But is it Level?
 

Imprezap2 raised an interesting question concerning level. I remembered with my initial spiking, the head technician who I know personally and who is extremely competent had significant difficulty leveling the speakers. I was so stressed out by the whole process of installation I didn't question him as to why. I went back and noted the bubble was inside the circles (barely) and thought nothing more about it. I had an XVX, spiked (though inferiorly), and working properly. I was happy.

This time around I wanted the speakers spiked to one and a half inches, believing my floor to be extremely level. My speakers are almost exactly 4 cm at all corners (1.57 inches).

Left XVX. It would seem that my floor is not level certainly not from front to rear, since the bubble is significantly outside the circle.
https://i.imgur.com/qUuANzFh.jpg

Looking across the width from outside to inside also seems off, but note that all the bubble is inside the circle.
https://i.imgur.com/gDuV7Muh.jpg

Looking across the width from inside to out side seems off the other way but again the bubble is noted to be inside the circle.
https://i.imgur.com/6YqoQcCh.jpg

First effort at a straight down shot at the circle. Note the bubble is inside the circle.
https://i.imgur.com/zyr3Y0Wh.jpg

Final and better straight down shot shows bubble satisfactorily well within the circle. I think my left XVX quite level.
https://i.imgur.com/bQjXtZ3h.jpg

From this I conclude that you need a straight down shot of the XVX level to determine if the bubble is truly inside the circle and thus level. I think this to be the source of confusion with the first installation.

Best

Charles

some things you just can't unsee...

Time to bring him back! One of the other reasons for the spike cups is that the speakers won't settle into the floor (perhaps unevenly). Yours might be doing that.

Marc, turns out my speakers are extremely level as you can see from the final pic. The point being that the bubble changes position relative to the circle, depending on your viewpoint/perspective. It takes a perfect straight down camera shot to truly determine level. Didn't you notice how things flipped from side to side? I think this is a valuable piece of information to know if your Wilson comes with a level. If you could see the blunt spike you would know your concern over settling is unfounded but nevertheless it is an easy check to look at the bubble periodically for any change. I don't believe the technician understood this. I didn't

Best,

Charles

p.s. Look at the final straight down shot again. I accidentally posted the same pic twice and just now posted the correction. The final pic was the best straight down shot I could achieve.

Charles, Not sure why you think they are level. The top down seems to clearly show it out by some. Maybe 1 Degree?

I would think the bubble needs to be perfectly centered, not just inside the circle.

Here's the right XVX. Essentially identical to the left.

https://i.imgur.com/KNGpdaeh.jpg

This is good enough for me. My belief is that the circle is there for a reason. The bubble within the circle is the goal. Perfection is impossible. :yes:

I was surprised by the need for a straight down shot. I don't think the technicians understood this.

Your speakers are right on the bullseye, Charles. Everything is looking good. I wish you many years of enjoyment.:thumbsup:

Cheers,

Scott

But is it Level?
 

Hi Charles, I’m not an expert on Wilson speakers, but I know if this were a turntable I’d still be looking for improvement. It may not make a meaningful difference in the sound, but with a bubble level like this, I’ve always considered level to be when the bubble is centered on the cross hair when viewed from the top.

Antomb, my feeling is that with a turntable I would want it as level as possible, period. My floor is very slightly off level to the extent of the bubble more so for the left speaker than the right. Side to side is perfect. I think the techs could "work all day" and not achieve a better overall result. It is good that relative to each other the speakers are almost perfectly level. I'm leaving well enough alone. I thought that the forum would enjoy this issue.:yes:

Best

Charles

Also, if you notice these are not a perfect straight down shots. There is still some skew. I think a better straight down shot (SDS) would show the speakers even more level. It was difficult to take these shots with all the cables and hardware. I worried about dropping my phone or disturbing something. I could barely hold it right on the edge and hit the button without tremor. Clearly within the bubble is the very best that can be done without disconnecting cables to obtain a true SDS.

Thank you, Samac. I believe you are correct. I am pleased it seems to have worked out and the speakers are extremely level in regard to the floor. :yes:

Best

Charles