Advice for positioning LS50s and T/5i

Hey everyone! Just got myself some beautiful new KEF LS50 Meta bookshelf speakers with a REL T/5I subwoofer to boot. I’m using these to play mostly classic rock, folk, and occasionally electronic - exclusively on a turntable.

On top of the speakers & sub, my setup consists of:

- Pro-Ject X2 (w/ Ortofon 2M Series Silver)
- Cambridge Audio Alva Duo Phono Amp
- Cambridge Audio CX61 (most recent one)

As you can make out in the photos, my LS50s are on the new KEF S2 stands (about 60 cm in height) and I’ve got an equilateral triangle listening position setup (with an IKEA chair that places my ears at just about the height of the speakers. I am also in an open, concrete basement (it’s the only place I can set up shop).

Now, for my question: what do you lovely gals and lads think may be the best place to position my speakers and sub? Currently, I’ve got the speakers 2 meters from one another (at a 15 degree toe-in) and the subwoofer in the back left corner of the basement, and I have my seat set up 2 meters from the speakers. I tested this setup out on a multitude of albums (namely - Led Zeppelin III, Coldplay’s Parachutes, Piano Man, and Caravan Palace’s Panic). I’m not too pleased with the sound on all of the records - however, Panic benefited from a lot of low end boom I was getting. My mid’s seem to have trouble shining through, and I can’t seem to get a nice sweet spot from my sub’s bass - I can only seem to find two levels, either thin or a tad too much boom).

I would love to find out what might be a better set up in my case - in regards to both the speakers and the subwoofer positioning. I have experimented with several placements, but there always seems to be drastic trade off between highs, mids and lows - clearly, I’m looking for a nice, neutral blend. You can also note how the back of my basement has double corners, not single corners like a traditional room, so many have no idea what the best sub position is.

Please, I am open to suggestions from all of you fine folks - and I would really appreciate any tips / advice you can give me on speaker / sub placement, distancing and especially seating position for me. Thank you!

 

Sorry, the images didn't seem to upload how I'd expected. I've posted the Google Drive links to the photos of my setup here:

IMG-4207.jpg
IMG-4209.jpg
IMG-4211.jpg
IMG-4214.jpg
IMG-4216.jpg

 

Tough space I think. And pretty large (the space behind you). I would start setting things up seperate. So first the ls50 for best sound/performance without using the sub. When you find a spot for them where they sound good to you, only then start playing with sub positioning/settings. Do the sub-crawl! And read up on all the articles on the Rel website regarding positioning and placement tips.

 

Tough room layout.
I might think about swapping the drums an stereo locations.

After looking again, I see that might not be practical with the column.
Looks like you may have found the sweet spot already.

I will say you have put a very nice system together.
Enjoy

 

read the manuals for each. for the ls50s pay attention to the recommended stand height maximum and use of port plugs depending on distance from walls.

find the rel break in process online, then position according to rel online tutorials. avoid being too close to walls (12 in min) or you may experience peaks in the response

 

Thanks to you all, really appreciate the speedy responses!

@avanti1960 - the 12” sub positioning was just what the doctor ordered, thanks! Also, I tried arranging the speakers as shown in the photo, and holy CRAP - the soundstage blew wide open!

To anyone reading this - if your space permits, try getting the speakers no further than 0.5-0.7m from each surrounding wall (that seemed to be super crucial for my soundstage and sound profile - I also recommend no further than 3m distance between the two speakers (if they’re bookshelf like my KEFs). I tried putting the sub in the middle, but holy moly is it like having no sub at all (on a concrete floor, that is). Happy discovery all!

IMG_4219.HEIC

 

P.S. if anyone coming across this is interested in my headphones - they’re HiFiMan Sundaras (excellent sound profile on those puppies, but be warned, they potential quality control issues).

 

Setup looks pretty good to me....as avanti1960 said,i would be looking at optimizing speaker height rather than room position.