Is your gear between your speakers?

[Jim R.]

Just a sort-of informal poll to see where folks are placing their gear -- between your speakers or on the side or somewhere else.  I ask because things are sounding quite good here now (been listening to paswen's Paramour IIs for a few days now) but I'm still getting a little phasing weirdness in the 200-400 hz range, and while I know that I still need a couple more acoustic panels, I can't help but think things will be somewhat better with the rack and gear moved to the sidewall.

I asked a couple of buddies locally and most of them seem to think things got significantly better when they put their gear off to the side, so I thought I'd throw it out here as well.

I can do it where my system is setup, but it's going to be a royal pita as I'll eventually have to move the good outlets, etc, and forego my really nice speaker cables for something that I can afford in a 15-foot length.

So, if you've ever moved the rack and gear out from between your speakers and heard a noticeable improvement, please let us know -- and even if it wasn't a big improvement, please also say so.  So far everybody I've talked to who has done this said it was eye opening and a real improvement.

-- Jim

[Grainger49]

My amps are between the speakers.  (picture to come)  My sources/preamps are in/on a wall unit bookshelf.

I have never had a rack.  I would have liked one but the last two houses the system has been on a first concrete wall then on a load bearing wall.  Very stable, it has been a long time since my turntable skipped.

[rock4016]

My gear is on a rack behind the speakers in the middle.  The rack made a noticable improvement compared to stacking things on a piece of wood on the floor.  My floor is a concrete slab in a basement.

[Grainger49]

I know that your response didn't say this but it did remind me of this story...

Back in the 70s when at World Electronics we sold a system of receiver, turntable and speakers to a new to audio customer.  The new owner called about a "howling sound" that came out of the new stereo.  After questioning, he had gone home, put the speakers about 6' apart, put a 1" X 12" board between the speakers and then placed the receiver and turntable on top of the receiver in the center of the board.  

Acoustic feedback can produce some really low frequencies.

This is a "fond" memory from my sales days.

[Skip Pack]

Jim Smith, in Get Better Sound strongly recommends putting everything off to the side
and using long speaker cables. I tend to agree, and sort of have this now, but you
don't always have that flexibility. It's a good book to bounce your prejudices off of.

Skip

[sl-15]

I also read Get Better Sound and it just happened that shortly after I rearranged the living room and I put the equipment on the sidewall. The sound definitely changed for the better but the speaker placement changed too, so did the speaker cables. So it is hard to say what made the sound change exactly. I do believe though that room acoustics are super important, unfortunately my living-room is less then ideal, it is open to the rest of the house, cathedral ceilings etc. and I never had the patience to follow Jim Smiths setup recommendations other then moving out the equipment rack.
For long speaker cable  I recommend the Home Depot Power Cord. There is tons of posts over at the Cable Asylum about it. If i remember correctly it is 50 ft, 14 gauge outdoor extension cord for something around $25. If you have the time and patience I would just try out how your sound will change with the rack on the sidewall. You can always change things back.

[Jim R.]

Skip and Stefan,

Yes, this is what has prompted my thinking -- Jim's GBS book.  I did the whole elaborate speaker placement thing and am still amazed at how much better things sound.  I still have some minor details to take care of, like spiking the thick maple slabs that the speakers sit on, to the floor, and of course moving the gear off to the side.

So, thanks for your replies.

-- Jim