Two different speakers - Acoustic issue?

[Bavarian05]

I have and am very happy with my 805 Diamonds, though I would like a larger slightly more sensitive speaker to use for rock music from time to time. I am strongly considering a pair of the new Sonus Faber Vanere 2.5 floor-standers.
My big concern is how much will having a pair in the same room effect my room acoustic and the sound of my existing speakers. I have treated my room and am currently happy with it. My main and only goal is to be able to simply swap out the speaker cables and run a floor-stander when listening to heavier material (I also like the idea of having a somewhat less revealing tweeter for internet radio and poorer quality compressed rock recordings, etc.)

Does anyone else run a stand mount and a floor-stander in the same room, next to one another? Any likely acoustic problems or issues?

Both speakers will need to be basically permanently installed on spikes, so moving them around each time I listen is not a realistic option or something I am willing to contend with.

Thoughts?

[Still-One]

There was an article in one of the audio magazines a while back. If I remember correctly the authors (I forget who it was) 802d's were pushed back into the corner while he auditioned other speakers. At some point the 802d's were moved and the sound actually deteriorated. He was surprised. Me too.

[HedgeHog]

If they are both physically next to each other while one or the other play, I can see two things that may affect sound. One would be that the dormant drivers will behave as some sort of passive radiator and absorb some energy from the active speakers. This is no different that adding/changing/rearranging furniture/acoustic treatment. I would imagine a dormant floor stander would then affect the sound more than a dormant stand mount (assuming the floor standers have bigger drivers).

The second would be that their physical location may affect sound wave propagation just by being adjacent.

Having said that, I'm not sure if it will be detrimental or not. For the record, when I upgraded speakers I had a pair of B&W 802D next to their newer D2 sibilings when auditiioning. I did not recall my original set sounding much worse but did like the sound of the new ones better. Currently, I have the Evolution Acoustics mmMicroone stand mount playing with the 802D2 next to them. But I haven't listened as is then moved the 802D2 out of the room to compare. TBH, I think it will be a very small, if audible at all, effect.

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by HedgeHog

If they are both physically next to each other while one or the other play, I can see two things that may affect sound. One would be that the dormant drivers will behave as some sort of passive radiator and absorb some energy from the active speakers. This is no different that adding/changing/rearranging furniture/acoustic treatment. I would imagine a dormant floor stander would then affect the sound more than a dormant stand mount (assuming the floor standers have bigger drivers).

The second would be that their physical location may affect sound wave propagation just by being adjacent.

Having said that, I'm not sure if it will be detrimental or not. For the record, when I upgraded speakers I had a pair of B&W 802D next to their newer D2 sibilings when auditiioning. I did not recall my original set sounding much worse but did like the sound of the new ones better. Currently, I have the Evolution Acoustics mmMicroone stand mount playing with the 802D2 next to them. But I haven't listened as is then moved the 802D2 out of the room to compare. TBH, I think it will be a very small, if audible at all, effect.

Interesting. Thank you for your feedback.
I keep going through ideas in my head and maybe I can work out some type of platform that I can place the floor-standers on that will allow me to easily push them back behind the plane of the stand-mounts when not in use. Any ideas would be great.

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by Bavarian05

Interesting. Thank you for your feedback.
I keep going through ideas in my head and maybe I can work out some type of platform that I can place the floor-standers on that will allow me to easily push them back behind the plane of the stand-mounts when not in use. Any ideas would be great.

Picked up a pair of black SF Venere 2.5 today.
We'll see...

[Kal Rubinson]

I usually short the terminals of the unused speakers to minimize their contributions.

[nz022]

Originally Posted by Bavarian05

Interesting. Thank you for your feedback.
I keep going through ideas in my head and maybe I can work out some type of platform that I can place the floor-standers on that will allow me to easily push them back behind the plane of the stand-mounts when not in use. Any ideas would be great.

Casters or even a cheap furniture dolly would work.

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by nz022

Casters or even a cheap furniture dolly would work.

I am currently using MDF shelves from a Solidsteel rack underneath them so I can easily slide them around the room.
Works great, but doesn't look the best...

[Bavarian05]

Originally Posted by Kal Rubinson

I usually short the terminals of the unused speakers to minimize their contributions.

I am not sure I follow this.
Do you mean if both speakers are connected to same amp at same time?

[Kal Rubinson]

Originally Posted by Bavarian05

I am not sure I follow this.
Do you mean if both speakers are connected to same amp at same time?

Nope. One should never connect them to the same amp at the same time. What I am referring to is to connect shorting jumpers (+ to -) to the inputs on the speakers that are not connected to any amp. This will highly damp any sympathetic resonances in the larger drivers.