Surrounds 2 inches too high -- it's not easy being anal

[supervij]

Just out of curiousity, I measured the height of the tweeters on my side surrounds the other day. I've read that they're supposed to be two to three feet above seated ear level. Measuring the distance, I've discovered that they're three feet and two inches! Naturally, I'm now convinced that the surround sound now sucks.

I put up the shelves that hold the surrounds a few years ago, and I now feel like I have to lower them, and am dreading doing this. Can I just put the speakers upside down? That'll put the tweeters within the correct range. But is that bad for the speaker or for the sound?

I can't believe I'm actually thinking this obsessively about all this. Why can't I just enjoy what I got?!

cheers,
supervij

 

[Alex2507]

You could always use some of your extra hockey pucks to raise your couch for a week to prove to yourself that you can indeed not hear any difference.

After that you might break out the milk crates to use as couch risers. I thought 24" above ear level was the ticket.

Here, let me help you as one Canadian to another: they're only surrounds!
Unless you listen to multi channel music of course. You do, don'tcha?
Well, may as well get 'em moved tonight before the sun comes up.

 

[mike c]

yes, upside down UNDER the shelf all you gotta do now is find a way to stick the speaker to the underside of the shelf

seriously though, i doubt it will make THAT much of a difference, if any.

 

[jamie2112]

Running the speakers upside down will make everything sound like its upside down dude. Jeeze, I just don't get this audiophile kind of tinkering?

 

[Alex2507]

Instead of raising the whole couch, how about an adult sized booster seat?
Then everybody would want to sit there.

 

[markw]

Just tilt 'em downwards a wee bit if it bugs you that much.

 

[Midcow2]

Tweeter sound!

Just tilt 'em downwards a wee bit if it bugs you that much.

You could also bump up the treble level and give the tweeters a little more volume. Or just raise the level of those dsurrounds a couple of dBs.

I know tweeters are directional but if you have them pointed towrad you then sound is more of a conic type distribution and you are probably getting better sound reception than you think!.

You should not have measured!. But since you have done thta, myber hte best solution is to find a new tape measre that is 2-3" on the short die JOKE

 

[fox]

"Don't worry, be happy"

 

[no. 5]

Measuring the distance, I've discovered that they're three feet and two inches! Naturally, I'm now convinced that the surround sound now sucks.

If it'll make you feel better, have a look at professional studios.

Abby Road has the surrounds in the ceiling. That's way over 3' 2".

 

[MDS]

Just out of curiousity, I measured the height of the tweeters on my side surrounds the other day. I've read that they're supposed to be two to three feet above seated ear level. Measuring the distance, I've discovered that they're three feet and two inches!

I put up the shelves that hold the surrounds a few years ago, and I now feel like I have to lower them, and am dreading doing this.

It sucks being a perfectionist...trust me I know.

I had read many, many times that my garage door sensor should be 6 inches off the ground, so I moved it down from 18" where it was previously installed by the builders.

Then I got the bright idea to find the actual manual for my garage door opener (AFTER I moved the sensor). The manual says it must be at least 5 inches but no more than 6 inches from the floor. The picture in the manual shows the eye of the sensor at about 5.25" and my job put it at about 5.5" - which is still within 'spec'. Yet...I seriously considered re-doing it and moving it down another 1/4". Sometimes you just have to let the little stuff go...

 

[supervij]

Alex, funny you should say, "Well, may as well get 'em moved tonight before the sun comes up." There've been numerous times when, convinced I need to change some kind of configuration in my setup, I've been up til the wee hours making those changes: measuring distances, computing angles, moving stuff around. And I just can't go to bed until I'm happy with it! I tell ya, being anal is hard work!

Hockey pucks? I got 'em up the yin yang. That'll do the trick! I'll spring for the 2-4 if you help me with the setup!

mike, that's brilliant: underneath the shelf! If Crazy Glue can hold a 180-pound man to a steel girder, this'll be a piece of cake! Except, the only problem is that I'll have to sit on my head to properly hear the upside down music. Hmmm . . . well, for pure sonic excellence, I'm willing to do it. (Am I an audioholic or what?)

mark, the surrounds actually are tilted down just a wee bit. Not enough to cover those two inches -- that'd be a huge angle. It's at less than five degrees. Maybe that's enough? I dunno.

Midcow, the surrounds are level-matched, just like the rest of the speakers. I could bump it up a bit. I'll try that and see if I like it.

But I think you guys are right: I need to simply relax about it. Two measly inches isn't gonna make the whole thing sound outta whack, right? So why is my little brain convinced that it could sound better if I lower them? Cos being a perfectionist/anal retentive is one of the things I'm good at. DARN good at! Sigh. I'll learn to live with it. Thanks for putting up with my neuroses, guys.

cheers,
supervij