. The double-tweeter makes a difference and spreads the sound very nice.
 

rendu

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i used to have the B&W 685 as well and had the same problem. Those speakers just have too much bass and to me the high was not very clear so, I ended up selling them. I purchased Dali Ikon 1 from ebay for 250 and I m very he appy with the purchase. The double-tweeter makes a difference and spreads the sound very nice.
 

matthewpiano

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I'm not generally a B&W fan for this very reason. I find their designs very boomy sounding, although the 685 is much better than the smaller 686 in this respect and I actually think the 685 is their best design below £500.

Maybe the B&W sound just isn't for you. They are superb speakers but won't suit every listener, and maybe you should be trying some other brands to see if they work better in your room, on your system and playing your music.
 

def lugs

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I am using Monitor Audio Radius 270HD floorstanders, backed right up to a wall as part of my 5.1 system and I really pleased at how good they sound for music in stereo. They may not be endowed with a lot of depth to the bass, but sit really well with the decor of our lounge. Which I am 'told is very important' by my wife. I use my sub to boost the lower frequencies when required.
 

manicm

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matthewpiano said:
I'm not generally a B&W fan for this very reason. I find their designs very boomy sounding, although the 685 is much better than the smaller 686 in this respect and I actually think the 685 is their best design below £500.

Maybe the B&W sound just isn't for you. They are superb speakers but won't suit every listener, and maybe you should be trying some other brands to see if they work better in your room, on your system and playing your music.

How do you find your BX2s? My nieces yesterday stuck their grubby fingers in both my 685's tweeters |( . I'll have now have to get a quote for repairs - and depending on cost may just get the BX2s. Do they work well near walls?
 

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