Should I tilt my monitors?

[Miska]

I'd like to install my KRK V6 speakers 5-10cm higher than the optimal listening height and then tilt them slightly down. I'd use stands that can be attached to the wall. They have a "tilt screw".
Is this adviceable? Will it still be possible to listen to the monitors in the back of the room? (about 2 meters back from the sweet spot)

Thanks,
Miska

[tINY]

I wouldn't worriy about being exactly on axis so much.

The more important thing is keeping the high frequency form bouncing around as much. I imagine that you have to go 40-60 degrees off axis on those monitors before the tweeters start rolling off, so any slight tilt won't change much at all.




-tINY

[pdlstl]

Do you angle them in horizontally toward your mix position?

Tilting them up or down a bit is pretty much the same thing in my book.

As long as they are angled in toward the mix position or tilted up or down toward the mix position, they will never sound as good anywhere as the mix position. But will be heard at the back of room, just not like the mix position.

Did I write "mix position" enough?

[peeder]

I favor being 100% perfectly on axis, but the thing that sounds the most concerning about your proposal is coupling the speakers with the wall. This makes me think the wall will become a huge soundboard for the bass, not to mention keeping the speakers very close to the wall, all of which could give a huge and uneven bass buildup at the wall's (and room's) resonant frequency. I.e. "one-note bass."

It's better to use sand-filled speaker stands that rest on spikes on the floor. I also use Aurlex Mopads under my monitors to decouple and angle them. But your proposal may work anyway...

[Miska]

Thank you for helping out!

Peeder,

With the stands I have the distance from the wall to the back of the speaker will be 15 cm. Is that too close?

Also, the stand doesn't attach to the speaker with screws. It has a "jaw" under the speaker. On that I could install a piece of plywood with Auralex MoPADs.
Do you think this would isolate the speakers from the wall?

Thanks,

Miska

[tcause]

The mopads will help... getting further from the wall on isolated stands is the ideal but many many peoples rooms preclude this

as far as tilt goes the general theory is to get the tweeters aimed in a vertical sense at your ear level. mopads are often good for helping this...

as far as toe-in is concerned, rather than the full equilateral triangle approach, I have found that the alternate theory of having them aim for a point about 1 m directly behid your head as a starting point provides in most instances a better sweet spot and imaging.

I don't know whether you have read Michael Stavros' book Mixing with your Mind... but he spends a lot of time on spacing your monitors i.e. experimenting with the width between your monitors and not going necessarily for the full equilateral triangle thing...though you might end up there... requires a bit of fiddling around and some help from a couple of friends or a lot of patience... but the technique really does allow you to find a better centre for your monitoring and I strongly recommend the approach.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Miska

I'd like to install my KRK V6 speakers 5-10cm higher than the optimal listening height and then tilt them slightly down.

That's not a great idea. The main problem is as you lean forward and back, even a little, you'll be moving in and out of being on axis with the tweeters. Frequency response changes enough just from comb filtering even when the tweeters are at ear height. Angling them down only makes this effect worse.

--Ethan

[Blackwater]

I have been wondering about tilting monitors as well.
My argosy console enclosure is higher than my ears, well almost, so my monitors are on stands immediately behind and to the left and right of the corners of the lid and slightly higher which puts the tweeter higher than it should be. Anybody have the same problem. Should I tip them on their sides and put them on top of the argosy???.... Using B&W 805S'

Ethan,
Anything I can I do about reflections from the lid of the enclosure????

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by Blackwater

same problem. Should I tip them on their sides and put them on top of the argosy???.... Using B&W 805S'

I have a pair of NS10s as second monitors on speaker stands that cannot be adjusted. The tweeters were about a foot too high so I just put them upside down.

Anything I can I do about reflections from the lid of the enclosure????

A sheet of foam? Reflections off a console is yet one more reason to consider ITB.



--Ethan

[Blackwater]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

I have a pair of NS10s as second monitors on speaker stands that cannot be adjusted. The tweeters were about a foot too high so I just put them upside down.



A sheet of foam? Reflections off a console is yet one more reason to consider ITB.



--Ethan

Too Funny!!!!!!

I can't turn my B&W's upside down because the tweeter sits on top on the speaker cabinet. Oh Well.