What have you done to make your floor stander image like a bookshelf speaker?

[treitz3]

Over the years, it has been my observation that bookies image better than their floor stander counterparts. Even with my particular speakers, this is the case. I will not part with my full range speakers and go to a bookie. Not that going to a book shelf speaker is ever a bad thing, it's just my preference. I can't part with what I have, it just sounds way too good across the entire frequency spectrum and drum reproduction right now is as close to real as I've ever heard. I just would like to improve on the imaging to achieve what the same drivers do for the imaging, albeit in a bookshelf with 4 less drivers. What have you done [if anything] or what would you do to your floor standers to make them image more like a bookie? I'm getting ready in the next few months to tear down my mains and upgrade every component in the x-over. Since I will be making them into a custom external crossover and the speakers will be completely disassembled anyway, I figured that this would be a opportune time to go ahead and make further improvements while I'm at it. If you have something that you feel would benefit the imaging, please feel free to share. I'm open to anything that could possibly improve an already great imaging performer.

Even if you feel it would be a minor change, I'm open to it. If you would be so kind as to share your knowledge with me, I would be most appreciative. If you feel that this goal can not be achieved, feel free to chime in as well. Thanks and I look forward to any and all contributions you might have to add.

Some things I'm already considering....adding a different kind of custom cut diffuser around the tweeter and possibly also the two mids. Adding additional internal bracing and possibly an anti-resonant type material within the speaker(s) as well [open to suggestions here as well].

Tom

 

[kach22i]

Have you tried near-field listening with your floor standers?

Most small box speakers sound like small boxes to me, but in the near-field they sound quite open.

 

[treitz3]

Hello, kach22i. Yes, I have tried near field listening. Both with the floor standers I have and with it's little brother, the book shelf. I've listened on the floor, raised and lowered the speakers and tried the same with the subs I'm using. At the end of all of the experimentation, I have settled on where I first started. Back in the sweet spot of my listening chair. While I do like some of the aspects of near field listening, other aspects of the reproduction are not to my liking.

That said, it's not like there is a huge difference between the floor standers and the bookies when it comes to the imaging/coherence. It is, however, a difference that is detectable by these ears. It could amount to nothing more than less resonance in the cabinet, cabinet diffraction, simpler crossover networks, or maybe a combination of some or all of these.

Tom

 

[kach22i]

.........raised and lowered the speakers.........

A very long time ago I heard Bose 901's hung from a ceiling on wires. The sales guy had me close my eyes and turn around, then asked me to locate the speaker.

And once heard a pair of Magnepan's suspended from the ceiling for a house party. The owner didn't want drunk people knocking into his light weight speakers for the evening.

Also heard the Bose mini cubes (AM-5's) high on a ceiling at a large department store playing Christmas bell chimes.

In all those examples, loading the room from above did quite a bit to change and alter the listener's perspective, sort of disorientating at first and difficult to localize.

I'm not recommending any of the above speaker's and or speaker mountings. Just saying that those first few seconds are strange ones and maybe there is something to it.

I just remembered this home theater system, not optimum nor recommended either.
http://www.martinloganowners.com/fo...stem-57-(Ascent-i-Theater-i-Descent-Script-i)

 

[DonH50]

While not necessarily agreeing with the premise that smaller speakers image better than larger, my solution has always been speaker placement and room treatment, emphasizing the latter.