Positioning Logans in a room

[macallan]

I have room that is 18 x 15 and I currently have Klipsch RF-7s about 6 feet apart across the long wall and a couch that is 12-13 feet back (about a foot away from the rear wall). I have been wanting to upgrade to Vantages or Spires for quite some time. I posted a question before on the forum and was told that the couch being this close to the back wall would be problematic. Is this true with all speakers or specifically logans? I don't currently have any problems with my Klipsch in this configuration and can't really change the configuration of the room.

Would Vantage's sound good in this type of set up? I have plenty of room to move them out from the front wall but could only move the couch a foot or 2 away from the back wall.

Finally, in this size room, with a subwoofer would the Spires still be a big upgrade over the Vantage?

 

[topofroc]

I think having more space between the back wall and the couch would be an ideal condition, but isn't a requirement. In my current set-up, my couch is about 2 feet from the back wall, and I'm very please with the sound I'm getting from my Vantages.

 

[twich54]

I have room that is 18 x 15 and I currently have Klipsch RF-7s about 6 feet apart across the long wall and a couch that is 12-13 feet back (about a foot away from the rear wall). I have been wanting to upgrade to Vantages or Spires for quite some time. I posted a question before on the forum and was told that the couch being this close to the back wall would be problematic. Is this true with all speakers or specifically logans? I don't currently have any problems with my Klipsch in this configuration and can't really change the configuration of the room.

shame you can't change the position because allowing the Logans to 'fire' down the 18' length of your room would be a plus………one, it allows you to get your Loagans further off the from the front wall and two, it allows you more room to get your listening position off the back wall, all GOOD things !

Finally, in this size room, with a subwoofer would the Spires still be a big upgrade over the Vantage?

IMO, Spires and or Montis paired with a sub(or two) is the 'darling' of the Logan lineup. With that being said, my room which measures 14'6" x 24' is home to a Spire / Velodyne sub set up and having upgraded from the Vantage I can say yes it was a very noticeable improvement.

 

[edwinr]

macallan, your room setup up will be fine for either the Vantage or the Montis/Spire. Being able to move your speakers out from the wall should compensate for your couch being a little closer than ideal to the wall. I am thinking that if your big RF7s sound okay where you have them, then the Martin Logan's will be okay too.

 

[macallan]

macallan, your room setup up will be fine for either the Vantage or the Montis/Spire. Being able to move your speakers out from the wall should compensate for your couch being a little closer than ideal to the wall. I am thinking that if your big RF7s sound okay where you have them, then the Martin Logan's will be okay too.

Thank you. That is really what I wanted to know, are MLs unique regarding the rear wall or are all speakers affected by this.

 

[Rich]

Thank you. That is really what I wanted to know, are MLs unique regarding the rear wall or are all speakers affected by this.

ML's are somewhat unique in this manner. As a line source speaker, their spls drop off at half the rate of a point source speaker per doubling of distance. Translated, that simply means you are likely to get louder reflections off the back wall with your MLs than you might get with a box speaker. This could affect the sound negatively in a number of ways. And I'm not even getting into bass response issues that would affect both types of speakers by you sitting so close to the back wall. I suggest you consider placing an absorptive acoustic panel on the wall behind your listening position (horizontally, with the middle of the panel at head height). This would alleviate any issues with the speaker wave reflecting off the back wall and muddying your imaging and soundstaging. Should be an easy fix to any potential issue.

 

[JonFo]

+1 to Rich's recommendations.

Also consider treating the wall behind the ESL speakers, as depending on toe-in, those reflections could also be negatively affecting the imaging.

 

[DC-Audiophile]

My setup and initial evaluation are similar to what you are asking about. I auditioned both the Vantage and Spire's and would highly recommend the Spires. I also have a sub (ML Depth) which I only use in 5.1 for movies/TV. Otherwise, for music I'm only using the Spires. I too have my Spires on the long wall, as much as I would have preferred the short wall. I find that as long as I keep them at least 3ft from the back wall and properly toed-in as per the "flashlight" alignment technique (see ML video on this if not familiar) I get a wonderfully immersive sound. If I pull them out to 4 or 5 feet from the back wall, which I can only realistically do every now and again as it puts them in the middle of the living room, the sound depth is even better. My sofa is close to the back wall which has a window. I typically have the cloth blinds down when listening to avoid rear reflections. When I first purchased the Spires I spent a lot of time experimenting with panels behind the sofa and behind the speakers. I found that the difference with acoustic panels in either position wasn't a significant improvement for me, given the investment or aesthetic degradation to the space. Many of the acoustic panel companies have generous return policies, so feel free to experiment. This is a personal decision everybody needs to make. Hopefully, in the near future I can have the option of designing a room more optimized for sound, but for now I am quite happy and pleased with the setup.

 

[macallan]

I never thought about the surface of the wall behind the couch. The wall has a large window (3 windows wide) that is covered by plantation shutters. The primary surface is wood and it has lots of texture/angels because of the plantation shutters. I imagine this is better than plain drywall???

 

[DC-Audiophile]

You may want to experiment with the angle of the plantation shutters as you listen to your system. Some angles may be more effective at diffusing or redirecting the sound.

 

[malcesine]

distance from rear wall is easily most critical in my experience and my room

you need space behind for sure but there is a small sweetspot and you can easily move too far away from rear wall
a few inches make all the difference in either direction so take the time to experiment