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Help Speakers trapped on bookshelves

Help! My "bookshelf" speakers are hopelessly trapped on bookshelves, with no hope of graduating to stands, and I need advice on how to minimize the sonic stifling of the bookshelves. The speakers are Totem Rainmakers fed mostly jazz, folk and rock through a Cambridge Audio Azur 640C cdp and a 640A integrated. Interconnects are Analysis Plus Oval One and speaker cables are XLO ER-12. My home office is in a penthouse room measuring 6ft wide by 13 feet long, and the speakers are relegated to sit in a set of built-in shelves on one of the short walls that includes a fold-out secretary desk. Given the small size of the room (it's the only room in our small apartment that my wife would give up), there is simply no room for speaker stands on either side of the desk, where I do most listening (nearfield I guess). Therefore, until we have a bigger place, the speakers must stay on the shelves, and I need advice on positioning, etc. I've heard that packing books all around them helps, and I've tried that with minimal effect. Also, the speakers are ported, making it even harder. Help! Just please don't suggest that I disregard my wife's input and put them on stands anyway: she's currently carrying our first two children (twins), which gives her three votes to my one. One day, the speakers will be free to roam on stands, but for now I need to tap A'gon members' ingenuity and experience to make the best of this temporary incarceration.

Thanks,
Roger
rogercmd
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,784 posts
 
Roger:

Well ... sometimes audiophiles (assuming that I am one) do go into speaker set-up knowing that there are major compromises to be made. The speakers in my bedroom system are on top of a bookcase that is 70 inches high. So, I would need to stand on the bed to reach the sweet spot (there is a beaut of a pun somewhere in that sentence). Without the use of tone controls (lower the bass by 2 clicks), the sound would be noticeably off to my ears. If I didn't place the speakers there, I would be reduced to a nightstand radio.

A few years back, I had one high flying cat and so placing speakers high and out of harm's way was the only way to protect the speakers. (She was impressive to watch though) My guess is when the twins are old enough to topple things over, you may need to "child-proof" the house and may consider floorstanders or keep speakers on shelves at that time.

Best of luck.

Regards, Rich
ghunter's avatar
ghunter
164 posts
 
My Rainmakers are on my boookshelves and are on vibrapods - excellent!
rogercmd OP
11 posts
 
I emailed the folks at Totem and they suggested isolation cones. Now I have to collect opinions on good isolation devices, such as the vibrapods that Ghunter recommended. Any thoughts? One would think they're all pretty much equivalent, but I know that's never the case in this world!
ghunter's avatar
ghunter
164 posts
 
Try a bunch of them, as they'll each have a different effect based on your system, shelves, and room. They're not all cheap, though :)
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Rogercmd...As the saying goes..."you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink".
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