What does toe-in mean?

[-Matt-]

I think people may have different interpretations of the term "toe in".

1) It is relative to the angle where speakers point directly at the main listening position. So toe in means that imagined rays normal to the speaker baffle would cross infront of the listener.

2) It is relative to the back wall. So toe in means anything that angles the speakers slightly towards the listener (the imagined normal rays could still cross behind the listener).

Edit: Option 2) included the implicit assumtion that the speakers are aligned to a wall but they could be across a corner instead, therefore added another option. (Can't remove the option from the poll unfortunately).

3) Relative to the speaker axes being parallel. So toe in means angling the speakers towards the listener (the imagined normal rays could still cross behind the listener).

 

[antcollinet]

Back wall - but normally I would expect "the beams" to cross at MLP.

However, my current speakers (Dali Oberon 5) are stated by the manufacturer not to require toe in. I still have them set in for 50% toe in (aprox half the angle required for the straight line to meet at MLP.

 

[Vincent Kars]

Toe-in means the acoustic axis axis of both speakers are not parallel but turned in to some extend to each other.

 

[voodooless]

I think #2 is the more conventional interpretation.

 

[antcollinet]

Toe-in means the acoustic axis axis of both speakers are not parallel but turned in to some extend to each other.

According to the definition provided above, that means relative to the back wall.

 

[Thomas savage]

Watching porn together before you actually try a menards à trois

 

[-Matt-]

If it is #2 (relative to back wall) then wouldn't toe out mean that the beams were actually pointing towards the side walls?

 

[kemmler3D]

So according to definition #2, toe-out is pointing your speakers away from the MLP. This is why I might hesitate to answer this, because AFAIK I've never seen speakers toed-out like that. But when it comes to toe-in I always though it was relative to the back wall. So which is it?

 

[-Matt-]

I still have them set in for 50% toe in (aprox half the angle required for the straight line to meet at MLP.

Someone who subscribes to #1, would call that toe out.

 

[Bleib]

But when it comes to toe-in I always though it was relative to the back wall. So which is it?

Depends on the speaker? My Q10 are meant to be very close to the back wall and toed in just so that I see the outer sides of the speakers. This gives the biggest sweetspot
Very few speakers have decent manuals though

 

[MRC01]

The manual for my Magnepan 3.6/R says to angle the speakers so the tweeters are slightly further away from your head than the main panels. The most common configuration is tweeters on the outside, which puts them as "toed in" by definition 2 yet "toed out" by definition 1. IME, definition 2 is the standard so I call it "toed in". When you casually observe the room the speakers are obviously "toed in" but when you sit in the listener position you might notice the triangle they form meets behind you, making them "toed out" relatively speaking.

 

[VintageFlanker]

1) It is relative to the angle where speakers point directly at the main listening position. So toe in means that imagined rays normal to the speaker baffle would cross infront of the listener

2) It is relative to the back wall. So toe in means anything that angles the speakers slightly towards the listener (the imagined normal rays could still cross behind the listener).

Mostly the latter to me.

Speakers are "toe in" to the center, instead of being parallel to each other. This, regardless of the back wall, or the LP.

 

[SIY]

Watching porn together before you actually try a menards à trois

Story of my life.

 

[Vincent Kars]

that means relative to the back wall.

Really? It refers to the position of the speakers relative to each other.

 

[Sir Sanders Zingmore]

does the "back wall" mean:
a) the wall behind the listener
b) the wall behind the speaker

 

[Thomas savage]

Story of my life.

Hay , ASR is ment to be all about handing out good advice.. , just going straight in can cause issues, new wife's and expensive bills .

Nothing more sad than ' I lost the hifi in the divorce ' , now there's Bob down the road listening to your hifi and ..., ...

 

[antcollinet]

Someone who subscribes to #1, would call that toe out.

Correct - but I don't.

 

[-Matt-]

...toed in just so that I see the outer sides of the speakers.

This is what I've pretty much always done and it means that the beams would cross slightly infront of the listener (cross-firing).

If we use relative to MLP then the term toe out is occasionally useful, otherwise, not so much.

Toe-in means the acoustic axis axis of both speakers are not parallel but turned in to some extend to each other.

Ahh, good point, my question has an assumption that speakers are parallel to the back wall and in some cases they may be across a corner for example.

 

[antcollinet]

Really? It refers to the position of the speakers relative to each other.

But the two definitions are back wall (toe in means any angle towards each other) or MLP (toe in means angle greater than pointing at MLP)

 

[voodooless]

Relative to the back wall only when everything is aligned on it. This is also not toe-in: