Posted on September 19, 2025
When talking about loudspeaker placement in rooms I've often said "Every foot from the wall adds (at least) a thousand dollars to the sound."" It occurs to me that this can be made more clear using an analogy with video projection.
Imagine yourself in a movie theater about to watch a favorite film. We all know the movie is presented via a projector, i.e., the visuals come forth from the projector. Knowing this, we don't look to the projector with the expectation of seeing the movie. This is because we also know that proper projection involves a screen on which the projector presents the movie, and that the screen is where we direct our attention in order to perceive what is being projected.
As a child, my first experiences with so-called stereo sound from loudspeakers, usually placed against a wall, was something like a piano coming from one speaker and a guitar coming from the other speaker. It wasn't until I was in my thirties (!) that I heard and understood what stereo really means and how loudspeakers could be placed to present it. Much as I loved listening to records during my first few decades, I came to learn that what I was hearing was not stereo. It was synchronized mono: two separate music sources, coming from the loudspeakers.
To return to the visual analogy, I was effectively looking at the projector(s) and was unaware of how much better the experience would be if a screen was utilized. So, to bring it home, think of your loudspeakers as projectors. And think of your room as the screen. Just as a movie projector needs to be correctly oriented toward the screen to optimize the visual experience, so too do your speakers (audio projectors) need to be oriented toward the room (screen).
Many will aim their speakers toward the listening area in their room but that isn't enough. By leaving a lot of air around your speakers, keeping them well away from room boundaries, the relationship between the speakers and room allows the latter to become a virtual screen. The result is the projection of a soundstage in the part of the room behind the loudspeakers, with images of instruments, musicians, and vocalists upon that stage.
If the recording contains true stereo information, there can be a sense of depth and spaciousness that extends well beyond the boundaries of the listening room. The soundstage and the images upon it are three-dimensional, demonstrating the true meaning of the word stereo, which by definition implies solidity. Now you understand why you want to keep your ears on the screen.
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