Thanks. It's all modest, but it works nice. Yeah... I'm not too fussed about the supposed "centre-image/soundtage" impacts, the set up sounds just fine as it is and these days I do my best to suppress the nagging demands of the inner audiophile junkie ... I just think it's an idiot-making panel that I don't want to look at, haha. And when I carve out a space downstairs perhaps I won't have to impact the family quite as much if our music tastes don't quite align that day? P.S - don't know if you saw the edit I tacked on at the end of my last post. So they're keepers you reckon?
I know maybe you’re not a soundstaging freak, like I am, but if you slide the speakers away from the wall, 1 inch per day, after a couple of weeks, you may get a much better soundstage. And maybe the family won’t notice. and yes! Try to get your own space! Then you can get your audiophile freak on (satisfy your audio jones) and spend a few thousand dollars on room treatments.
Yes, in the spirit of your home in Middle Earth, if we leave that Gollum like shoulder living audiophile alone too long we’ll come home to a total house anechoic remodel. Sounds good my precious At this point, it will be difficult to send the Linton back. Can see rotating them with the seasons. But we have to see how we communicate, you know, now that the first few date high has worn off….
They'll notice They're a little further away from the wall than that picture might suggest (30" from the front baffles to the wall behind). I used a longer lens to take the shot and that does tend to compress the depth perspective a little. Also the curtains bunched up behind them makes it look worse than it is I think? You'll have to take my word for it but I'm unusually intolerant of muddy, inarticulate bass (the kind you get from too close wall proximity) and whatever the reason - room acoustics or dumb luck - these Linton's are just "Goldilocks" in this location, in this room. I was a little worried when I got them home knowing I had only so much latitude to pull them into the room, but turns out they've worked most satisfactorily. Certainly enough to cast a convincingly 3D soundstage - depending on how well the recording engineers have constructed and manipulated that illusory quality during mastering of course. I know what I say next might not make a whole lotta sense to you, because you seem like too sensible a man to have ever been as silly as I once was, but I've had a history with audiophilia that's been a bit - shall we say - chequered. I got a bit darkly obsessive (by my own assessment now... not like I ended up at Audioholics Anonymous in audiophile rehab )... at one point my long suffering wife had tolerated a living room that had been partially converted into a (heavily treated) quasi studio space... an audio shrine in other words. It was more tasteful than egg cartons on the walls, haha... but still... the gear encroached into our lives to the point that it began to dictate furniture placements and how freely we could move around our own house. And I was so obsessed I wasn't enjoying myself anymore. When I eventually walked away from it all I committed myself to making audio easy to live with if I ever went down that route again. It would make no sense to buy nice stuff and then compromise on placement so badly so as to ruin it's performance. As I said - I got lucky here. But if that wasn't the case then by now I would've changed the Linton's out for something that worked better? Interestingly when I had those Sonus Faber Sonetto floorstanders in for demo (the one's I told you about in another post?) they worked fine in this spot too, if anything they were a bit bass light... although they're (apparently according to a few reviews I've read anyway) optimized for close to wall placement, which was half the reason I wanted to try them. Anyway any priority I assign to occupying a separate room will be based on de-cluttering as the primary objective. I hear you when you say that will yield opportunities to optimize placement but even then it will still be subject to the "easy to live with" rule One of the reason's I've been reticent to lock it away in a special room is - even though the gear is "my stuff", it's been a great pleasure to introduce my kids to music so as long as they're still interested I don't want to turn it into something exclusionary?
for sure and glad your kids are there to enjoy your system as well. I wasn’t thinking about that with my comments. In previous homes, I’ve also had systems in shared living spaces and I know our daughter enjoyed listening. (My wife likes music but really isn’t into the gear or sitting and listening.) In our last home she lived in with us before moving away for college and marriage, I was lucky enough to use our “living room” in the front part of the house as my listening space. The other half was the formal dining room. We didn’t use either for “normal” things except at Christmas and more formal dinners. There was also a family room with open kitchen and “breakfast nook” that actually served as our usual place to hang out and eat meals. Long story but my “open” listening space there exposed Jen and her friends to good sound, several precious times she (and a few times her friends as well) sat with me and listened to mutually enjoyable music … Avril Lavigne, Evanescence, Creed (and No Doubt! even tho the CDs I had were “old” by that time) … age 11-20 in that house. So yes enjoy and savor these times. Now, yes, I have a totally separate space that I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to treat and set things up again for optimal sound, at least to me. She and her husband enjoy listening for a while anyway when they visit. I’m gifting them my “old” system actually, with the same amps and speakers (that were new when she was 14) plus newer preamp and sources. The actual transfer will likely happen in the spring when they can drive up (from California to Idaho) to visit. They’ll be flying here over Christmas, looking forward to showing them the Lintons and my new preamp … they’re both semi-professional singers and really love music and good sound. I have several live recordings of her and both of them in choirs and recitals over the years. It’s always moving and thrilling to hear all that on a really good system.
You're a good sort Rick, I took your comments in the spirit they were intended. No harm no foul I was just hoping that my last reply didn't come across as too "over-earnest", that wasn't the intention, just wanted to give you a thorough explanation of my thought process. So cool that you're able to gift your daughter your old gear and likewise to pass on the love of music.
But ... you and DancingSea have the same windows! Well, at least you have curtains. That Yamaha A-S1200 must have looked really great in that room. That's right! I miss some kind of 'centerpiece'.
I have a big TV in the middle and couldn't hear a difference when I covered it with a sheet (maybe that's too thin?). What's the downside again of having a TV between the speakers? I always forget.
Compared to mine, your first date with the Lintons went a bit too well, in my opinion. My first date was more like ... What?! They don't like The Year Of The Cat?! This isn't going to work out. Oh, wait, they absolutely love Sakamoto's The Reverant. I'm impressed! Uh-oh, I guess we have to disagree on Angus and Julia Stone (third album), and, of course, Diana Krall, they all love Diana Krall, don't they? And this went on and on for a very long time. Today we are still together and they seem to digging everything now.
Yesterday evening I fired up Qobuz (hey, the first month is free!) and listened to the 2019 remix (not remastered but a new mix) of Abbey Road. Usually I don't like it when they redo a mix of a classic album but this one floored me. And the Lintons approve! This is the ultimate version, guys. It sounds big, fat and ... better.
supposedly the sound bounces off the screen and mucks things up (imaging mainly? Maybe just adds reflections/reverberation). I have two absorber/scatter panels that I can install, when I do, if I squint maybe things sound better … so it’s not super significant in my room/system. Actually member “Dr. Fine” uses center placed items (cabinet, I think) to “tune” the sound to his liking. Most times I’m too lazy to reinstall them after watching tv. Going to be doing more careful listening soon, will report back … might have to be a couple weeks tho, traveling for business next week. I’ve got new more expensive speaker cables and Herbie’s dots coming to add to the system. I have Qobuz and have been using it more and more. I’m not a Beatles fanatic but have some things from HDTracks and now just use Qobuz. I don’t recall details about this but I do like remixes of classic Yes and Jethro Tull by Steven Wilson. I need to listen to Animals again … 2018 remix just got released recently. I don’t recall if it’s on Qobuz, I don’t think so?
So you're a Rolling Stones fan, huh? (Hehehe, that's how the world used to be divided, you were either a Beatles or a Rolling Stones fan)
I confess. Tried a 1/2” of toe in and found it improved the sound. Getting up the nerve to go further I speculate that the grill wave guides make toe in particular beneficial. To my understanding, at least with the 2022 Revolver remix, is that it’s quite compressed. Yet people seem to love the sound. Perhaps compression isn’t always bad? Though Guido prefers the older version.
Chicago remixes by Steven Wilson too! Dang, I bought hi res Animals remix on HDTracks, yep it’s now on Qobuz. Oh well I at least heard it sooner, it wasn’t there AFAIK when I got it. Beatles/Stones … hmmm … it’s sort of a tossup really, I have a few selections of both, I certainly have listened to more Beatles lately. I should give the stones a fair chance, they probably sound really good on the Lintons as well.
After months of fine adjustments and tinkering I ended up with a toe in of about 1 inch. I’m clearly living dangerously! Setup is roughly a 7 foot per side triangle well away from the back wall (31 inches from rear port to back wall). After 18 months of ownership I’m done tinkering.
Listening to 2017 remaster of Fleetwood Mac “Rhiannon”, just noticed the lovely counterpoint electric piano laid down by the lovely Christine Perfect McVie. RIP …
It was a A-S2200 actually... which looks identical to the 1200 anyway... it's just the 2200 is a balanced design, which the 1200 isn't. I loved it at first, but quickly tired of the retro looking meters... that said - I still like the A-S3200. There I think the bigger meter panel makes it look more modern somehow?
...And so it begins... (please re-read that in a theatrically ominous tone...) My sentiments exactly...
Obviously, what we need, is a for IsoAcoustics or Herbie to come out with a decoupling/ isolation speaker platter/ platform that rotates via remote control. With the included app, in a few taps, we’ll be able to adjust toe in, to the millimeter, on both speakers simultaneously as the platters will be synchronized. There can be toe in presets for each individual song in a playlist with automatic rotation as the next song begins. Shark Tank, here we come baby!!
This post resonates, I went down the same path with fishtanks. Small townhome with 4 tanks in the living room including an 8’ 300 gallon monster. Wife was patient and it was fun for a bit but became too much. Have one 90g today, in a nice space and enjoy it much more.
