Speaker Height Problem

Another plus 1 for trying to experiment with the rake of the speakers, aka how they are tilted up or down. In my setup even a tiny adjustment moved the image and Soundstage up or down dramatically. I settled on where I felt the image placement was realistic for my room.

Wow…thank you all for your insights.

I did play with the toe in/out and did get different results with stage, but not much change on the low end.

So I will first try angling up with awareness of “looking down on the stage” effect.

If that is not satisfactory, I’ll take a look at the several suggestions for stands.  BTW, hockey pucks…now that is creative.

Thanks again, greatly appreciated! 👍

I have never had speakers that sounded their best if my ears were above the tweeters. And angling them up to aim at my ears would result in me looking down on the soundstage. For me, the best sound is with my speakers toed-in and tweeters above my ears. 

FWIW, you might try a shorter chair instead of raising your speakers.

Optimal placement is subjective, and will vary widely for different rooms, and different speakers.  Moving the speakers in more towards the corners will typically result in more bass reinforcement, but often at the expense of a more collapsed soundstage..  Experiment away and see what works for you.  

My speakers place the tweeter slightly above ear level, with the speakers angled back slightly, which puts the center point between tweeter and midrange at ear level, and helps time alignment.  

But I have not heard any modern speaker that wants to flat to the rear wall.

You haven't auditioned the list I made properly then!  It's not always flat but less toe-in.  The reason is simple.  Most speakers are made for consumers who prefer a wide sweet spot over 1 position listening.  This is best served by wide-dispersion speakers with less toe-in.

The placement options are totally up to you and your musical tastes. Don't restrict your options because some authority tells you were to put them. Why can't we trust our own experience. 

What is the ideal level height of the speaker top tweeter with relation to my ears?

ALL tweeters at ear level is ideal. If you need to raise your speakers checkout Isoacoustic stands. If you need more height contact butcher block acoustics for custom stands:

• Speakers are often designed for a lot less toe-in.  Magico, Revel and Focal are some I can think of.  They want to be flat to the rear wall.
• As you have discovered, the tonal balance is often better BELOW the tweeter axis. 

No. Maybe in 1960. But I have not heard any modern speaker that wants to flat to the rear wall.

Hi OP!! While the height issue matters, more importantly is the angle, vertically and horizontally.  Audiophiles tend to want to do something religiously and that's point the tweeters at your ears like a laser guided missile.

In reality there's two things wrong with this.

• Speakers are often designed for a lot less toe-in.  Magico, Revel and Focal are some I can think of.  They want to be flat to the rear wall.
• As you have discovered, the tonal balance is often better BELOW the tweeter axis. 

You may have a 'null' where the speakers or listening position is located. Try moving you speakers forward and/or backward (or sideways as well) a bit and see what happens. Ditto listening position. And in combo. 

Well, a simple and very cost-effective solution would be to get a bunch of hockey pucks to raise the speakers, but you could also try experimenting with tilting the speakers back a bit so the tweeters are aimed closer to your ears — or a combination of both.  That should work.  Best of luck. 

Whatever sounds best. You have to.

Every speaker is designed for a "best" height, but the designer was not in your room.

When I slouch down 11” they sound like different speakers! All of a sudden, not only am I getting mids and lows I wasn’t hearing, but the sound stage sounds deeper.

At least you know your starting point. Seems tweeters need to be at ear level for best imaging.

Contrary to your situation i need to raise a little for the ultimate depth imaging but that is easier.

You can make 11-12" (including feet) boxes made from mdf or plywood filled with sand (more economic solution), how far you go in designing, looks and construction is up to you. Something like Arcici used to do for B&W 801, or search for low speaker stands that can fully support your speakers (cabinet width and depth).

Both can work.

Speaker placement is all about listening after some basic rules are followed.  A subwoofer does add a degree of realism and excitement, especially to movies, so I definitely encourage you to follow through with that thought.

In spite of the fact they are floor standing speakers, I suggest you look at a speaker stand to raise it up to a higher level. 

Do make sure you have the polarity correct on your speaker wires - this strikes me as a possible polarity problem.