Speaker placement question

[Kevin cornette]

Hey gents, I texted a good bit during the excitement over getting my home studio/ listening room/ man cave finished earlier this year, a big deal to me. And when first finished I had many boxes of stuff my wife felt needed to be stored in my new room because at 18’ x22’ I had open floor space

and she’s been very compliant with my claiming all this personal space. But it’s taken time for all this stuff to filter back out and reclaim all my floor space. At present I have my old Lascala’s one in the corner and the other about 10’ away. Now that I have room should I place the other in opposite corner? I’m powering with a modest Mc152 and rarely listen to or play music at scorching volumes. I know my hearing has suffered in the many years my Klipsch were in storage with blown woofers   till this past spring when I repaired and put back in use. To me it doesn’t matter how my hearings declined simply because it sounds better than I recall also back then my power was a Crown DC 300, same wpc. Channel separation couldn’t be better the way it is but is there a recommended distance? I guess I could Google this question but it would probably lead me straight back to this community. Sorry for length of message but would appreciate y’all’s advice. 

[nickyboy6100]

10’ spacing is how I like my La Scala’s positioned. I sit about 15’ away. I don’t know how far away your other corner is, but you might lose a little imaging if you spread them too far apart. Probably ideal to be in the corners. I’d just move them around a little and experiment. You can always move them back. 

[KT88]

To some extent imaging could be saved by a more narrower bent in angle of the speakers.

[Islander]

Does your room have two usable corners on the same side of the room, less than 18-20 feet apart?  If so, those would be the best positions for your La Scalas.  If there's only one corner on the side of the room that you want to use, pull your corner speaker out of the corner.  The idea is that either both Scalas should be in corners, or neither Scala should be in a corner (the arrangement that I have to use).  The more similar your speaker positions, the more similar the sound of each speaker, which is what you want.

 

If you can post a diagram of the size and shape of your room, including doors, windows, baseboard heaters or radiators, or any other features that make it difficult or impossible to locate your speakers in the corners of the room, that would be very helpful.  Also indicate where your speakers are in the room.

 

Locating your speaker in opposite corners of the room (not opposite on the same side) is not the classical way to place speakers, but it will certainly fill the room with sound, which might be exactly what you're after.  Where you sit has a big effect on both soundstage and bass volume.  Ideally, you would sit about 1/3 of the way into the room, like if the room is 12 feet deep, you'd want to sit about 4 feet from the back wall (the wall behind you).  The seating position is determined by the location of your head (and ears), so with a reclining chair or sofa, you should measure the distances to the speakers and other items from a location a few inches in front of the headrest.

 

 

[Kevin cornette]

Thanx Nickyboy, I’m going to take your advice. I’ve still got stacks of guitar cases and my wife’s boxes still in the way. I’ve got a little more sorting out before I can corner the left speaker. Like you said experiment a little. 
thanx again.  

[Kevin cornette]

Islander, I posted this this pic to show you the placement of speakers as they sit right now. I’ve got guitar cases and a few boxes I still need to move before I can slide speaker into the left corner. I know I need to face couch to face speakers but my DAC and computer for recording is behind where I’m standing taking pic and as I mic those amps the couch is just too much hassle to get around as I switch between amps and instruments. So couch placement is a sacrifice I have to make. I thank you for for your info and guidance. 

[Kevin cornette]

Also please excuse the state of disarray. Room is still a work in progress. Thank y’all. 

[Ceptorman]

I see guitars! Gibsons, Fender Tele, Rick bass, awesome. Where are the guitar amps?

[Marvel]

If you aren't careful, @Tarheel will come for your dog.

[Kevin cornette]

Ceptorman, directly under the guitar rack there’s an Ampeg 50T head with single 15” cab a Mesa Boogie mark5 35 and an Orange ht30 and there’s also a Vox ac50 behind me primarily I use for keyboard. But use with Ric 12 string also. After final speaker placement I’ll spread amps out a bit as I mic each. Right now they’re crammed under guitar rack to save space. I didn’t notice Dixie was in pic. She’s my appendages 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KT88]

It's a bit funny, your room seems familiar to me. Dixie is very cute and unique, but when I see your LaScala (mine from 1977), the Tele, the ES175 and some Mcintosh gear, it's like coming home. Of course you have much more music gear in addition in your lovely room. I just have one guitar amp in my room, a Matchless Spitfire reverb since 20 years.

[Kevin cornette]

Im 64 this is the rig I’m gonna die with. There’s a few minor upgrades still to be made but I’m satisfied thoroughly with amp and preamp”thanx Classic Audio”. This is my fulfillment listening,creating music and amateur astronomy. You can see the 1986 Celestron C-8. Out of camera is my 11” Celestron XL. With my ruined spine I no longer play in working band but have played bass in our church for the last 27-8 years. That can be challenging and rewarding. I feel I’m one blessed guy. So my remaining years will be spent surrounded by my interest, the best I could reasonably afford. I plan on upgrading turntable to a Duel 1229 like I had back in the day, my nostalgia runs deep! And a blu ray sacd player. A humble little rig within our means. I also enjoy y’all’s community. There’s a wealth of knowledge in this group and you guys have a wicked humor. I will respond on final speaker placement or if I end up moving them to block windows 10’ apart. Again sorry about lengthy message.

i added against my better judgement the unorganized half of room. This is a major job sorting this stuff out. The ugly truth!

tanx again.  Anybody have an idea on how efficiently alphabetize a mass of albums and several thousand cd’s. I’ll think about that task later. 

 

 

 

 

[Islander]

Kevin, thanks for the photos.  They're very helpful.  I see what you mean about the sofa.  However, in the meantime, just sitting sideways on it, with your feet towards the speakers, would work, and once you get the second speaker into its corner, you'll be most of the way there.  Very few of us have theoretically ideal listening rooms.  If you have two usable corners, you're ahead of me.

 

BTW, is that a studio flash unit in the left of the first picture, or a reflector telescope?  Or a stage lighting unit?  In any case, that's a fine collection of guitars and amps.

 

There's also another way to go.  You could place your Scalas on the long wall, as Paul Klipsch often recommended.  As long as the speakers are less than about 18 feet apart, they could sound good, with good soundstage effect.  However, if they're more than about that 18 feet apart, you'd probably get the "hole in the middle" effect.  The cure is simple:  just add a centre speaker.  A third La Scala would be ideal, but a Belle Klipsch would be an easier fit into the room, since they're only 18" deep, and compensate for that by being 30 inches wide.  They're a good match for La Scalas, because they use most of the same hardware, except the squawker horn is shorter.

 

There are so many possibilities.  I hope we're not making your head spin.  It could happen.  

 

"It was those wild-eyed audiophiles, Officer, with their crazy talk."

 

"Don't worry, Sir, a few hours of talking with normal people is usually all you should need to feel sane again."

 

EDIT:  Your post was just ahead of mine, but I see that my second guess was right:  it is a telescope.  I've got a 5" Meade, my first 'scope, but it showed me the possibilities of what a bigger telescope could show me.  I've also got some studio flash units, because I do some model photography (the 2-legged ones, not the tabletop ones).

 

 

[Peter P.]

Don't over-think things. Move the left speaker to the left of the left window and you're done.

The way the seating and your chair is arranged you're not even facing the speakers so what's

the difference?

 

I'd consider getting rid of the couch and replacing it with a couple low back, comfortable and

maybe movable chairs so you can sit facing the speakers. Or replace the sofa with a loveseat,

again facing the speakers. That will free up a passage from your chair toward your stuff on

both sides of the room.

 

P.S., You want to arrange your music-hire a librarian!

[Kevin cornette]

Right now space is a a major concern. After I clear space out of corner and slide left speaker in that corner I’m thinking of adding more shelves between windows. There I’ll stack several boxes of effects Roland guitar synth, spread out so I can see what’s there, all the stomp boxes, do-dads and parts with one shelf designated for telescope accessories. I’ll try to take a pic of my recording corner and with that you’ll have seen entire room. Any suggestions about anything y’all see , equipment placement, furniture placement anything y’all see that you think might help sound experience or studio efficiency would be appreciated. Thanx for reply’s and for taking interest. Also what do y’all think of me using my B&W 606’s for studio monitors?should they be good enough for play back either through head phone jack of MacBook or out jack or head phone jack on presonusone 4 channel DAC?  Right now I’m just using head phones out of line out jack of DAC. 
 

[KT88]

4 hours ago, Kevin cornette said:

Im 64 this is the rig I’m gonna die with. There’s a few minor upgrades still to be made but I’m satisfied thoroughly with amp and preamp”thanx Classic Audio”. This is my fulfillment listening,creating music and amateur astronomy. You can see the 1986 Celestron C-8. Out of camera is my 11” Celestron XL. With my ruined spine I no longer play in working band but have played bass in our church for the last 27-8 years. That can be challenging and rewarding. I feel I’m one blessed guy. So my remaining years will be spent surrounded by my interest, the best I could reasonably afford. I plan on upgrading turntable to a Duel 1229 like I had back in the day, my nostalgia runs deep! And a blu ray sacd player. A humble little rig within our means. I also enjoy y’all’s community. There’s a wealth of knowledge in this group and you guys have a wicked humor. I will respond on final speaker placement or if I end up moving them to block windows 10’ apart. Again sorry about lengthy message.

i added against my better judgement the unorganized half of room. This is a major job sorting this stuff out. The ugly truth!

tanx again.  Anybody have an idea on how efficiently alphabetize a mass of albums and several thousand cd’s. I’ll think about that task later. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am 64 as well. Even if I have a MC 275 with a C22CE which I used only in the last 20 years I bought and restored two years ago some 35 year old British Quad current dumping sand amps because that was the nice sounding gear of my younger years which now enjoys me again.

[Kevin cornette]

KT

I would have loved to have afforded the c22. I think that’s esthetically my favorite preamp. Mercy I spent so much time looking , reading and almost pulled the trigger on more than one. You and your quad is no different than my wanting another Dual 1229. I loved that turntable. Someone posted some pics of a friend of his stereos in a beautiful house and equipment. I think he said they visited and listened to music. But it made me think back to the 70’s when that’s all we did socially was visit friends and listen to music. I miss those times, I got turned on to some great music I may not have found otherwise.Do any of you guys still visit friends and listen to music? Since my friend Keith died I doubt if I ever will again. Please excuse my droning on. Good evening. 

[nickyboy6100]

1 hour ago, Kevin cornette said:

KT

I would have loved to have afforded the c22. I think that’s esthetically my favorite preamp. Mercy I spent so much time looking , reading and almost pulled the trigger on more than one. You and your quad is no different than my wanting another Dual 1229. I loved that turntable. Someone posted some pics of a friend of his stereos in a beautiful house and equipment. I think he said they visited and listened to music. But it made me think back to the 70’s when that’s all we did socially was visit friends and listen to music. I miss those times, I got turned on to some great music I may not have found otherwise.Do any of you guys still visit friends and listen to music? Since my friend Keith died I doubt if I ever will again. Please excuse my droning on. Good evening. 

I still listen to music with friends. Especially my brother. I enjoy listening with friends. We get each other hyped up, but I also do a lot of listening by myself. It really doesn’t matter to me. I just love music. 

[Kevin cornette]

Nicky, that’s all I do these days is listen by my self but it’s still enjoyable I’ve been married 43 years and my wife enjoys music but she’s put up with me and my music since we met. She’s a saint. 

[nickyboy6100]

2 minutes ago, Kevin cornette said:

Nicky, that’s all I do these days is listen by my self but it’s still enjoyable I’ve been married 43 years and my wife enjoys music but she’s put up with me and my music since we met. She’s a saint. 

I’m 43 and been married for 10 years. I have put my wife through hell and she’s always been by my side so I can understand. She is so saintly, I will get into heaven by association. 😁