Speaker Height - Is is really important

[matth]

My current speakers are approx 950mm (37") tall which places the tweeter at ear level when seated however I am looking to replace them as they are too bright for my taste - so here's my question:

Is it really important for the tweeter to be at ear level if my usage is 75% Home Theater, 25% Music and when we listen to music it is normally whilst walking around doing housework.

I can pick up 2 x Wharfedale Diamond 7.3's, 2 x Diamond 7.1's and a Diamond Centre for $550 Australian. I know they are an older series, but they get good reviews and sound much warmer which will better suit my Sony receiver - the fact I get the 7.1's and centre included is a bonus.

The issue is the 7.3's are approx 800mm tall which will place the tweeters approx 150mm (6") below ear level.

My only other option is to wait a while longer and get 2 x Wharfedale Diamond 8.4's which are 900mm tall for approx $900 AU.

Thoughts anyone...

[GMorrison]

I think it's important within reason. In my opinion, give it a foot... 6" either way. Not everybody is the same height.

The reason I think this is important, is for a while, I have my Paradigm CC170 below my television, instead of sitting on top of it, and I found the sound VERY muddy and boxed in.

My rears are about 6" above ear level, my centre is pretty close to the same, and my mains are pretty damn close to ear level. With everything set up like this, I find it sounds nice and crisp.

Mind you, I'm only a budding audiophile... I still have alot to learn :)

[Bryan]

Have you thought about adjusting the treble setting? If you adjust it to your liking it should save you alot of money, especially as you will not need to buy anything. The other question is what are your current speakers?

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

My current speakers are approx 950mm (37") tall which places the tweeter at ear level when seated however I am looking to replace them as they are too bright for my taste - so here's my question:

Is it really important for the tweeter to be at ear level if my usage is 75% Home Theater, 25% Music and when we listen to music it is normally whilst walking around doing housework.

I can pick up 2 x Wharfedale Diamond 7.3's, 2 x Diamond 7.1's and a Diamond Centre for $550 Australian. I know they are an older series, but they get good reviews and sound much warmer which will better suit my Sony receiver - the fact I get the 7.1's and centre included is a bonus.

The issue is the 7.3's are approx 800mm tall which will place the tweeters approx 150mm (6") below ear level.

My only other option is to wait a while longer and get 2 x Wharfedale Diamond 8.4's which are 900mm tall for approx $900 AU.

Thoughts anyone...

Are your speaker aimed directly at the listening position and your ears? This can make the speaker sound bright as the path to your ears is more direct. If they are toed in, you may try toeing them outward until the brightness goes away. Maybe facing the foward will do the trick. You could also try purchasing a GOOD 1/3 octave eq and roll off the highs slightly to tame the brightness.

[matth]

My current mains are Sony SS-MF500H... I have toed them in to improve the front soundstage when watching movies. They sound bright to me with music even when not seated or when in a adjacent room. They have good bass extension and midrange (for the price), but they become fatiging after an hour or so of moderate volume and I have to turn the music down / off.

I am currently using a Sony DE series receiver which are noted for their brightness as well (bright speakers + bright receiver = not good). I also want to upgrade my receiver as budget (wife) allows and am looking at Marantz (SR4400), Denon (AVR1604) and Yamaha (RX-V540)

My reason for wanting to upgrade my mains to Wharfedale Diamonds is driven by the fact my centre / surrounds are already Wharfedales and would be a good tonal match... they are also noted as being a "warm" speaker with excellent imaging (again for the price).

I'm leaning towards waiting till I can afford the Diamond 8.4s as they will need to last several years (otherwise my wife will not be impressed).

I'll play with position etc for now, however I'd be interested to know what peoples thoughts are on upgrade paths... would I notice more improvement from replacing the mains or the receiver first.

[dmb_fan]

These 6" stands are very sturdy and rather attractive. There are quite a few others out there. A stand can raise tweeters to the perfect hieght with the additional benefit of isolating the speaker from the floor (helpful if you live in an apartment or if boomy floor vibrations bother you during loud passages in music or movies).

http://www.standsandmounts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=659