Though the titles of last week's post reflect the challenges of achieving proper tonal balance and imaging through speaker placement, what we've really been discussing is the room.
Those of us with in-room speakers have a much bigger challenge than over-ear users. Audiophiles with headphones haven't any setup issues because there is no room they must deal with. In-room users must rely upon setup skill, room treatment, room size, layout and the design of the speakers themselves. This makes for a tough challenge. On the one hand loudspeaker users can share music with others and enjoy the visceral impacts they impart, like when a standup bass moves the air in the room and we feel it as much as hear it. This is more like live music than headphones. Yet headphones too offer an intimacy loudspeakers in rooms cannot provide.
I am working on some new ideas dealing with the room in my 'noodling' moments and I will share some of those with you in coming days. I also want to continue writing about ideas and suggestions for optimizing performance within your room.
