Sound coming from ceiling instead of speakers??

[Username15]

Hello
I have auditioned B&W, Totem and PMC speakers and somehow it feels like that the sound is coming from the ceiling instead of the speakers, as if there was no speakers. It totally feels like listening live. Currently I am using an audioengine D1 to a pair of A5+'s and I can't seem to recreate this effect. Anyone know how to do this? Is it a problem with the placement, amplifier or speakers, or is it something else? Any suggestions welcome.
P.S. if this is in the wrong place can you please move it? I'm not really sure where this should be. Thanks!

 

[cel4145]

Yeah. That's a good and big front soundstage. I'm guessing you were demoing those speakers at a hifi shop? Optimally, it requires proper placement and good room acoustics. I don't know if the A5+s are suited to the task, either. Certainly probably wouldn't be in a large room. However, you can still improve your speaker performance with good placement even if you don't achieve that big a soundstage.

All kinds of advice on the Internet concerning speaker setup and placement. Sorry. You are going to have to do some research. Here's some basic info to start with: http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Set_Up_Your_Speakers? And then more info here: http://www.stereophile.com/reference/1008speaks/

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Hello
I have auditioned B&W, Totem and PMC speakers and somehow it feels like that the sound is coming from the ceiling instead of the speakers, as if there was no speakers. It totally feels like listening live. Currently I am using an audioengine D1 to a pair of A5+'s and I can't seem to recreate this effect. Anyone know how to do this? Is it a problem with the placement, amplifier or speakers, or is it something else? Any suggestions welcome.
P.S. if this is in the wrong place can you please move it? I'm not really sure where this should be. Thanks!

 
How far were you from those speakers? The closer you are to the speakers, the greater the chances that you will localize the sound, as when you use a desktop set-up, or when you are sitting too close to a 3-way++ speaker system - I once had 2.5-way. 3-driver towers and sitting less than 6ft from the center area between them (where the amp is) puts the bass and treble at a different height. At 8ft this issue goes away but the perceived width of the soundstage is narrower. As another example, in a car without a proper processor, the sound will be all over the place; using wide-dispersion drivers and proper installation (proper angle, etc) and finally a digital signal processor, you can place the vocals squarely in the center and have the door/footwell-mounted midwoofers "disappear" in the sense that you won't be able to localize their output (not so much the tweeters if they're installed higher, as any cymbal strike will localize it; at the very best it will be close to the center of the dash).
 
If after placing the speakers in a similar position, if not in the exact same spots in your listening room, and it still does not recreate teh effect, then its own dispersion angles are part of why it cannot. However, I wouldn't really bet on nearfield monitors' drivers being designed to achieve this kind of effect.

 

[blazer78]

lol as the above have said, it has to do with the room acoustics, the volume and your relative seating/standing position. If you have problem pinpointing the speakers, ask the demonstrator to change the volume. 

 

[Username15]

Thank you all for the help!