Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners Mains position tweaking

Hi, folks,

Well, now I got tweak-itis. Is my system sounding the best it can, especially for 2-channel music?

But since I am a newbie, I don't even know what to listen for. I did toe-in my M22s to where they "intersect" just behind me. They are almost 8' apart and my listening position is about 10.75' from each of the M22s and about 10' from the VP150. Do you think the mains are too far from each other? The room is 13.5' wide.

Even though I am a newbie, I am enjoying a choir piece from the test CD that came with my sub. And I could actually tell the position of the several groups-basses, sopranos, etc.-VERY cool.

Now, is there a test CD that can help me get better imaging, etc.? If I knew where the sound is supposed to come from, I can "tell" if it's really coming from there.

I am really enjoying the M22s. Nora Jones' non-SACD "Come Away with Me" is a delight to listen to.

Also, what is the difference between soundstage and imaging?

Thank you,

Rodney, a basic start for positioning the mains is to have them separated by about as much as your distance from them, so if anything you might separate yours a little more than they are now. Then, they generally should be toed-in enough to have the tweeters pointing at your ears. Small adjustments from that basic position can be tried to see if it sounds even better.

There's no difference in the positioning for two-channel music, and you should make use of all your speakers for that by applying DPLII or Neo:6 to extract the reflected sound that originally came from directions other than the front and send it to the surrounds where it belongs.

Rodney, like JohnK was saying, you generally want an equilateral triangle--the distance between the speakers should be about the distance you sit from them. There is no hard/fast rule for toe in. Start experimenting.

Soundstage and imaging are somewhat synonymous, as far as I know. Soundstage is the ability of the speakers to create a "stage" in front of you, a sort of 3D representation of the music. Imaging, I think, refers to the ability to locate sounds and instruments within that soundstage.

In a recent thread, I found that moving my speakers 3" further apart and my seating position 5" back had a profound effect on the sound. Sometimes small changes make a big difference. Try all sorts of things to familiarize yourself to how the speakers should sound--toe them out, toe them in, stand up and listen, walk around the room, all the while paying attention to what happens to the sound.

Rodney,

Can you post some pictures?

Imaging describes the extent to which an environment reproduces the timbre and location of the individual instruments accurately and realistically. In an environment with superior imaging, you should be able to close your eyes and envision where the instruments were positioned on stage, from one side to the other.

The soundstage refers to your sense of width, depth and height when you listen to music — just as you would sense the placement of different instruments in a live concert setting. Individual vocal and instrumental "images" make up your environment's soundstage.

Note in the above I used the word "environment" as opposed to "system". The environment is your music system plus everything around it. Your room and its contents make a big difference to the sound.

And I agree with everyone else. Make an equilateral triangle between you and the speakers and aim the tweeters somewhere between a foot in front of you to a foot behind you. And try to keep them a couple of feet away from the front wall and as far away from the sides as possible (but never equal to the distance from the back wall).

Yes. I will post some pictures in a day or two.

Thanks to all,