[Housteau]

Speakers can sound very good in a number of positions within a room, but finding that one true spot where all the subtle magic can happen may come down to just an inch or less, slightly off and no cigar.  However, you may never know that you have either hit or missed that mark without the proper test recording.  For me that recording is the Chesky Jazz Sampler and Audiophile Test CD Vol. 1.  There are many others, but this one is exacting and precise where others, including those by Chesky, allow more of a fudge factor in getting the desired results from the tests.

This is my favorite disk that I love to hate.  Track #10 goes through spacial recognition by having an individual change positions around the mic while speaking, stage center, center left, left, off stage left, etc.  It is the full and equal distant off stage left and right that can be a real bugger.  If the speaker listener interface is not perfectly spot on the sound will not be located within the space you should hear it.  Often you will get one side fine with the other collapsing in on the other speaker.  Have the toe in or anything else slightly off on just one side then nadda, nothing.  Even when having the floor marked well with tape to a position that had worked just moments earlier may no longer be valid, because the speakers may appear to be back in the same positions but are just fractions away from being true.  It can be very frustrating.  I have not yet forgiven the fellow that first brought that devil disk into my listening room.

Why bother?  Because, once you have it right it can be truly amazing with good recordings expanding to the full breadth of your room.  Once I first experieced my speakers 'locked' to my room I now miss it when it is gone.  It can be a suble change at times where something just doesn't seem quite right.  This happened the other day when I felt brave and decided to move my speakers just slightly further apart to make my listening triangle a true equilateral.  I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was off.  Everything still sounded great, but still there was something.  So, after a day or two I popped that disk in to track 10 and sure enough I had lost what I had worked hard to achieve.  It took me hours to get it back even though it was just fractions of inches that did me in.

[John Casler]

Dave, you are oh so correct.

I often liken Serious Listening to High Performance Driving (like F1) where inches and timing can make substantial differences in results.

In audio I call it High Performance Listening.

It is the precision alignment, positioning and placement of YOU, your Speakers, and the relative positions of both of those to the surrounding boundaries.

The more precisely we can adjust the distances and relationships, the more accurate the reproduction of the sonic information. The general goal being purity to the original even, and minimal affect from everything else including the listening room

While I certainly wouldn't want to discourage anyone from always trying to experiment with improving those relationships, I must say that the journey can often take some time, but the results are oh so worth it.

That is why it is interesting to hear peoples comments at shows where the room being used is MUCH different than most anyone's real listening room.

To simply get things sounding decent (in but a small area) is a remarkable accomplishment.  Kudos to the experienced "set up" Maestro, who can get it close the first time, and get it "right" before the end of the show.

I often hear Customers and Friends mention how their speakers and systems are still sounding BETTER even after years of ownership.  Those small but subtle changes and improvements are often the results of the very small changes you mention.

And your advice on that CD or "a" specific cut that is used as a reference for system set up and adjustment is always a good idea.