***You might not be able to see it very well with the little incline it has, but my Rocket RS250 speakers are a tilted a little upwards in the picture***
As this wild semester for me is winding down, my online classes are also winding down (or not because Finals), I’ve been pretty much stuck at home listening as well as still helping out my dad at times with his Audiophile reviewing stuff, I’ve been up to a little bit myself. If you look at my set-up page right now, there are a few things that might catch your attention. First of all, my study desk seating position is quite bit higher than the tweeter position with the speakers on the stands. I’ve been trying and getting loaned a lot my dad’s stuff this period, so I’ve been changing a lot of things around. I’ve also switched my speakers around at least 6 times since the review for the PS Audio DAC and the Emerald Physics amplifier. But after discussing a few things with my dad, he suggested somehow lifting my Rocket RS-250 speakers a little, in the front to tilt them upwards a little, because I was doing it for my Sony SS-K10ED at one point because I was looking for ways to make it a little more ideal for my higher listening position.
At one point I did tell him that my Sony SS-K10ED was giving me better sound stage and imaging than my Rocket RS-250, on a combination he was asking me to try out, which was using his Auralic Altair with the Emerald Physics Amplifier. As there were some feet attached to the Sony’s from when it was bought, and placed in a triangular way, I used the front 2 on the stands and let the last one hang out the back of the stand top as a way to tilt it upwards. I didn’t do this for my Rockets. I’m not entirely sure how this works, but I have since found unused “feet” which I’ve never attached on anything and never will, and I placed the two on the stands and then placed the rockets like shown in the picture, and effectively lifted the Rockets a little. Although, because of already attached feet on the stand’s top which moved for some reason and is atrociously in different place because the glue de-laminated possibly during the move, I couldn’t raise it up as evenly, but it doesn’t appear to affect the sound that much except actually improve it, so I wasn’t too worried.
But even more than that, I was more surprised at the improvements that was brought from these speakers at just lifting the speakers a little. From a very rough estimate, it’s only about a 5 degree or so increase, but from the previous positioning, This was pretty substantial improvement. Imaging was more improved where I usually sit, the sound stage was more real, and one very noticeable difference was the fact that the reverb of the “stage” was more continued, and was previously seemingly unnaturally stopped, although I was unsure why. But now that it’s not, I’ll be keeping this position for the time being.
As for why, like I said, I’m not sure why, but looking at other speakers, of which I was informed by my dad, such as certain Sonus Faber speakers, and some other ones, which induce this “lift” by having an angled fact to the speaker, this might have to do with the fact that this can improve the sound stage by doing so, according to my dad, and at least for me, even more so since I have an elevated listening position. This was further proven when my dad actually “upgraded” and bought himself some Revel Ultima studio speakers, he also emphasized the fact that the tweeter and midbass woofer on the upper cabinet of the speakers were “tilted” upwards as well.
In other words, this is quite the discovery for me, and I’ll be employing this tactic for my seating position and other endeavors from now, unless not needed. This lifting of the front of my speakers has brought about quite the interesting find, and I’m going to keep my speakers this way, unless they sound better without the tilt in future projects.
HIFI Sound Enthusiast 