[Bill]

I don't know if there is much discussion of the optimal placement of a turntable in a dedicated room. I have heard right in between the speakers, on a side wall, on the front, back wall or even in another room. Let's say the room is 12'W X 19'L and the speakers are about 4' or 5' into the room along the long dimension. Where would the best place for the turntable be? Are we talking bass null points here? Please advise.

[WGH]

The turntable will only get indirect sound waves when placed in between the speakers and both interconnect and speakers wires can be short, people who like expensive wires like this type of setup. My turntable and electronics are in an adjoining room so I get even less airborne vibration but I do have to run 25' of speaker wire to each speaker through the basement so no exotic cables over here.

Years ago I read that a Stereophile reviewer kept his electronics in a separate room with a concrete floor. If the turntable doesn't vibrate then there is less need for tuning pucks or maple bases. Also if the electronics are in a separate room the remote control will no longer work.

Regarding bass null points, you can easily locate the points between your speakers using the Harman Room Mode Calculator

Since you are working on a dedicated room take a look at the series of eight papers written by Floyd E. Toole, Ph.D., Vice President of Acoustal Engineering at Harman International Industries and a paper by Todd Welti, Research Acoustician.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=58304.msg516580#msg516580

Wayne

[JLM]

In another room, resting directly on a concrete slab.

[Bill]

Let's say it has to be in the same room as the speakers.

[WGH]

An article on 6moons has some turntable and equipment placement ideas, look about 2/3 down this page:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/theroom/2.html

[Bill]

An article on 6moons has some turntable and equipment placement ideas, look about 2/3 down this page:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/theroom/2.html

  Interesting article, but here's one that offers a different perspective. You would think that this would be black and white, but like everything else in this crazy hobby, there are lots of opinions.   
http://www.russandrews.com/src/email081/article-Equipment=Placement-HFN7Russ.htm

[Jeffrey Hedback]

From my perspective, the 6Moons link is dead-on (in fact the whole article is solid short of doing better HVAC load calcs verses just doubling supply/returns). 

Back to the turntable, if you start 1.5' or so off the wall you will minimize the units boundary coupling to the vertical wall.  In regard to placing the turntable in a node you just have to be a bit careful.  For example, if you place the turntable 50% from front to back you will be at primary axial mode (1,0,0) null...but you will be at the secondary axial mode anti-node point or peak pressure (2,0,0) which will have a good deal of energy.  Thinking in thirds and fifths of a dimension (20%, 33-40%, 62-68% for example) is always a solid approach.  This would locate the turntable in a place where all modes are essentially excited a moderate amount and none excessively.

[Bill]

Thanks for the input. I have decided to put the 'table (and the rest of the equipment ) about 2/3 - 3/4 along a long wall from the front wall. I can also recess the equipment this way so it won't be sticking out too much into the room.

[ted_b]

I have an email into Mike (6moons reviewer) asking about his side wall equipment location ideas.  It seems to me that it creates a situation where you have either very long IC's between pre and amps (assuming amps stay up front) or very long speaker cables if not.  Equipment up front reduces cable lengths tremendously.  I lived with both and chose up-front, but agree that the "clutter" is annoying but can't believe it's sonically detrimental.  I just can't believe that there is anything close to enough sound energy in between speakers (unless they are omnidirectional) to affect the soundstaging/imaging.   I could be dead wrong.  I will admit that my before and after wasn't a controlled environment because I choose better pre-to-amp 1-2M IC's than the 5.5M stuff I had when placed remotely along the side wall.