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HI All,
As a recent new member to the forum I need to do some catching up. I have been going through the thread that shows pictures of members systems. Boy, most are beautiful and some are out of this world. The amount of thought, effort, knowledge and money represented by these systems is heart stopping. Of course, I can't forget the actual rooms where these systems are housed. Beautiful indeed.
I am going to get some friends to look at the pictures. They really have no idea where HT can and does go. It's a treat for me. For them, it will be shock.
You are obviously and justifiably proud of your systems. I am too. Therefore, I feel very nervious about the remainder of this post. I hope my comments will stimulate thought which will make a difference.
That said, I have some observations. These are just my opinions that have no more value than that. It is frustrating to see the limitations we must face when trying with all our might to get great sound out of the rooms we have available. Architects should go to special classes to teach them the needs of an audio aware society. Nooks here, alcoves there, doors where they don't belong, walls that are too short, etc., etc. Most houses that are not specifically designed with audio or HT in mind make life very difficult for us. So we do the best we can to adapt the rooms to our needs. It's too bad.
Next, I see many rooms where the priorities are geared towards the beauty of the room rather than audio. And they are beautiful. Many of the rooms appear to be very bright with very little or nothing to soften reflections or even out the base response. Bare floors, bare walls, lots of glass. Not only will these rooms sound bright but the incredible imaging for which B&W speakers are famous will be defeated.
The other common problem I see is the lack of space for the speakers. Good imaging almost always requires that the speakers be brought out into the room away from the rear and side walls. Two feet is probably the minimum but three would be better. I realize this is not always possible for a number of reasons but it should be the goal. My 805's are three feet from the bedroom wall behind the speakers and about 4.5 feet from the side walls. Believe me, I don't have much space to work with. The bedroom is 15 X 12 X 8 feet. This gives about 9 feet to my listening location sitting on the matress with a pillow between me and the back wall (right, my room is not as nice as yours, for sure!). The point I'm trying to make is that the speakers, to perform their best, require us to adapt to their needs.
Please don't take my comments as criticism. I am looking at the issue as a professional problem. In general, the systems are beautifully selected, intelligently executed, and thoughtfully staged. Most I would love to have just as they stand in the pictures. But I would make changes to some of them for the sake of great audio which is clearly within reach.
Sparky
As a recent new member to the forum I need to do some catching up. I have been going through the thread that shows pictures of members systems. Boy, most are beautiful and some are out of this world. The amount of thought, effort, knowledge and money represented by these systems is heart stopping. Of course, I can't forget the actual rooms where these systems are housed. Beautiful indeed.
I am going to get some friends to look at the pictures. They really have no idea where HT can and does go. It's a treat for me. For them, it will be shock.
You are obviously and justifiably proud of your systems. I am too. Therefore, I feel very nervious about the remainder of this post. I hope my comments will stimulate thought which will make a difference.
That said, I have some observations. These are just my opinions that have no more value than that. It is frustrating to see the limitations we must face when trying with all our might to get great sound out of the rooms we have available. Architects should go to special classes to teach them the needs of an audio aware society. Nooks here, alcoves there, doors where they don't belong, walls that are too short, etc., etc. Most houses that are not specifically designed with audio or HT in mind make life very difficult for us. So we do the best we can to adapt the rooms to our needs. It's too bad.
Next, I see many rooms where the priorities are geared towards the beauty of the room rather than audio. And they are beautiful. Many of the rooms appear to be very bright with very little or nothing to soften reflections or even out the base response. Bare floors, bare walls, lots of glass. Not only will these rooms sound bright but the incredible imaging for which B&W speakers are famous will be defeated.
The other common problem I see is the lack of space for the speakers. Good imaging almost always requires that the speakers be brought out into the room away from the rear and side walls. Two feet is probably the minimum but three would be better. I realize this is not always possible for a number of reasons but it should be the goal. My 805's are three feet from the bedroom wall behind the speakers and about 4.5 feet from the side walls. Believe me, I don't have much space to work with. The bedroom is 15 X 12 X 8 feet. This gives about 9 feet to my listening location sitting on the matress with a pillow between me and the back wall (right, my room is not as nice as yours, for sure!). The point I'm trying to make is that the speakers, to perform their best, require us to adapt to their needs.
Please don't take my comments as criticism. I am looking at the issue as a professional problem. In general, the systems are beautifully selected, intelligently executed, and thoughtfully staged. Most I would love to have just as they stand in the pictures. But I would make changes to some of them for the sake of great audio which is clearly within reach.
Sparky
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