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Thoughts on subjective speaker reviews and my own experiences within my listening room.

Old Listener

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This has been my experience too (though I haven't moved mine that often!)
In the same way one excites the modes of the string in a guitar, say, differently and gets a different tone depending on where you pluck it you excite the room modes differently depending where the speaker is, and it is much more complex since it is a 3d space rather than 1d string.
A friend of mine has been doing room optimisation since long before electronic means were available and it is based on room treatment but even more so speaker and listening positions.
I did my listening room about 20 years ago myself based on what he told me and he came later with all his mearuring equipment to fine tune it.
A few years ago I bought an Antimode 2.0 device which made a difference but was only effective in my system on the computer output whereas I mainly used CDs and LPs so it is of limited use, but unlike lots of other people here I don't consider room correction to be crucial as long as the speakers and listening position are optimised.
Having written that few people would be happy with the aesthetics of the room with speakers optimally placed, so if it is a small room or family room this option may not be attractive, so having electronic means of achieving the effect becomes the easiest way out...

Excellent post. (i.e. I agree with you.)

My path has been similar to yours. I designed my main listening room in 1995-6 with consideration for dimensions that would spread room mode frequencies. I also provided for bookcases (with books) on three walls for some absorption and dispersion. I measured using trest CDs and a sound level meter. I chose speaker placement and listening position based on basic understanding of the factors involved and crude measurements.

The present is a golden age for understanding how a listening room affects sound and for improving sound quality in the room.
 

snapsc

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My take on all of this is that rooms and speakers work together to influence the sound you hear (and the room can often have a very strong influence). Tuning the sound to your specific preference may involve any combination of the following:

Different speaker locations within the room
Different listening positions within the room
Room treatments
Tone controls
DSP

And, if none of these work, many people are going to start considering different speakers, different electronics...and maybe even a different room in order to end up with the sound they are looking for...the sound that sounds good to them.

Some day DSP may do it all, but for now, it is just one tool in the toolbox and a lot of people won't even consider it because generally speaking it needs to be more user friendly (and some say it is for bass frequencies only...others disagree).
 
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