Thanks again for the responses.
I do have the optional stands and I used to use them, but find they're more boomy with them than without (I attribute that to the bass port being more open).
I have spoken with Michael Kelly and I have auditioned other speakers. The others didn't overload the room the way the Aerials did, but the midrange sounded thin. I guess my room must be causing a null in the midrange as well. Both the Aerial 9's and LR5s seem do have a significant dip between 400 and 1000hz. I have a 15 db difference between these frequencies and 95hz where I have a huge bump (at least according to the graphs that Audyssey room correction shows me).
I have tried stuffing the ports of the 9's with dacron (from my pair of Von Schweikert VR4.5's, which never sounded boomy) but I think that just affects frequencies below where I have the bump and, as Michael Kelly predicted, makes the bass sound more congested at loud volumes.
I will try bringing my speakers further into the room to the positioning you mention, but since I cannot move my listening position, I wonder if I'd be too close - almost near-field monitor range of 4ft or so.
I do have the optional stands and I used to use them, but find they're more boomy with them than without (I attribute that to the bass port being more open).
I have spoken with Michael Kelly and I have auditioned other speakers. The others didn't overload the room the way the Aerials did, but the midrange sounded thin. I guess my room must be causing a null in the midrange as well. Both the Aerial 9's and LR5s seem do have a significant dip between 400 and 1000hz. I have a 15 db difference between these frequencies and 95hz where I have a huge bump (at least according to the graphs that Audyssey room correction shows me).
I have tried stuffing the ports of the 9's with dacron (from my pair of Von Schweikert VR4.5's, which never sounded boomy) but I think that just affects frequencies below where I have the bump and, as Michael Kelly predicted, makes the bass sound more congested at loud volumes.
I will try bringing my speakers further into the room to the positioning you mention, but since I cannot move my listening position, I wonder if I'd be too close - almost near-field monitor range of 4ft or so.