Subaruguru, thanks for the response. I am relatively new to this....but can you describe what the "mess" sounded like? Or explain what "severe incoherence" is? With my pair of 803N's I can hear, for example, Patricia Barber's voice exactly in the middle. On some music, for example her live album...I hear the bongo's in the left channel and a bit of the drum in each channel with most of it in the center. It appears that whatever is supposed to be in the "middle" is. And, at least to my ears what is supposed to be in one specific channel or another is also. I don't get a sense that the individual drivers or tweeters are making sounds independantly. When I move further away from the speakers all I get is a sense that I am farther away from the soundstage...but when I am sitting about 5 to 6 feet away....I get the sensation that I am leaning against the stage looking up at the musicians. I also get the sensation that the sounds are coming from right where they would be on stage...for example if the bongo's cue in on the left of the stage I can definately tell that the left channel is making all or most of the "noise." It's kinda like plucking bubbles from the air. Isn't this what we want? Thanks for any and all responses.
Speaker Placement - Vaulted Ceilings
My listening room is my front room. It is rectangular and about 13'x28'. It has vaulted ceilings that start out 7'3" on one end and go to about 20' high almost to the end of the room. It decends on the other side of the wall in case anyone is wondering. I have a pair of B&W 803N's. The rest of my system is a Kora Hermes 24/192 dac, CJ 17LS preamp, Theta Casanova (connected through CJ), Cinenova SS amp and a Theta Carmen transport.
I tried to use the rule of 1/3's or the Cardas approach to setup initially. My big screen is in the middle of the "rectangle" about 2' from the wall so I put the speakers about 2 1/2' out from the t.v. with about 8' between them and about 2 1/2' from the walls on each side. Keep in mind that at the point where the speakers are the ceiling is about 8 1/2' now. I toe'd them in about 2" so they aim just to each side of my head. I played with the toe in quite a bit. My listening position was about 9' away from the speakers. This leaves about 15' of empty space behind my listening position and plenty of ceiling!
I have, no matter where I place them, a great image. Vocals are dead center. My problem is that the soundstage is in my opinion small. It seems very very eliptical. When I move closer to the speakers it sounds better to me. But when I moved the speakers out to about 8' and where the ceiling is about 11' and about 6' from my listening position the soundstage bloomed considerably. I now have an isosceles triange (where the speakers are wider apart between them then I am from them) instead of my previous equilateral. The image is still dead on, but the music seems so much more personal...so live. Up close I can almost feel their breath or the vibration of the strings. It is much louder overall, probably because I am sitting closer, but the details seem much more "present."
Anyway, I know it's a matter of taste..i.e. I like it so that's what matters, but I am also concerned with hearing what is "right" musically. Does anyone have any experience with the 803N's in nearfield? Is this setup really nearfield? Does anyone have any experience with cathedral or vaulted ceilings? Has anyone experienced this kind of soundstage "bloom" with nearfield?
I tried to use the rule of 1/3's or the Cardas approach to setup initially. My big screen is in the middle of the "rectangle" about 2' from the wall so I put the speakers about 2 1/2' out from the t.v. with about 8' between them and about 2 1/2' from the walls on each side. Keep in mind that at the point where the speakers are the ceiling is about 8 1/2' now. I toe'd them in about 2" so they aim just to each side of my head. I played with the toe in quite a bit. My listening position was about 9' away from the speakers. This leaves about 15' of empty space behind my listening position and plenty of ceiling!
I have, no matter where I place them, a great image. Vocals are dead center. My problem is that the soundstage is in my opinion small. It seems very very eliptical. When I move closer to the speakers it sounds better to me. But when I moved the speakers out to about 8' and where the ceiling is about 11' and about 6' from my listening position the soundstage bloomed considerably. I now have an isosceles triange (where the speakers are wider apart between them then I am from them) instead of my previous equilateral. The image is still dead on, but the music seems so much more personal...so live. Up close I can almost feel their breath or the vibration of the strings. It is much louder overall, probably because I am sitting closer, but the details seem much more "present."
Anyway, I know it's a matter of taste..i.e. I like it so that's what matters, but I am also concerned with hearing what is "right" musically. Does anyone have any experience with the 803N's in nearfield? Is this setup really nearfield? Does anyone have any experience with cathedral or vaulted ceilings? Has anyone experienced this kind of soundstage "bloom" with nearfield?