System Pics 2016

Vauxhall mkII posted:

My first post for some time prompted by the arrival of my destination speakers 

 

 

They took the scenic route from Naim HQ to their spiritual home, but they were well loved by John and Gary on the way. Thanks to you both,

Paul.

(system details in my profile)

 

Another SL2 owner - welcome to the club! Nice system too BTW...

I do worry about these SL2s. After years in the security of Gary's office, can they cope with the wide open spaces? I wonder if it's possible to run the excess cable for the right hand speaker to the right of the amplifier and then back again, so that the loop isn't visible between the speakers. 

They are lovely speakers - it just seems 'right' to see them sitting against the wall out of the way. 

Here is my latest update: longer legs on the SVT to prevent the SL din to xlr from dangling on the floor. It's also an opportunity to show off the 1970's Poole vase that I inherited from my dad. I've always loved it, unlike everyone else in the family who'd rather it was elsewhere!

Robiwan posted:

Mike-B posted:

Massimo Bertola posted:

sihctr posted:

David02 posted:

sihctr posted:

Here is my first attempt with pictures, hopefully all goes well!

 

I'm pretty sure the acoustics would work much better in the other direction, 

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't. It' something I've tried a number of times, and it's my single certainty in audio: speakers work usually better on the longer wall across the shorter one. But it's a matter of taste, anyway. The room looks nice and functional: why spoil it?

In my room its the same,  across the short section has its challenges but across the short length give my room the best balance.  Firing down the long length gives way too much bass when seated near the back wall,  I calculated the standing wave modes & its a double corner hit,  its OK with the listening position moved 1.5m to 2m into the room but that doesn't do much for WAF. 

same here, short length give best balance, along the long length bass is boom boom boom. But practically the set up shown in the picture is best.

Many thanks for the feedback! It is helpful to hear from several people that the intrinsic layout is not that compromised. Of course, given the chance, I will test the other direction just to satisfy my curiosity. But it is clear that in the long term, the layout will remain as it is shown now in the picture.

My main issue is that I simply never seem to enjoy the music! Maybe it is due to over-expectation or something, but I seem to enjoy music more in my stock car stereo system... So I can continue messing around with cables/plugs/sources etc., but I would expect that the current system would be more than enough to provide some decent enjoyment. Therefore I think that something fundamental such as the speaker/room interaction is wrong. Generally, I feel that the music is too much "in your face", a bit harsh but also flat. So this gives me the impression that I am sitting too close to the speakers.

In addition the bass seems to be lacking, even though the acoustic measurements show otherwise. Generally the response is quite flat, apart from a significant dip at ~150Hz. Maybe this is what is killing everything, who knows!

My room is similar so I understand what you're experiencing. Theoretically optimal seating position, assuming speakers were up against the wall, would be about 35% of the distance from either the front or the back wall. In other words if your room is 10 ft wide you could sit either 3.5 ft from the front or 3.5 ft the back. I find that if I sit on the floor a few feet in front of my speakers I experience the best sound. Of course this not practical at all. I end up doing a lot of my listening from an adjacent room. I find the sound much less shouty this way.

The reasons that you enjoy music more in your car are:

1) A car interior is a small well damped (upholstered) space of uneven dimensions, free of room nasties.

2) As your merrily driving along your mind is focusing primarily on driving and less on critically analyzing your system. You're more relaxed and enjoying the music without suffering from the usual high expectation induced audio nervosa.

I am aware of the 35% rule, but haven't tried it in practice. I will give it a shot to see if it makes a difference. I also tend to prefer listening the music from adjacent rooms...

Point 2 is definitely valid, which leads me to more philosophical questions: Should I sell everything, get a MuSo and be done with audiophilia nervosa???!!! What a strange hobby this is...

 

Many thanks for the feedback! It is helpful to hear from several people that the intrinsic layout is not that compromised. Of course, given the chance, I will test the other direction just to satisfy my curiosity. But it is clear that in the long term, the layout will remain as it is shown now in the picture.

My main issue is that I simply never seem to enjoy the music! Maybe it is due to over-expectation or something, but I seem to enjoy music more in my stock car stereo system... So I can continue messing around with cables/plugs/sources etc., but I would expect that the current system would be more than enough to provide some decent enjoyment. Therefore I think that something fundamental such as the speaker/room interaction is wrong. Generally, I feel that the music is too much "in your face", a bit harsh but also flat. So this gives me the impression that I am sitting too close to the speakers.

In addition the bass seems to be lacking, even though the acoustic measurements show otherwise. Generally the response is quite flat, apart from a significant dip at ~150Hz. Maybe this is what is killing everything, who knows!

Can you make a floor to which the couch is on which can be turned around ?

Iconoclast posted:

Theoretically optimal seating position, assuming speakers were up against the wall, would be about 35% of the distance from either the front or the back wall. In other words if your room is 10 ft wide you could sit either 3.5 ft from the front or 3.5 ft the back.

Iconoclast,

sorry but I still have some issues with spatial terms in English: with wide do you mean front to back or side to side? Because from your post I'd say it refers to front to back, but I'm used to think of it as side to side (I hope I am not looking dumb).

Thanks for the clarification, I didn't know this 35% rule.

Massimo

Massimo Bertola posted:

Iconoclast posted:

Theoretically optimal seating position, assuming speakers were up against the wall, would be about 35% of the distance from either the front or the back wall. In other words if your room is 10 ft wide you could sit either 3.5 ft from the front or 3.5 ft the back.

Iconoclast,

sorry but I still have some issues with spatial terms in English: with wide do you mean front to back or side to side? Because from your post I'd say it refers to front to back, but I'm used to think of it as side to side (I hope I am not looking dumb).

Thanks for the clarification, I didn't know this 35% rule.

Massimo

Hi Massimo,

Normally wide would mean left to right from wherever you are positioned. Since the picture shows the room from one extremity wide would be from the couch wall to the equipment wall. If you were sitting in the couch then I suppose the correct term would be the depth.

Hope this clarifies things (and not the opposite).

Ah, thanks. I'll check my sitting position at home, I'd never heard of the 35% thing...

Cheers

M

sihctr posted:

I am aware of the 35% rule, but haven't tried it in practice. I will give it a shot to see if it makes a difference. I also tend to prefer listening the music from adjacent rooms...

Point 2 is definitely valid, which leads me to more philosophical questions: Should I sell everything, get a MuSo and be done with audiophilia nervosa???!!! What a strange hobby this is...

My room would look too empty with just a MuSo. My wife would say yes please go for the MuSo. However, I'm stubborn, and still have a few more options to explore before throwing in the towel. These range from more traditional gear swapping to going active to adding tubes and full range speakers in the mix to acoustically treating my office and all moving all my gear in there plus a few other hair brain schemes that I have floating around in my mind. I suppose that as long as there's fresh music out there to feed the beast I'll keep at if. If ''they'' end up killing the music industry and traditional radio then I'll probably move into a retirement home, get a MuSo, Spotify and just sit there in diapers listening to whatever drivel the robot at the other end is feeding me.  Sorry I'm getting carried away here.

Massimo Bertola posted:

Ah, thanks. I'll check my sitting position at home, I'd never heard of the 35% thing...

Cheers

M

Actually I believe it's called ''the 38% rule''

Edit: and it works in all directions (top to bottom as well)

rackkit posted:

Another SL2 owner - welcome to the club! Nice system too BTW...

Thanks rackkit, it is a club that I have aspired to for quite some time...

sihctr posted:

[...] Generally, I feel that the music is too much "in your face", a bit harsh but also flat. So this gives me the impression that I am sitting too close to the speakers.

In addition the bass seems to be lacking, even though the acoustic measurements show otherwise. Generally the response is quite flat, apart from a significant dip at ~150Hz. Maybe this is what is killing everything, who knows!

Like Massimo I prefer the speakers on the long wall. I have tried that with several different loudspeakers and in different rooms.

Given the layout of your room it might be worthwile to dampen the reflection from the back wall (behind your head). That should add some depth to the soundstage. Relections from the sides of the fireplace could be another thing. As you already have two acoustic panels, you could use those for a quick check. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

I do worry about these SL2s. After years in the security of Gary's office, can they cope with the wide open spaces? I wonder if it's possible to run the excess cable for the right hand speaker to the right of the amplifier and then back again, so that the loop isn't visible between the speakers. 

They are lovely speakers - it just seems 'right' to see them sitting against the wall out of the way. 

Don't worry HH, while they did sound very good in Gary's office, following a brief period of acclimatisation, they are now revelling in the wide open spaces.

My system is due a strip down and rebuild, so I will review the possible upgrade of invisible cable excess. I believe concertina is the approved approach ;-)

Iconoclast posted:

 I find that if I sit on the floor a few feet in front of my speakers I experience the best sound. Of course this not practical at all.

I have the same effect, my room is rectangle but not thin on the wide side but the longer side is about 1.5m longer, with speakers at the thinner end rather than along the longer wall side, its how this room is best suited for all the furniture, light entering and sitting position and so on.

But with the speakers at the end I find the best position for the bass response I like is sitting on the floor about 3ft away centre, with the speakers towed in and in theory imaging behind me (the point where the speakers line cross over is behind me in this position), this achieves the best results for this room.

If I sit back in my normal position on the sofa at the rear wall with the speakers in the same towed in position so imaging point, or crossing over point of the speakers line right where I sit, it all thins out, move forward and sit on the floor and all the bass returns.

My room is proving a pain to get right at the moment and I have some panels for bass control. Tried all the positions known to man and this is the best it gets, unless I get something on the entire walls perhaps.

Still testing today, put some slate under neath and also some very strong thin foam, its tweaking and then some, hey ho :-)

Mulberry posted:

sihctr posted:

[...] Generally, I feel that the music is too much "in your face", a bit harsh but also flat. So this gives me the impression that I am sitting too close to the speakers.

In addition the bass seems to be lacking, even though the acoustic measurements show otherwise. Generally the response is quite flat, apart from a significant dip at ~150Hz. Maybe this is what is killing everything, who knows!

Like Massimo I prefer the speakers on the long wall. I have tried that with several different loudspeakers and in different rooms.

Given the layout of your roomit might be worthwile to dampen the reflection from the back wall (behind your head). That should add some depth to the soundstage. Relections from the sides of the fireplace could be another thing. As you already have two acoustic panels, you could use those for a quick check. 

Dampen or diffuse?

I used to have a wall hanging on that wall which I disposed of when I redecorated my room. I'm now wondering if it might of had a positive effect on sound.

As I previously wrote - after getting rid of huge wall unit/tons of books, aforementioned wall hanging and placing speakers on proper stands my sound took a turn for the worse. Since so many variables were changed all at once, including an amp upgrade, it's hard to pinpoint what had the most impact. I have since added a chair, a small sub, filled stands with glass shot and re-positioned speakers. Sound is actually quite quite acceptable but still not ''there'' yet. 

Hi Iconoclast,

dampening worked for me in a setup like that. No need to overdo things here, a 40 * 80 cm panel is sufficient. Diffusion might work as well, but I have not (yet) tried it.

Robiwan posted:

SuperNait 1 with CD5italic, NAT05 FM tuner, Sonos connect for Spotify, Fraimlite and Allaes.

Update: Sold the LP12, Stageline, Flatcap, Custum Design WMB1, small Fraimlite, Okki Nokki RCM,  and all other vinyl related products as well as my lp collection. Totally happy and pure serenity with my digital gear/FM.

 

Well, another nice allae's. Thanks for your earlier comment Robiwan..

My curly claro walnut Harban plinth. Trying to show the chatoyance.

count.d posted:

My curly claro walnut Harban plinth. Trying to show the chatoyance.

You don't have to try! YOW! 

count.d posted:

My curly claro walnut Harban plinth. Trying to show the chatoyance.

Don’t you just have to love the Gerry Built bracing in worse than basic building grade ply on wood that certainly looks “differnt” from normal and good ash, beech or oak?

Second rate construction would be a compliment ...

George

If you can't say anything nice, perhaps you should say nothing.

George Fredrik Fiske posted:

Don’t you just have to love the Gerry Built bracing in worse than basic building grade ply on wood that certainly looks “differnt” from normal and good ash, beech or oak?

Second rate construction would be a compliment ...

George

Oi George! What's up with you? Second-rate construction? There's a lot of thought gone into the construction, I can assure you of that.

I've got a Harban plinth on my LP12. Definitely not second rate construction. Dr. P. knows a thing or two about what makes a good LP12...