Calling All Stand Experts Please

[admin_exported]

I have to replace/upgrade my stands and I have already had some adivice here..but a few more questions please....

I know the camps are split on the benefits of filling the columns....but why is it that manufacturers do not just supply/fill at the point of sale?

Is this about 'tuning' to a particular speaker?

Why do some say stands should be filled fully and yet others typically up to 75%? :~ :~

 

[betamale]

I don't know for sure but I have always understood that filling stands was to give a more solid sound to the speaker, it certainly gave me more bass at volume on any speakers I had.

I would guess that manufacturers do not fill the speakers because they would weigh so much! My Atacama's had 15Kg of lead in each one, that is a hell of a lot to be lugging around.

I would think the percentage to fill is arbitrary

 

[the record spot]

Don't get too carried away by this. Forget all the fluff about "tuning", it's a nonsense. If you need to tune, change a component. Buy some stands that are robust, good at rigidly supporting the speaker and in your budget. This needn't cost a lot, likely less than £100 unless you're spending more on a bespoke wood design for example.

 

[CnoEvil]

There are also two other camps: light but sturdy (eg.Quadraspire/Russ Andrews) or heavy and solid (eg.Partington). Each effects the sound differently, so trial and error with your speakers are essential - preferably at your home. Maybe the speaker manufacturer can shed some light.

 

[shooter]

Have a look at this thread:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/sand-filling-stands-to-have-spendor-speakers-on

It's a good one and you have to thank ESP for all the hard work done.

 

[Overdose]

The purpose of any speaker stand is to hold the speaker as steady as possible and be sonically 'dead'. This can only effectively be achieved by a rigid design that is well coupled to the floor. The reason stands are fillable, is to add mass that is impracticle to have fitted as standard due to postage costs. The mass needs to be there to provide damping for the speakers vibrations, so that only the drivers move, it also allows adjustments to 'tune' out any tendancy of the stands to resonate and particular frequencies. If the stands are vibrating for whatever reason, then that will be transferred to the speaker, ie it will move, albeit only very slightly.

To what extent any stand resonance effect on the speaker is actually audible is another thread topic entirely, but if a stand needs filling for anything other reason than mass for coupling, then the design is, IMO, defficient from the ideal.