Detailed Speaker Setup and Optimization

[Another Johnson]

I was told by Stirling Trayle that the fine adjustments he makes to speaker positioning is about making the sound gel with the room — and that small differences in seating positions were less consequential.

Room dimensions change by more than these tiny amounts over the course of the seasons in climates outside of the tropics with common building materials and construction techniques.

If, because of the fine tuning, room and speakers gel in July for some specific program, what about next January and a different program?

Set up specialist consultants may give you better results than you are capable of achieving on your own. They may represent money well spent.

But few magicians tell their true secrets. As Sherlock Holmes explained to Watson, once the method is shared, it is dismissed as nothing special by the one who couldn’t devise it himself. The consultant’s perceived value is enhanced by the visible ritual. The consultant’s knowledge is elevated in proportion to the apparent precision of the work.

None of this stuff is a waste of time for the ones who are fascinated by it. Is a séance a waste of time for those seeking to hear beyond the pale? They don’t think so.

So finding the exact perfect location for speakers in a room, to a tolerance of .3 mm, makes … … … for an activity.

 

[bonzo75]

I was told by Stirling Trayle that the fine adjustments he makes to speaker positioning is about making the sound gel with the room — and that small differences in seating positions were less consequential.

i have heard the positive effects of his set up in two systems. A London audiophile’s CH Stenheim ultime 2 is pretty good after Stirling’s set up in a small room

 

[Al M.]

Which is interesting, because I believe Jim Smith advocates finding the right listening spot first.

Right speaker position and right listening spot are not mutually exclusive in prioritization. While I don't think that you have to dial in a seating position within fractions of an inch, i do believe the idea of a general small area within which a listening spot works best is correct. It holds for my room as well.

Once you move your listening seat out of that area, effects on bass, for example, can be large.

 

[wil]

Which is interesting, because I believe Jim Smith advocates finding the right listening spot first.

Yes, they have a different methodology.

 

[wil]

Right speaker position and right listening spot are not mutually exclusive in prioritization. While I don't think that you have to dial in a seating position within fractions of an inch, i do believe the idea of a general small area within which a listening spot works best is correct. It holds for my room as well.

Once you move your listening seat out of that area, effects on bass, for example, can be large.

I have about a 2’ range in seating positions. I’m usually in the mid point, but enjoy the whole range just depending on preference at the time and how I want to experience the recording. It’s similar to picking a different row at a concert. The bass is pretty uniform, but the sound stage varies quite a bit depending on location. My listening chair has wheels!