Putting floorstanding speakers on stands...

I had to raise my floorstanders when they were set up in my old place in a smaller room, where I had to sit closer than was ideal with the model in question. I don't do this anymore in my new place, but it can be helpful under certain circumstances, so don't hesitate to at least experiment using some kind of makeshift 'stands' for them. I used short stepstools myself, but whatever you use (bricks, blocks, phonebooks, boxes filled with newspapers or magazines, all with a piece of plywood or something layed over top for stability), check your results before laying out the bucks for something real. BTW, you could also look into lowering your listening chair situation in some cases.

I have not used stands but have experimented with tilting the speakers back by adjusting the height of the spikes (as described in the Merlin owner's manual). Well worth the time to find a position that suites your taste regarding imaging.

I did something similar to Woodman, added 3 inches in height.

Big difference for me, I was really tired of 'listening down' to the sound stage and the midget band effect.

Just get some different size bricks, decide on the right height then make something.

Cheers

On the other hand you could always throw out those midget "girly" floorstanders and get yourself some "real man's" floorstanders ... preferably ones that require 2-3 people to lift, and will kill you if they fall on you.

Sound Anchor can fabricate custom stands for floorstanders. I have a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 20s and I needed to raise them 4". The stands are metal, quite heavy and the spikes allow for tilt adjustment. Cost was about $250. By raising the high I was able to correct for a treble suckout.