If you've looked at the photos of the left and right side "walls" (consisting essentially of windows that "begin" at almost chest height on one side and a folding-door closet on the other), you may have noticed that the tops of the Alpha 4As in those positions are lower than those of the first-reflection-point 244s.
That's because even though both types of panels are mounted on DIY 5"-tall platforms, the Alphas are 2.5" shorter than the 244s. To remedy that visual disparity--and to see whether elevating the Alphas would make a discernible difference in audible system "performance"--I rummaged around my basement workshop for scrap lumber and cobbled together some makeshift 4"-tall blocks to place atop the Alphas' risers.
Elevating the Alphas by that amount puts their tops about 12" above the plane of my ears when I'm seated at the prime listening location on the edge of the bed. To test that placement's efficacy, I played three very familiar orchestral tracks--Aaron Copland's "El Salon Mexico" (Bernstein, Sony/Columbia DSD128), Gustav Holst's "Fugal Overture" (Boult, Lyrita, 16/44 rip), and the fourth movement of Dmitri Shostakovich's 10th Symphony (Nelsons, DGG, 24/96--I've always felt that in the climax of this work the composer was asserting with shaking fist, "I outlived that S.O.B. Djugashvili, after all").
What a difference. In each instance, the recording venue's soundstage expanded in depth, breadth, and the palpability of that "fresh air" sensation I alluded to in my original post. Nothing subtle about the speakers' disappearing act here.
I should note that, to my ears, the sense of increased "liveness" does not render the presentation "bright" or "harsh". Far from it. The combination of diffusion and absorption embedded in the Alphas strikes the right balance in the bedroom system as now configured. It's notable, for example, that the string bass and bassoon--important elements in the Shosty 10th's final movement--"hit" the listener with gut-wrenching presence. And the winds and brass? I'm still shaking my head.
One thing left to do: Build permanent 9"-tall risers for the side-wall Alpha 4As. Maybe then I'll post photos.
