In most dedicated setups I see folks positioning the speakers in less than optimal placement (close to or up against the front wall for example).

I'll be building my own speakers, but using a proven design (still looking for one!) but very few have a crossover setup for near wall placement (baffle step compensation removed).

What I need to figure out:

1) Do acoustic treatments (like the front wall covered with linacoustic) negate the need to place the speakers out from the front wall?

1) Do acoustic treatments (like the front wall covered with linacoustic) negate the need to place the speakers out from the front wall?

Bass traps help to reduce all of the bad effects of room modes and speaker placement, but thin rigid fiberglass on the front wall won't do anything for the low bass frequencies you're talking about.

I'll also mention that the typical "audiophile" approach putting the speakers way into the room is not needed or useful. If your room is such that you can't put the speakers more than a foot or two away from the front wall, that's not the end of the world.

--Ethan

Bass traps help to reduce all of the bad effects of room modes and speaker placement, but thin rigid fiberglass on the front wall won't do anything for the low bass frequencies you're talking about.

I'll also mention that the typical "audiophile" approach putting the speakers way into the room is not needed or useful. If your room is such that you can't put the speakers more than a foot or two away from the front wall, that's not the end of the world.

--Ethan

I agree with this. I have my sides only about 6" from my treated walls (due to screen considerations), and I've expereienced no significant detrimental effects.