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Originally Posted by Ethan Winer  That's just silly. Get the larger speakers. |
In fact, there is some truth to this. Larger drivers are more directional in their upper frequency range. Also, a larger woofer diameter will typically necessitate a wider spacing between the woofer and tweeter centers. Both these factors make a larger 2-way speaker more directional than a smaller speaker, especially in the octave or so just below the crossover frequency. More directivity means a smaller "sweet spot" at closer listening distances. So indeed, you might want to be slightly further away with a larger 2-way in order to avoid greater sound variations at different working positions (i.e. rolling your chair from left to right). Of course, these recommended distances that he listed are totally exaggerated. But it's not a completely silly idea.
Btw, this extra directivity in the upper range of the woofer is also one of the reasons why large 2-ways tend to have a somewhat recessed or "sucked out" midrange quality. They have a natural dip in their power response since they radiate less energy off-axis in that frequency range. Hence, the recessed midrange.
Thomas