[mgalusha]

Had an interesting acoustic anomaly this evening. For the past week I've been trying to sort out what was causing the image to shift to one side and it was driving me nuts as everything measured right and my room is quite well treated.

Then it hit me like a brick, I had brought in a small end table last weekend so my neighbor and I could share some Scotch and listen to music. Well the table was still there, perhaps a few feet in front of me and to the right.

Removed the little table and presto, system returned to normal. Seems I was getting some nasty reflections off the table and it was wreaking havoc with the sound.

Just one those little things to remind me how everything matters. 

mike

[TomW16]

Glad you figured it out Mike.     I am discussing with my wife why we cannot have a coffee table in the listening room because of the exact reason you experienced.  Keep your fingers crossed that I can win his one

Tom

[Tyson]

You could get one of those leather end tables.  Might still cause some issues, but is probably far better than a regular glass or wood table. 

Scotch, yummy... Any particularly good drams lately?

[satfrat]

You could always do what I did Mike and get a couple GIK Elite Table Traps. I would predict these tables will obsorb more than they'll reflect. I use 1 as a recliner side table and another as a window plant stand. Just a thought. 
 

 
Cheers,
Robin

[mgalusha]

If the table would have been to the side I don't think it would have been a problem but since we were using it for drinks, it was more or less between my listening chair and the right speaker.

As for good drams, the other night was a bit of Colorado Whiskey that I received from Wayne@Bolder and some Eagle Rare bourbon that my neighbor brought over. A little change from the Scotch and quite interesting. 

[Ethan Winer]

Seems I was getting some nasty reflections off the table and it was wreaking havoc with the sound.

This is a common problem. I have a little glass table for drinks (hic) and a small dish towel solved the problem.

--Ethan

[mgalusha]

Oh yea, next time the little table comes out a towel will adorn it.

[mixsit]

This is a common problem. I have a little glass table for drinks (hic) and a small dish towel solved the problem.

--Ethan

That's exactly what I do -double layer of towel when a singer needs a music stand up close to the vocal mic.
Everything helps.

Now, curious, how about those big screens in between the speakers? Isn't that a huge diffraction source?

[Ethan Winer]

how about those big screens in between the speakers? Isn't that a huge diffraction source?

If the speakers are normal "box" type that send sound forward, and they're in front of the screen, there shouldn't be enough mid/high frequency sound leaving the rear to hit the screen and reflect back toward you.

--Ethan

[mixsit]

Thanks Ethan.  I guess my thinking stems from, in my case I have a storage draw and some playback equipment that lives between my SP Techs', and if I place a pair of panels in front of these the imaging (and perhaps 'stage depth) changes. (This stuff is about flush with the inside front speaker corners with a 20 or so inche gap to the speakers.
I presume not having them there could not be a source of increased accuracy', therefore 'an improvement.
I notice similar covering the pc screen in the case of a near field/DAW situation- (but in this case set-ups vari, screens could be forward or behind the speakers.

[Ethan Winer]

if I place a pair of panels in front of these the imaging (and perhaps 'stage depth) changes.

How much sound reaches reflecting surfaces between the speakers depends on what else is going on in the room. For example, if the room is not very deep front to back, and there's no absorption or diffusion on the rear wall behind you, sound could get back to the front of the room after bouncing off the rear wall. And some speakers do radiate more out the rear than others.

--Ethan

[jimdgoulding]

Recommend all tables in a listening set up, and the fewer the better, be out of the way and open legged.  Except Robin's, obviously.