HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

I have never tried doing this. Has anybody here ? Did it work?

You always see speakers placed along one particular wall (the longer one) usually away from corners if it can be helped. Speakers three feet into the room don't work for me. That's one of the reasons I like semi omni closed box speakers with no baffle step compensation.

I have been thinking about my room and possible speaker placements. Across one of the corners works out really well as far as where everything else goes is concerned and possible seating positions. I have the centre of my speakers between five and six feet apart. If they were across the corner then they would each be a similar distance from the corner.

Maybe this idea is asking for trouble and the bass reproduction police will be having words Suppose the only way to find out is to give it a go.

U gotta work with what you have- I added a lower flatter sub roof

Peter, your speakers have got nva badges on them

Also ‘Richard Allan’ & Trio once I find one— each of the component manufacturers I used.

I don't have to have them across a corner it's just one of several possibilities.

I am having my chimney stack removed at some point so another wall becomes available

I finally got around to trying my bipole semi omni speakers across the only suitable corner in my work room / office at work.



At first I thought it was crap and couldn't get used to the large change that was now in front of me. Any Cube owners will probably know what I mean when I say in front of me. Unlike point & squirt the band is not fired at you but is rather at the other end of the room, painted across the wall in between and to the outside of the speakers.

Such was the nature of the change that it was a bit of a WTF moment. It was not instantly a wow, that is amazing reaction from me. Certain things were obviously improved but others were worse. I think it takes time to get used to a change but the presentation was obviously flawed in some ways.

The band seemed to be mostly on the left side of the stage and they were further away like being in a larger venue and you are further away from the stage. Quieter in some ways yet I was sitting at roughly the same distance from the speakers .

The bass lines are more detailed and little things stood out like the grumble of a string that was being plucked. These things were not obvious before. But on the down side there was a suck out in the bass that was not there before . The mid range seemed to be less organised but at the same time less forced - struggling to describe it.

Initially I had just plonked the speakers down roughly where I thought they should go by eye so that they were roughly an equal distance from the corner. I was about to write this experiment off as a failure when I decided to mess around with placement. I got the tape measure out and placed the speakers with the mid bass exactly the same distance from the corner. No improvement, the band were still huddled together on the left side of the stage.

I then put the speakers right back to the wall which improved the bass suck out (destructive cancellation) but the rest of it had not improved and still was not impressing me. I had me wondering why the band was on the left hand side of the stage . So I moved the left speaker closer to the corner than the right and bingo the soundstage is now as it should be . The soundstage is much deeper and I am not used to this, it is taking some getting used to. Usually I try to position speakers as close to the wall as possible because the room they are going in is a living room and not big (about same as this room and same dimensions).

Next I am going to start retreating the speakers further towards the corner in small stages to try and find the magical / best overall position. The position is having a HUGE influence on what I am hearing and the level of enjoyment I am getting. Plus both my rooms are almost square in size and the more I think about their crapness the more I realise I will never have the level of sound that I want.

So time to move house or just give up on this hobby ? (B&O dsp single speaker here I come).

Fascinating Stu, certainly it appears that your design requires very careful positioning - as do NVA Cubes - for best results.
Could you use a rotatable top section that would allow you to turn and 'focus' the tweeter stereo image?

For some reason I am reminded of these:

Hey Fret.

Yes my little tweeter housings can be moved. I am experimenting with them at the moment. These speakers are very sensitive to positioning Things were easier in a way when they were on a flat wall (apart from the bass).

There is a LOT going for this across a corner positioning. But as yet I can't fully get rid of the band leaning to the left of the stage. Things I have tried so far have either improved it or made it worse but not eliminated.

If it wasn't for this it would be a winner I think. When my hifi goes home, across a corner placement would be the most suitable position so I am eager to make it work. I have been planning various ways - remember I am not trying to maximise SQ at one place with your head in a vice as there are four of us in this family not just me and I would like everyone to enjoy it not just me.

When I hear of people using dsp and trying to lock things down for one seat in the room I think to myself that they are either single old men, selfish or unsociable (no offence meant to anybody here ).

Anyway, I wish I had a dual mono volume control so I could play with balance. That might be a way out of this. But I will continue with placement experiments. The other issue which has raised it's head is that my hearing is fooked. Not the first time I have thought this. Or one speaker is more sensitive than the other - I'm going to swap them round to try and rule that out.

karatestu wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:03 am ...as yet I can't fully get rid of the band leaning to the left of the stage. Things I have tried so far have either improved it or made it worse but not eliminated.

Have you tried swapping the speakers over?

Geoff.R.G wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:25 am

karatestu wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 11:03 am ...as yet I can't fully get rid of the band leaning to the left of the stage. Things I have tried so far have either improved it or made it worse but not eliminated.

Have you tried swapping the speakers over?

Hi Geoff Changing speakers over is up next. I have all the fun