Directly in front of a speaker; position at a right angle (90-degree angle) to the front of a speaker enclosure on which the speaker drivers are located (the baffle). On-axis simply means taking a position directly in front of a speaker similar to sitting directly in front of a television. In this position, sound waves from the speaker come directly to you in a straight line. hen sound waves move out through the air, they spread out like a flashlight beam. The waves angling out to the side carry sound, but this sound is often not exactly the same as that coming directly from the speaker. For one thing, sound waves drop in level (get softer or have less volume) as they spread out toward the edges away from the centerline (just like a flashlight beam is brightest at the center with its edges being softer and providing less light). An on-axis position ensures one receives the full output of the speaker. easurements used to test speaker performance are usually taken on-axis often from a standard distance of one meter. However, in most listening situations the listener is off-axis being situated between the two stereo speakers. Unless the speakers are toed-in (aimed to point at the listening position resulting in that position being on-axis for both speakers), the listener hears the off-axis frequency response and output level. This is really not a problem, however, with the most important aspect not being whether or not the listener is on- or off-axis but if he is receiving the best quality sound.