Quote:
Originally Posted by Veitchy
Why does it make a difference?
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It makes a difference because there are two sources of sound. First the obvious one of the waves directly radiated from the speaker cone(s) and second the waves reflected from the wall behind the amp, coming off the back of the speaker(s) through the open back of the cabinet. Now, as a very general rule and put very simply, treble sounds travel in straight lines while bassier tones spread out in all directions. It's to do with wavelengths. What this means is that if your open-back amp is positioned the right distance from a wall, other things being equal you'll get a bigger, fuller sound than if it's too close or indeed too far away.
Of course, in a gig situation you don't always have a lot of choice - small stages, curtains, drapes, etc. - but if there is enough available space positioning appropriately can fill out the sound noticeably or alternatively kill a boom caused by bad room acoustics.