Right height for bookshelves

I have been considering Sierra 2's for my LRC channels in my living room for some time now. In preparation, I am looking at stands for the left and right channels. My question - what is the optimum height for the speakers? I have heard the that the tweeter should be at ear level. But I have also heard that the middle of the speaker (between the woofer and tweeter) should be at ear level to allow for blending of the woofer and tweeter. My ears are about 42" off the ground when sitting. That gives me around 30" stands for option A or 36" for option B. What does Ascend recommend? I will be sitting about 9 feet from each speaker. I think that only comes out to 3 degrees difference between the two options, but I might as well get it as close to optimum as I can since I haven't purchased the stands yet.

The acoustic center of the speaker is between the woofer and tweeter, which is about 9" from the bottom of the speaker. The middle of the tweeter is about 11.5" from the bottom of the speaker.

That said, at 9', you won't hear the difference, IMO. Between the two choices, I think it would be better to think about getting the stand so the LR height is closest to center speaker, or the center of the TV.

I generally recommend stands between 26" - 30". That said, as Curtis mentioned, at your listening distance -- you would never hear a difference of a few degrees above or below.

so a 24" stand is a no go?

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Originally Posted by andrey

so a 24" stand is a no go?

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That's not what we are saying.

How high are your ears when seated at the listening position?

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Originally Posted by curtis

That's not what we are saying.

How high are your ears when seated at the listening position?

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sorry, I probably misunderstood.. height ranges between 36-39", as well not sure if this helps, but if considering sitting in the sweet spot, the distance to rears and surround speakers would be in the range of 6-8'
thanks

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Originally Posted by andrey

sorry, I probably misunderstood.. height ranges between 36-39", as well not sure if this helps, but if considering sitting in the sweet spot, the distance to rears and surround speakers would be in the range of 6-8'
thanks

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Then 36-39" is where you want the acoustic center of the front speakers to be when on stands. That would be the ultimate. Dave's general recommendation would just about be perfect in your situation.

For HT purposes, you would want the surrounds to be about 2-3 feet higher than that.

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Originally Posted by curtis

Then 36-39" is where you want the acoustic center of the front speakers to be when on stands. That would be the ultimate. Dave's general recommendation would just about be perfect in your situation.

For HT purposes, you would want the surrounds to be about 2-3 feet higher than that.

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My fronts are Sierra Towers and center is Horizon, the surrounds and rears are Sierra-2s, and this setup includes 4 ceiling speakers and 2 subs (7.2.4)

If I follow your advise for surrounds (2-3 feet higher), and taking into account the value for ac. center of S2s of 9 inches from bottom, I'll need a stand height of at least 48-50 inches.. since no such stand is available, I need several shelves..

considering that my ceiling speakers will act on behalf of height channels too, do you still recommend to position surrounds and rears that high?

thanks

Hello I'm new to this forum. I'm living in Vienna Austria and am seeking the opportunity to listen to the Sierra 2's and would also LOVE to listen to the Ascend Tower's.

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Originally Posted by andrey

My fronts are Sierra Towers and center is Horizon, the surrounds and rears are Sierra-2s, and this setup includes 4 ceiling speakers and 2 subs (7.2.4)

If I follow your advise for surrounds (2-3 feet higher), and taking into account the value for ac. center of S2s of 9 inches from bottom, I'll need a stand height of at least 48-50 inches.. since no such stand is available, I need several shelves..

considering that my ceiling speakers will act on behalf of height channels too, do you still recommend to position surrounds and rears that high?

thanks

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Sorry...didn't realize you have Sierra Towers already....the thread started as stands for the front stage.

My advice is what is recommended by Dolby, DTS, THX, etc. You should probably research their recommendations.

Resurrecting this to triple check before I pick up my Sierra 2's on Friday.
My listening room doubles as a recording studio, so when listening to audio I sit in a desk chair which puts my ears at about 46" from the ground.
So, would I be looking for 36 inch stands then?

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Originally Posted by Jaybeez

Resurrecting this to triple check before I pick up my Sierra 2's on Friday.
My listening room doubles as a recording studio, so when listening to audio I sit in a desk chair which puts my ears at about 46" from the ground.
So, would I be looking for 36 inch stands then?

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With an ear height of 46", I would recommend ~ 36" stands...

Thank you Dave.

I was planning on purchasing the TP-24 stands with Sierra-2s for my home theater putting the acoustic center at 33" (24" height + 9" to the acoustic center). I think my ear height when seated is closer to 39" but I'm sitting about 10' back, will this make a significant difference?

I believe that with the 24" stands it will make the LR channels line up fairly closely with the height of my center channel, which will be below my TV so unfortunately I don't have much height adjustments for that (other than perhaps putting something below the center to raise it up ~1" or so).

I will say I like that the TP-24s match the satin black Sierra 2s, so if a taller stand would be recommended are there any specific stands anyone could recommend that match the Sierras fairly well?

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Originally Posted by kingcrowing

I will say I like that the TP-24s match the satin black Sierra 2s, so if a taller stand would be recommended are there any specific stands anyone could recommend that match the Sierras fairly well?

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One thing to keep in mind is that the TP-24 sands are made of MDF and the S2's are made of Bamboo, so there may be a slight difference in how they look. Don't know if that matters to you or not.

I use these stands and I love them. They come in 4 different heights.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PGLS300

I think "close enough" is fine, but i like that it gives them a sort of tower look, and I also like the included back plate to secure them to the stands.

Those ones are nice, but they don't appear to be fillable with sand which I've heard can make a pretty big difference?

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Originally Posted by kingcrowing

I was planning on purchasing the TP-24 stands with Sierra-2s for my home theater putting the acoustic center at 33" (24" height + 9" to the acoustic center). I think my ear height when seated is closer to 39" but I'm sitting about 10' back, will this make a significant difference?

I believe that with the 24" stands it will make the LR channels line up fairly closely with the height of my center channel, which will be below my TV so unfortunately I don't have much height adjustments for that (other than perhaps putting something below the center to raise it up ~1" or so).

I will say I like that the TP-24s match the satin black Sierra 2s, so if a taller stand would be recommended are there any specific stands anyone could recommend that match the Sierras fairly well?

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Hi King,

I just wanted to clarify something - the satin black bamboo finish does not match the finish on the TP-24 stands. These stands are a textured black matte wrap. To match the stands - you would need to order black matte Sierra-2 (which we also have). The black matte for the Sierra-2 is a painted textured black matte, a higher quality finish compared to the TP-24 - so not an *exact* match but close enough.

Thanks again!

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Originally Posted by kingcrowing

I think "close enough" is fine, but i like that it gives them a sort of tower look, and I also like the included back plate to secure them to the stands.

Those ones are nice, but they don't appear to be fillable with sand which I've heard can make a pretty big difference?

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To each their own, but I'd rather have the Satin finish over the Matte one most of the time, although right now in my dark HT room I'm kind of wishing I had the Matte finish...

The Pangea stands are fillable with sand, but if you're running wires through one of the poles you wouldn't want to fill that one with sand. The opening isn't very large though so you'd want to use a really fine grain.

I don't fill my stands. The Pangea stands are really heavy without any filler. Just having speakers on stands makes a huge difference.

Yeah I do like the Satin finish as well, I'm also considering natural as well.

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Originally Posted by kingcrowing

Yeah I do like the Satin finish as well, I'm also considering natural as well.

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You can't see the grain in the wood from a distance (although up close it looks incredible) on the Satin finish, so the coolest part about the Natural finish is that you see all of the beauty in the bamboo. If you're going for a dedicated music listening setup, I'd go with Natural on the Pangea stands, it would look jaw dropping gorgeous IMHO. Add the Rythmik sub, Schiit DAC and preamp of your choice when your budget allows and there's a world class system right there.

While music will be about half my use, they'll also be used (with a matching Sierra 2 center and a sub) for home theater. My tv and all components are black, which is why I'm leaning towards saying black, but the bamboo looks great and they're on sale...

Which of the finishes for the Sierra 2 are made in the US? It sounds like the natural bamboo is, what other ones are? That would certainly be a priority for me!

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Originally Posted by kingcrowing

Which of the finishes for the Sierra 2 are made in the US? It sounds like the natural bamboo is, what other ones are? That would certainly be a priority for me!

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The domestic made Sierra-2 cabinets are available in the same exact finishes as the towers and horizons.

Domestic made cabinets:

Satin Espresso
Satin Cherry
Natural
Black Matte
Satin Black Bamboo


Standard cabinets:

Piano Black
Natural
Satin Dark Cherry
Satin Dark Espresso

All Sierra-2 cabinets presently offered on our website are for the standard cabinets. For domestic cabinets, simply give us a call (they do cost slightly more)

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Originally Posted by sludgeogre

One thing to keep in mind is that the TP-24 sands are made of MDF and the S2's are made of Bamboo, so there may be a slight difference in how they look. Don't know if that matters to you or not.

I use these stands and I love them. They come in 4 different heights.

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PGLS300

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Hey sludgeogre,

I'm liking those Pangea stands. They appear to have a good design at a reasonable price.

Question; How do you feel about the stability of these stands with your Sierras? I see the top plates are only 6x6 inches square.

I have the Sierra 1's in Piano Black and currently have them on the TP-24 stands which have been fine. However, I think my Sierras will look a touch classier on metal pedestal stands while raising them to the 26 inch height. This topic and discussion is very useful to me!

btw, I plan to upgrade, one way or the other, to the 2's in the next year; possibly via kits.

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Originally Posted by rifmon

Hey sludgeogre,

I'm liking those Pangea stands. They appear to have a good design at a reasonable price.

Question; How do you feel about the stability of these stands with your Sierras? I see the top plates are only 6x6 inches square.

I have the Sierra 1's in Piano Black and currently have them on the TP-24 stands which have been fine. However, I think my Sierras will look a touch classier on metal pedestal stands while raising them to the 26 inch height. This topic and discussion is very useful to me!

btw, I plan to upgrade, one way or the other, to the 2's in the next year; possibly via kits.

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They are immensely stable and sturdy. They take a little while to put together, but are very high quality. Pangea has gone through a couple design iterations on their stuff and it's the best it has been right now. Most stands like this are all 6x6 top plates. I have had even larger speakers on top plates like this and it has never been an issue for me.

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Originally Posted by sludgeogre

They are immensely stable and sturdy. They take a little while to put together, but are very high quality. Pangea has gone through a couple design iterations on their stuff and it's the best it has been right now. Most stands like this are all 6x6 top plates. I have had even larger speakers on top plates like this and it has never been an issue for me.

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Awesome! Thanks for your reply. I think they'll look better and the slight elevation will be a plus.