bookshelf speaker placement height?

[thepoo]

Hi Folks,

I’m putting bookshelf speakers on stands right in front of my desk, so that I can listen to music while sitting at my desk. I got good suggestions in another thread for choosing the speakers. My question here is about placement.

My desk is 30 inches tall and I would be sitting about 3 ft from the speakers facing me. I thought I would get 30 inch stands (I can’t find taller ones with a big enough base).

I can, of course, rotate the speakers on the stands to find the sweet spot. But, experimenting to find the ideal speaker height would be difficult. I’d have to build a step to raise the speakers if needed.

So, should the tweeters be at, above, or below ear level at such close listening distance?

What is a good range for the tweeter height relative to ear height?

Thanks much!

 

[Gimpy Ric]

Getting the tweeters as close to ear height at any distance is optimal. A few inch's up or down shouldn't change things to much.

Good Luck!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

What did you end up getting?

 

[j_garcia]

What Gimpy Ric said - right around ear level is good.

Yes, what speakers did you end up buying?

 

[thepoo]

Hi Guys,

I thought tweeters should be at ear level, but also though at such close listing distance speakers may sound a bit harsh with tweeters pointed directly at ears.

It’ll be a pain to experiment with the height, so I’ll follow your advice and shoot for ear height.

I ordered the Yamada RX-V659 and the Rocket UFW-10 (but out of stock). I’ll use a pair of my old bookshelfs for surrounds (for occasional 5.1 listing).

I’m still debating what to get for mains.

I listened to the Usher S-520 at a local audio boutique. They sounded fantastic, but its depth is a little too big (~10.5 inches).

So, I’m deciding between Axiom M22 (8 inches deep) and Onix Reference 0.5 (7.5 inches deep). An advantage of the axiom over the onix is that on a 30” stand, the axiom tweeters will be about at my ear level (since they are so tall).

It bothers me having to pick the speakers based on size instead of sound. I’ll be disappointed if either of these don’t sound as good as the ushers. I’d rather not have to return the speakers.

Thanks!

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I wouldnt get too hung up on the height. The "real world" predicts a lot of what we can and can not do. If the tweeters are off a few inches either way it wont really matter. When I have people over to my house I dont make them sit and any specific place; heck, they can even stand if they want to.

 

[j_garcia]

Yep, it is a rule of thumb. You may find it IS too direct for you, and as with every setup, you will need to tweak their positions to give you the sound you are after.