Can the sweet spot be widened?

[@gotham61]

The phantom center image is a result of both amplitude and phase matching between the speakers and the listening position. While spacing and toe in can alter the relative amplitude changes as you move off axis, nothing can prevent the shift in distance, and thereby arrival time and phase coherence between the two speakers.

[@homeboi808]

Something like the Vivid Audio Giya G2 will have a super wide sweet spot, but of course dead center is still optimal.

[@steveaustin7306]

Good one. Look forward to hearing the other tricks one day

[@umeng2002]

You need a wood grain wall to make those disappear.

[@KarlHamilton]

I really really really want to sit in that chair :(

[@morrisonAV]

I do too....but I also want Paul to turn off that damned Autoexposure on his camera

[@KarlHamilton]

Haha, yes that was a bit annoying.

[@googoo-gjoob]

you can....go visit!

[@KarlHamilton]

@@googoo-gjoob I live in Ireland :/

[@googoo-gjoob]

@@KarlHamilton , sounds like a great excuse/reason for a vacation. ive been to Colorado 13x. going again this June.

[@kencohagen4967]

How about sitting directly in between the speakers? This is the question that has been on every audiophiles mind since Hi Fidelity was first invented. One of my favorite videos was done by an armature audiophiles who got his buddy to listen to a pair of speakers blindfolded. The subject attempted to guess what speakers he was listening to and failed miserably. Forget the fact that the speakers he was listening to were home built. But the main reason he was unable to understand what he was listening to was because the midranges and tweeters were aimed upward towards the ceiling, at a 45 degree angle or so. From what they explained the soundstage was huge. I'm tempted to build a pair like that for my surround sound set up.

[@claudec2588]

Thank-you. Another very informative video. I thought speakers should be "toed-in". But after adjusting my speakers to face straight out I do believe I have a wider sweet spot. But this might just be the power of suggestion. On the other hand I do believe that I now have a wider sound stage also. Thanks.

[@SNL.81]

Can get enough of looking at the IRS. There amazing. Really want to hear those guys.

[@JohnDoe-np3zk]

I own the Infinity Kappa 8 original reference series. It's interesting because Arnie put in a mid bass driver (the Polygraph) that is a key addition to the speaker. The placement I have is about the same distance apart but closer to the back wall (maybe 2 ft off) and far off the side wall. No toe in as Paul says, with a rear facing tweeter and a slight rear tilt. Anyway I usually listen with "the band" behind me and the sound stage is pretty amazing, the depth, the width. I love em. If you can find a pair somewhere to pick up you would be impressed (other than the amps needed to drive them, think Bryston). Cheers...

[@bc527c]

I'm not gonna talk about this from the point of view of a giant, rare, expensive dipole speaker, I'm gonna talk about this from the point of view of 1500$us spent on 2.1 speaker set 12 years ago. Hated them for 12 years, I have, super small sweet spot, had to aim them right at my ears, I could go on, but suffice to say, they sucked in every way. My setup right now, I can move my head around to any place while sitting in my chair, I can move to the seat next to it, I can walk around... and the sweet spot does not switch on/off, it, of course, changes perspective towards the 'stage'/main speakers, but the stage remains, the players remain. What did I do? New Amp? New speakers? What??? No, I kept those things. I worked on the acoustics, I worked (really really) hard on bass management, I worked on absorbing harmful reflections, you see, when you have to aim the speakers right at your ears it's because, to a very large degree, you can't make that sound out from the soupy mess of all the reflected sound hitting your ears time delayed. So now you go and absorb all that, great, but now you have these kinda isolated speakers and the sound stage does not dance and fill the whole room, so is that it, is that all there is? Nope, now return life to the room, but as controlled and managed and directed life by incorporating diffusers. If you choose to do so, you can achieve a wonderful sound stage and a 'live' room sound with absolute control over the sound, no sibilance, no harsh blown out highs, no bloated blooming bass... with the right strategic use of these tools. Disclaimer: all efforts in the field of acoustics... your mileage will vary, this shit be not easy.

[@jimolson9671]

bvocal my journey as much the same as yours except my speakers are KEF Reference 3’s. I am a retired electrical engineer. I studied everything I could on acoustics for about three months before I started it.. my rig is in my basement so my wife lets me do what I want down there. The improvement is unbelievable. Anyone who can do this shit absolutely do it. You will be rewarded with far less listen or fatigue. I have a pretty wide sweet spot but alas I’m usually the only one down here! Oh wait my dog is down there with me.

[@20CycleMonger]

@@jimolson9671 Mine too ;-) I used GIK abfusors and Primacoustics products.

[@jimolson9671]

Carlito Melon I used Real Traps , GIK DIY and pre-cut QRD’s..

[@Oystein87]

I have a combined stereo and surround setup with JBL TL260 in front. And if I view KZbin in stereo it sounds like the sound comes from the TV screen so I sometimes need to double check if there is sound from the center speaker😂 And some sounds come from ny sides etc. I love the wide stereo sound I get in my system when playing music😃 Can close my eyes and I can't place where the speakers are just by listening

[@Dreez76]

Great explanation !. I'm using abit of a toe-in on my speakers, and my sweetspot is in the center of my main sofa. I am considering changing it abit.

[@ThinkingBetter]

Good video with valuable information. Improving your speaker position can often make a much bigger enhancement to the sound quality than spending a fortune on upgrading your gear.

[@SPEEDOFDOG]

i very much appreciate your videos and the fact you take the time to make them. i am learning so much. very helpful. thank you sir.

[@moukiebengal9753]

you nailed it Paul

[@stillmotion7779]

I was able to do that with a pair of Ohm Walsh speakers. Great video Paul!

[@zharris6758]

Very helpful as always. Can You recmomend songs for setting up the speakers? With this kind of voice or sound to fill this mid bass?

[@mrpositronia]

Paul will point you toward his personal choice: www.psaudio.com/pauls-posts/pauls-picks/

[@JPAudio22]

Great video Paul, thanks. Could a coffee table between my speakers and listening couch interfere with my sweet sweet spot? The table is a huge heavy beast so I haven't tried moving it yet but I might if that might make a difference. I've been experimenting with different speaker positions for months and can't seem to get it quite right.

[@motorradmike]

John Phelps, the coffee table has to go. You are getting a huge amount of bounced and defracted sound off the top of that table making a stereo image nearly impossible. You may have noticed no serious listening area has a coffee table in front of the speakers for this very reason. I use a large fabric ottoman and place a basket weave tray on top of it for when I entertain or need a temporary surface for refreshments, movie popcorn, etc. The tray is set aside alongside the sofa when I do serious listening. Just a suggestion.

[@JPAudio22]

@@motorradmike Thanks, that's what I was afraid of. May need to change it up.

[@brunorivademar5356]

The best idea would be to remove it. It's definitely messing up your imaging. If that's not an option maybe you could cover it with something like a thick cloth whenever you want to go on serious listening mode. Gl

[@sMASHsound]

hey paul, in a cinema room, with respect to the front left and right speakers, would this setting be advisable? to have the left and right speakers a bit away, forward from the screen?

[@L.Scott_Music]

If focusing on the subject of "Sweet spot everywhere" that technology exists in the Aspen Pittman Designs Center Point Stereo technology. While not audiophile high fidelity it suite live and other entertainment applications extremely well. In a single cabinet you get a 3D sound everywhere in the room and into other rooms. It cannot replicate the high end imaging like those in this video but it does sound the same everywhere.

[@Kirisutekarl]

Come for the audio tips n tricks, stay for the ending asmr "bye".

[@whatonearthamito]

I was hoping, but I already have my speakers facing "flat" into the room and the sweetspot is just 1 person size. Oh, well, I mostly listen alone anyway (meditation any1?)

[@Michelenla]

GOOD LOOKING ROOM.

[@gerritgovaerts8443]

You can get a much wider (as wide a s the room nearly) sweetspot by using omnidirectional speakers a la Duevel . The price you pay is potentially less accurate imaging .

[@Enemji]

Gerrit Govaerts - Yea but that sweetspot would sugar free

[@5850terry]

Do people who go to concerts and can't, for one reason or another, not sit in the middle, hear a less than great performance?

[@Invictus96vid]

In general, yes. This is most evident with purely acoustic events, where there is no selective sound reinforcement. Even within well-designed symphony halls, the sound will vary from section to section. The performance might be great, but not all attendees will hear it as well.

[@MindBodySoulOk]

Going to be front row center for star wars Orchestral showing!

[@johnsweda2999]

Yes cube audio from Poland probably the best speakers in the world have you got a pair. You could add extra side baffles just get some thin hardboard bring them close to the wall will widen your stereo image

[@johnsweda2999]

I can imagine in the future. Music will have a holographic projector of the band in front of your speakers

[@poznipracker8113]

LOL, always amusing what people call "best speaker in the world". Ported Lowther broadband-chassis? Bass drop-off at 70Hz or what? Crippled highs, not much higher than 10khz or so? No thanks! Too much loss of information.

[@johnsweda2999]

@@poznipracker8113 I know what you talking about, these speaker got to 20K down to 30 Hz. What I've heard is that they have a natural sounding good Dynamics and great sound stage well-balanced speakers bring the music to life..

[@poznipracker8113]

@@johnsweda2999 Ya, ok. Now I saw that Lowther has chassis up to 9", so they can make a reasonable amount of bass. Sorry for guessing otherwise. But I have my problems with this kind of chassis. Especially dynamics and detail is not their strong side (I´m coming from magnetostatic and electrostatic speaker, so I know what absoulte detail and fine sense is.) With this kind of chassis you are simply limited by the physical principals that they based on.

[@asilva781]

Thanks Paul. I have a very tricky room. I loose a lot of bass in my new sound room. How can I improve the bass without locate the speakers near to the wall. Only a subwoofer I think. Is there another option?

[@bc527c]

Your lost bass is because of room modes. You should measure your room to see how bad it is, you should look up room mode calculator on the google and enter your room and see... then you will at least know what you are up against. Adding a sub may well be your solution, but not, I wager, the way you're thinking.

[@asilva781]

bvocal thanks a lot.

[@jimolson9671]

A Silva get a decibel meter for your smart phone and Play pink noise thru your rig. Walk around your room noticing the decibel meter. I found Peaks of 30 DB and a bass suck-outt in the same room! Broadband base absorbers are the best solution but two subs Placed pacing each other on opposite walls can work too.

[@deepgreatfalls9640]

Paul, why are your amps placed so close to the ground? I’m 6’6” and this makes my back hurt just thinking about it. Thanks for your fantastic videos and looking forward to the book!

[@johnsweda2999]

You want and close to ground to prevent interference radio interference

[@johnsweda2999]

@LD Blake well yes and connecting cables act as antennaes

[@bc527c]

Because who wants to lift 90 pound amps onto tables?

[@19janiboy96]

I think that these amps are so well designed that inference doesn't matter

[@carlitomelon4610]

Those aren't stereo amps McFly Tho' why he needs 3 is telling.... Maybe 4 would widen the space between the speakers;-)

[@kingmonkey88]

On my system I get a good centre image and forward projection. The soundstage width seems ok but I don't seem to get a lot of depth. On some tracks I get a sense of depth that goes beyond the back wall but not all the time.. How convincing should the soundstage be?

[@joshua43214]

A lot depends on the recording itself, and the gear will contribute a great deal to the sound stage. Once the speakers themselves are close being in the right place, find the tracks that seem to give the best sound stage and start experimenting with gear. Changing interconnect types (coax vs microphone cable for example) is an easy and cheap thing to start with. I also found that getting rid of all the wall warts on the same circuit as my amp helped a great deal.

[@kingmonkey88]

@@joshua43214 I think my gear should be good enough. I did try experimenting by pulling the speakers out, didn't find it made too much difference. I prefer to sit further back as it gives space for the speakers to image. Being too close the image doesn't localise. But I don't think the system has fully settled. I am still hearing subtle changes.

[@carlitomelon4610]

Basic stuff. Read Jim Smith's book GET BETTER SOUND for all the tips. Try "Intensified Stereo"... It's all there!

[@gregcyrus3602]

Auto-Brightness?

[@jamesplotkin4674]

Where are the Noise Harvesters?

[@poserwannabe1]

🤣😂🤣😂

[@petersvensson3154]

Good advice 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@yomero0666]

Dreamroom!!!

[@arcyoon]

continuous...

[@ilovegongsmygongsongs2094]

I still say the room is too small for the speakers !

[@poserwannabe1]

I've never really bought into that, I was running Model 19's with mono blocks in a 10x12 bedroom...😆😆😆