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Why are tweeters so high off of the ground in many tower speakers...

...when most peoples ears are much lower when seated??

I've read many times that the tweeter should be at approximately ear level.  Well, I am 6 feet tall, and sitting straight up on my couch my ears are about 40 inches off the floor, lower of course if slouch.  My Artemis - Eos speakers have the tweeters at 45 inches high, so not too bad, but many others that I've seen are 50 inches high and more and I don't understand the designer's thinking.   Is a 10 - 12 inch difference in height acceptable or should the speaker be tilted down, which I think would create a whole new set of issues.
aigenga
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,105 posts
 
A competently designed speaker will use the vertical dispersion characteristics of the tweeter (and upper midrange) drivers to great advantage to provide realistic and natural perceived height of performers and instruments in the soundstage as well as critical tonal impact at an ear height that should be specified and adhered to.

I built a podium for my listening sofa to sit upon to achieve this as it was too low without and I suspect this is an issue in many such situations.

Dave
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,424 posts
 
....................... I can say the Artemis EOS were one of my favorite speakers I've ever owned.
I never owned them but I loved them.
erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
Keeping the tweeter away from the floor delays the "floor bounce" effect, improving perceived clarity.

Designers will strive for wide horizontal but limited vertical dispersion. Normal dome tweeters have a conical dispersion field however. They disperse vertically and horizontally equally, which presents a little bit of a challenge.

Revel (and others) will use a waveguide to help shape this dispersion to more of an ideal pattern. The floor and ceiling do not need to hear the speaker after all. :)

Best,

E
gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
The speakers and I sit in an equilateral triangle nine feet on each side, and they point directly at my ears.

A lot of good replies to your post already by some knowledgeable folks, but the reality is there is no etched in stone rule. Dispersal pattern of all drivers, room characteristics and your own ear height in the seated position all matter. That said, and if I'm not mistaken, I do have reason to believe that speakers are best towed at the listener when they are *NOT* aimed *directly* at your ears, but instead *directly behind* your head at ear level. Subtle, but meaningful.


kalali's avatar
kalali
1,645 posts
 

From Stereophile:

"The speaker's balance becomes significantly flatter through the treble for listeners who sit with their ears around 30" from the floor.


Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/artemis-systems-eos-signature-loudspeaker-amp-base-module-measur...

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