Geno,
Try placing the open baffles on the window wall side with a listening position at the large opening just a tad inside the other areas.

Any chance of placing speakers across the wide opening to the kitchen and dining area?  You could possibly get the greatest stage depth ever!  I just read an article on the Audio Beatnik where the guy had a similar set up and was able to back his speakers up to the open kitchen/dining area.

Heyyyyyyyyyyy Geno!

I’d start with your speakers 8’ apart and sit back 8’ which would leave you approx. 3’ from the wall.

Have a cigar, you’ll go far! (Pink Floyd)

More completely:
Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar.
You're gonna go far, you're gonna fly high,
You're never gonna die, you're gonna make it if you try

Centered on the window wall. Listen position would be much closer to beer and grub
You could try the speaker placement in the opening but balance issues might result along with some mid bass loss.
Part of the fun in a new space is finding that sweet spot of speaker placement.

Based on Dougs suggestion I would add drapes to window wall as shown... buy a plush couch and center it on the wall...  flank the opening with your speakers.

I like going the reverse longer way.
Treat the windows with curtains and rolling diffusers/absorbers.
Make the 11.8 foot opening smaller.
Are pocket doors a possibility?
Do a properly closed entrance door (Is this your main entrance?)
Like a studio sealing out the outside environment.
Move your speakers to that end the room.
On the wide open entrance add approx. 4'pocket door to the 5' wall.
Add approx 5 foot wall or more to 3 ft side with option to close room or leave part open.
Then treat the room as needed

Doug,

I kind of imagined that I would have the same reaction to a diagonal setup. I remember Steve talking about it somewhere in the forum, so I mentioned it as a possibility. Really just to show that I was literally open to try any and every possible setup.

I’m pretty excited about placing the speakers on each side of the opening. I will also try them moved more into the opening to try a shorter distance between them.

I’ll have to get longer speaker cable for the one furthest away from the amps - and a cable cover to run between, too.

It’ll be a month or so until I move, so I won’t be able to try it out for a while now.

Thanks again for the great suggestions.

Best,

Geno

Same old DD check your PM's

Guys,

I’ve been thinking about my layout a good bit, and really want to try Steve’s suggestion of placement on each side of the opening. At the same time, I want to maximize the distance between my listening position and the speakers. This placement would give be about 9’ distance. Would the soundstage collapse with this arrangement?

I’m about 4 weeks away from moving in, so all I can do is speculate at this point. Just figured I could save some experiment time with some good input😉



Thanks,

Geno

Hey Brad!

Thanks man. I’m pretty excited about the move.

Very best,

Geno

Hi Manny.

Are your speakers set up on each side of a cased opening? If so, is the wall directly behind them, or are they out into the opening some?

Thanks for the response.

Geno

I see.  My OCD will drive me crazy, and I’ll over-analyze it, until I can finally get in there and start experimenting

I plan to use a cable cover strip between speakers - but you’re right, it’ll stick up enough to trip over. And if anybody can trip over it, I can

Have a good night.

Geno

SO your going to have OB speakers sitting just outside the Listening room with the space in back of the Kitchen and Dining room as your front wall, is that what I am seeing? What are the dimensions of those rooms, how far to the front wall? Will that create a slap back delay of a few milliseconds?

Geno,
I am assuming that the floor is a concrete slab?

I don't think a rug will help that much to eliminate the concrete slabs interaction with sound waves. Remember that slab is just a big plastic diaphram. It be better to mechanically detach the speakers from the slab as well as your components.
I still think placing the speakers on the window wall and seating in the opening will be a better option. Two fold reasons. One closer to refreshments. Two less chance of tripping after too many refreshments.

"Help I've fallen and I can't get up"
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ive-fallen-and-i-cant-get-up--3

Whatever you come up with, enjoy!

Thanks very much, John and Joe.

Quote:


The reason I created this thread is to get as much input as possible. All opinions are considered and appreciated. I will experiment a good bit to see what works best.

Very best,

Geno

Ok. Thanks Steve!

Underwhelmed how?  Does the bass increase when you stand up?   How does the sound change when you move your chair forward away from the wall? What happens when you move the speakers more into the room?   Can you tilt your speaker up?

New speaker wire could create an underwhelming condition. Were not you using OCC braided before? Looks like you have some zip cord now?

Sorry I’m late responding. Thank you for the replys!

Donnie, I was trying to get as far away from the speakers as possible. I did not want a near field setup. But the room is what it is, so, I pulled the speakers out, and as common sense would dictate, MUCH better. Simple law of open baffles. The speakers are now 7.5 feet away from the listening position, and I feel that I’m close to optimal.

John, the speaker wire is occ 16 awg from the same Chinese company that makes the other. It is small, but my vintage receivers speaker terminals will not accept large speaker wire. I know I can change out the terminals to a more modern substitute, but have not done so. However, the classic receivers don’t know that they should have larger wire, cause they work great😉

Sean, thank you. It’s gonna be a while before I get things sorted out. I have tried treatment behind the open baffles before, and found that it sucked a bit of life out of the sound, but I will experiment more with the corners.

Best,

Geno

I left you out, Dana. Sorry.

Like my reply to Donnie, I was trying to keep as much distance between the speakers and the Listening position. Trying not to get into a near field setup.

The sound to start with was just flat. I knew that open baffles need to be away from all walls, especially behind them. And the listening chair location, also in effort to keep the distance, is against the wall. I really can’t move it out much without being too close to the speakers. I’m using Steve’s suggestion of heavy drapes behind.

And, no I have not tried tilting them back more. With the short distance, that may be worth experimenting with.

Thanks,

Gene

Update on this. Moving the open baffles out from the wall, almost 2' , and toed in
facing just outside my outside shoulder, has the sound dialed in.  As stated before, I started out with them close to the front wall, trying to avoid near-field listening.

It amazes me how things click when the setup is right. I still believe that at least 12' between speaker and listener (in the correct sized room), and at least 3' away from front and side walls, is the best setup for open baffle listening.

However, in my room, with the wide cased opening, taking Steves advice on flanking it, and ending up listening on the short side of the room, with my listening chair against the rear window wall (with heavy drapes), what I'm hearing is shocking.

I am approx. 7.5' away from the speakers (which I think is just far enough away to not be considered near-field?)  I will describe the sound as, like listening to headphones, but with the airiness of normal listening. I guess that description is a close description of near-field

Anyway, I am pleased at, what I'm calling, the final result. However, I still may need to add a few absorption panels to take just a wee bit more liveliness out of the room.

Best,

Geno

Thanks HK. Best to you and yours.

Geno

Geno,

Excellent work on the room. It looks great. I kept thinking that I had seen the outline of that room before, so I went back and found your drawing of it from August. Not to criticize your drawing skill, but the finished look is much more impressive than the sketches

Thanks, guys! It has been fun seeing this turn from a plan in my head, and a simple sketch, to reality. I owe the better part of any success that I’ve had to this forum - and that is all the way back to the beginning of this audio adventure.

Thank you to all that offered advice for this latest chapter - especially Doug and Steve. I never would have known about flanking a cased opening. This has opened a door into another listening dimension. I won’t say that it is better than my setup in my old home. There were strengths with listening at a greater distance - especially with open baffles. But, this closer proximity offers a degree of intimacy that the other did not. I’m in a very nice place, musically.

Best,

Geno