Speaker stands...do they make a difference?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by mike catucci, Apr 8, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. mike catucci

    mike catucci Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    I am not sure if I should shell out a couple hundred dollars for proper stands or not. Right now my bookshelves sit atop two identical short bookcase type pieces. These are the kind you purchase for 60.00 at your local KMart, Target, etc.. and screw together in about 20 minutes and then throw CD's or books etc. in them.
    They are roughly 12 x 12 and filled with CD's right now so they are heavy. I'm also lucky in that the height works out so the tweeter is at ear level when I sit.

    Will I notice an improvement by going with proper speaker stands?
     
    Agitater likes this.
  2. Gibson67

    Gibson67 Life is a Magical Mystery Tour enjoy the ride

    Location:
    Diss, UK
    Yes they will make a difference, and you don't need to spend a fortune on them. They will tighten everything up, cut out unwanted vibrations etc. they do work best when spiked at the baseplate. I've also sand filled mine

    Nige
     
  3. mike catucci

    mike catucci Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA

    I've got Pergo floors (laminate or fake hardwood floors) how do you approach that with the spikes? I could cut some carpet squares and place the spiked stand on top of that. Would that be ideal?
     
  4. seed_drill

    seed_drill Senior Member

    Location:
    Tryon, NC, USA
    After I noticed some indentations in my vinyl floor, I stuck pennies under the spikes.
     
    Konforti and mike catucci like this.
  5. adamdube

    adamdube Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elyria, OH USA
    You might be better served to just decouple them from the book cases, especially if said cases are solid and don't move too easily. 90% of what stands will do is position the speakers at the proper level for your listening position, which it appears your cases are already doing. Since you would likely do this with the stands anyway, it would be worth the time to do it before spending the $$ on stands. There are quite a bit available in this field, however, I had great results just using little rubber sticky pads from a local craft store. Worth a shot.
     
  6. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    You don't necessarily need spikes. Spikes will accentuate the bass, but that may not be what you need. If your situation has the tweeters at ear height, the primary improvement will probably be in the bass. Skylan does custom stands for a decent price. They come with a screw-in foot with a plastic contact surface and also with spikes. I replaced the feet with Herbies gliders, which also changed the sound. In fact, what you choose to fill the stands with will change the sound. Probably worth the investment because of the ability to tune the stands and change placement easily.
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  7. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    good stands made a substantial difference with my LS50's...and I'm an EVERYTHING skeptic
     
  8. You have some very nice bookshelf speakers (Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2) according to your profile, so my answer is yes. Most definitely invest a good pair of stands.
     
    Sailfree and mike catucci like this.
  9. mike catucci

    mike catucci Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    Thanks guys for the replies. A few of you have mentioned getting a "good" pair of stands. Is price indicative? Should I get something that can be sand filled as well?
     
  10. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Some are welded metal tubing, others all MDF, or plastic tubing with MDF bases. Something that can be filled is a good place to start.
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  11. The Good Guy

    The Good Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Honest truth. If you like what you hear leave it & enjoy the music .
     
    sami, mike catucci and Robin L like this.
  12. I would recommend getting stands that can be filled so the option to try that out is available.
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  13. vinylman

    vinylman Senior Member

    Location:
    Leeds, U.K.
    Some of the best money I've ever spent on my music was when I took the plunge and bought a good five-shelf Target rack and a pair of Atacama speaker stands for my (still fabulous after all these years - 18 and counting) Epos ES12 standmounts. Even as I was handing over the money I was thinking ''I could get a LOT of CDs with this cash'', but it was worth every penny - around £280 in 1997.
     
    Alan2 and mike catucci like this.
  14. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    Yes.
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  15. Upinsmoke

    Upinsmoke Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SE PA
    The distance from the listener, how close they are in relativity to the back walls, also reflective qualities of the room all come into play. Using stands will place the speakers roughly at listening level. They will also allow you to toe the speakers. I personally feel the height weighs in more than the toe in/out but that is up to you to determine through listening. I could see running into some issues just placing them on a shelf. It's one of the cheap and easy ways of getting better sound.

    Proper speaker placement will give you a much better image of the music than expensive cables and such. As would treatments for the room (more difficult to figure out than the former).
     
  16. mike catucci

    mike catucci Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    I should clear up something...I am getting excellent imaging already. The speakers sit atop a small bookshelf type case, they are not enclosed, they sit on top of the last shelf and there are not sides or back to deal with, they are wide open. I can also move them for toe in but have found the best results are when they face forward. I am told this is typical with the Raal ribbon tweeter.
     
  17. raferx

    raferx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vancouver, Canada
    Good stands definitely make a big difference IME.
     
  18. HiFi Guy 008

    HiFi Guy 008 Forum Resident

    Location:
    New England
    I've founds stands to be essential for bookshelf speakers.
    The imaging can be wonderful, but it takes a LOT of time and patience to get it right.

    How do spikes accentuate the bass?
     
    ssmith3046 and mike catucci like this.
  19. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    You may have, inadvertently, made proper speaker stands. The physical locations for your pair of speakers will affect the sound more than just swapping out the speaker stands. That said, I have found that floor-standing speakers make for the best speaker stands. For the same amount of money as bookshelf speaker plus stand, you get the same sized footprint and another octave of bass. And yes, good speaker stands can make a difference. I'm a DIY type myself. Your current stands are mass-loaded anyway, I'd experiment with blu-tack and improvised spikes with your media rack. My concern would be the CDs rattling.
     
    SandAndGlass and mike catucci like this.
  20. duvallite

    duvallite Well-Known Member

    Check out Skylan stands. Good looking and they get lots of favorable reviews.
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  21. BrentB

    BrentB Urban Angler

    Location:
    Midwestern US
    I read years ago that the best speaker stands for the money were concrete blocks. A friend of mine who happened to be a brick layer and a big fan of bookshelf speakers made 3 block high stands, spray painted them black, and loved them for years. I have used a block under each speaker in my den for about a decade and do not plan on upgrading any time soon.
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  22. malco49

    malco49 Forum Resident

    i think so.i have my PSB image B 25's on stands that cost around $100.the stands them selves have spikes which isolates the stands from the floor and i also isolate the speakers themselves from the stand.the name escapes...atlantis i think....and my system sounds really really good so i think this helps.
     
    doctor fuse likes this.
  23. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Yeah? What are you using, and what did you use before?

    I'm using a pair of inexpensive Sanus stands with my LS50's, and have wondered if I'm missing something by not using something fancier.

    [​IMG]
     
  24. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    Indeed you are. For one thing, stands need to be mass loaded. If you can find a pair of the excellent Sanus Ultimate Foundations in the right height, buy'em quick because they don't make them any more. Skylan also makes an excellent stand.
     
    GuildX700 likes this.
  25. Lord Summerisle

    Lord Summerisle Forum Resident

    Speaker stands, yet more money for me to spend in the next few weeks. :laugh:
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine