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Tweeter height - how to compensate?

My new speakers are too tall! The tweeter sits about 6 to 8" or so above my ear when I sit on the couch. This is really my first true experience with conventional speakers as I previously had Maggies, where tweeter height is not an issue.

Besides changing the furniture (not an option - and anyways, the sofa would look ridiculous - the one we have is already of a decent height), what else can be done?

I have tried raising the rear of the speaker a half inch or so but it sounds like this broke up the soundstage or something - I did not like the sound even as much. The speakers sound good but walking around and just before parking butt they sound better.
kck
kck OP
184 posts
 
Agree with the "drops off" just based on observation. Six inches above the tweeter does not sound like six inches below!

The speakers are full-range 3-way floorstanders. They are aprx 9 feet apart and each is 11 feet from listening position. Enough room from the sides and rears.

I guess all I can do is raise the seat somehow.

Thanks.
gabbro
88 posts
 
By chance, is the back of the sofa at or perhaps slightly above ear height? Maybe the sofa is damping the sound just behind your head and thus you percieve the sound to be different 6" above the tweeter. Just a thought...
imin2u
392 posts
 
Sean and Kck - I can't believe sound "drops down". Why would it be effected by gravity? (Did I spell that the right way)? I'll have to verify this when I get home.
kck OP
184 posts
 
Gabbro: Yes, the sofa is at or slightly above ear height (depends on how straight I sit).
So is this THE reason? Do you other guys agree/have you experienced this? Question I would ask then, is why did this not happen with the Maggies and the same sofa?
Sorry to make a big deal of this, but it really is quite annoying.
I will have to get that sofa out of there for a listening test. Must - do - when - wife - not - at - home.

hpshps
66 posts
 
Something doesn't add up here: if you are of average height, sitting on a standard sofa and your ear is 6 to 8" below the tweeter, then either the designer of the speaker is somewhat detached from the real world or she intentionally put the tweeter above the average listener's ear. In the latter case, either
(a) the speaker design is botched, or
(b) your are sitting much closer to the speaker than it is designed for, or
(c) the effect you are hearing should not really be attributed to the relative tweeter height but to a system quality or synergy issue.

Not knowing anything about your system, I do not want to speculate. What makes me curious is that this thread started about the tweeter rather than an apparant roll off in the highs at your listening position. You should not be able to identify and locate individual drivers of a speaker unless you bring your ear next to the speaker's baffle. Of course, it is entirely sensible to suspect that high frequencies are emmitted by the tweeter ;)
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