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Raising Speakers

Experimentation has made it clear that my listening position is too high. Not wanting to cut the legs off my couch leaves the alternative of raising the speakers.

The speakers are sealed cabinet floor standers (Hales Revelation Three; dimensions are 11"x14.5"x40") and the lift needs to be ~2-3 inches, stable and preferably not impinge on the decor too much. The floor is padded wall-to-wall carpet over a concrete slab. Thinking it through there seems to be two basic options.

One possibility is using taller spikes/cones. Currently the stock 1.5" tall brass ones are installed. Is there such a thing as 4.5" spikes? If so, any idea what effect would a larger mass spike would have on the sound?

Using a platform made of either wood (probably maple) or granite is also an option. Comments on the qualities these materials might have on the sound would be appreciated. Also, would it be useful to spike the platform to the floor? How about spikes between the speaker and the platform (or not)?

I'm always willing to try something new, but hope to narrow things down somewhat before investing in potential solutions. As always, thanks in advance for the input.
fpeel
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
Check out Goodwins Highend http://www.goodwinshighend.com/ they can custom make speaker stands for you. Their stands have both casters and spikes so you can move the speakers around and spike them down when you find the perfect position. I don't know the exact height of the stands but the spikes will lift the casters off the floor so it must be at least a couple of inches.

If you want to use platform one cheap solution is to use stepping stones. They are 2" thick and come in different sizes and materials. They look nice and very stable.
twl
3,251 posts
 
I would like to recommend a slightly different method for you. If you raise just the front of the speaker very slightly, so as to create a small backward tilt, the drivers will be angled to aim at your ears with very little elevation. Usually, a slightly longer set of adjustable spikes on the front will handle this. You see, a small angle at the speaker creates a much larger height change at the listening chair. Also, since you only have to raise the front a little, you may retain the floor boundary reinforcement for your bass response, which you would probably lose when placing your speakers on stands.
ikarus
113 posts
 
A while back there was a similar discussion here. I think the consensus was not to use granit but marble (rough unpolished side up). It was said that the granit 'rings'. You might want to search for it in the forums.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,382 posts
 
Agree with TWL: A very "slight" adjustment to the angle will raise/lower the image quite a bit. I even do this with stand mount speakers (adjust the stand spikes to raise the front a tad, which gives a more spacious sound in my setup).
woodman's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
woodman
152 posts
 
Okay don't laugh.
I own a pair of Rev 3s myself. I love "em. But, I'm 6'4" and sit in a rather large rocking chair to listen. Here's what I've done. Four hockey pucks on the floor supporting a concrete paving block 12" square and about 2" thick. Not only Have I raised the Hales up, but the bass got tighter as well. And of course my investment in all that is small.
Good Luck
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