tport5 Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 I have just bought a pair of the RB-5 Speakers and found that the Horns were about 3 - 4" higher than my ear level sitting down. The soundstaging and imaging is very important for me sounstage is flat with little depth at the moment, imaging could be better too. The overall sound is great though. Using Onkyo SR600 and best Monster cable. Do you think I can turn my speakers upsidedown? Anyone know what positioning give the best soundstage? My listening distance from the speakers is only 8' and I am having difficulty setting them up. They are 6'apart and 16" from the rear wall. They are part of my home theatre set up but listening to music is the priority for me. Stands are spiked on carpet. Any other ideas to improve the soundstage and imaging. Should I try the RF-3II's same price. Any feedback or suggestions much appreciated. Thankyou Ivan, Vancouver Canada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 What are your room dimensions ? Do you have any wall treatments, acoustic panels, etc ? Is the room carpeted ? Sure you could turn the speakers upside down, but this may cause them to become rather unstable, as the majority of the mass is near the bottom. Try moving the speakers apart a little at a time, and try experimenting with toe-in. I found that the rf3II's I own sound the best with zero toe in. If space will allow, try moving the speakers out a few inches, to say 18 ". You can also try propping the rear of the speakers up a bit to angle the horns downwards to you. I never did well with trig, but I have heard that a laser pointer taped temporarily to the side of the speaker, on the center axis of the horn will help to position it. ( Thanks, horn ed ) I firmly believe that the room itself, the speaker positioning and then the quality of the speakers have the most to do with the sound itself. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 Ivan, Welcome to the BB. I have not heard your spaekers, so this is just a guess. Pull the speakers away from the wall. See what 18-24 inches does. Have you "toed" your speakers in? If your speakers are about 6' apart, you should be sitting about 6' away from them. Speaker placement is very important. The best thing is to play with them. A 1/4" makes a BIG difference. Good luck and enjoy your speakers. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael hurd Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 If your seating distance is not changed, then move your speakers to 8-9 feet apart. This will reduce the overlap in coverage by the horns. Or as db flash stated, if your speakers are 6' apart, then make your seating distance 6' as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tport5 Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 The room is actually quite big, but it is my livingroom/diningroom so it has quite a few things in it that are not so easy to move around, 15.5' x 22'. My home theatre system is at the end along the 15.5" wall corner with my computer table next to them. There is an area carpet in that area between the speakers, computer and the sofa which is about 8' from speakers. The rest is hardwood floors so behind the sofa is the diningroom area and windows. A few pictures on the wall but no sound proofing or panels. Speakers are 5' apart (not 6')and now 20" from wall toed in only about 15deg. My ears are about 7.5' from speakers. Imaging a little better in this position but soundstage still flat. With no toe in center vocal (for example) is wide with no focus. I find if I move closer to the speakers then they become a little hard on the ears. That was why I went for these RB-5's instead of the RF-3's because they seem to be smoother and easier on the ears. Thanks for the ideas so far. All suggestions welcome. What can I do to make the room more accoustic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted January 28, 2003 Share Posted January 28, 2003 is the imaging good left to right? if not, have you checked the polarity of the speakers? try flipping them on their heads, see how it sounds, the key is to experiment with positioning, toe in, etc. until you get the best soundfield. I have RB-5s and they image pretty darn well, LtoR and FtoR (though I really do not have a holograph in front of me while listening, not really DEEP)...regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tport5 Posted January 28, 2003 Author Share Posted January 28, 2003 I now have them 5.5' apart and have moved my seating position forward to 6.5' from them. No toe in. They image L to R, OK but F to Back very little. I am looking for the position that will give me the holographic imaging. Is that possible with the RB-5's or with any current Klipsch speakers. My previous position, the L to R imaging was more clearly defined but because they were further away I did not feel as involved in the music. I'll try this for awhile. It is really the front to back Imaging that will give me nice holographic sound that I am after. Thanks all, Ivan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 I have mine toed in so that they cross just behind me when sitting near field and just in front of me far field. again, it does not hurt to try many things until you get the sound you want. flip them on their heads, toe them in, move them around a bit in the room and do try flipping the polarity on one speaker just to see what happens to imaging. best of luck, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrPyro Posted January 29, 2003 Share Posted January 29, 2003 Ivan- One other thing you might try, besides toe in & Polarity, is the distance that your RB-5s are infront of your TV. A large object, be it a TV or computer, in the center of your sound stage can make a HUGE impact on how you percieve the depth and location of sounds. This is expecially apparent if you have a large rear projection TV (RPTV). Try moving your front speakers infront of any obstruction between the speakers. Even moving 4-6" infront of the TV can really open up the soundstage. So give it a try...... -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tport5 Posted January 30, 2003 Author Share Posted January 30, 2003 Bingo! Moved my TV back about 5" toed in my speakers just a little so they crossed just behind my listening position and I am getting a pretty good holographic sounstage with good imaging. With grills off sound just a little more open. At last! Thanks for all the ideas. Changing polarity on one speaker, is that safe? I am still amazed at the dynamic range of these speakers for their size. Also they are now actually 30" from the wall, maybe lost a little of the deepest bass but mids and highs better. Life's full of little compromises this is one I can enjoy for a while. Thanks. Anyone have any ideas on subwoofer placement. Thats my next task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbflash Posted January 30, 2003 Share Posted January 30, 2003 Very good news. Set up is very important. Subwoofer setup: If you have a log enough sub cable put your sub where you sit. Walk around the room and were you have good sounding bass that is where you place the sub. If you don't have a long enough cable start with the sub in a corner and work from there. To me bass should be part of the music and should not over drive it. I hope you enjoy your speakers. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted January 31, 2003 Share Posted January 31, 2003 changing polarity won't hurt anything (I guarantee! just turn off the amp before changing anything), change it just one one speaker and then listen...loss of bass, bad imaging? change it back...everything gels, great soundstage? leave it. tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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