LCR 600 S3 Placement Questions

[bresna]

Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere but the search function doesn't seem to work.

They finally arrived... a full set (LCR) of LCR 600 S3 speakers. They're all set up and the sound is fine so far but the owner's manual leaves me wondering something about my setup.

Which driver is the bass and is it beneficial to have it be on the bottom or the top?

I have the L & R speakers on 21 inch tall wooden stands and they are a little tippy. Does anyone know if the center of gravity is shifted off center? Is there a preferred way to set them on stands?

Should I attach the L & R speakers directly to the stand with screws and if I do, does anyone know how deep I can go into the cabinet?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kevin

[BlazeMaster]

so you mean you bought LCR600x3 and using the same speakers as fronts? If that's the case since the LCR600 is sorta heavy, you should maybe consider getting sturdier stands, try www.soundanchor.com they make very sturdy stands and can be custom ordered, they're expensive for stands. They make the best stands I've tried. Otherwise, consider putting them on shorter stands (15-19inch) and put them LCR600 on the stands vertically and use some blue-tac or museum wax to make sure the speaker stay on the stand.

[bresna]

I bought 21 inch high stands because the center has to be on top of the TV and it's pretty high up. If I got stands any lower, the soundstage would have been off, at least that's what all the literature says.

As for Soundanchors, I looked at them and, other than a much higher price, they did not have a whole lot more than the stands I bought here. I suppose if you mean that weighted they are better, than that's a different story but by themselves, they have the same sized top plate and an even smaller base than the ones I got... plus they were about $200 more. I suppose I could dream. On top of that, my wife thought they were ugly.

Does anyone know which 6.5 inch driver is used for the bass? Are the two drivers different at all i.e. bigger magnet(s) on one or the other. I may have to remove each driver and check. I was hoping someone had already done this.

Kevin

[PewterTA]

If you place the LCR horizontally (with up as up and down as down) looking at the back to make sure you have the right side up. When looking at the front of the speaker, it is the left speaker that is the "bass" speaker. You can also tell this by keeping it flat and playing something and putting your head right to the speaker and staring directly at the tweeter, you will then notice that the right side (mid speaker per say) has a lot more information coming from it than the left side (bass speaker per say).

I'm taking it, it almost sounds like you have the LCR sitting horizontally on the stands...?? I would put the L/R in a vertical position with the "top" facing in towards the center. Though the only problem with that is you then place the two speakers opposite, so you might want to try having them face the right, putting the mid speaker at the bottom. I would just experiment...

If you are talking the bases of the stands need support (to keep them from wobbling), then I would try to add some weight to the bottom as a lot of stand will take Sand for weight.

Hope that helps!

[BlazeMaster]

Sound Anchors aren't exactly lookers, I know. But if you're judging the stability of stands by looks then, chances are you going to end up with unstable stands. If Sound Anchor are too much to pay for stands for you, try to find another cheaper brand then. Solid iron plated base are usually good, spikes that actually pierce the carpet is good also, that is if you're putting them on carpet. Adding sand will give the stand more weight, but shots are better at doing that. 21 inch stands aren't too high, so it shouldn't be that unstable of course shorter they are, the lower of center of gravity. But I'll say it again though, Sound Anchor are worth every penny you pay for them, look for them used at Audiogon. Try one and you'll know what I mean. The LCR600 that are sitting on the Sound Anchor Center Channel stand are so stable, that I'd literally have to TRY to tip it over.

[bresna]

Well, I was able to figure out that the "left" driver was the bass by sticking my ear up against the driver while playing some music, as PewterTA recommeded. Duh... I should've thought of that one! Also. it turns out that if you simply stand them up so the writing on the back of the speaker is "right-side up", the bass is on the bottom.

Anyway, I did attach the L & R speakers to the stands with wood screws. I thought about museum wax but I figured screws will be fine. These speakers aren't going anywhere so I am not worried about affecting re-sale.

Now my only problem is that I have a huge fireplace right next to my display and I can't seem to get good separation for the L/R without putting the right speaker on the other side of the fireplace. Sigh.... the things we do to optimize our listening areas.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Kevin