Proper stand height for Lsi7's

Jazzdrummer

I'm new to this forum so first I'd like to say "hello" the membership. Like many of you I took advantage of the Fry's "Christmas in June" speaker event and picked up a pair of the Lsi7's. From reading a number of posts in this forum, there seems to be some disagreement about the proper stand height for the Lsi7. Polk recommends that a 36" stand be used which puts the top of the speaker at about 50". This level establishes the tweeter well above ear level when setting in the average chair (unless you are setting on a bar stool). Further, this height puts the Lsi7 5 inches above the top level of my Klipsch RF-7's which top out at 45" on height. It's hard for me to imagine a need to have the Lsi7's setting above the top edge of these large towers in relative height. Please, no Klipsch vs. Polk commentary. I love the in your face HT soundstage that Klipsch provides. Upstream components include B&K Reference 50 Prepro/ATI amplification/Sony 9000ES DVD).

I'm using the Lsi7's in a 2-channel stereo set up for mostly Jazz. I'm trying to determine if Polk recommends the Lsi7 be stationed at a top edge height of 50" due to design considerations or if the relationship of the tweeter and ear height should guide what size speaker stand should be employed (which would dictate the use of a shorter stand). I'm leaning towards purchasing the 30" Sanus model available through Polk unless their are compelling reasons I should consider the 36" model. By the way, the Lsi7's sound wonderful - at just about any height.

Finally, I can see no evidence that the Lsi7' I purchased were refurbished in any form. The "refurbished" sale sticker was pasted over the same store original sale sticker bearing the initial store information. The packing appeared to be factory fresh without reused materials.

steveinaz

Usually the recommendation is to have the tweeter at ear level when sitting in your listening chair, however, personal preference may prevail and you may prefer the sound with the speakers at a different height.

There's no hard/fast rule.....

Oh, and WELCOME!

scottnbnj

for me,.. i recline in while i listen and don't like looking down my nose at the image, so i go with the tweet a little higher than ear level. that helps too for standing around ear height.

for you,.. you seem to have all of the height considerations under control. now it's just a matter figuring out what you like best.

if you want to experiment or think about it more, it might help to find something around the house to prop them up at various heights to get an idea of what it will sound like. or if you're not into that, you could use your old speaks' tweet height as a guide. if you are convinced you like that image height, stands that raise the lsi's tweets to that level might get you in the same ballpark(though in reality i think there are probably more variables).

one advantage to remember about bookshelves over floorstanders, though, is that it's easier to change the height to what *you* think sounds best.

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TroyD

I prefer a shorter stand for purely asthetic reasons.

I've found that the amount of toe in is more important than how high the speakers are. I've found that the LSi's have to be pointed right at you for best results.

BDT

Good to see Paul lurking about! Lends a certain amount of class to the joint.

faster100

Polk paul, I just got a set of lsi7's and have them keyhole mounted to a wall that is wooden slat style... Seems when i lowered them from about 40" to the bottom of the speaker to where the tweeter was eye level , i lost alot of spl..... the bass was decreased and the overall sound was crap compared to when i raised them back up... any reasons for this or suggestions? and should i maybe use wall swival mounts to toe them in ? I do not plan to use stands at all.. the room is small and i dont want a stand.... Thanks for your help

Jazzdrummer

Thanks to everybody for the input concerning my question about proper Lsi7 stand height. I've decided to go with the 30" Sanus Foundations model available through Polk shopping. This height puts the tweeter at roughly 42" which is just about ear level in a typical seated position. Now, if Polk will just discount the Lsi9's.......

scottnbnj

Originally posted by "Polk" Paul DiComo How high the tweeter is relative to your listening height depends on how close you are sitting to the speakers. If you are in the near field you want the tweet to be just about dead on with your ears. But for typical situations, as long as you are wihin a few inches, you're cool.

agreed on near field, i do find myself looking for the image higher the closer i get. i'll just echo it because i don't remember seeing it stated quite so directly before.

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TroyD

Originally posted by "Polk" Paul DiComo
Class? You must have me confused with someone else.

Hey, anyone that appreciated my 'teabag' story has got class in my book.

BDT

scottnbnj

Originally posted by faster100
Seems when i lowered them from about 40" to the bottom of the speaker to where the tweeter was eye level , i lost alot of spl..... the bass was decreased and the overall sound was crap compared to when i raised them back up...

anything within a couple feet of the power ports will reinforce the bass(or suck it up, i guess, depending on the material).

with my 9's from zero to within a couple inches off of the wall, a 3/4" door casing protruding from the wall was enough to pull the bass image off center. early in break-in i noticed a big difference moving away from the floor(stand change) from 24" to 32", i don't know how much difference it would make now that the huffing has stopped.

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