Optimizing speaker placement

magister · « **on:** 23 May 2024, 11:32 pm »

I own a pair of VSA IV-jr’s. Due to the size of the room and the furniture, they are placed closer to the back wall than is ideal and asymmetrically relative to the sidewalls. I don’t get very good soundstaging, but I’ve lived with this because buying a new house is not realistic at this point. I do get a strong center image on recordings that feature this, as many do. And there is some imaging but performers tend to be bunched up toward the center.

Recently I began trying to refine the placement as best I can in this room, and have had some success. Two questions:

1. The manual talks about hearing a “ball of sound“ when playing pink noise through properly set up speakers. What I hear might be described as a narrow oval turned on its end, which I suppose correlates with my experience of players being bunched in the middle. Has anyone experienced this “ball of sound“? Is that what it really sounds like, a ball?

2. The manual also mentions that if the speakers are too close together, they might be toed outward. This seems weird, since speakers are usually toed in or placed straightahead. Has anybody tried this?

Thanks – David

dpatters · « **Reply #1 on:** 24 May 2024, 06:40 pm »

I have VR4jrs in my secondary system. Check out my system pics to see placement in a small square room. Sounds pretty good with some acoustical treatments.

Don P

magister · « **Reply #2 on:** 24 May 2024, 10:40 pm »

Thanks, Don. I assume that the white rectangles in the corners are bass traps. What are the black, ridged rectangles located closer to the center?

magister · « **Reply #3 on:** 24 May 2024, 10:44 pm »

For anyone who is interested: since my first post, I tried toeing the speakers out some. This definitely makes a difference; I get a much greater sense of being in a large space when I play organ or symphonic music. But it does look weird. More experiments to follow.