CD speakers and imaging w/near-wall placement

[noah katz]

With conventional direct radiator speakers I've always found imaging, especially apparent depth, to be severely impaired when not placed out into the room away from the back/side walls a few feet.

If my understanding is correct, this is from sound diffracting around to the sides and back of the speaker, reflecting off of the wall, and arriving soon enough to make our brains think its part of the original signal, confusing imaging cues.

I'll soon be building some CD (constant directivity) speakers that have much attenuated off-axis response.

How much improvement in imaging will this give?

I was going to make these on-wall speakers, and I was going to build a linkage that lets me pull them away from the wall.

This is a lot more work at the outset and an operational hassle, so I'd love to hear that I don't need to bother.