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Do any speakers image/sound-stage close to walls?

I'm about to spend a huge amount of $$ on full-range speakers, but realise from all the published acoustical data and conventional wisdom, that the laws of physics are absolute. So, in a 17 X 23 X 15ft ceilinged room, when I have to place the speakers no more than 12" from the front (short) wall, 2 ft from the side walls (for WAF and furniture and structural reasons - dont ask,) am I blowing my money? The source, preamp, amps are all superb - but what do I do about finding speakers to match? Sure, I could buy a superb $19K SP Tech Revelation or Zu Definition or Coincident Total Reference, but what about the sound-staging and imaging? Surely I'm not the only person with this dilemma, yet there are so few posts on A'gon regarding this issue, that I wonder whether the problem is exaggerated in my mind or is it just that most A'goners are smarter than I and designed their wives' furniture choices better?:) Room treatments dont help much, or do they? Is there any solution, other than moving the whole sytem to a wifeless room? Please dont ask why these space restrictions apply - believe me, they do, and the interior decorating details are not relevant here.
System: EMM CDSD, DCC2, Sota Cosmos IV, Ear 324 Phono Preamp, Atma-Sphere MP-1, Atma-Sphere MA 2.2, PAD Dominus S/C, etc.
springbok10
audiokinesis
1,872 posts
 
Springbok10, thanks. Good question - I wasn't very specific, and where we measure from makes a difference when the speaker is 21 inches deep! I'd guess that if you can get the front of the speaker 3 feet out from the wall when toed in, that would be great. If you have to live with less, then live with less (and perhaps you can slowly sneak 'em out inch by inch and maybe she won't notice). Okay so that won't be ideal positioning (five or six feet out probably would be), but my analogy would be a grand piano vs a little upright: Sure the grand piano won't reach its full potential unless you put it in a good recital hall, but even in a modest living room it'll still sound better than the upright.

I really like SP Tech speakers. If I wasn't doing my own variation on the theme, I'd be a dealer for them.

Team211, excellent call! It's been over twenty-five years since I heard the Snell Type A, but yup it had genuine depth of soundstage with its back up against the wall. I haven't heard its equal in that regard before or since.

Duke
team212
223 posts
 
Oo ho-- Carter is out for 6 weeks with sprained Ankle--

Anyway good to talk Audio with a fellow Rugby ite!

I'm from Auckland-- the shaky Blues !

Presently working in Las Vegas--got to CES this year.

Good listening.

Des
team212
223 posts
 
Hi Duke,
Glad you appreciate the worth of the Snells--they were a magnificent speaker in their time-- and in spite of the Rubber surrounds collapsing!- were ahead of their time in sound quality. I had a pair Bi Amped via the DB crossover with Electro Research A75s Amps--WOW ! I've heard not much to better them in todays market.
I totally endorse all your intuitive replies to posters both here and on the AA you come across as a true gentleman of the Industry-- I hope the members listen and take in your infinite words of wisdom-- Kudos. Twas a pity I did not meet you at CES this year you would have made a valuable contribution to the grand night of excess that was the Bob Crump memorial night at the Alexis with Curl/ Clark/ Mikel/etc

Keep up the great work,

Good listening,
Des
ckoffend
684 posts
 
Wilson Duettes. Great speakers, easy placement (close to the wall), not too large and very good overall. Can perform fairly low, into the lower mid 30s as well.

Lots of flexibility with these speakers - multiple sets of cross-over to speaker cables for placement either near the wall or away from the wall and also several sets of resistors are included for tuning the tweeters to the room. I loved mine and can highly recommend them.
mapman's avatar
mapman
15,679 posts
 
I've heard speakers that sound very good right up against or very close to the rear wall. But I've yet to find a way to put speakers directly up against a wall without losing something in regards to sound stage depth, if not imaging. Rear ported speakers generally lose the most against a wall I would say compared to other designs.

I have several pair of speakers in my system. The front ported Ohm Ls are the ones that shine best against the walls, but they inherently do not image or soundstage as well as the others regardless.

My Dynaudios lose much of their luster against a wall.

My small Triangles benefit in the low end but at the cost of soundstage and imaging, though not as much as the Dynaudios.

My Ohm Walsh line speakers work very well against a wall, but also still lose something significant in the imaging/soundstage department.

Of course, corner horns, like Klipschorns, are designed to go into the corners, but these are a different breed of speaker for sure!
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