[Shamrock Audio]

Would you purchase a set of Eilish or Keelin speakers if they were floorstanding? Comments welcome!

[Merle]

No, because I already own a pair of each! Seriously, floorstanding versions of both would be homeruns. Both of these systems are so good for so little money.

[lonewolfny42]

Mike,

I think offering the Eilish or Keelin speakers as either a floorstander or stand mount would make a lot of sense. Gives the customer a good choice on some excellent speakers. I went for a stand model.... [/list:u]

[Marbles]

Mike, just make a pair of floorstanding Keelins, advertise it on your site and see how it does.

The reason I mention the Keelins is that they are the larger of the two speakers mentioned.

I would hope that you could get them to go below 48 hz in a larger cabinet.

Best of luck.

[tybee]

I would seriously consider purchasing walnut floorstanders in either speaker.

[Shamrock Audio]

Okay, I'm almost done drawing up the plans for a floorstanding Eilish. I don't have a final cost increase yet. It isn't the materials that will drive up the cost, it's the shipping that will cause the bulk of it.

The Keelin is a bit different. We normally wrap the veneer up one side, across the top, and down the other side of the cabinet. We may not be able to do this and keep the tweeter at the proper height.

I'll get the details worked out on the Eilish, take some pictures, and post the results.

[imrer]

Hey Mike,

what kind of spiking system are you going to use? Proper tweeter height is tougher to achieve for the end user with floor standers.  Perhaps in addition to the traditional spikes you could offer for an additional fee a seperate stand with a wider footprint to which the speakers could be affixed as a way of elevating the drivers.

at least with bookshelf speakers the user can buy the correct height stand for their ear position.

regards.

[Shamrock Audio]

Hey Mike,

what kind of spiking system are you going to use? Proper tweeter height is tougher to achieve for the end user with floor standers.  Perhaps in addition to the traditional spikes you could offer for an additional fee a seperate stand with a wider footprint to which the speakers could be affixed as a way of elevating the drivers.

at least with bookshelf speakers the user can buy the correct height stand for their ear position.

regards.

Hi Rick,

The whole issue of stand-mounted vs. floorstanding is really a mixed bag on both sides of the equation. What appeals to one will cause another to look elsewhere.

I agree that in some ways stands allow for more versatility, but those who bothered to responded to the poll clearly state that a floorstander makes all the difference to them. The actual pro's/con's seem to make little difference, and to a certain extent they shouldn't to the consumer. In the end, if the consumer wants a floorstanding speaker I need to give it to them.

That said, there are practicle considerations that require me to make certain decisions. Consider that for a stand-mount I may be able to get 2 sets from 1 sheet of veneer. That cuts the cost of the veneer in half for each set. With a floorstander I may only get 1 set from each sheet increasing the cost per unit. Now, beyond a certain size a second sheet of veneer may be needed for each pair. Plus, you still have to ship them and the larger they are, the more it costs. All these things must be reflected in the final cost of the speaker.

Both the Eilish and the Keelin were specifically designed to be solid performers while also being very affordable. That very goal determined many of those very decisions. Everything we do to either of these speakers that increases their cost takes away from that goal.

The height of the floorstanding Eilish cabinet is 36.5" without the 5/8" cones underneath. If one needs the speaker to be higher, perhaps one should consider the stand-mount and a set of stands.

[imrer]

Mike,

I agree that you probably do need to offer a floorstanding version of your speakers.  Before I heard the Eire's, I really didn't think I'd be happy with a "bookshelf" speaker.  So the speakers had to overcome that particular prejudice in my mind as well.  Of course, it wasn't too much of a problem for the speakers once they started to sing  

Just curious: we always seem to talk about the height of the tweeter relative to the ear height.  But isn't woofer height also an issue?  do you have to think in terms of woofer height from the floor when you design the speakers? That might be a good reason to opt for designing floorstanders, so you have more control over where the woofer is.

Have you ever played around with those stands that put the bookshelf speaker on the floor and just tilt it upwards?  I think Mapleshade sells one.

[Shamrock Audio]

Mike,

I agree that you probably do need to offer a floorstanding version of your speakers. Before I heard the Eire's, I really didn't think I'd be happy with a "bookshelf" speaker. So the speakers had to overcome that particular prejudice in my mind as well. Of course, it wasn't too much of a problem for the speakers once they started to sing

Just curious: we always seem to talk about the height of the tweeter relative to the ear height. But isn't woofer height also an issue? do you have to think in terms of woofer height from the floor when you design the speakers? That might be a good reason to opt for designing floorstanders, so you have more control over where the woofer is.

Have you ever played around with those stands that put the bookshelf speaker on the floor and just tilt it upwards? I think Mapleshade sells one.

Rick,

Yes, I know you had a prejudice against stand-mounted speakers believing that they are inherently weak in the bass and thin sounding. However, now you know that that is more a function of weak engineering than anything else.

The dominating issue related to woofer height is floor-bounce. In short, it's a reality whether floorstanding or standmounted.  Floorstanders may seem to provide us with more control over woofer height on the surface, but specifying a stand height accomplishes the same thing.

The big issue in the minds of consumers is that floorstanding speakers inherently have more/better bass than stand-mounts. The bigger the box - the bigger the bass. I've shoveled enough sand over the years that I don't invest a lot into attempting to change the consumers perceptions at this point. I'd much rather just get the product into their systems and let them decide for themselves. It worked with you didn't it?

Regards,