[Rextang]

Seeking input from the circle of trust for putting speakers in my living room, where no matter which wall I choose to place them, they will be closer to the wall than what would otherwise be considered optimal. Excluding price as a factor, would you choose sub-optimally placed SAM's or CAM's?  As a data point, let's say back of speaker 6-8" away from the wall.  Hoping to hear from RDavidson who seems to love his CAMs.
Thanks

[seikosha]

Generally speaking, the problem is going to be that the port is in the back and you are sending a lot of low frequency energy into a wall/corner.  I'd suppose that being a smaller box, the CAM would be a better solution BUT...you could always talk to Louis about putting the port in the front.  There will probably be a tradeoff in that configuration, but it's worth a try.

[Rextang]

Generally speaking, the problem is going to be that the port is in the back and you are sending a lot of low frequency energy into a wall/corner.  I'd suppose that being a smaller box, the CAM would be a better solution BUT...you could always talk to Louis about putting the port in the front.  There will probably be a tradeoff in that configuration, but it's worth a try.

Thanks for the feedback.  Louis' response to me is that the CAM would be the better choice given my situation.  Given the port is not centered, I think I can play with which speaker will be the on the left and which will be on the right and see which sounds better.  I'm pretty sure Louis makes mirror opposite cabinets, but I should confirm with him.
 

[n1ente]

Thanks for these details,
I'm in the same situation with ours listening rooms "critic points",
and for this reason I want to ask Louis if a SAM 1.5 way version could be created for be in the world with us (happy users)

Thanks!
Giorgio

[Canada Rob]

I personally don't think 6-8" from the wall is a problem for rear ported Omegas.  They generally do well near a wall, and are overall an easy speaker to place in a room so long as the acoustics aren't completely out of whack.  A few years back I had Louis custom build me a set of small front ported speakers (4.5 HempCone driver) for on a mantle.  They sounded typically Omega good, but had little bass.  I pulled them out and put some Super 3i (HempCone 4.5) in their place with the rear port not more than an inch from the backing wall.  Everything now fleshed out with a nice bass - a much more enjoyable listen.  I'm not a bass head, but if a speaker has any anemia in the lower mids/bass area it loses my interest.  Any Omega is a master of tone, but of what I've heard of the Omega line, the Alnico wins out.

As far as speaker placement, room size, and acoustics go, yes, they can have huge effect on the quality and quantity of bass output.  However, source and amp can have a huge effect on the quality/quantity of bass.  I've had a particular DAC for 7+ years that just can't be beat in the bass department and when it's in the system I get the best bottom end regardless of Omega down line.  A SET with it's lower damping factor could be more of a problem with speakers close to a wall than a solid state amp with it's higher damping factor and greater control over the speaker driver.

[RDavidson]

Good advice as always, CR.

Regarding the CAMs, they are mirror opposites ; So this gives you a little more flexibility with regard to the vent / port placement and relationship to the back wall or corners.

I don't know the construction secret behind the CAMs, but they appear to have some sort of aperiodic vent / port. This likely has MUCH to do with how Louis is able to coax such full bass response from their smaller cabinets (compared to the larger SAMs). As they don't have a fully open port, I don't think boundary placement will have as big of an affect on bass....which to me is a good thing. Whether they are placed near walls or not, their overall sound should remain pretty consistent. Like CR, I'm not a bass head, but having natural bass / midbass balance with the mids and highs is key. The CAMs are very well balanced and I think their flexibility will suit you well. That's essentially why Louis added them to the line. The CAMs are for folks who want Alnicos, but want/need the flexibility (and perhaps the sound characteristics) that smaller monitors tend to share.

Hope this helps.

[Rextang]

RDavidson, are your speakers lined with the "R Compound"?

[RDavidson]

I'm not sure, but I don't think so. I kind of just left it all in Louis' hands to make something special for me.....and thus sparked the creation of the CAMs. I didn't even know about the R compound until just recently.