Article: "Listening Room Without . . . Treatments"

Checked your pics, nice looking room.

Curious as to what program you're using for the room illustration?

 

Thanks. It's a wonderful old house.

I drew it myself using a Photoshop knock-off by ArcSoft, PhotoStudio6. I have Photoshop on another computer but ArcSoft is on my laptop. I drew it today after I saw this thread.

 

timind, this morning I almost discarded this but here is a copy of my original drawing. I created the drawing using 200 dpi, with one inch equaling one foot. Everything I've presented before has been shrunk down. This is an artifact but as you were curious, I thought you might like to see it. I had the measurements on hand as I remodeled the room in 2008, moving out walls and windows to create the sunroom. Originally, the walls, windows and front door were where the entertainment center and bookcase are now.

ggergm living room original

 

I'm in a 9' x 12' room, so I have to make do with a nearfield set-up, which my KEF LS50's excel at. I've set up my speakers according to the Cardas calculator and have been pleased with the results; I get very good imaging depth.

Out of curiosity due to this thread, I tried out a diagonal speaker arrangement last night. I wasn't quite sure how exactly to position the speakers, so I pointed the listening chair towards the corner and then created an equilateral triangle between the chair and the two speakers, with the speakers placed maybe 12-15" in front of the walls.

The distance between the speakers was much greater than how it was when in the Cardas arrangement and there was a lot more open floor space in the room, which was nice. Unfortunately it sounded like poop! The sound field was as flat as a pancake and there was a big hole in the middle.

I'm willing to give it another shot if someone would be willing to offer more guidance on how to correctly position the speakers. Thanks!

 

Thanks for the info and pic. I will give photoshop a try if I ever start using the big laptop again..

 

In all disclosure, I came across this set up, TOTALLY by accident.

I have a tiny almost square room with my computer listening set up, and found it to be very limiting, so I just kept moving stuff around, and Bam! I found this new sound that was really different.

Before I had used a wide close field listening set up, and it was very okay at best.

This angled set up, removes or helps with a small or square room a lot.

 

I gave up on the angled approach. I think I have too many limiting factors (very small room with walkways in one corner that limit speaker placement). No matter what I did, my left channel overpowered the right. It was because I had no choice but to compromise that speaker's placement. However, I set my speakers up according to the "golden ratio" and am completely blown away! After a year, 4 diff't rooms and a multitude of placements, I have finally achieved sonic bliss! My speakers have "disappeared" and the stereo sound has focused into a single, centralized image. Although a great learning experience, I wasted a lot of time placing my speakers based on the general manufacturer recommendations and playing a reference recording and arbitrarily moving the speakers looking for perfection. In my human arrogance, I ignored what the universe has spelled out since the beginning of time. ;-)

 

I think anyone that can make a small room work deserves a pat on the back. I'm fortunate enough to have had fairly large listening rooms the last bunch of years but I've had my share of dinky rooms over the years and it seemed I could never get things quite right. I'd fix one problem by changing something but by doing so added another, it was always a compromise in some way. Hats off to those that can make a smaller room sound good.

 

Congrats on finding sonic bliss! Enjoy.

 

I tried the diagonal placement with my Magnepans, in my large squarish 20x20 room and the depth and soundstage are huge! It has transformed my system. The depth is incredible,

 

Not hard to believe, diagonal speaker placement does work in some situations, considering the dipolar nature of the maggies.

 

its definitely worth trying. but it cant replace a free reflective zone and bass traps if you have the space the dedicated space.