Soundstage wide and deep but not at all tall. . .

I had this problem of lack of height for some years and it was only relieved when I ran some Acoustats, and when I drove some good dynamic cone systems loud.

A few years ago I bought some speakers with SOTA tweeters, voila heighth appeared at normal levels, but since the speakers were tallish (48") I thought it was due to height. My last (present) speakers ar runts at 40" but also have SOTA tweeters and appropriate height. My conclusion is that the quality of the tweeters resolution can make a large contribution.

Also, FWIW, IMHO, if you are getting a lot of soundstage width, on the plane of the speakers, outside of the speakers, you are either playing recordings with a lot of out of phase information encoded, or you have something wrong with your set up. In a 2 channel system playing stereo recordings w/out recorded phase manipulation, all of the information on the plane of the speakers should be contained w/in the space between the speakers. If there is a sense of airiness and a huge 'soundstage' beyond the speakers laterally it is more likely than not the result of room/set up issues. Lots of folks like that sound but it can reduce your ability to get holographic (truely 3 dimensional) soundstaging.

Oh, FWIW re electronics being a consideration, I had no real low volume height with some pretty good stuff and I now get it with some pretty average stuff. Not to say that resolution in the electronics doesn't make a difference, just that it is not the first place I would look for a solution.

Watch putting absorbative material near the tweeter.Especially at the first reflection point.This can cause your height problem-better to diffuse,then absorb.

Have you tried raising your speaker height a bit. Alternatively, very slightly tilt the speakers (w/ damping on front supporting spikes or where the speakers meet the stands) so as to have them point higher?

Kenobi

Thanks for the replies. I don't sit with my head by the wall, but 2.5-3' away. I tried tipping the speakers with no change in result. I have not tried raising them on a pedestal.

For what its worth, the speakers are about 4' off the front wall, and about 3' from the side walls. There is 2" of absorptive material at the first reflection points on the side wall, about 70" absorption on the wall behind the speakers. My head is 2'-3' from the back wall, which has a limited amount of high-frequency only diffusion. There is not much else I can do to tweak the room because I spent $$$$ having the walls and treatments covered in fabric.

Maybe this is just how the Totem tweeters work. On a positive note they have amazing lateral dispersion - and the listening "sweet spot" definitely accommodates more than one person. Maybe you just can't force them to go vertical. . .

tpsonic, can you please explain why you think diffuse is better than absorption at the first reflection point? I am beginning to try and get some room treatments and this information would be very helpful.