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Raising standmount speakers

My main system is in the media room and consists of Harbeth SHL5+ resting on stands that are 18 inches high (as recommended by Harbeth). When we were building the house this room was meant to be a proper media room. So we had the builder make a platform in the back 1/4th portion of the room to get the stadium seating effect. The platform is about 8 inches higher than the rest of the floor area. My listening chair (actually couch) is placed atop the platform. The problem is that in this listening position my ears are a little above the tweeter level.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to raise the speaker stands by 4-6 inches without breaking the bank or the aesthetics of the room. The room is fully carpeted by the way.

P.S. - please don't suggest removing the platform. We still plan to put a theater setup in there some day ... although, I'm running out of excuses to postpone the decision. I would much rather keep it as a dedicated 2-channel listening room, but the rest of the family is not too thrilled. The thought of just getting rid of the family has certainly crossed my mind though ...
arafiq

Showing 3 responses by tvad

tvad
11,620 posts
 
I will experiment with tilting the stands. Will keep you guys posted.


Tom6897’s suggestion of a laser guide is excellent.

Here’s something to try...

Place a laser guide so it’s centered on one of the loudspeakers, and flush to the baffle. It’s good to secure the laser guide with a bit of BluTak.

Find a stand, or a high backed chair, or something on which you can tape a piece of paper with a dime size dot in the middle. Tape the paper to the stand so the dot is at ear level. Then, move the paper target left or right and line it up so the laser from the respective loudspeaker hits the paper. Then, tilt the speaker until the laser hits the dot. You may have to move the stand a little left or right to center the dot. That’s okay. The idea is tilting both speakers so they match. Repeat for the other speaker. Of course, if Harbeth recommends setting the tweeter higher or lower than ear level, then adjust the height of the dot accordingly.

You can also use this method to match toe-in angle.

tvad
11,620 posts
 
@tvad Thanks. Just wondering what makes you say it's not a long term solution? Stability or something else?

If you're using individual isolation footers, like Gaia, then in this scenario butcher blocks are not a problem.

If you are coupling your stands to the floor with cones, etc., then the butcher blocks are defeating the coupling method.

If you're decoupling the speakers, with Townshend podiums for example, then butcher blocks are also a problem.


tvad
11,620 posts
 
What do you guys think of using thick butcher blocks underneath the speakers?

I was going to suggest that under your stands. Not a long term solution, but would get you what you want. 
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