Its really cool.to see the three different speaker models together. This must be extremely gratifying for Paul and Chris to see the fruit of this labour transformed into something they can be proud of. Kudos, gentlemen. ❤
So good to see the range alongside each other to get a real idea of the dimensions between them. The FR30s really are quite huge aren’t they. Really need to hear these up close and personal.
One caveat I would add to this generally sound (no pun intended!) advice is that Martin Logan electrostatics have a curved panel an ML recommend that the inner third of the curve points toward one’s ears. So if one sits further back than an equilateral triangle would dictate, in my experience some mild toe out is called for. As usual, people should listen for themselves to determine the best amount (if any) toe in or toe out.
Moving off axis, on some designs, can be a nice improvement in tweeter fidelity. Many tweeters shriek or produce sibilance when played a bit loud and moving off the direct line of sight can reduce that unwanted effect. Also, the questioner mentioned having them unusually close together and it helps a bunch to toe them out to some degree because your seating position will also be closer and tweeters direct coupling with your ears is rarely optimal. So off axis can also smooth that out some. Each speaker, each room , each listener will be a custom setup so experiment to what pleases you.
Acoustic Tsunami!? Good lord Paul. That must be the 1% that isn't True ;-) Another great video and congratulations on the FR speaker line up. They look great!
I like what Kef do with their modern themed speaker cabinet designs like the LS50s , Paint them! Hey Paul, how about fluro orange camo or duck egg blue as a custom paint option?
I know you are in favor of what is the most popular recommendation of an equilateral triangle arrangement. Speakers equal distance apart as from the listening position. Way back in the day when I was in Audio I remember it being a 2/3rds ratio. The speakers 2 units apart for every 3 units to the listener. 6' apart gave an 9' from each speaker listening spot. Perhaps for those with space restrictions this ratio would work.
Hi Paul, may I ask you why you have an isosceles triangle in your speaker setups usually? If I watch you vids I always see that the distance between the speaker is much shorter than from the speaker to the listening position. Sometimes you‘ll see that very good, depending where you‘ve placed your camera. I would guess you have for example 8 feet between the fr30 / fr20 and 10 feet from speaker to listener. Considering that you have ideal conditions in you specialised rooms (in the opposite to us „ordinary guys“ ) you easily could have set them up in an equilateral triangle. I also ask you because you strongly talk and write about having the speaker setup to equilateral whenever its possible. Thanx Steven from Germany
or any energy for that matter. keep the ratio of direct to reflected signal biased to direct. toe-out is not a sin - if one is in a wide mid- or far-field space & the side-walls are a "good" distance from the speakers. speaker radiating pattern is also a factor, as Paul points out. ultimately it is a matter of acoustical-tuning-to-taste in your space, listening position, perception & the playback system you have. years ago, when I was in the driver / speaker biz (after many years as an audio / music enthusiast), it occurred to me that one creates a sort of musical instrument ... that integrates ALL elements (including design aesthetic), leaving the listener to do their part too. perception management is up to the listener.
Toe in, burn in, power supplies, so many confusing opinions in hifi country. I’m still not sure what’s the truth 😅 nice video and thanks for all the information you share ❤
In 45 years of Hi-Fi experience, I can honestly say I've NEVER heard of "toeing out" loudspeakers! ... It's incredible how much nonsense is connected with Hi-Fi. Enthusiasts will believe anything (particularly if it's expensive!), if they think it'll make their system sound better! It's sad, really! 🤣 In the context of new equipment, it's called "break in," and not "burn in." Break in is also useful for detecting faults in new equipment.
I think that’s about time for all loudspeakers designers start work on omnidirectional loudspeakers, using AI. Don’t make sense to have a sweet spot in a living room any longer.
A "living room" setup is a lot different than a "music room" setup. Is your space multipurpose or dedicated to music listening? Is it mostly for watching movies in multichannel surround sound or two speaker stereo for serious music listening?
