Hi,

I recently got the MS-90 stands, which are fixed in every way, including rotation. I used to have rotatable stands, so it was always easier to set the right toe-in, experiment with placement, and avoid asymmetry, like one speaker being more toed-in or slightly further back. I have a bit of OCD where the vocals, hi-hats, claps, and drums need to be dead center, and everything has to be perfectly symmetrical with my desk and monitor. How much do these things actually matter? Do you just eyeball your speaker placement when using fixed stands? I’m wondering what’s the best way to approach this.

I also have a laser measure, which helps a lot, and I use the KRK monitor alignment app to get the perfect toe-in angle. Am I overthinking this, and how precise should I be when setting up speaker placement? What are your thoughts?

Lastly, my frequency response is really good overall, and my room is perfectly treated, so I know how to achieve a good sound. My main focus is on getting perfectly symmetrical placement and a balanced soundstage.

Thanks!

Seriously no one?

Your head is never going to always be in a perfectly symmetric position. That said, my monitors are on fixed stands, but I made sure I could toe them in by having enough floor space. Then I used a measuring tape from the monitors to a temporary mic stand that I believed my head would be most often when mixing. I was able to get the monitors within about 1/16 of an inch from the mic stand. There are different ways to measure the toe in amount, however it can be done by sight as well.

As far as the OCD thing with the hi hats, etc, you might want to consider doing more listening in mono or temporarily having those elements in mono. But maybe it actually sounds good that way to your audience remaining that way.

Makes sense. What I mean with the hi hats etc is not my panning just when I listen to my references at my listening position, I like to hear the vocals and everything perfectly centered when mixing. If I hear the vocals a bit to the left when they are dead center, it almost annoys me😂 I guess I’ll try using measuring tape etc

Anyone else got some insight?

So far, my method involves making sure my desk and everything on it is perfectly centered in relation to the side walls. I then position the left speaker stand parallel to the front wall. Using the KRK monitor alignment app, I adjust the speakers to a 25-degree angle (I don’t go for the exact 30-degree toe-in because I prefer a wider angle with less toe-in). Next, I ensure the stands are as symmetrical as possible in relation to the desk, adjusting the distance as needed. Once that’s set, I place the speakers and center them as precisely as I can. It’s usually good enough, but to be sure, I sit at the dead center of my desk and, with one eye closed, check how much of the inside of each speaker I can see, ensuring the setup is perfectly symmetrical. If it’s off, I go back, measure, and adjust one speaker to match the other. By combining both eyeballing and measuring, you can achieve a very symmetrical placement. So yeah, I’d love to hear your opinions!

When I originally placed my monitors, I did so very basically: I put them in the right place (probably), aimed them in the right direction (pretty much), and so on. Then I got to work.

Over time I find I shift my body position slightly and turn my head a little to hear different things different ways. Thus, in a typical listening situation I have different settings for my ears and head. I also walk around the room to hear from different angles. So, being mathematically perfect down to the millimeter as far as sound focus doesn't help me much.

Obviously you work differently. Maybe your stereo balance focus area (whatever you call it) is much wider than mine, so that you don't have to 'pose' your head to get different sounds. If your speakers focus like mine though (NS5), aiming for perfection might be easier with your ears rather than the speakers or stands.

I have a sub too, so that makes a difference as well.

Oh, for sure! I’m slowly realizing this, but I do like to have the speakers and overall placement perfectly set. After that, whether I move around my sweet spot or walk out of the room, that’s another thing I definitely do. It’s more about critical listening—checking for harshness and frequencies. I like to have the perfect placement so that when I sit in the perfectly centered sweet spot, I can really assess if my vocal is harsh, if my level balance is good, or if my snare is too piercing or loud. Basically, it’s mostly for critical listening. Otherwise, I agree that when I’m mixing, I mostly walk around, moving closer and further to hear nuances differently. I also measure a lot with REW, so having a super accurate sweet spot where I can sit and know that I’m hearing an almost flat signal helps me a lot!

Anyone else?

?anyone

Hello?

What’s the question? Sounds like you’ve used lasers, tape measures and a measurement mic to perfect the positioning. Is there a problem you are trying to solve beyond that point?

What’s your process?

??? Anyone

cool down, take some measurements and post results (and pics) in the acoustics/studio building forum.

Ok

What now?