[daveneumann]

I thought my Strads were dialed in; it has been about a year since I went through the Sonus Faber setup process. But I never messed much with rake angle because I thought they already sounded very good with the front and back spikes screwed in all the way. Rake was something I had always planned to get to when I had the time and patience.

Earlier this week out of curiosity, I tried raising and lowering myself in my listening chair. It became clear that the speakers were firing too high. I ended up unscrewing the back spikes 5 full turns, which had the impact of tilting the speakers forward by 3/4".

The result was one of those "Oh Sh#t" moments! What I'm now hearing is more pinpoint imaging, greater treble presence and sparkle, greater detail overall, and everything seems just a little more focused and immersive. I don't want to exaggerate things, but the difference is almost on the order of an electronics change.

Yes I feel a bit stupid for not playing around with rake angle more during initial set up. But it just goes to show that its possible to get more out of our systems without changing out gear.

For those interested, the final measurements are 102" apart at tweeters, 127" from the top outside edge where the black and wood meet to my ears, 124 3/4" from the top inside edge where the black and wood meet to my ears. My ears are 40" from the floor.

What have others found by changing the tilt of your Strads?