How to fix B&W distortion on my Wega (room-imposed physical constaints) (1 Viewer)

[Ernest Aguayo]

I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction with this one.
I just moved to an apartment with a *very* small living room and I am having trouble with the placement of my B&W 604's with respect to my 36" Wega.
The living room configuration doesn't really give me too much flexibility to move the speakers further away from the TV to prevent blue and green picture distortions from the 604's being so nearby. The area where the TV and speakers are located is pretty much the only place it will all fit in this tiny apartment.
I read some old HTF threads here as well as B&W's FAQ on speaker placement/shielding and it seems that the large Sony tubes are pretty susceptible to distortion from unshielded speakers being placed too nearby?
So it looks like they recommend a distance of 0.5 meters, but what if I physically cannot pull this off? (Besides having to move to another apartment ) Is there really nothing I can place between the speaker and the TV to shield the tube from the magnetic field without making it worse? Anything I can tweak with the TV?
Thanks for any tips... I really need to get this working somehow. :frowning:

 

[James Bergeron]

A lead plate would work! C an you get the speakers shielded by your dealer?

 

[Ernest Aguayo]

Ah... lead. Good for blocking kryptonite, lining the engine of your Delorean, and shielding your televisions from magnetic fields!
James, I called my dealer and he said he was not aware of such a modification for B&W's... :rolleyes

 

[Ernest Aguayo]

Oh, the dealer did suggest that if I just can't move the speakers further apart, that I might try to raise the height of the TV... that makes me a little nervous though; that's one heavy-ass television.

 

[John Garcia]

If you leave them there, you will eventually cause permanent damage to the screen.

A thin piece of sheet steel will probably do the trick, otherwise get some shielded speakers.

 

[Dan Lindley]

Interesting that just plain steel or lead might work. I may be upgrading my speakers and have looked into magnetic shielding a bit. Places that make 'mumetal' - special alloys that claim to best channel mag fields - charge huge prices for their sheets of foils (tho a place in Indiana seems cheapest with some sort of kit for around $100; do a YAHOO search on mumetal and/or magnetic shielding speakers). I have little idea what I or they are talking about, so claims here of other stuff doing the trick are good to hear.

Are these recs from experience?

Dan

Also, when I moved my old Polks closer to my WEGA, I checked with Polk and they sold me 'bucking magnets.' Turns out I didn't need them...

 

[Chas_T]

Ernest,
I experienced similar problem with a 36" Wega. Yes, it's very heavy to move, let alone raise in heighth. It was necessary to move my Paradigm Studio 100's 16 inches from the side of the set to eliminate the distortion. Yes, as John has written, they can cause permanent damage to the screen if it is distored for a period of time.
Here is a link that might provide some insight on what is necessary to shield the B&W 604's.
http://www.lessemf.com/faq-shie.html#speakers
There are inbedded links in the topic "How do I shield my speakers?" which may be of use.
OR... A good reason to upgrade to better quality SHIELDED speakers!!!
Cheers,
Charles

 

[John Garcia]

Are these recs from experience?

Specifically, non-magnetic (austenitic, 300 series) steel sheet. Austenitic steel is usually corrosion resistant, but it may still rust without a finish, so it may be better to buy a product specifically designed with this application in mind. I was simply stating that sheet steel, and probably a number of different non-magnetic sheetmetals, will prevent or diminish the magnetic field's effect.

From the looks of Chas_T's info, this "metglas" stuff does a much better job.

 

[EricE]

I was in a dealer today listening to some speakers when I asked him about magnetic shielding. He told me that in general, or at least to his experience, magnetic shielding has hurt the bass performance/response. He didn't provide anymore technical explanation, but I also didn't bother asking. How true or how much BS is this?

 

[John Garcia]

I have heard this also, that shielding the magnet affects the field and alters response, so many "purists" do not like shielded speakers. While there may be some truth to it, I have two pairs of Paradigm Titans, 1 shielded, 1 not, and I cannot tell the difference between them.

 

[Ernest Aguayo]

I appreciate all this info, fellows.

Thanks for telling me about MuMetal and how to shield speakers... I will definitely check it out.

I realize now that if I shift ALL my other furniture closer to the front door, I may be able to create enough space to move my speakers further away from the TV. A shelf will prevent me from opening my front door completely, forcing me and all my guests to squeeze through, but hey, at least this will solve my distortion problem!

 

[Sebastien David]

just buy some Bose... you won't have any interference problem or placement problem with them! plus, I hear they're really good quality speakers.

-Seb

 

[John Garcia]

How about moving the speakers slightly forward of the TV? I have mine about 2ft away, and the grills mabe 6" in front of the TV.

 

[Ernest Aguayo]

John, that's a great suggestion!! Thanks!