Raising standmount speakers


My main system is in the media room and consists of Harbeth SHL5+ resting on stands that are 18 inches high (as recommended by Harbeth). When we were building the house this room was meant to be a proper media room. So we had the builder make a platform in the back 1/4th portion of the room to get the stadium seating effect. The platform is about 8 inches higher than the rest of the floor area. My listening chair (actually couch) is placed atop the platform. The problem is that in this listening position my ears are a little above the tweeter level.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to raise the speaker stands by 4-6 inches without breaking the bank or the aesthetics of the room. The room is fully carpeted by the way.

P.S. - please don't suggest removing the platform. We still plan to put a theater setup in there some day ... although, I'm running out of excuses to postpone the decision. I would much rather keep it as a dedicated 2-channel listening room, but the rest of the family is not too thrilled. The thought of just getting rid of the family has certainly crossed my mind though ...
arafiq
What do you guys think of using thick butcher blocks underneath the speakers?

I was going to suggest that under your stands. Not a long term solution, but would get you what you want. 
@tvad Thanks. Just wondering what makes you say it's not a long term solution? Stability or something else?
@tvad Thanks. Just wondering what makes you say it's not a long term solution? Stability or something else?

If you're using individual isolation footers, like Gaia, then in this scenario butcher blocks are not a problem.

If you are coupling your stands to the floor with cones, etc., then the butcher blocks are defeating the coupling method.

If you're decoupling the speakers, with Townshend podiums for example, then butcher blocks are also a problem.


Do you know if Harbeth voiced them using 18 inch stands? If they did, you could affect the bass balance/voicing if you raise them more than that. Many manufacturers build their floor standing speakers with the woofers at a specific height to account for floor bounce. That could be what Harbeth did with these, even though they go on a stand.
@tvad Thanks and this makes sense. I looked into the IcoAcoustics footers and they sound promising - no pun intended :)

A combination of IcoAcoustics and butcher blocks might be the way to go in the long run.  think I saw @milpai system pics where he is using a similar combination but he has floorstanders.

Appreciate the input from everyone. In the meantime, I will experiment with tilting the stands. Will keep you guys posted.