It's nice to see this in depth discussion of the Sumiko Master Set and several people actually trying it. Steve has done a great job of fielding questions.
I'd only emphasize that in most rooms the difference in distance of the right vs. left speaker from the back wall and listener is very small. Once you've anchored the left speaker then you're moving the right speaker in relation to the anchor, the side wall and back wall and any other physical features of the room. In the several Master Sets I've seen, the distance from the listener is within a very few inches. Also, keep in mind that one fine tuning step after bass energy is equalized is minute movements forward and back to synchronize pulse arrival. The rake of the speakers is the final step, after toe has been set, which brings out the air openness with some speakers. After this is completed, there's no sense of imbalance side to side.
About Maggies, remember that the front plain of the speakers is NOT really that far into the room. When you compare say 1.5 meters to the distance of the front plain of my floor standing Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grands, it's not that different. So, if you're interested and willing, try doing the Master Set with your Maggies, but don't assume a certain minimum distance, rather discover that through the process. It's not going to be 6-inches, but it might not be 1.5 meters either.
Some of this is a bit hard to believe, so I'd join Steve in encouraging music lovers to have a little faith and give it a try.
Oh, BTW, make very precise measurements when you've found "the spots" for your speakers. I use a laser and measurements down to 1/16" to assure that I can get mine back in place. One other "trick" that I learned from watching the Sumiko guys is to lift the right speaker slightly off the floor once you've got it almost in place. With the test music playing and in one of its strong bass areas, slower lower the speaker and it will "set" itself. It's truly amazing how much difference truly tiny movements can make.
I was going to stop, but that brought one more thing to mind. At the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest I was helping my friend Guido Corona around the site. Guido writes for The Absolute Sound and he's completely blind (he prefers that term, so don't lecture me about some PC term to use). Anyway, we're watching (as Guido would say) Sumiko set up the Vienna Acoustic Die Muzik speakers in Soundings' room at RMAF. They spent two hours, including a false where the preamp had be set at mono!! (They were going crazy). Anyway, once they got the set about 99% right, they tipped the speakers vertically a degree or two at a time. Of course, Guido couldn't see what they were doing and didn't realize how tiny the movements were, but he'd say "there, that's it" and I'd hear the same large changes in focus based on very small movements. Once they got that, two of them lifted the right speaker an inch or so off the floor and let it "set" itself.
So, if you work hours and get it sounding really sweet, then take careful measurements. Also, use a level to make certain that you're consistant in a vertical plain also. (I keep the front edge of my Baby Grands level and have a certain degree of rake based on how far the spikes screw in).
Dave
