One person. My Carvers have very narrow dispersion, I've always thought that was the drawback to those and similar type speakers. I'm REALLY surprised with these responses, especially knowing (by the systems page) the speakers some of you have. 
Speakers I have not heard but heard much about.
You shouldn't be too surprised. This really is the nature of two channel, for the most part anyway. My Acoustat 1+1s had a very, very narrow sweet spot, due to how that dipole beamed higher frequencies. The CLS1s were better with their curved panels. My speakers now, the VMPS RM-V60s are also dipoles, but they have an extreme dispersion of 180 degrees. Even so, my sweet spot is still limited to one person. It is wider, but still ideal for only one.
What I loose by moving off center is the placement of everything within the soundstage. The presentation in the sweet spot is wall to wall, but also focused with a tight center, and just as important right center and left center. There is also height and depth, all those things that help create the illusion of bringing the musicians into the room with me. The sound is still very pleasant elsewhere. It is just missing that magic and most of what I have worked so hard to achieve. My system is not for background music in any form. That would be a complete waste of what it is.
Years ago a friend was over and asked me if I ever just cranked it up so I could hear music when I washed my car. What blasphemy I thought. Too bad we have gotten out of the habit of burning heretics
. I tried to explain, but it was a lost cause. In his mind I wasted my system because I did not do that sort of thing. To him, it was to light up the neighborhood with
. There is nothing wrong with wanting a multi-use 2 channel / background music system. It is just that it is an entirely different animal.
