Oblique speaker placement pushes problem reflections into heavily attenuated off-axis angles

Evidence

In the oblique arrangement the first “lateral” reflections are associated with very large off-axis angles: 90° and 128°, where mid and high frequencies are greatly attenuated. The “rear” reflections fall within the listening window angles (strong mid and high frequencies). In small rooms the reflecting surfaces might benefit from absorption or diffusion. In a large room, with the walls behind the listener at a greater distance, the listener is in a predominantly direct sound field at mid-high frequencies. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 206

Categorization

• QUESTION: Author notes oblique placement is aesthetically unpopular—wonder about the exact tradeoff between aesthetic and acoustic priorities in real listening rooms.