[jimdgoulding]

Having caught up with the most recent posts, believe I'll second the recommendation, definitely, that the cabinet goes.  Or, is it the third. 

If that can be made an option.

[Folsom]

My wife used to complain about the large speakers and me playing at nights (softly was not enough) , with a lot of effort and money, i was able to fix this problematic situation,  adding professionals to the mix did make a difference ...


This is now the best my hi-fi has ever sounded  and no issues when playing late ...... New wife sleeps well

 

[markie]

The important thing is to experiment, even in ways that you don't think should work.

About four years ago an experienced listener was shocked to discover that his new bookshelves performed their best when they were pushed back and out of the way, rather than pulled ahead with nothing between them.   Unfortunately the pics of his setup are no longer available, but his entertaining description of what happened remains here:

http://forum.ascendacoustics.com/showthread.php?4514-New-Sierra-Owner

This was true for one particular speaker (with its particular dispersion pattern) in one particular room.  Results *will* vary 

Good luck!
 

[jimdgoulding]

Having the speakers near wall may do some good for some music, but if you're a listener of classical music or virtually any music recorded on location, imagery may become flatter- less 3D- and depth of field less perceptible.  Bass might be elevated, also.

[rockadanny]

Speakers are slid back to non-operating position in this picture. When I listen I pull them out into the room to precise locations.
As you can see I cover the TV with a heavy down blanket. I tried placing a GIK 244 panel there but it did not fit well. Fortunately the blanket seems to do the trick.

I moved them around a bit last night. It took lots of experimentation over several months previously to get them optimally arranged and toed. They seem to be best placed where I normally put them - plane of the face of speakers about 3' in front of face of cabinet, flanking each side, so nothing at all directly behind each speaker. So I'm going to live with it until we move. Don't get me wrong - they sound fantastic. I was hoping the concensus would be that 3' was plenty of space to avoid cabinet interference. But I suspect I am not hearing all they can be with that cabinet there. Likely not getting best 3-D effect or maximum depth of field. No issue with bass or mid-bass.

Oh, and the walls are not yellow/gold as they appear in the picture - yuk! Don't know why they show up like that.

[jriggy]

What ya do to get the wife on board with getting rid of that big cabinet is do the research yourself, via the Internet, find a replacement for it that is low and wide, fits your gear, with the TV on top. Maybe something in this style that she likes and still hides your gear. Then show her some nice art panels that can go on the wall behind and above the TV. From here you can tell her how much bigger and open the room will feel... IME women need to be shown the options... Show her how much better the room --and system -- can be!

[Bill of NY]

I tried a   cotton sheet - no change
              goose down comforter - bass issues
              Martha Stewart synthetic comforter - perfect 

 
 Jus ma 2 cents

[Alex Reynolds]

That's a great idea!    Bryan, Alex, do you hear?  I'll order one of those!

This is not such a rare order for us actually, quite a few people get custom sized ArtPanels (or get two ArtPanels with one picture printed across) to go in front of their TVs! The difficult bit is, of course, figuring out a proper way to mount it, which can vary quite a lot depending on if the TV is mounted to the wall, on the top of a stand, inside an entire entertainment center, etc..
Panels on stands can usually do the trick as long as your speakers aren't 7' tall! There's also the option of the FreeStands.

[rpf]

This is not such a rare order for us actually, quite a few people get custom sized ArtPanels (or get two ArtPanels with one picture printed across) to go in front of their TVs! The difficult bit is, of course, figuring out a proper way to mount it, which can vary quite a lot depending on if the TV is mounted to the wall, on the top of a stand, inside an entire entertainment center, etc..
Panels on stands can usually do the trick as long as your speakers aren't 7' tall! There's also the option of the FreeStands.

I'll call to discuss this. Thanks!