distance between speakers

Look at the thread entitled Help What's Wrong With My System........some great ideas in there

I was reading that "Get Good Sound" book at my friend's place. That book is recommending a general guideline of 83% of the distance of the driver to the listener's ears (should be the same distance for each speaker) as a good place to start for the distance apart. Yes, as above, measure from the driver-center and not the cabinet.

Every speaker and every room is different. In my 50+ years of audiophilia, I've never had a room that didn't have irregular measurements or opennings that would defeat this extremely naive measurement concept.

You need a method that equalizes the energy from the speakers and fits them into the room in such a way that their energy is equalized. The Sumiko Master Set is the only method that I know of that accomplishes the goal. If you interested, a search on A'gon will easily locate some deeper discussion for you.

Dave

Every speaker and every room is different. In my 50+ years of audiophilia, I've never had a room that didn't have irregular measurements or opennings that would defeat this extremely naive measurement concept.

I appreciate the attempt to help with the second statement, Dave, but would you expand a bit on why you've included the first (quoted above)? I read back over the responses here, and see that most of them are basically saying what I suggested; that there are only very general guidelines to assist you in getting started and nothing so specific as you seem to indicate as being a sign of being "naive". Sorry if I'm missing something here or have misinterpreted you. In general, I agree that you should let the room and your ears determine where the speakers go, but it is a whole lot easier with a place to begin, and if you are taking notes and changing things a measurement or two could help keep track of things. That or simply putting some masking tape on the floor with notations. The OP's question is pretty simple though, and was answered straight away by Newbee.

Jax2: Question. Do you think that a bright and/or small room would reduce the 83% number? I've always found that putting speakers that far apart wrecks the soundstage. But I've always been in bright and/or small rooms (so putting speakers that far apart will put them close to the walls in a small room, and putting them that far apart in a bright room will increase the distance to my ears sufficiently to allow high-end reflection to distort the imaging).