How to place speakers at the optimum height


OK Agoners, How do you determine and place the speakers at the optimum height? If it's book shelves than it's pretty easy, you just buy an adjustable speakers stand and try it out. But what if you have floor standers? Are they already design to be at the optimum height? I don't think it would work for everyone since there are 6'5 guys and 5'6 guys so ears level are different. Is there any "audiophiles" lives in the vicinity of 95138? I like to check out some other people system to compare to mine and see what I'm missing if any. I'm pretty new to this high cost hobby so I would appreciate it if someone could show me their system. Thanks.
min888
I like 18-24" above the speaker. Not front row, more like 5th or 6th row. It gives the music a chance to bloom.
Not all speakers need to be toed in so much. As long as you keep a solid center, toe them out to get more sound stage width. If you hear your center losing focus you went to far. Most speakers sound there best a little of axis.
Thanks guys, I will try to lower it a bit and see how it goes. I have the VR4 HSE so the sound stage width and depth is huge, no problem there. Also the VR4 has the ambiance tweeter in the back how do you adjust it? If you turn it all the way down the mid is very forward kind of like Proac or slightly more so. If you turn it up and it gets less forward and the sound stage gets deeper.
The VR4's are very picky about getting there position right, but when you nail it, you'll know it.
The rear tweeter once set up properly will really enhance the sounstage and imaging.
It's going to take a while of tweeking a little every day to get them just right, but it'll be worth it in the long run.
When you find the sweet spot for those speakers, they will absolutly disapear.
Have fun.
Thanks Zman, sounds like you have the VR4 before. At what position of the pot you end up setting your ambiance level?