I would imagine most people don't have dedicated symmetrical listening spaces and the guide books really ought to focus on real world solutions for actual spaces.

Just wanted to say I really enjoy these videos. As a beginner audiophile it helps me learn a lot of valuable stuff, maybe avoid some errors, do some other things right from the start, and at least know a few things that I will do wrong, due to various limitations, so I have an idea of what to correct when I get to the point where I can actually correct them. Getting the book would probably be a good idea, but I think I'll wait a bit yet - where I'm at currently it would probably just make me feel inadequate in every way :D

Done for the Audioguide and SACD! Thanks, Marc

in order to follow the 5.5 feet from center recommendation and still have speakers at minimum 18 inches from side wall you would need the room to be at least 14 feet wide. I think most people including myself don't have listening rooms wide enough to apply the 5.5 feet from center guideline. Luckily I am able to place both speakers equidistant from the rear and side walls and 9 feet apart measured to center of speakers which has given me good results. At least the best I can do for the size room I have.

Hi Paul, I think it is fantastic that you share all this knowledge. I just bye the book/CD only from watching this video today. Thank you very much sir. I am a huge fan of the work an ideas that you and Ted has done on the direct stream DAC. Thanks again. I hope that i am able to buy some of your products soon.

My current speaker arrangement is similar to what Paul suggested near the end of the vid. Completely solved the problem of uneven bass distribution in my listening room.

I am very satisfied with Robert Harley,The complete Guide to High-end Audio his books are very detailed and complete as stated

I live in the UK where most houses have a fireplace and alcoves either side on the long side of the room. I also have a family that clutters up the room and uses it for purposes other than music listening. I have the book on order and I can't wait to see what tips you might have for me. I think I have a pretty good set-up but I know you will have something in there that I can use to make things even better.

Just bought the Audio Guide and CD. Thank you for these great videos!

ok, I'm going to send you some pics then! Thanks Marc!

Unfortunately I live in the real world, I don't have the space to have my speakers away from walls and corners, I'm sure with a bigger room my system could sound much better, but I have to live with what I have. Perhaps when I win the lottery I will have a dedicated room, the size of a tennis court with the speakers well away from any wall and one chair 🤣

I just adjusted the balance and it sounds fine.

With L-shaped rooms , pull the speaker in the corner a bit forward + more toe-in , you will notice the volume drops if you set up equal disctances -> doesn't work. I have an L-shaped room, in the short corner, and near perfect imaging. Distance matters for proper stereo field (as in volume L/R, that needs time to tweak), and equilateral setup usually does NOT work unless you have an empty room and an excact geometric setup within that room.

got the same Problem with a close Sidewall. A Diffusor Panel on said Sidewall at the first reflection Point opened up the Imaging considerably. If You have a similar Problem with limited placement options, this might be worth a shot.

“Each speaker should be five and a half feet from the centre of the room” What??

Thank you for sharing all your tips & tricks. It's wonderfull how much knowledge you have got.

Pleased to hear your 'corner diagonal' setup. I have been living with an aesthetically designed, asymmetric living room that demands that my speakers (RP-400M stand mounts) be placed on the diagonal, about 4' out from both (glass!) walls. I haven't found any way that allows an accurate, unmoving image, regardless of source. I relaxed trying when I gave up on imaging and just listened to and enjoyed the music. Small chance I'm going to build a new house with tiny windows and hardwood floors to make nice with my 'auditalia.' Every now and then, I drag out the headphones to hear what more determined audiophiles hear. That doesn't last long. ;)

Man, I want those Sony's!

In the Uk homes are getting smaller and smaller, went from a room nearly 5m by 7m to an L shaped plasterboard monstrosity. 4m across the room is all I have, with a bay window to the left and open space for dining to the right, it's that bad I am tempted to give up stereo and just add surround TV. I feel I need a speaker system that can get down to 20hz regardless of the room with very little side radiating sound, I remember Towsend Sir Galahad as having a strange way of interacting with a room. Its anoying being in a small housewhen you grew up loving large speakers like Nightingale, Cambrige R50 and TDL transmission lines with the Kef B139, to Kef 105/107, and love speakers like ML CLS2 and PMC BB5's.

5.5 ft each speaker placement from the center of the room practically means more “ideally” a minimum of 17 ft wide. More “ideal” minimum length is 21 ft (30 ft) There are of course (almost) mandatory acoustic room treatments. So 17 ft w x 21 ft l are the (more ideal) minimums.

I bought the guide and it inspired me to tweak my setup. I'm in the last step (for me) to decide how to toe in. To the front for better image or more to the center for a bit more substance. I'll take a week to get accustomed to my current setup (speakers facing the back wall (behind me:) )). Only thing I missed in the guide is some advice concerning the distance to the side walls...Or did I misread?

5.5 feet from the center.. ?? Craziest thing, I ever heard..

Architects of houses need to read that book to make audiophile ready houses. Living rooms are often asymmetrical. For a dedicated listening room a bedroom/guest room can be the best option if you have one to spare.

You can put a Quadratic residue diffuser against the wall tuned into those frequencies is the proper way to do it. your need to measure the frequencies you're getting and Googl Quadratic diffuser calculator, putting the dimensions you won't and the frequency trying to eliminate make it yourself or get somebody to make it.

Symmetrical placement is clearly important but separation distance? Surely the latter will depend on (i) the listener's distance, perpendicularly, from the centre line, (ii) speaker power, and (iii) room size. Couldn't powerful speaker pairs be placed further apart than the 11 feet asvocated to Mr McGowan, with the listener proportionately also further away (as in concert halls), while less powerful speakers could be place closer together (as in 'near-field' listening)? This seems common sense to me.

I have my speakers only inches from the sidewall but are toed in facing behind me. I find that they image fine as they are.

I live with a wife who thinks the whole “audiophile” thing is a bit wonky and a relatively small condo where a “listening” room really does not exist. I do try my best, but hard to get imaging when you cannot sit directly in the middle and adjust your speakers accordingly. With that said, I still enjoy Paul’s videos and pick up tips that otherwise enhance my sound relative to my situation.

Ok how many different loudspeakers do yous have in that place?!

PS Audio should offer consultations via zoom to help us out. Ahead of time a customer can send in dimensions and multiple pics. Paul, you may want to set up a program like this since soon you will be investing in shipping your speakers out. In your recent tour you mentioned that returns can sometimes be due to poor set-up.

Are the book plus the cd playing hard to get? I went to the psaudio site also click the link in this video description and I am not able to find both. The link here is showing: Error 404 - Page not found

Will an SACD play in a standard CD player? I could ask Google... lol sorry.. (im posting it anyway).. thanks !

All rooms have standing waves. If the room is symmetrical they are just more predictable when it comes to treatment.

Hi Paul Are your books available in the UK Thanks Iain

I want to buy the Audiophiles guide book and SACD but I don't have an SACD player, or a CD player at that. Only digital (pcm) and vinyl. What to do?

I spot a Pass monoblock on the floor. What are those speakers? I'm thinking Avalon or Eggleston but don't think it is.

I suggest spending a small bit of time learning the basics of Room EQ Wizard, and finding the spots where you have more or less equal volume (sound pressure) under 500Hz, and then use toe into adjust for balance above that. This will put the speakers near the optimal placement for the room, and you can then fine tune it from there.

Since its living room, i guess theres also a TV, which would look kinda out of place with the suggested speaker placement.

Just view the master class video from DynAudio on speaker placement. It really works! Easily found on KZfaq.

Q. I’m too short to reach the top of my speakers to clean them. Any suggestions? A. Sure; just buy 12 copies of my new book and stand on them.

How about just doing the SUMIKO method

Hello your book is in Spanish. Thanks

I need to move. My room right now is too small, asymetrical and full of stuff.

Hey Paul I respect you but as a guide you take the center of the room divided in half then take a 1/4 of that distance both off the side and rear wall as long as there is more than 8 feet of distance between the speaker. Their is no true way to get true separation in the realist separation of instruments. Go to a concert and besides the feed back monitors. show me 1 tower or Iinear stacks that are closer than 8 feet to each other.

Bought the Kindle for $9.99, wished I’ve had it before burning 🔥 $3K 🥴 on a Frankenstein system 😅

I'm sorry, but I don't think you make the room work with the system. You make the system work with the room. I don't set my system up to sound perfect from a precisely measured listening position. That's both unrealistic and fanatic. I set my system up to sound pleasing from wherever I happen to be sitting in the same general area.

"Asymmetrical rooms... It's really hard". No, it's not, that's real life. What's not real life is the idea of having a perfectly symmetrical room, with room to allow 5 and a half feet from the centre of the room, and a minimum of 4 feet from the back wall! And furniture that you can place wherever suits the speakers best! And they have to be floorstanders, forget the idea that you can possibly enjoy music with standmounts and a sub attached! Honestly, the little paper manual that comes with your speakers will give you all the information you need on how to set up your speakers. Most will also suggest a track or two to listen to whilst setting up - for REL it's James Horner's Sneakers, track 4 ("Cosmo... Old Friend") - and some even include - for free!! - a set up CD to augment that free advice. I love Paul, and I love his avuncular, charming as Aunt Maisie's Apple Pie folksiness, but the book (and most especially without the added extra gold plated SACD, there's a blast from the past!) is just plain daft. I read it in one sitting, my jaw gradually dropping as I realised that this was the sum total of the long-awaited, aggressively marketed wealth of experience to get your system to sound at its best. Leave it to the speaker company who made *your* speakers to give you the most pertinent advice on speaker position - most will give you free helpful aftersales advice, tailor-made for your set-up. Then use your ears and a bit of common sense, and save your dollars to buy a proper CD.

Speaking of audio. Yours seems to be out of sync.

Unless you have a dedicated listening room speaker placement will be a compromise. Just try different positions and use your ears. You do not need a book, just your ears.

Onkyo receiver I'm lost can't get my subwoofer right this is a piece of crap

I use to love these vidios I'm sick of hearing about the book if all we need is the book no need for the videos The shameless plug ,!!! also the cd should come with ithe book even if we have to pay more

Bored with the plugs ... just answer the question!