Any one else have this complaint?

As already mentioned in other posts; I have Thiel speakers -
a pair of 3.5s - and have to deal with all the associated
problems of installing new cables and then re-positioning
the speakers. This is made even more difficult as I have
a carpeted listening room and the speakers have spikes installed - so I have to be careful not to rip or shred the
carpet. And to make matters even more difficult - I am
looking forward to moving up to Thiel 3.6 speakers this fall; which weigh about 100 lbs. each!

Hi Tim, I used to own Thiel 3.6 speakers and believe me I know how it feels like when you have to change the speaker cables. Unfortunately I can't help you with physically doing it.
In regards to putting the speakers back in place after you change it,if you mean just putting it on the same position I may have a simple solution by just placing a marker (ie. electric tape)on the floor in front and one side of the speakers before you change speaker cables.
I hope this helps.

Normally I have to enlist the aid of my 16 year old son to tip back my Thiel CS7.2s so I have enough room to work. By myself I have to tip them over on their side. They're so heavy (~170lbs) that the indentations from the spikes are very clearly imprinted in the carpet, so its easy to get them back into the original position. What I really don't care for with this design is the fact that you have to rotate the spades 180 degrees to fit. On thick/stiff cables, or cables such as my Oracles w/network box, this can be a real pain. The new Thiel 1.6s now have the posts on the lower back. Fortunately I don't change cables all that often, but do take them off every 3/4 months to clean the connections.

Tim,

My Kharma CE 2.2s weigh a 100-lbs each. The binding posts are 3.5 inches above the bottom edge of speakers and roughly 5-inches above the floor. They are on spikes, which rest on discs. I experience no problems in changing wires. I'm very surprised to hear that you actually have to tip the Avalons to change wires -- I'd say that's a design flaw and unacceptable.

Tim,

I have similar objections to the posts on the Avalons, but it is nice for the finish and probably somehow contributes to some element of the sound (though the latter is a guess). I will definitely consider Avalon as my main option for my upcoming upgrade nonetheless.

After swappng cables, testing my old speakers, and so on, I got tired of the re-positioning thing too. Its easy to get it close with little tricks, but you inevitably spend days tweaking to get it just right. I finally gave up and decided to streamline the process. I purchased a corner brace (steel, about 18 inches long 90 degrees along its length with several holes). I applied felt along each surface and centered a plumb line. I then stretched 3 meters of line, looped the line around a clip (mountain climbing clip) and dropped a plumb from the other end of the string. So, now I can center the brace on the top of the speaker, hold the line straight to the tweeter, and mark where the plumb falls. The system has made it incredibly easy to change setup and get positioning correct to a very fine degree (measuring at 9 feet away allows aligning the speakers relative to center with great precision). Changing cables on the Avalons & repositioning (or merely adjusting my other speakers) now really does take about 15 minutes.

You're right that it is a pain to change cables on Avalons, but I always found repositioning to be a hassle before... and I still love the sound!

Good luck,

Jacob