Help me optimize speaker height!

[AccessDenied]

Hello community~

I have a set of RB-35s that I received as a gift almost 10 years ago.
I love these speakers and they do the job for my little apartment.  However, I want to get them off the floor!!!

I know, rookie mistake already, bookshelf speakers on the floor... What am I thinking!

Well working full-time and just getting out of college I have a lot more on my mind then building speaker stands, until now that is.

I'm about to build two speaker stands with shelving underneath for the misses...  I need help determining the height?!

I'm assuming there are people out there who know how to optimize speaker height... % above ear level? Room dimensions matter? 
I figured they'll sound better off the floor regardless. Just if I'm building these from scratch, I'd rather do it right the first time...

We have vaulted ceilings if that matters.

 

Thanks for reading and any input you all may have!!

-Logan

[mattSER]

You'll want the horns exactly at ear level.

Great speakers, by the way!

They are front ported, so you have lots of flexibility with placement. You can put them close to the rear wall without suffocating them like rear ported models.

Edited October 24, 2014 by mattSER

[willland]

I have a set of RB-35s that I received as a gift almost 10 years ago. I love these speakers and they do the job for my little apartment.  However, I want to get them off the floor!!!

 

 

With these 22" stands, the center of the horns of my RB-75's are at 38" from floor.  My ear height when I am sitting on the sofa is 40".  For 2-channel music, just about perfect IMO.

 

Now the RB-35's are a little over an inch shorter than the 75's.

 

Ideally, I think you should go with a 24"(bottom and top platform) speaker stand.

 

Bill

Edited October 24, 2014 by willland

[CECAA850]

You'll want the horns exactly at ear level.

 

x2

 

Figure out your seated ear height and go from there.

[mustang guy]

Also, toe them in a foot or two behind the head of the primary listening position rather than directly at it. 

[moray james]

Also, toe them in a foot or two behind the head of the primary listening position rather than directly at it.

I find that in most situations people will usually adjust the toe in of their loudspeakers so that they obtain the smoothest response (or the desired response). Off axis response is generally softer (rolled off) than directly on axis for the most part but room reflections will also come into play. You can listen off axis on the inside or the outside of a horn. Depending upon what you feel is correct you can adjust the focal point of the loudspeaker en front of directly at or behind the listening position and each location will present stage and image differently. There are some who set up speaker on a coplanar fashion and while I have listened to some set up this way which sounded very good I generally do not like or recommend this configuration. For horns which can often become more directional at high frequencies I like to install diffraction devices to extend the response and make the dispersion within the horns radiation more uniform. This then allows me to set up the loudspeaker so that I am looking directly down the throats of the speakers from the listening position(on axis)where the response should be the smoothest and not have too much high end. Stage and image are very well balanced with this type of set up. Not the only way do do the job but it works and is consistent. Best regards Moray James.

[mattSER]

Also, toe them in a foot or two behind the head of the primary listening position rather than directly at it.

Based on my experience, I have to disagree with this.

I find that toed out past the listening position is better than toed too far in, but I get the best result with the horns toed in exactly to the listening position.