Thank you all for the input and advice, it is greatly appreciated! I went ahead and moved those 244 panels from behind the speakers into the first reflection points on the sidewalls (just have to move them back after listening, since one blocks the main window). This led to a major improvement in sound! It sounds much more like the speakers are working in unison, rather than fighting each other. The vocals still don’t seem quite as clean as they could be, and the speakers aren't really disappearing - but things are sounding better. I still need to do some more tinkering to hopefully optimize things.
A couple of things to consider. With box speakers we tend to spread them as far apart as we can to get a wide soundstage. This is not necessarily a good approach for open baffles. OB speakers that are spread wide tend to give nebulous center images. Vocals are too big and there is a lack of definition in orchestral recordings: the brass, string and horn sections don't lock in.
With OB you have to throw away all of the box speaker positioning methods that built great soundstages.
With OB, we have to make sure that the speakers are far enough out into the space to not compromise LF. For open baffles to work their magic, the speakers need to be in positions that are narrower than box speaks. The goal is to achieve a big, 180 degree soundstage, but retain image specificity. Individual voices, instruments, etc. should be lifelike in size.
Speaker positioning is like real estate: location, location, location.
Start out with the speakers toed in about 5 degrees and move them around until the center image "locks". Then move them around until that center image begins to lose it's magic and then adjust toe-in. Rinse and repeat until the sound stage is BIG, W I D E and deep. Live with this positioning for a week and then do it one more time to reach the final configuration.
Remember that optimum placement and toe is sometimes achieved fractionally. It's a process.
Do NOT disregard the necessity for first reflection absorption or diffusion! This will make or break the goal.
I might have mine too far apart, I've got them positioned to be pretty much a perfect equilateral triangle right now. I had them set like that since it seemed to be recommended on the Spatial site. I was trying to go for as wide a soundstage as possible. Also I always thought the phantom center was more believable when the speakers were more in your periphery vs staring right at them in front of you.
Do you know how close your speakers are to each other vs. how far away you sit? I know every room is different, but was just curious.
Certainly experiment with toe-in but it will likely change again and again as you get used to the speakers and they continue to break in (especially the caps in the crossovers). I've probably got 750 hours on mine and I adjusted the toe-in again this past weekend. Honestly, while it is interesting to know what others are doing, toe-in is so system specific that I would only use the information as another data point.
What I will say is this: I have mine toed-in much less than other speakers I've had in my room in the past. Most of them (Magnepan, Harbeth, Totem, Focal) were toed-in close to where the tweeters would hit my shoulders. The Spatials are another foot out from that point. The wide dispersion tweeter seems to live up to its billing. Toe-in tends to influence treble energy almost exclusively in my room.
FWIW, the way I prefer to set toe-in is to have as little as possible without affecting the stability of the center image. This tends to max out the soundstage while maintaining overall imaging characteristics. It's also quite an easy thing to assess.
Enjoy your incredible new speakers! I can't believe the whole audio world isn't falling at Clayton's feet given what he's doing with speaker design.
I've also wonder if I have mine toed in too far. Though, when I had them more toed out it definitely seemed to have a worse center fill. I'll play with it more this weekend.
Note no glass pictures around the room they are the worse for reflecting sound around the room, only Canvas prints, acoustic panels, and even Flaux plants on top of each bass trap. So different materials and forms and shapes throughout the room. The room is neither too dead nor bright.
In the large window between the speakers, I have the blinds tilted up a bit (like a diffuser) with heavy drapes and one ASC 8" X 48" diffuser panel in the middle of that window behind the curtains, even that one panel made a huge improvement in center imaging. I am lucky to have my own loft area for my system, and lucky again to have no wall behind me where I sit, due to the loft being on the 2nd level with the family room below me, the wall in the family room is 50' from where the speakers sit.
That is an awesome looking setup you've got there! I could probably use some more canvas prints and less glass in my room as well. Out of curiosity, how far away are you sitting vs. how close the speakers are to each other? It seems like that will likely play a part in the amount of toe-in that is optimal.
