Doctor's Orders-Part Two-The New Listening Room Of Steve Williams

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
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laser lights on

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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The Sound

I must admit that in my wildest dreams I was not expecting what I heard. First off I started positioning the speakers in the roo according to the same ratio formula I used in my last room. Based on those measurements the speakers sit ~3 1/2 feet from the front wall and the side of the speaker is ~ 1 foot in from the side wall. Initially for the first few weeks of listening the speakers were on casters. Notwithstanding the fact that they weren't even spiked I was stunned by how god the bass response sounded. What I heard just didn't exist in my prior room. I would imagine that this was the case because of the smaller room dimensions. My first thoughts were, "holy cow, I don't need subs" as the room was fully energized unlike my last room. Distance from tweeter to tweeter is 115" and sitting position is 12 feet from the tweeter. Ear height mesures 38". Upper X2 module settings were then carried out according to the Wilson set up manual. Initially I found the sound very focused and somewhat brighter than what I was accustomed so I continued to fiddle with very small changes in speaker positioning.

The following week Nick Doshi of www.doshiaudio.com was at my home having a look at my Studer RTR and the switch that I had previously built to bypass the internal electronics. Nick felt the same as I with respect to the imaging and slightly bright sound. Nick suggested that I toe out the speakers by all of 1/2" and then to move the speakers in by 1" while care is taken to maintain the same toe in angle. I took his advice and what resulted IMO was nothing short of sensational. I have never heard my speakers sound this good. Soundstage was wide and deep and the brightness heard before was totally gone. It was just as if everything snapped into position. It was jaw dropping good. What amazed me was when I toed out the speakers 1/2" on each side I was interested in how this changes the soundstage. I placed some painter's tape on the top of my chair behind where I sit. With my laser light held against the inside wall of each speaker I marked where the laser light crossed the tape. When I toed out 1/2" on each side and remarked the tape in a similar fashion the marks on the tape were now 9" wider on each side of my head. I was stunned as to how such a small difference made such a dramatic change in sound. Thank you Nick Doshi :)

Then my pair of F113 Fathom subs arrived and I was prepared for the next dial in process. I remember it took me almost 3 months to be happy with how I set up crossovers and slopes on my Gotham subs so I knew this wasn't going to be easy. First problem was one of the subs was DOA right out of the box so I had 2 weeks with one sub as I waited for a new one to be delivered to replace the broken one. I'm getting close to crossover, master volume settings and have slowly changed the crossover to where I am now at 50Hz but possibly will even go down to 47.5 Hz.

Measurements have been taken with each room change and I am very pleased. I do have a small null at 60 Hz which I am slowly resolving by repositioning the subs and playing with the master volume
 
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Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
The Verdict

Having been involved in this hobby for well over 50 years and bringing my system through countless iterations I was very worried that either I would be selling everything off or downsizing to a smaller speaker which,if I did, would necessitate my changing amps and preamps. I didn't want to do this as I loved what I had. The almost 9 months of thinking, waiting, nail biting and hoping for the best has truly worked out.

As I said I wasn't prepared for what I heard. I was hoping for something that would get by but this was totally different and far better than anything I heard over the years in my last room

I waited the past 6-8 weeks to get everything dialed in as I worried about making the typical statements that we always see about how perfect things were from the get go. Well things were very good but it wasn't until Nick Doshi visited to have a look at my Studer as I have on order one of Nick's famous tube 2 box tape head preamp that is due to arrive mid June. His suggestions were IMO the icing on the cake as to getting perfect sound. The few final things are to better establish phase response with the subs. Also Bonnie will be in town next month for another site visit when we will determine if I will need any more of her "tuning tubes" that will reside between the ceiling and the crown molding. If you notice from the pictures the crown molding was dropped 5" from the ceiling for placement of tuning tubes where they won't be seen and also 5" in from the side wall to house the tracks for the drapes

More thoughts and photos to follow but for now I have to give a huge shout out to the gang at Wilson Audio without whose thoughts and opinions on the build out of the room stimulated me to delve deeper and to not give up. Thanks Dave, Darryl, Debbie, Dave, Trent, John and Jeron. For anyone who has owned Wilson speakers will understand what I mean when I say that Wilson Audio has the BEST customer service in the industry

The verdict is that these big wonderful Wilson X2 speakers with their aspherical display can indeed be placed in a smaller room and achieve wonderful sound

Stay tuned asI will give updates when I receive the new tape head preamp and when I get a new chair and component racks

As for an acoustician I would also whole heartedly give Dr Bonnie Schnitta a huge thumb's up and endorsement in bringing my room and ideas to fruition as well as bringing me in on budget
 
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Bruce B

WBF Founding Member, Pro Audio Production Member
Apr 25, 2010
7,006
512
1,740
Snohomish, WA
www.pugetsoundstudios.com
Unbelievable! You have done an amazing job!!
Many congrats and wish you many years of great listening!

+1 on Wilson Customer Service...
 

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