CCB8's on the way.... Do I need to change my layout?

[IndySSD]

TLDR:
1. How far apart vertically can the L/C/R be before it starts to negatively impact the soundstage on coaxial speakers?

2. How much space do I need behind the center channel ccb8?

Below is a render of my current layout. Room Dimensions are 22x15 with openings to eat in kitchen to the right of the TV and an opening to the hallway to the right of the primary sofa.

At the bottom of the post is current equipment list not including the CCB 8's that are in transit to me now.

My front towers have 12-18 inches of clearance from the wall behind, I have some stands that should put the center of Vertically standing L/R CCB 8s within 2-4 inches of the center position of the center CCB8 when laid out horizontally on the shelf below the TV. This shelf is actually a floating shelf above the stand, below the wall mounted TV and not a 3rd level of the tv stand like in the render.

How important is it for these 3 (L/C/R)to be at the same height?

I'm also concerned with the fact that I'll have less than 2 inches of clearance from the back of the CCB8 center from the wall behind it without modifying the floating shelf my current center resides upon.

*Height speakers are all angled directly at MLP which is far right side of large couch*

Also, any other input about current placements is welcome as well.

Thanks so much!




Sony XBR75X850E
Denon AVR4300h
Yamaha tsr-5810 (used as standalone amp for rear heights)
Nvidia shield pro
Xbox 1s
Nintendo Switch (Mario kart machine)
Xfinity XG1.4 4k Ready DVR
Polk t50x4 (L, R, SSR, SSL)
Polk T30 Center
Polk T15x4 (RSSR, RSSL, FHR, FHL)
HSU VTF 15 H MK 2
Polk PSW108x2
Kenwood 3way bookshelves as RHR and RHL
Arris SB8200
Netgear Nighthawk X10
Netgear Nighthawk R7000
Netduma Network management / Gaming router

[Kevin_Hsu]

Hey there!

The speakers are fairly flexible when it comes to placement, but a good rule of thumb is to try to keep the speakers the same distance apart as they are from you. Basically you and the two speaker will form an equilateral triangle. Toeing in the speakers can do more in terms of helping to provide better imaging so we usually recommend toeing in the speakers so that they cross a foot or so in front of your listening position. Whenever you move any speaker closer to a boundary, such as a wall, you tend to get a bit more reinforcement with the speaker. Depending on the wall structure, it may boost certain frequencies more than others. Boundaries tend to boost more of the low end of the speakers due to the frequencies omnidirectional properties, versus high frequencies that are much more directional. With that in mind, if you have 2" of space between the speaker and the wall, that should be fine and that should allow enough room for the air to escape the ports. To clarify, the L/R CCB-8's are going to be only a few inches away from the center channel? That's pretty close. Generally I would recommend keeping them a bit farther apart for a wider soundstage. In terms of height, there is a bit of freedom there, since they are point source with a constant directivity horn, they less sensitive when it comes to the height deviating from ear level. Even 15 degrees off axis should still give you a musical/smooth and even response.

[IndySSD]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hsu

Hey there!

The speakers are fairly flexible when it comes to placement, but a good rule of thumb is to try to keep the speakers the same distance apart as they are from you. Basically you and the two speaker will form an equilateral triangle.

Hmm, this is interesting. This might be hard because the MLP is directly in front of the right channel... basically my wife has the "Sweet Spot" because she's left handed haha.

How important is it to maintain this configuration?

Originally Posted by Kevin_Hsu

To clarify, the L/R CCB-8's are going to be only a few inches away from the center channel? That's pretty close. Generally I would recommend keeping them a bit farther apart for a wider soundstage.

No, the L/R are probably 2-3 feet away from the center channel horizontally (sounds like I need to spread them out even more since I'm ~11 ft from them at the MLP) but if you draw a horizontal line through the middle of the center channel, then the center of my my L/R CCB8 are actually about 4-6" below this line meaning that the tweeters are different heights by 4-6"...

Finally, I had grossly underestimated the massiveness of the CCB 8s and the stands I had in mind will not work. I currently have one sitting on top of the VF15hMK2 with some fabric between them and one on an end table I relocated.

If I use 2 decorative end tables/dvd stands instead of stands made for speakers do I need some sort of decoupling device like this?
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISOL8R430

[Kevin_Hsu]

Originally Posted by IndySSD

Hmm, this is interesting. This might be hard because the MLP is directly in front of the right channel... basically my wife has the "Sweet Spot" because she's left handed haha.

How important is it to maintain this configuration?

Not very. It's more of an ideal if you can, but if you keep them closer together, that's fine. It's no different than any other speaker. If the speakers are 6 feet away, that should still be OK.

Originally Posted by IndySSD

No, the L/R are probably 2-3 feet away from the center channel horizontally (sounds like I need to spread them out even more since I'm ~11 ft from them at the MLP) but if you draw a horizontal line through the middle of the center channel, then the center of my my L/R CCB8 are actually about 4-6" below this line meaning that the tweeters are different heights by 4-6"...

Finally, I had grossly underestimated the massiveness of the CCB 8s and the stands I had in mind will not work. I currently have one sitting on top of the VF15hMK2 with some fabric between them and one on an end table I relocated.

If I use 2 decorative end tables/dvd stands instead of stands made for speakers do I need some sort of decoupling device like this?
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ISOL8R430

4-6" difference isn't really that big of a deal. That's perfectly fine. I don't think you will need a decoupler like that. You can place a small towel under it to see if it makes any difference.