I have two recliners side by side for my central seating in my 5.1 home theater setup. I've got two towers up front and for surround. I was having a problem with localization due to having the tower speakers firing directly at ear level. Depending on which recliner I'm sitting in, I hear a predominant amount of sound coming from one of the two rear towers, whichever is the closest. I've read that optimal elevation for surround speakers is about two feet above ear level. If I were to put each surround tower on a two foot tall stand, would this be equivalent to having two bookshelf sized speakers two feet above ear level?

If I were to put each surround tower on a two foot tall stand, would this be equivalent to having two bookshelf sized speakers two feet above ear level?

Yes it would, and you would still have the same problem - one speaker will always be closer than the other, no matter how high you put them.

This type of localization is one of the main reasons why it's recommended to use dipole speakers for surround use. Dipoles (and bipoles to a lesser degree) create a more diffuse surround field in which sounds are less localizable.

If I were to put each surround tower on a two foot tall stand, would this be equivalent to having two bookshelf sized speakers two feet above ear level?
Yes


................and you would still have the same problem - one speaker will always be closer than the other, no matter how high you put them.
That's what the distance settings in the receiver are for. Properly calibrated, localization should not be an issue.


This type of localization is one of the main reasons why it's recommended to use dipole speakers for surround use. Dipoles (and bipoles to a lesser degree) create a more diffuse surround field in which sounds are less localizable.
Not to argue, but there is a whole school of thought out there that surround-specific speakers are not only unecessary, but also impractical. A speaker that is designed specifically to reproduce a diffuse soundfield is an oxymoron.

Surround-specific speakers are very limited in both their placement options as well as their utility. A surround-specific speaker can be used for one thing and one thing only; as a surround speaker. A standard pair of speakers can be much more easily used to build up another bedroom stereo or surround system, can be sold much more easily, and can be given to a friend, sibling, or parent to get them started with a stereo (or surround) system.

Soundtracks are engineered with direct radiating monopoles in the studio and are designed to be reproduced with direct radiating monopoles. Any ambiance that the engineer wishes to be present is mixed into the soundtrack exactly as it should be and is not intended to be reproduced "artficially". Surround-specific speakers are a bygone from the DPL days when the rear channels were not discrete as they are now.

That said, there are people who still prefer a pair of surround-specific speakers in their setup, particularly a 7.1 setup when they're used as the side surrounds. So, basically, it's a matter of taste. There are some instances where surround-specific speakers can add extra, augmented ambiance to appropriate scenes and it it can be very effective, but there are also movies scenes where a diffuse sound is NOT appropriate at all.

Additionally, surround-specific speakers work terribly for multichannel music when compared to direct radiators.

Unfortunately, in much the same way people assume that the horizontal center-channel-specific speaker offered by their speaker's manufacturer MUST be the best choice for their center channel speaker, people think they should buy the surround-specific speakers offered by their speaker's manufacturer and that surely the surround-specific speaker offered by the manufacturer of their speakers MUST be the best choice for such use.