Use of Polk Tower Speakers on Their Sides?
Hello,
I know that this question may turn the audiophile stomach of a few, but I have to at least ask it in my research. Would it degrade the performance that much to position a pair of Polk tower speakers on their sides and elevate them to standing ear level? Here is the rest of the story...
The area that I plan to use a pair of RT-12's is a "great room" and about 16'x22', with a 22' high ceiling. There are built in cabinets on either side of a fireplace across one entire wall. Above the cabinets is a space about 4'x2' and 2' deep. The previous owners had installed cheap in-wall speakers on the back wall of this space. Because there is no easy place to stand the speakers up on the floor (mostly because of my wife's decorating protests), I am considering placing them above the cabinets and on their sides. I would use some kind of thick foam platform to protect the speakers ascetically and defeat any rattle. My hope is that this inlet space would help in making up for the positionng of these fine vintage speakers in projecting the sound. As for base response, a Polk DSW Pro 660 wi subwoofer will be anchored on the other end of the room.
Okay, let me have it...
Knowledge is power, but an good attention span can never be replaced,
Dr. Z.
I know that this question may turn the audiophile stomach of a few, but I have to at least ask it in my research. Would it degrade the performance that much to position a pair of Polk tower speakers on their sides and elevate them to standing ear level? Here is the rest of the story...
The area that I plan to use a pair of RT-12's is a "great room" and about 16'x22', with a 22' high ceiling. There are built in cabinets on either side of a fireplace across one entire wall. Above the cabinets is a space about 4'x2' and 2' deep. The previous owners had installed cheap in-wall speakers on the back wall of this space. Because there is no easy place to stand the speakers up on the floor (mostly because of my wife's decorating protests), I am considering placing them above the cabinets and on their sides. I would use some kind of thick foam platform to protect the speakers ascetically and defeat any rattle. My hope is that this inlet space would help in making up for the positionng of these fine vintage speakers in projecting the sound. As for base response, a Polk DSW Pro 660 wi subwoofer will be anchored on the other end of the room.
Okay, let me have it...
Knowledge is power, but an good attention span can never be replaced,
Dr. Z.
Post edited by Zeigh on
Comments
-
Some will say.... try it and see how it sounds.
I will say it's a horrible idea. The tweeters are going to be so far above your listening level.
It looks like your cabinets open on left and right...get some awesome bookshelf speakers and put them in there. Open it up when in use, close it when not.Main Surround -
Epson 8350 Projector/ Elite Screens 120" / Pioneer Elite SC-35 / Sunfire Signature / Focal Chorus 716s / Focal Chorus CC / Polk MC80 / Polk PSW150 sub
Bedroom - Sharp Aquos 70" 650 / Pioneer SC-1222k / Polk RT-55 / Polk CS-250
Den - Rotel RSP-1068 / Threshold CAS-2 / Boston VR-M60 / BDP-05FD -
What he said.
Is there going to be a TV above the mantle, too?
RT-12, CS350-LS, PSW-300, Infinity Overture 1, Monoprice RC-65i
Adcom GFA-545II, GFA-6000, Outlaw Audio 990, Netgear NeoTV
Denon DCM-460, DMD-1000, Sony BDP-360, Bravia KDL-40Z4100/S
Monster AVL-300, HTS-2500 MKII -
HA! That is what I thought, mostly because of what I remember from basic stereo sound dynamics when I was a worthy audiophile. I still might experiment a bit out of curiosity. Also, I might even alter the cabinets doors via replacing them with a frame covered by speaker grill fabric, removing shelves, and standing the speakers upright inside the cabinet. Would it make much difference if the speakers were inverted, thereby getting the tweeters at sitting ear level?
As for an HDTV in the mix, no. My wife trumped me on that one also, but did offer up a room that we have dedicated to a theater-like den (with impressive acoustics) and doesn't complain about my often quirkiness.
Peace,
Dr. Z. -
If you put them up there, angle them down toward the listening area.
-
Make sure you buy a 3rd RTI 12 to lay on its side for a center channel.AVR: Onkyo Tx-NR808
Amplifier: Carver A-753x 250 watts x 3
Fronts: Polk RTI A7 (modded by Trey VR3)
Center: CSI A4 (modded by Trey VR3)
Rear: FXI A4
Sub: Polk DSW Pro 660wi
TV: LG Infinia 50PX950 3D
Speaker Cable: AudioQuest Type 8
IC: AudioQuest Black Mamba II -
I would just use nice quality bookshelves and call it a day...Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:
M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires
Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :
LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3 -
Hire a competent cabinet maker..........modify the lower cabinets to accept some old-style Polk monitors. Voila.... or "walla" !
-
I think you would lose the cohesion of the drivers since they aren't made to be oriented horizontally.
That space looks more than big enough for a nice set of bookshelves though, I think you would get better sound per dollar from a nice set of bookshelves than you would trying to cram towers into an unnatural position.
This is coming from someone who has never tried towers on their sides however, so here is your grain of salt to go along with my advice.
