Spikes - when to use and when not to

Looking at the Gaia thread and all the positive reports along with the cost, it's the way to go, unless you want try the DIY method.

Looking at my system the Gaia's would have cost £500, presuming they're at least as good as my DIY, then that's an absolute bargain.

 

I have suspended wooden floors and for me heavy stands with sorbothane to decouple the speakers from there works best.

 

You need to bear in mind that approaches such as the GAIA, Townshend and roller balls are also draining energy from the speaker and this alone is beneficial (I'm not a rep for either company).

 

Well I'm a cheap bastard so there's that hehe.

 

I can certainly relate to lack of funds but the possible improvements make it a must, if you've got the money.

Certainly if someone is buying their first system a significant % should go towards isolation of both speakers and equipment, it's the most cost effective way to get the best sound.

 

Well i'd rather spend my money on music and gear if there's a diy solution to be had. I made my own stands, basstraps and absorbers.

 

As a DIY member I wholly agree but many want the easy route and it's worth the cost.

 

For those who believe in decoupling speakers from the floor, are there particular (popular) recordings that highlight the differences between coupling (with spikes) and decoupling?

And I assume the difference is volume-related, right? The louder the volume, the bigger the difference?

 

Decoupling: it will isolate transfer of vibrations that may cause audible distortion from floor and other stuff placed on the floor. It depends. Below is an example of distortion caused by monitor speakers placed on a reasonable sturdy IKEA furniture "BESTÅ" with hard coupling vs soft feet (isolation) playing a sweep. Distortion was increased around 100-150 Hz.

Hard coupling:


Soft feet:


This is perhaps a special case, but the same principles apply also when speakers are placed on floors, especially wooden floors. Here is the examples of the sweeps recorded:

Dropbox - hard_soft.wav - Simplify your life

 

It is because the spikes will go through carpet to hold the speaker steady on the subfloor. Like bi-amp speaker terminals, it has turned from practical application into audiophile distortion of reality.

 

You can pick almost any album to hear the benefit and you'll be able to play it louder before distortion shows it's head.

My sub goes down to 18 Hz and some albums down to 10 Hz, I can play at a level were you'll feel the bass in your chest whilst still being to hold a conversation without raising your voice.

 

It was thought that the best reproduction would come from having the speaker a fixed point in space, this it easiest to achieve with spikes making the stand rock solid, with no movement if you push your speaker.

The roller ball approach turns this on it's head as your speaker can move both in both planes, which should be a very bad idea.

If you dig deep enough there's a number of threads discussing if one benefit of isolating speakers is that energy from one speaker is putting less energy in to the other. This goes back to the idea that the vibration in the speaker has a detrimental effect on it's electronics.

Once I'd got my isolation maximised I tested this idea by using both Sorbothane and roller balls between my speaker and stand and it was very obvious, Sorbothane is a very bad idea.

Roller balls and high frequencies shimmered with no smearing with Sorbothane those highs disappear and the whole effect is a muddling of the sound. This effect was obvious on both tracks with extreme bass and very sparse acoustic recordings.

Roller balls drain energy whilst Sorbothane traps the energy in the speaker.

 

I too would like to know because I am using Herbies Gliders on wooden suspended floors.
Cheers, Doug

 

Using these because it's what I have. The difference is apparent compared to nothing between speaker & floor. SSP Vibration Isolation Pads 7/8thick 2x2 w/Cork (Each)-Super Soundproofing Store

 

Do these come with a spec sheet giving the reduction in energy transfer, they're certainly a very cost effective method for approaching this problem

 

To answer your question more specifically than before in terms of an album, The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin.

This is a recording that has received much abuse and previously I could well understand why.

In fact it's got a fantastically open sound with no distortion and even at high volume nothing that grates on the ear, in fact a perfect dem. record, when I played it for the first time post isolation, what a revelation.

 

Thanks, are you speaking of the original CD mastering?

 

Yep the UK CD version, which I presume whilst a different track-listing is the same CD mix.

I've also got the 24.44 download, which gives a little more 'air' but both sound fantastic.

 

Do you find the gliders work well?

 

What spikes or hard coupling does is to introduce more vibration in the speaker since it creates a spring-mass system that resonates somewhere in the bass region, excited by the drivers movement.If you use a proper soft speaker foot, this resonance is moved to below 20 Hz, i.e. below the speakers output, and there is no resonance excited. The spikes also transfers vibrations to the floor or whatever the speaker sits on, which may cause distortion (as shown above). So if you want the speaker to be steady, you should not use spikes.

Another question is whether the speaker enclosure vibrates. If it does so audibly, you should probably look for another speaker.

 

Well it’s an idea but how does the music sound?

One problem I have with your scenario is that you’ve placed your speakers on a item made of MDF, which is a effective barrier to mechanical energy hence it’s use for equipment support.

The BESTÅ comes in a range of configurations some of which are potentially acting as a speaker, regardless you are throttling energy leaving the speaker by using soft footers and then a energy barrier.

Now if you consider the 3 options I tried between my speaker and stand, spikes, Sorbothane and roller balls.

Sorbothane (an effective energy barrier trapping it in the speaker) the worst, dulled highs, chesty middles and flabby bass, with the dynamics sucked out of the music .

Spikes mid and highs return with the middle and bass frequencies becoming less congested, however some distortion in the highs.

Roller balls everything tightens and opens up with highs that sparkle without any distortion, now we have all the dynamics of a real musical experience.

This is why I believe the positive reviews the GAIA's are receiving.

I’m not sure why you raise the question of a speaker(s), which are faulty or sub standard

 

Can you say what the distortion in the highs sounded like?

 

It normally called digital hash producing ear bleed, separation between instrument, which people call black, was a shimmering nasty silver (does that make any sense)

I don't think I ever played it above 10 o'clock on my amp and I don't know if I ever made it to the end at that volume.

Played it last night at 1 o'clock, on my amp, and it could have gone much louder, it's now a thing of beauty and I actually thought of Pet Sounds production.

I know the SQ as been criticised by many but I can't recall how they described it.

For many years there's been other album which sounded harsh and I'd written them off but now sound perfectly acceptable if not very good, The Soft Bulletin is probably the one with the greatest improvement.

 

Previously I mentioned that one of my friends noticed within 3 seconds that, even after a 2 week gap, an album sounded like it was a different master.

He's got a good memory and says it was Robert Plant's - Ceaseless Roar, I can't remember how the sound differed on that one.

 

I'm bored at the moment, so:

So far we've been focused on the speaker but holistically if we consider our music the isolation of your electronics should have similar benefits, open soundstage, controlled bass, increase in realism and less distortion. Obviously less mechanical energy from the speakers will further isolate your gear, end of sermon.