Steve, when I had Alexandrias, I set them up myself including the spiking process. On more than one occasion I also jacked them up and put the wheels back in to do a little fine tuning on placement. It's more comforting to have a spotter but you can do it yourself. Just be careful that you jack the speaker up only as far as you need to to swap out the footers. In fact, putting the wheels in and out is the difficult part because you need to jack higher for them. Swapping Stillpoints for spikes should be easier.
Doctor's Orders-Part Two-The New Listening Room Of Steve Williams
- Thread starter steve williams
- Start date
Steve, when I had Alexandrias, I set them up myself including the spiking process. On more than one occasion I also jacked them up and put the wheels back in to do a little fine tuning on placement. It's more comforting to have a spotter but you can do it yourself. Just be careful that you jack the speaker up only as far as you need to to swap out the footers. In fact, putting the wheels in and out is the difficult part because you need to jack higher for them. Swapping Stillpoints for spikes should be easier.
I do but I want to be certain that 1. the ultra 5's sit in the exact footprint of my spikes
2. the speakers are level in all planes
A question to users of ultra 5's under their speakers.........can the speaker position be inadvertently moved by moving the speaker, something which can't happen when the speakers are spiked? It took me many weeks to get the position of my speakers correct and even a 1/4" change can make a huge change in the soundstage
I do have the jack but due to the lack of available geography it would be difficult to place the jack behind the speaker. Also I have found the jack works best on a hardwood floor rather than carpet
I have done the same Frank many times in my other room. It is not placing the jack in the front of the speaker but rather being able to place it safely in the back of the speaker. It is too difficult to safely do this
Once I saw you couldn't put the jack behind the speaker I knew that idea was out. I can see it in your picture.
it is doable by moving my amps forward as well as the Fathom subs, hence the need for an extra person. I do have a pair of very large men who helped me set up my speakers but they wont be available for a day or two. They have helped me with the spikes without moving anything
It's my understanding they can slide around on carpet, but I don't imagine that would happen too easily with the weight of X2's.
I did assume such and hence my question. Also the spike is far more precise than the bottom of the Ultra5. I want to be certain that this does not cause any deviation in the speaker's position
Should make the speaker easier to move into the exact position you want it.
I agree except that the goal would be to center the bottom of the Ultra 5 over the spike mark in the carpet. Blue painter's tape will be used for sure
Thanks Steve. BTW: There will be some change (however slight) due the to possible differences in the height of the Stillpoint vs. the original spikes when tilting the speakers to install them. Hopefully minor but different nonetheless. You may want to tape the outline of the speaker in order to be in the ballpark once the Stilpoints are installed. This could result in only minor/slight adjustments to get back (or as close as possible) to the original setting via sliding or tilt-walking the speaker while your help is around.
There is one negative report of some Ultra 5s being placed under an SME 30/12. They turned the sound to mud according to the owner and he removed them. They sounded great under other components in his system. That is the only negative comments I'm aware of or have read about on these forums.
I find that a digital laser measuring device is much more accurate than a tape outline on the floor. The tape gets you close, but if you want to be within 1/16th" or closer, you need the laser, IMO. I would put a yellow sticky pad with a mark on each wall exactly where the laser hits when you place the laser on each of the four faces of each speaker. With the Wilson design, the bass module may work best. That will get you to the exact same position. This method also works great for precise and symmetrical toe-in. You don't need to be concerned with the distances, just that the laser dot falls on the mark on all four walls. If you do this for each speaker face, it will be locked in to the same position. For tilt and height, just place the device on top of the tweeter module.
Tape is just a start Peter. I also use a laser light and like you have found that as little as 1/4" difference of toe in at the speaker position can widen things at the listening position by as much as 8-9" on each side. What I do is place blue painter tape on the top of my listening chair on either side of each ear and mark where the laser crosses this tape on each side
I would suggest disconnecting your subwoofers when you first start listening to your system after Stillpoints installation, because you will very probably need to adjust your subwoofer settings, and if you don't do that you may find the bass a little odd.
I agree Robert
In fact I had to adjust my subwoofer settings after installing the twin Typhons with my amps so I do understand the point you are making
In fact I had to adjust my subwoofer settings after installing the twin Typhons with my amps so I do understand the point you are making
Hi Steve, here is my experience on this point, since I was one of the people who found placement to make a difference. I had placed the Stillpoints Ultra 5s under my components as a trial...just stuck them underneath. Then I flipped them the other way around just to see what would happen. Big difference and not for the better. That got me thinking, and I noticed that as I moved them around (not always symmetrically) I found the sound to change.
The best possible I can explain for this is that it relates whatever is inside the component that is most sensitive to vibration. My 'reasoning' is that I also have experimented with placing dampers on each of my components...and strangely I found the an off-centre spot on my CJ GAT benefited from placed an Ultra 5 on top. I thought for weeks it was hocus pocus, and since it was off-centre, it kept bugging me. But every time I centered it...the benefits disappeared (and were not replaced with anything better no matter where else I placed it...only this one spot).
I then [randomly] saw a photo of the interior of the CJ GAT...and saw that there is some circuitry EXACTLY underneath the spot where my Ultra 5 sits...and this circuitry is NOT duplicated on the opposite/parallel side...it is only on the left side coming off the power inlet.
I suppose that placing the Ultra 5 closest to the vibration-sensitive parts of your equipment can make that much of a difference. Of course, as the old saying goes...YMMV! Hope that helps. Good luck.
