Jim Lesurf wrote:
In article , Laurence
Payne wrote:
On Sun, 10 Jan 2010 23:49:19 -0000, "TonyL"
wrote:

What's to work out? First thing to do if you want a stereo image
is optimise speaker placement. If you can't get an iPod and one of
those playback docks. You'll still hear the music, and won't waste
money on pretending it's "hi-fi". (If you really want to
ostentatiously waste money, I expect Bose make one :-)


I want a proper stereo image not just "hear the music" and I'm
looking for ways to achieve this in a room that is used by other
people and contains furniture. So, there have to be
compromises...that is what there is to "work out".

I don't understand your references to "pretending it's hifi" and
"ostentatiously wasting money". Care to explain ?

I have a horrible feeling that speaker positioning is something you
just can't compromise on if you want a good stereo image.

My experience supports that. Alas physics doesn't give a damn about
what people might find 'convenient'. The reality is therefore that
the location (and pointing) of speakers, listening position, and room
acoustics all generally conspire to mean getting a really good image
can be difficult. Maybe impossible with some room/speaker
combinations.

That may well explain why it seems so many people have never heard
such imaging and confuse it with 'sound coming from around and
about', etc. So have no idea how dramatic an effect it can have upon
listening to be presented with a good stereo image.

Slainte,

Jim


Laurence, Jim,

The speakers are transmission lines from IPL acoustics, delivered in kit
form and assembled by me. I am familiar with proper stereo imaging. I used
to enjoy it at a previous location with a pair of trusty Wharfedale
speakers...that is why I miss it.

I can point the speakers OK but position wise I don't have much room to
maneuver....the units are quite large and heavy. Separation is rather
excessive...from my listening position they subtend an angle of, I guess, 80
degrees with a correspondingly large amount of speaker "toe in". The room is
quite large and square but with a lowish ceiling for its size. RHS speaker
is 3 inches away from a back wall and next to a doorway. LHS speaker is two
feet from the back wall and 6 inches from a side wall. To get good
positioning I would have to remove a large fireplace and/or resite the large
TV to where nobody could watch it.

Yup, I know it sounds hopeless (pun intended)...I was just grasping at
straws by mentioning it in here.