Setting up loudspeakers for the best tune

[ThomasOK]

This depends on the speaker. There are some speakers that are most musical raked back a bit, many Vandersteen, older Sonus faber and Vienna Acoustics fall into that category. For most of the speakers I have used, Linn, JBL, ATC and others I have set up for customers like Dynaudio, Spendor and JM Reynaud I have found them to be the best level. My Quads are close to level but you can't go by the top as it doesn't have a flat surface, you have to use the base. I didn't use a level, I just adjusted them trying different size shims under the back with the upward facing stand spikes on the OFIL stands holding up the front.

I believe it has to do with the arrival time to your ear of the sound from the tweeter as compared to the woofer (or woofer and midrange). If I am correct, the difference between raked or not has to do with how the speaker was designed in terms of driver placement and crossover design.