Thiel 1.5's with sound anchor stands?

Thanks to all who have responded to my question! I really appreciate the information and opinions, they have been very helpful. I am upgrading to a Proceed AVP, hoping that might also help taming these speakers. I'm trying to balance 80/20 Audion with Home theater, having only one good room for this, so it has been a learning experience. I have left an e-mail for Sound Anchors to learn more about height and their opinions as well. Will keep trying and thanks again for the responses. Brett

Oops, I should have clarified that I thought the stock Sound Anchors were too high for MY situation, which is why I suggested experimenting with the books.

Contact Sound Anchors for the height spec. I built temporary platforms to this height with computer books and decided it was too high. You can experiment with different heights with the books easily (but be careful since it's not totally stable). I had Sound Anchors make a cradle like the 2.3 cradle. The spikes on this cradle get down through the carpet better and are adjustable - the slightest tilt on the 1.5s can make a significant difference, especially if the 2 speakers tilt differently. In all, I thought these stands were worth it for the above reasons and they also seemed to firm up the image a bit. One thing is that I'd have Bob make the cradle about a sixteenth inch wider so that you could line the sides with velcro or sorbothane where it contacts the speaker base.

Brett, I've had the Sound Anchors stands on my 1.5s for about four months. Honestly, I can't believe anyone has 1.5s and doesn't have the stands. It's not even the same speaker. Improvements:

The sound stage is increased.
The music doesn't sound like it's being played by two foot tall people.
The brightness is partially tamed because the aluminum tweeter isn't pointing at your ears (rest of the brightness is cabling and equipment).
The bass is tighter and more natural sounding.
The speakers are coupled to the floor better.
Theres a lot more air around the instruments and singers.
It's easier to hookup the cabling.
Rear spikes are used to position the speaker on the stand.
They look cool.

There are no negatives. Period. My wife was very skeptical about spending $325 on stands for floor standing speakers. When we put them up she was the one who asked why we didn't get them sooner. They're that impressive. My words don't even do the difference justice.

The guy at Sound Anchors I talked to (can't remember his name) was more than friendly. The price tag includes shipping. The packaging is better than that of the Thiels themselves.

My only advice is to tighten the heck out of the spikes. If you feel the speaker wobble, the spikes aren't tight enough. That spike tightness adds the last 10% of performance to the speaker. I wouldn't do this until I had the toe-in figured out though (the less the better).

Sorry for rambling on. I am still very excited about the stands. It's easily the best audio purchase that I didn't know I should have made sooner.

My system: Rotel 965 pre, Adcom 7400 amp, Rega Planet 2000 cd, REL Strata III sub, MIT 330/750 cabling.

Let me know if you have anymore questions. I'd be more than happy to answer them.

I would recommend talking with Sound Anchor to see exactly how high they are. I bought some stands at the first of the year for my B&W 804N's and had a very good conversation with them over the phone. They could point you in the right direction for your Thiels. You can also buy direct from Sound Anchor. Best, Charlie

I used to own Thiel 1.5's with Target stands. They raised them about 8"-9" off the ground. I found them to improve the bass (had spikes also) and soundstage in my room. I would recommend them to someone myself. I loved these speakers and yes, they were bright and even harsh with bad source material, but oh so great with the right up line material. With these speakers I think things like up line electronics and cables become more important.

Brett:

I have a pair of Thiel 1.5's and with bad material, they can be very revealing, however with the proper upstream electronics and software they can be wonderful.

Now with reference to your question, my main complaint towards these speakers is that they do tend to reveal a low musical profile and a small amount of height may be beneficial, but 12 to 14" may be a little extreme. However maybe someone else has tried this and may feel otherwise.

Regards,
AEW