The Wide Room

[HKLinker]

Greetings.

I've had my Aeons since 2003.

I'm taking them into a new space and deciding which way to go in a rectangular room.

Seems sensible to put them down nearer one end of the 23-foot room, which is 15 feet across and nine feet high.

But I have reasons to want to go the other way.

I'd be sitting no more than about ten feet away if I brought them 3 ft off the wall and had my sofa two feet off the other wall. It's no issue getting the speakers off what would be 'side' walls in this setup, since the walls would be 23 feet apart.

What's the effect of having a room that is much wider than it is deep ?

How far apart can I place the speakers if I'm ten feet away, and is that different because the room is wide ?

 

[JonFo]

Greetings.

I've had my Aeons since 2003.

That must seem like Aeons ago ...

Sorry couldn't resist

... Seems sensible to put them down nearer one end of the 23-foot room, which is 15 feet across and nine feet high.

But I have reasons to want to go the other way.

I'd be sitting no more than about ten feet away if I brought them 3 ft off the wall and had my sofa two feet off the other wall. It's no issue getting the speakers off what would be 'side' walls in this setup, since the walls would be 23 feet apart.

What's the effect of having a room that is much wider than it is deep ?

How far apart can I place the speakers if I'm ten feet away, and is that different because the room is wide ?

Hum, I would not recommend using the shallower depth arrangement of the room.

First, you will be too close to the rear wall, right were standing waves/nulls in the bass form. Strong reflections from mid and highs off the back wall are another bad effect. Strong dampening of the wall might mitigate the highs, but bass will be another matter.

For ESL's I generally recommend at least 4+ feet from the wall behind the listener.

Being close to the panels is not necessarily a bad thing, and 10' is enough. But it will mean a small seating area. maybe two person wide.

Side walls are clearly far enough away in your proposed arrangement, which mitigates lateral reflections and rear wave energy management is less of an issue. But that's about the only upside I see.

Separation between L/R fronts is probably limited to less than the distance from listener to ether speaker. Generally about 40 to 60% of the distance to listener. So for 10', that would mean no more than 6' apart and more like 5' would be recommended as max.

 

[twich54]

I'm in total agreement with Jonathan, FWIW my room measures 14'6" x 23'

 

[HKLinker]

Actually, twich54 my last place had dimensions very much like what you've got and what I'm moving into.

I never did though put up drapes on the front wall or really go out of my way at all (apart from looking at about 50 places in the hunt for the right shape before renting an apartment !) to improve the sound. I was about 12 feet from the speakers, which were about ten feet apart, and probably not more than a foot or 18 inches off the side walls. I had about 8 to ten feet behind me.

If I go with similar placement this time, will putting drapes on the front wall produce the biggest improvement ? The space will be another 3 feet wider, and the ceiling will be about a foot higher. Will still have ample room in back of the sitting area.

 

[rasmaudio]

Across the long wall

Greetings.

I've had my Aeons since 2003.

I'm taking them into a new space and deciding which way to go in a rectangular room.

Seems sensible to put them down nearer one end of the 23-foot room, which is 15 feet across and nine feet high.

But I have reasons to want to go the other way.

I'd be sitting no more than about ten feet away if I brought them 3 ft off the wall and had my sofa two feet off the other wall. It's no issue getting the speakers off what would be 'side' walls in this setup, since the walls would be 23 feet apart.

What's the effect of having a room that is much wider than it is deep ?

How far apart can I place the speakers if I'm ten feet away, and is that different because the room is wide ?

(Room size: 29' long x 19' wide x 11' high cathedral ceiling)

The Martin Logan Summits are 7' apart along side the Magneplanar Tympani bass panels and the Summits are 6' from the front wall and the Magneplanar bass panel are 9' from the front wall because of the angle. (All speakers are placed along the long wall. The center speaker is mounted on the wall, 6' back from the Summits. I sit 12' back from the Summits.

In my 50 years of being an audiophile using the long wall has been my choice, if the room is acoustically treated well. See my other posts on acoustics and placement of speakers.