Does anybody hear difference with a coffee table in place?

Priaptor

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To each his own BUT my observations on this forum is that people spend tons of bucks on equipment (100k is a drop in the bucket here), cables, servers, sound rooms, dedicated electrical circuits, power modulators/distributors/whatever you want to call them, electrical outlets, grounding devices, traps, diffusors, absorbers, cable supporters, racks, Herzan tables, feet for equipment, what kind of fill to use for hollow legs, etc etc and then all that so that we can place a coffee table between the speaker and the listening position or sit in a high back recliner??

Some comments here that "it doesn't effect the sound that much".

Like I said, to each his own and enjoy your money and what it buys anyway you want it, but given the topic raised by the OP, it does effect sound and the rationalizations that it doesn't effect it too much is so counterintuitive to all the work, money and posts declared on these forums I just have to laugh
 

Al M.

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To each his own BUT my observations on this forum is that people spend tons of bucks on equipment (100k is a drop in the bucket here), cables, servers, sound rooms, dedicated electrical circuits, power modulators/distributors/whatever you want to call them, electrical outlets, grounding devices, traps, diffusors, absorbers, cable supporters, racks, Herzan tables, feet for equipment, what kind of fill to use for hollow legs, etc etc and then all that so that we can place a coffee table between the speaker and the listening position or sit in a high back recliner??

Some comments here that "it doesn't effect the sound that much".

Like I said, to each his own and enjoy your money and what it buys anyway you want it, but given the topic raised by the OP, it does effect sound and the rationalizations that it doesn't effect it too much is so counterintuitive to all the work, money and posts declared on these forums I just have to laugh

+ 1
 

PeterA

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To each his own BUT my observations on this forum is that people spend tons of bucks on equipment (100k is a drop in the bucket here), cables, servers, sound rooms, dedicated electrical circuits, power modulators/distributors/whatever you want to call them, electrical outlets, grounding devices, traps, diffusors, absorbers, cable supporters, racks, Herzan tables, feet for equipment, what kind of fill to use for hollow legs, etc etc and then all that so that we can place a coffee table between the speaker and the listening position or sit in a high back recliner??

Some comments here that "it doesn't effect the sound that much".

Like I said, to each his own and enjoy your money and what it buys anyway you want it, but given the topic raised by the OP, it does effect sound and the rationalizations that it doesn't effect it too much is so counterintuitive to all the work, money and posts declared on these forums I just have to laugh

Hilarious.
 

ddk

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To each his own BUT my observations on this forum is that people spend tons of bucks on equipment (100k is a drop in the bucket here), cables, servers, sound rooms, dedicated electrical circuits, power modulators/distributors/whatever you want to call them, electrical outlets, grounding devices, traps, diffusors, absorbers, cable supporters, racks, Herzan tables, feet for equipment, what kind of fill to use for hollow legs, etc etc and then all that so that we can place a coffee table between the speaker and the listening position or sit in a high back recliner??

Some comments here that "it doesn't effect the sound that much".

Like I said, to each his own and enjoy your money and what it buys anyway you want it, but given the topic raised by the OP, it does effect sound and the rationalizations that it doesn't effect it too much is so counterintuitive to all the work, money and posts declared on these forums I just have to laugh
Depends on how one listens, the absolute last drop or the overall listening experience of the space. None of what you mentioned matters if the overall experience is even slightly negative. I have other furniture and a table in front of the main listening chair too and yes there’s an effect on the sound but not enough to change the experience, never bothered anyone visiting either. If anything the relaxed comfortable social setting enhances the experience. There’s a point in pursuit of “perfection” that IMO can become obsessive making the experience miserable, so yes “not that much” depending on the space is the smarter way to go :).

david
 

Priaptor

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Depends on how one listens, the absolute last drop or the overall listening experience of the space. None of what you mentioned matters if the overall experience is even slightly negative. I have other furniture and a table in front of the main listening chair too and yes there’s an effect on the sound but not enough to change the experience, never bothered anyone visiting either. If anything the relaxed comfortable social setting enhances the experience. There’s a point in pursuit of “perfection” that IMO can become obsessive making the experience miserable, so yes “not that much” depending on the space is the smarter way to go :).

david

Makes no sense to me and by the listing of equipment you have and sell it apparently makes no sense to you but like I said do/rationalize what/how you want.

"None of what you mentioned matters if the overall experience is even slightly negative", well, placing furniture in the path of the transducer or sitting in a high back recliner is one of the best ways I can think of to make the overall experience very (not slightly) negative.

So what does "change the experience"? American Sound Turntables or The Nothing Rack? Then only to mitigate the excellence of both by removing the benefits of both by obstructing/interfering with the transducers within the room?? Like I said, makes no sense to me.

To each his own. When I want to listen to my system and all it's glory, I literally listen the way my room/system/accessories were meant to be used. If not, I can lounge around with my MojoPoly, feet up, coffee table and all. LOL
 

Steve Williams

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Depends on how one listens, the absolute last drop or the overall listening experience of the space. None of what you mentioned matters if the overall experience is even slightly negative. I have other furniture and a table in front of the main listening chair too and yes there’s an effect on the sound but not enough to change the experience, never bothered anyone visiting either. If anything the relaxed comfortable social setting enhances the experience. There’s a point in pursuit of “perfection” that IMO can become obsessive making the experience miserable, so yes “not that much” depending on the space is the smarter way to go :).

david

Makes no sense to me and by the listing of equipment you have and sell it apparently makes no sense to you but like I said do/rationalize what/how you want.

"None of what you mentioned matters if the overall experience is even slightly negative", well, placing furniture in the path of the transducer or sitting in a high back recliner is one of the best ways I can think of to make the overall experience very (not slightly) negative.

So what does "change the experience"? American Sound Turntables or The Nothing Rack? Then only to mitigate the excellence of both by removing the benefits of both by obstructing/interfering with the transducers within the room?? Like I said, makes no sense to me.

To each his own. When I want to listen to my system and all it's glory, I literally listen the way my room/system/accessories were meant to be used. If not, I can lounge around with my MojoPoly, feet up, coffee table and all. LOL

I agree in principal with both but in my post to T Boost he doesn't hear a difference and that is why I said to do nothing and enjoy his system

FWIW I have nothing between me and my speakers
 

bonzo75

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Priaptor

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I agree in principal with both but in my post to T Boost he doesn't hear a difference and that is why I said to do nothing and enjoy his system

FWIW I have nothing between me and my speakers

Steve,

In all fairness the absurdity can't be lost here. Again, let people do what they want and how they want, no skin off my back, BUT, when we have a forum like WBF, filled with pages of getting the last drop of capabilities out of our systems (with all the things I list) to then place reflecting surfaces in the middle of the room, no one can tell me that "it doesn't effect the sound that much".

Maybe it's just the cynicism I was born with.

Howie
 

Priaptor

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Steve Williams

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Steve,

In all fairness the absurdity can't be lost here. Again, let people do what they want and how they want, no skin off my back, BUT, when we have a forum like WBF, filled with pages of getting the last drop of capabilities out of our systems (with all the things I list) to then place reflecting surfaces in the middle of the room, no one can tell me that "it doesn't effect the sound that much".

Maybe it's just the cynicism I was born with.

Howie

Howie

I agree with you BUT T Boost stated he hears no difference so why should he not keep the table there and enjoy and put his legs up if he wants

I do also believe there is merit in the comments re the high back chair as well as having the speakers closet the windows. Those would be priorities of mine
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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Makes no sense to me and by the listing of equipment you have and sell it apparently makes no sense to you but like I said do/rationalize what/how you want.

"None of what you mentioned matters if the overall experience is even slightly negative", well, placing furniture in the path of the transducer or sitting in a high back recliner is one of the best ways I can think of to make the overall experience very (not slightly) negative.

So what does "change the experience"? American Sound Turntables or The Nothing Rack? Then only to mitigate the excellence of both by removing the benefits of both by obstructing/interfering with the transducers within the room?? Like I said, makes no sense to me.

To each his own. When I want to listen to my system and all it's glory, I literally listen the way my room/system/accessories were meant to be used. If not, I can lounge around with my MojoPoly, feet up, coffee table and all. LOL

American Sound tt yes, the The Nothing on it's own no. You're prejudging a situation and making assumptions based on your own space and mode of listening.

david
 

ddk

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May 18, 2013
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Howie

I agree with you BUT T Boost stated he hears no difference so why should he not keep the table there and enjoy and put his legs up if he wants

I do also believe there is merit in the comments re the high back chair as well as having the speakers closet the windows. Those would be priorities of mine

High back chairs, tv screens behind speakers and other paraphernalia are not part of this conversation, it's about the convenience of a coffee table.

david
 

bonzo75

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Why coffee table, I can listen to differences with three small mpingo discs. Imagine if the table was made from tuned ebony
 

Priaptor

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Howie

I agree with you BUT T Boost stated he hears no difference so why should he not keep the table there and enjoy and put his legs up if he wants

I do also believe there is merit in the comments re the high back chair as well as having the speakers closet the windows. Those would be priorities of mine

Nothing against the OP BUT if he hears no difference, why post about it? Not sure of the OP all together BUT it does raise a bigger issue that has engulfed terabytes of posts.

The point I make is that we all have our rationalizations and dogma to justify why we purchase what we do, the speakers that we do, the turntables, DACs as well as every little gizmo to enhance the sound our incredibly expensive gear (that most people would think we were crazy spending this kind of money on) AND while sometimes there are things we can't help, such as the "room you are dealt" with windows, asymmetry, too low/too high ceilings, etc, there is no debating that purposely placing a reflecting surface or a high back recliner in your room is going to mitigate the capabilities of one's system and defeats the purpose of "whats the best".

Just my opinion, but I want every last drop of what my system is capable of and hence why I have no coffee table, no high back chair and don't listen reclining.
 

Priaptor

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High back chairs, tv screens behind speakers and other paraphernalia are not part of this conversation, it's about the convenience of a coffee table.

david

It should be part of this conversation. I forget which poster had the saying "everything matters" and everything does matter, including TV's on walls, putting speakers in enclosed cabinets, high back chairs, coffee tables, etc, etc.
 

bonzo75

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You can try Mike's chair. It is designed such that you can listen reclining and behind the end it is specifically designed to not interfere with your listening.
 

Priaptor

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American Sound tt yes, the The Nothing on it's own no. You're prejudging a situation and making assumptions based on your own space and mode of listening.

david

David,

I am not prejudging. I am simple stating a fact. Everything makes a difference. We can rationalize that it doesn't "make that much of a difference" but it does, pure and simple. It's whether you #1 can admit it and #2 if you are willing to live with the compromise. From my perch, if you are putting together a system, strictly for the purposes of listening to the music to get the utmost out of it and to get what the manufacturer intended, placing a reflecting surface in the middle of the room or listening in a recliner with a high back is not going to get you there.

We buy products like yours to get the best out of our systems so why would we purposely detract from them unless you don't care or have no choice but to live with the compromise but by no means does it enhance the sound.

People have laughed at me for making a big deal out of the listening chair. I have spent, literally years looking for what I felt was the best one and have found what I believe is the best (maybe not for everyone) and it pushes everyone of my audiophile buttons. I enjoy speaking to the manufacturers of the "transducers" I purchase and every single one of them will tell you they have a height they want your ear to be at. How many of us actually pay attention to that? It's not being obsessive or making assumptions but getting the best out of what you paid for.
 

ddk

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It should be part of this conversation. I forget which poster had the saying "everything matters" and everything does matter, including TV's on walls, putting speakers in enclosed cabinets, high back chairs, coffee tables, etc, etc.
I’m pretty much in the “everything matters” camp, but the coffee table, listening environment aesthetics, social comfortable settings is part of what matters too. For years most of my listening experience was from behind a large desk, never affecting the experience.

david
 

Priaptor

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I’m pretty much in the “everything matters” camp, but the coffee table, listening environment aesthetics, social comfortable settings is part of what matters too. For years most of my listening experience was from behind a large desk, never affecting the experience.

david

I think you just hit the nail on the head.

"Listening experience" versus what I believe to be the "best" your system can sound. In your situation, your "listening experience" with coffee tables, etc, trumps my desire to get the "best sound".
 

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