Like many people I like to think I am pretty smart, and that I have learned a lot about audio. Unfortunately I have a tendency to ignore what I know and only recall it after wallowing in a problem long enough to create sufficient discomfort to make me resort to thinking.
Here's why I bring this up - For several years I have been enchanted with spacious sound and imaging. So much so that I ignored the basics of speaker placement. I kept moving my speakers further apart and further into the room, and that has been very effective for the sort of sound I was seeking. But I kept feeling that something was missing. And I kept thinking that many of my albums were just too bright. Naturally I blamed it on the recording engineers. Last week I was reading an article by Jim Smith, author of Get Better Sound wherein he said the first thing to do is to get the bass right and the rest will follow. Then I recalled that the GoldenEar sales manager had sent me recommendations for speaker replacement from a computer program, promising optimum bass response. The recommended placement is much closer to the wall behind and three feet closer together than what I have been using. I got out the tape measure and tried the new placement. As they say on the net, OMG! The balance of the music changed significantly - warmer, fuller, whatever you want to call it. My bright albums are not bright anymore. The bass seems an octave deeper and is definitely more dynamic. Once again I am able to hear the kick drum behind Mary Gauthier on Falling Out of Love from the Mercy Now album. I had forgotten that sound.
Previously the baffle board of my speakers was 38" from the wall behind - now that distance is 24", which would have been unthinkably close to me before I was persuaded by a computer printout to try it.
I've have lost some depth in the image but I'm glad to trade it for a more balanced sound. I'm glad I relearned a rookie lesson.
