I guess I just needed to spend some time listening to the current setup. Last night, I think my brain finally registered what was wrong with the setup. After a few nights with the GF out of town and able to sit and listen, something sounded wrong as it always had but seemed more obvious. Nudged the left speaker inward and things got better. Slid it slightly farther from the wall and nudged it again. Sat back down and imaging snapped right in. While I still have some odd resonances, I'm not touching the setup for awhile, just going to enjoy it.
Not sure when I'm getting to the redesign.
Not sure when I'm getting to the redesign.
That's funny, I had the opposite experience. I agree that I found the imaging is affected quite a bit by the angle of the speakers, but I never found much difference pulling the speakers out into the room, unlike my open baffles. The Halcyons are probably about 6 inches from the wall now. I tried as much as 2 feet out, which is really intruding into the living space, and I didn't notice much difference. Different, but not necessarily better, IMHO. But my ears are not great. These speakers are so deep that even up close to the wall the driver is still 2.5 feet away, and the sound coming out the back is pretty muted by all the acoustic foam lining the tube. Even when played loud, I don't hear that much coming out of the back. I would not expect a lot of audible interference between back reflections and direct radiating sound. But keener ears may differ.
Yes, I have noticed that too. Keep in mind, I do not have the Halcyon speakers. I have one of Jim and Curts collaborations.
I get the best imaging with my speakers pulled out about a couple of feet and the speakers and myself creating near to a equilateral triangle. With everything set up like this way, when the recording calls for it, it sounds like someone is singing between my two speakers. Sounds stage is wide and sounds tend to float around making the speakers disappear.
The back wave seems almost as critical as the direct wave. Something kind of trippy is if I move my seat to create an equilateral with the first rear reflection point of the back wave hitting the front wall, I can get a center image. In other words say my front baffle is 36" from the front wall, if I move my seat forward 36", I can get a center image.
I get the best imaging with my speakers pulled out about a couple of feet and the speakers and myself creating near to a equilateral triangle. With everything set up like this way, when the recording calls for it, it sounds like someone is singing between my two speakers. Sounds stage is wide and sounds tend to float around making the speakers disappear.
The back wave seems almost as critical as the direct wave. Something kind of trippy is if I move my seat to create an equilateral with the first rear reflection point of the back wave hitting the front wall, I can get a center image. In other words say my front baffle is 36" from the front wall, if I move my seat forward 36", I can get a center image.
BTW, @6sX7, what do you mean by odd resonances? It's pretty obvious I'm a Halcyon partisan, and will defend her to the death, but are you saying the Halcyon boxes resonate? That seems hard to imagine unless perhaps the sonitube or speakers are loose or something like that.
Just looking at the design of the box, it's hard to imagine a more rigid speaker construction. I know you know this, but for casual readers considering the Halcyons, I'd hate for them to be scared off by fears that the Halcyons resonate. Possible, but much less likely than most boxes, no?
These things are vaults. There is no point inside the speaker that is more than probably 4 inches from a big slab of 3/4 inch birch ply that is itself never more 3 inches from a 90-degree interface to more 3/4 inch birch ply. Am I over doing this? Sorry.
Just looking at the design of the box, it's hard to imagine a more rigid speaker construction. I know you know this, but for casual readers considering the Halcyons, I'd hate for them to be scared off by fears that the Halcyons resonate. Possible, but much less likely than most boxes, no?
These things are vaults. There is no point inside the speaker that is more than probably 4 inches from a big slab of 3/4 inch birch ply that is itself never more 3 inches from a 90-degree interface to more 3/4 inch birch ply. Am I over doing this? Sorry.
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