Having moved house a while back, been trying to sort out the positioning of my speakers - Fact 8s. Lovely speakers but the room is very high and very live with an engineered wood floor and lots of large windows and hard surfaces. I asked advice from PMC and got this really useful advice from one of their studio engineers I thought I’d share in case it was of use. Cheers Paley
We have tested some of the iso-acoustic isolators here - they make a surprising difference, especially cleaning up the mids. Rug is a very good idea to tame reflections from the floor and also dampen some flooring resonances. The rug should be positioned mid-way between yourself and the speakers, at the reflection point.
Aim for an equilateral triangle if possible, bringing the speakers closer together. Or listening from further back. However, to reduce the influence of the room, listening from closer would be better.
If you have an equilateral triangle, you can also try not toeing in the speakers. I tend to prefer this sound, but this is personal preference. If you don’t toe them in, you might find that they sound more ‘natural’ at the top end - but I’ve not personally experimented with fact.8s.
I would also try to ensure that you are not sat below the apex of the ceiling, especially if you are looking down the length of the apex with the speakers symmetrically either side. This setup is likely to focus reflections at your listening position and sound strange. From an overhead view, you could try rotating the setup by up to 90 degrees to ensure that you are not looking along the length of the apex, and not sitting below the apex. For your space, I would aim for somewhere between roughly 15 - 30 (or 60 - 75 degrees). This would also ensure that the speakers are at different distances away from the hard windows and walls - important in a difficult space because this will help to diminish the severity of acoustical room modes which affect the frequency response. Doing as I describe may theoretically reduce stereo-imaging because you’re no longer symmetrical in the room, but I think the benefits in terms of overall tonal balance will outweigh any ‘loss’ in stereo imaging accuracy in a large, live room. It may even help the stereo imaging due to not being below the apex of the ceiling.
Other than this, you can try acoustic absorption in the room: curtains, soft furnishing, or acoustic panels designed to be hung overhead. These panels would be most effective mid-way between the listening position and the speakers, or near to the speakers. Likewise on the walls, mid-way between listening position and the speakers. You’re aiming for a “reflection free zone” at the listening position, but this is easier said than done.