12-14" speaker stand recommendations?

Just paid for my Tannoys today. They are 24 inches tall and 14 inches wide, so I need a small stand for them. I'd like something fairly sturdy with spikes also, but something that doesn't look all modern and flashy like the sound anchor stands. Any suggestions?

 

That's a good idea, Gary, if I lived alone. As it is, I'd be worried that my 2 year old would bash her toes on them. I came up with a good solution tonight. My uncle is going to build me a pair of boxes. They'll be roughly 14" cubes with an open front out of 3/4", nicely finished plywood. The seams will be jointed, glued, and also reinforced with screws. These things will support a car. The idea is sort of like if you could picture plywood milk crates; like cube boxes with no lids. Anyway, the boxes will lay on edge to that the front is open and one speaker will go on top of each. The boxes underneath the speakers will be record storage (badly needed!!). The underside of each box will have threaded, adjustable floor spikes. I will have to experiment to find the best interface between the top of the box and the speakers, be it rubber, metal cones, superballs, or whatever. The boxes should be dead enough because they'll be full of records and they will be anchored to the floor with spikes. He says he'll build me a set of these for $75, which is a good deal considering he is a master craftsman. I'm going to wait until my Tannoys arrive and make sure that I like them first, then I'll go ahead with this plan. What do you think??


BTW, Gary, change your avatar! That face scares my daughter. Everytime I'm on the forum and she climbs up on my lap, she sees it and gets upset!

 

Thanks, Gary. Some great information there! A couple of things I would like to point out, though.

1) In the FAQ section of the article you sent me for the DIY MDF racks, they specifically say that it's okay to use regular wood.

2) Keep in mind that the boxes I am talking about making to use as stands are specifically designed to be filled with records. We're talking serious vibration control here, Gary. What does a foot high pile of records weigh, maybe 40 or 50 lbs? I would never use these boxes without the records in them. That would be truly ridiculous in terms of resonance. I'd just be adding a lame, poorly designed, and untuned cabinet extension to my speakers. With all this in mind, do you still think my idea is a bad move sonically?

 

Prix,
Congratulations on your new speakers! Although I am not familiar with your Tannoys, I am in a similar situation, since I have stand mount speakers which I am about to order made-to-measure stands for. They will be sturdy things made of steel by a local stand/rack builder.
In your case, I would recommend Target stands - provided that they can be ordered in the height that you need.

My previous speakers were also stand mounts and I have used Vibrapods between the speakers and stands. This is because my stands were filled with lead shot and I found that they would sing-a-long when I used Blu Tac. This was totally unacceptable and seriously compromised the sound. However, it might be different with sand filled stands. Anyway, with Vibrapods between speakers and stands and steel spikes underneath the stands, there was never any unwanted vibration.

BTW, there is a high-tech alternative to the above and it is called Ceraballs. They are made by a German company called Finite Elemente and cost 90 € for a set of four and 2 sets are needed for a pair of speakers.

Finally, this is what I am going to use to couple the stands to the floor this time:

http://www.superspikes.com/

These will protect my hardwood flooring while not compromising the sound.
I have checked them out at a local dealer and they are not gimmicks.

Best of luck,
Goran