The speaker positing exercise began with a Benchmark CD called The Throne. The different test tracks are recorded in a basketball court sized studio, with a microphone in the center. A percussive instrument was struck, making a sound in a semi circle around the the microphone at a specific distance.
On one of the tracks, 9 percussive tones were recorded in sequence within a semi circle approximately 20 feet away from the microphone in the center. During the playback, the recording will tell you how many feet away the sound is supposed to be coming from, this allows you to gauge the width of your soundstage against the recorded benchmark of 20 feet.
The blue dots represents the proper position of where the sound should be coming from. The Red Dots in the photo represents the soundstage of Lens system before the speaker positioning exercise. It was narrow and incorrect.
Other test tracks include soundstage height, depth, phase inversion, as well as resonance decay. It is a great tool to have for speaker positioning because it provides for an actual benchmark measurable in distance, no longer a case of personal preference.
What followed, was another 3 hours of great tunes on classical and jazz music. A perfect way to spend a Friday evening.
