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Help Total Confusion

I just read where placing your equipment rack between your speakers is a no-no, collapsing sounstage, boomy bass, etc.

My problem is that I don't have a choice. So would it be better to buy a taller, thinner rack, creating more vertical space around my speakers, or a low slung, wider rack, creating more horizontal space around the speakers?

My speakers are monitors (Tyler Acoustic Linbrooks) and all my listening is near field, about 7 to 71/2 feet from listening chair. The speakers are 8 feet apart now and I detect a small hole in the center of the soundstage, so moving them closer an inch or two might be helpful.

I'm almost ready to buy a new rack, but none of the accesible stores will let me give the furniture a trial run, which I find curious because they'll all let me audition components in-home. Thanks so much in advance for your suggestions and comments fellow 'goners.

Dan
tbadder
plato
1,543 posts
 
I have a wide low Plateau rack between my speakers and it works very well. My ESL panels extend up a lot higher than the rack, which probably helps, and I also use a room lens, but behind my rack instead of in front, which works great to focus the imaging and tighten the bass. (Those room lenses really can work wonders!)

One thing to consider for those who have the rack close to the front wall -- that's a location where the bass frequencies will be strong and can potentially induce mechanical feedback into your equipment. Moving the rack up a couple of feet from the wall will usually result in a lot less bass hitting the rack. If you have a turntable, this could be an important consideration...
tbadder OP
103 posts
 
Here's my problem. I really can't get the speakers more than a couple of inches in front of the rack. But I could get each speaker a couple of feet away from the sides of the rack. To put the monitors two feet in front of the rack would mean moving the speakers every time I listened. The speakers weigh 75 lbs apiece and the stands weigh 100 lbs. apiece. I would then be listening at a total distance of about 5 feet--that's really nearfield!
seandtaylor99
1,262 posts
 
If the speakers are a couple of inches in front of the rack, and are not excessively toed in (so that any sound waves going towards the rack are greatly attenuated) then I don't think you'll have any problem.
Also watch out for the side walls ... those primary reflection points on the side walls will kill imaging. Don't put the speakers overly far from the rack and end up with side walls too close.

All that said, I wouldn't buy a rack without a home demo. It would be like riveting your speakers to the floor before listening to them and hoping that you'd put them in the optimum place. Placement make more difference that the quality of the equipment itself in my experience.
bob_bundus
1,834 posts
 
I have read that if you must do this, keep the rack lower-profile vs. taller.
No experience with this myself, but from those who have tried it that's the advice given. YMMV
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