[gregfisk]

Wayner makes a valid point, I wouldn't put my rack at the first reflection point. Mine is straight across from listening position.

[poseidonsvoice]

Wayner makes a valid point, I wouldn't put my rack at the first reflection point. Mine is straight across from listening position.

Yippee! We scored! Right at the 1st reflection point:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=140978.msg1515332#msg1515332

 

Anand.

[max190]

I would rather see the rack in between as well. Better there then along the side wall, interfering with the first refection off the wall. Then it would also be asymmetrical first wall reflections at least on one side, hosing up the sound stage.

My 2 cents.

+1

[JoshK]

The only problem with the rack on the sides is cable length.  I did this with long run RCAs to mono blocks next to the speakers.  The RCA runs were too long and led to audible humming from RFI/EMI, even with well shielded cables.

My rack is still on the side, now with the mono blocks next to the rack.  But now I have very long speaker cable runs, which also compromises audio, not to mention the cost of cabling.  So keep that in mind too.

If you have balanced XLR interconnects, it's a whole other game.

That is why using good quality mic cable for your ICs is IMO one of the best choices and the bench mark for which all cables should be judged.  They are made to carry delicate signals a long way.   And use XLR when possible. 

[gregfisk]

That is why using good quality mic cable for your ICs is IMO one of the best choices and the bench mark for which all cables should be judged.  They are made to carry delicate signals a long way.   And use XLR when possible.

I also use good quality mic cables for my long runs and have no problems with noise. I would use XLR if I could as I believe that to be an even better choice for long runs.

[zybar]

I would rather see the rack in between as well. Better there then along the side wall, interfering with the first refection off the wall. Then it would also be asymmetrical first wall reflections at least on one side, hosing up the sound stage.

My 2 cents.

Don't put it at the first reflection point - problem solved/averted.   

George

[Syrah]

I tried mic cable, among others, those RCA runs were just too long in my system.  They produced audible noise - all of them.  Count me in on the short IC / longer speaker cables camp now.  XLR is an entirely different ball game.

[andycsb]

If I do relocate rack, it will probably at the first and second sidewall reflection point. However my 2 shelf rack is only 15 inches high and there will be two 2 x 4ft absorption panels on the walls right behind it. 

Btw...how long would be considered long (too long?) for speaker cables? For 14 gauge that is.

[srb]

Btw...how long would be considered long (too long?) for speaker cables? For 14 gauge that is.

It will depend on the amplifier, impedance curve of the speakers and how much power you are trying to deliver, but to keep dB power loss and damping factor reduction to very low minimums you might generally figure < 35 ft. for 8 ohm loads and < 20 ft. for 4 ohm loads, based purely on resistance.

If the cables have high capacitance or inductance due to construction geometry, you can also affect impedance and frequency response as well as induce frequency-dependent phase shift. These measurable interrelated electrical characteristics can have wide variance among different cable contruction, so obviously the shorter the better.

Steve

[rbbert]

Given the size of your rack and your anticipated sub-optimal sidewall placement, why not stick with it between the speakers?

[poseidonsvoice]

Actually, the rules are fairly simple if you are speaking about a monopole loudspeaker that doesn't have a rear firing tweeter.



Avoid placing the rack at the reflection points above. Of course there are 1st reflection points on the ceiling and the floor immediately between the listener and speakers (if you were to draw a straight line from the speaker to the listener, the black arrows in the picture above). That means try to avoid tables in between the seated listener and the speakers.

Given the aforementioned conditions, placing a rack in between the speakers is fine, but how high the rack is can cause some problems from a 'psychoacoustic' standpoint, unless you listen in the dark, or with your eyes
closed. I find that the rack is a 'visual distraction' so for me it is just not there. That is just a personal opinion. I'm not the fella who likes to gawk at blue halos. I want to be transported to the performance.

Understand that the rear wall can be a very real issue, if it is less than 10 feet in distance from the seated listener. If so, I recommend treating it. It can make a very pronounced difference in the 'depth' of the soundstage.

Yes, those fellas who have a sofa/couch seated directly adjacent to the rear wall, are dealing with those reflections and it is compromising the aural performance. If the distance from the seated listener to the rear wall is greater than 10 feet, that's great.

So where can you place the rack then? On the right rear side wall or left rear side wall or between the speakers (but very low in height) or like I have done...in a different room altogether. Putting it in a different room, brings up a whole new set of problems like the ability to remotely control your equipment.

I hope this helps ,

Anand.

[vinyl_guy]

My equipment sits on two 4 foot tall wood racks with my TT on top of one. When I had Rives Audio design an acoustical treatment package for my listening room they strongly recommended that I put all of the equipment on one of the side walls as close to the listening position as possible to minimize interference with imaging and soundstage. Longer speaker wires are preferable to longer RCA interconnects. My speaker wires are 23' and I hear no difference in audio quality compared to 8'speaker wires. Imaging and soundstage are dramatically improved compared to having the racks between the speakers.