S2EX upgrade tweeter height + amp placement

[arkbay]

Recently upgraded from 8yr old setup CMT340 SE fronts*+* HTMs rears to S2EX + Luna. Always had 4.1 with a phantom center and continue to do so.

Few comments/questions:

1) The entire family got so used to the neat look of CMTs on TP pedestal stands (+ associated height & matching black on black) over the years that the INITIAL reaction of placing S2s on TP stands was *not* a visual joy. The Sierras not being black (I bought them off of CL) didn't help either. Let's just say there was a fair amount of aesthetics/WAF related discussion

I reached out to a forum member who spray painted CBM into Ferrari Red to see if I can color match. One more item for the Honey Do list.

2) I knew the specs of speakers beforehand (am a regular, but silent participant, on the forum; and, yes, I've been waiting for the updated website for the last 4 years Dave. I hear Nov is showtime) but personally hearing the loss in efficiency from CMT to S2 was glaring!* Well, I used it as an opportunity to explain dB, logarithmic scale and efficiencies to my high school kids.

Again, I'm only talking about the efficiency adv of CMT.* FYI, I still need to fine tune my setup (lost Audyssey mic)

3) Would you recommend raising the height of the speaker stand for S2EX from tweeter <==> ear level point of view? I did not tape measure, but I think the tweeter height TP+CMT is the same as TP+S2. Any recommendations?

4) As part of the upgrade, I also bought an old fan-less 5-channel Parasound amp (HCA-2205AT).* Am pairing with Denon X3700H. However, this amp is such a beast that I cannot fit it any which way into my TV stand. For now, I'm powering the speakers directly from the receiver (which also explains 2 above).

Few options I'm thinking of:

a) Place the amp outside the console and then place Rythmik F12 on top of it. Worried about heat dissipation and impact on the sub.
b) As the amp is fanless & has no moving parts, place it vertically (on one side of the console, and then keep the sub on the other side of the console).

I'm thinking (b) might be a better choice, but would appreciate inputs from the experts and folks who might have had similar experience. Is there a risk with either, given that the amp consumes 1600W?

Thanks in advance

PS: If anyone runs S2s or Lunas naked/without the grilles and willing to part them, please DM me (naturally, I'll pay),

[racrawford65]

Can you place the amp on top of the console? That's what I did with one of mine.
If you place it outside, I'd put the amp on top of the Rythmik and not put the Rythmik on top of the amp. In this way, the amp can cool.

You could also put some vibration dampers between Rythmik and the amp, if you wish. I use some like those in the link between my E15 and Cambridge Streamer (Streamer is on top of sub as no more room in my console).

https://www.amazon.com/Air-Jade-Anti...a-792201167664

[elan120]

Few options I'm thinking of:

a) Place the amp outside the console and then place Rythmik F12 on top of it. Worried about heat dissipation and impact on the sub.
b) As the amp is fanless & has no moving parts, place it vertically (on one side of the console, and then keep the sub on the other side of the console).

I had the same amp, IIRC, it runs warm, and will need good ventilation space around the unit to help dissipate the heat and the vibration isn't good for the amp, so option [a] is not a good consideration. I have never considered option [b] in the past for two reasons, first, the amp is designed with best heat dissipation when they are placed on their feet, and second, amp will have less impact from the vibration with the feet down, although the stock feet isn't great, but will still provide some amount of vibration isolation, but if this is the only way it can fit, at least it is a better option than [a].

[petmotel]

You can order new grilles from Ascend. What color are the EXs? I have satin espresso S2s sitting on TP stands, I think they look great even though they're not a perfect match.

Jay

[loafer]

I agree with petmotel that the satin expresso S2 looks pretty good on the black TP stands, and this combo squeaked by the WAF. If I had the natural finish and possibly the cherry finish, this would have gone down in flames.

I am going to guess that raising the S2 speakers 4 or 5 inches is not going to make much difference. I used to have my S2 tweeters about 4 inches below my ear height when using the stands, and have recently moved them to a shelf so they are exactly ear height, and I could not tell the difference. Get your in-house "WAF expert" to measure your ear height when you are sitting. Then you could test this by adding a temporary box or several large books under your S2 to raise it up and try an A/B listening test.

[N Boros]

I agree with petmotel that the satin expresso S2 looks pretty good on the black TP stands, and this combo squeaked by the WAF. If I had the natural finish and possibly the cherry finish, this would have gone down in flames.

I am going to guess that raising the S2 speakers 4 or 5 inches is not going to make much difference. I used to have my S2 tweeters about 4 inches below my ear height when using the stands, and have recently moved them to a shelf so they are exactly ear height, and I could not tell the difference. Get your in-house "WAF expert" to measure your ear height when you are sitting. Then you could test this by adding a temporary box or several large books under your S2 to raise it up and try an A/B listening test.

I was the crazy person that wanted tweeter height exactly at ear level when sitting up straight. Most often I’ll slouch or recline and I hear no difference, from 7 or 8 feet away. Might aim for ear height between sitting up and reclining if you are buying stands, but if not then don’t worry about it. The difference is noticeable if you stand up. If it doesn’t sound like that then don’t worry about it.