Speaker Stands

[Gaz37]

I've just changed an old, cheap, lightweight pair of Target stands for a far more substantial Atacamas.

I seem to have better overall SQ, in terms of clarity in mid and highs, but appear to have lost some bass. Any ideas as to why?

I haven't filled the columns with sand yet, is doing so likely to improve things? I'm dubious about doing so as the extra weight and rigidity of the Atacamas seem to have reduced it so would adding more weight make matters worse?

 

[Dom]

I'm suprised, I have listened to £20 stands and bass is good. Try reposistioning your speakers and use contact cleaner.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

Because you have better stands...it's not that you've lost bass...it's just that it's under better control,giving the mids and higher tones room to breathe,it may take time for you to adjust to the new sound but it is better overall....if you desire a tad more bass...reposition the speakers closer to a wall if possible....not too close mind.And as you suspect that if you fill the stands with some ballast it will lessen the bass further.or it has in my experience.

 

[Gray]

I've got the original Atacama SE24 stands with their massive, fillable uprights packed with sand.

They are extremely heavy, inert and stable. I haven't done the comparisons so I'm in no position to argue but I would be interested for any person that has heard a difference to explain to me the theory behind how a heavier, more inert stand could make bass sound worse than a lighter stand. In other words I don't think a stand can be too heavy - unless, the spikes are pinning your foot to the floor.

 

[davedotco]

I've got the original Atacama SE24 stands with their massive, fillable uprights packed with sand.

They are extremely heavy, inert and stable. I haven't done the comparisons so I'm in no position to argue but I would be interested for any person that has heard a difference to explain to me the theory behind how a heavier, more inert stand could make bass sound worse than a lighter stand. In other words I don't think a stand can be too heavy - unless, the spikes are pinning your foot to the floor.

This is one area where I am absolutely flummoxed.

However I do know, and have proved in the past (by demonstration), that many speakers are very sensitive to the stand that they are on. Assuming we deal with the obvious, correct height, decent construction, no resonances etc, the performance appears to vary with the mass and stand/floor and stand/speaker interfaces.

In most cases mass affects the bass response, but how it does so is not always obvious. Mostly it makes the bass tighter, more extended but less obvious, generally I consider this a good thing. But not always, I have heard heavyweight stands rob a speaker of it's pace and rhythmic capabilities, leaving a fat, ploddy sound that makes the music almost dirge like, the great Epos ES14 was exactly like this, it's own light, open frame stand being by far the best option. The use of 'paving' or granite slabs under the speakers have, in my experience, a similar effect to using heavier stands.

The stand/floor interface makes a big difference too, good spikes, ideally fitting in the cross of Phillips type screws driven hard into the floor will improve sharpness, focus and detail resolution and I have rarely heard a downside here. Between the stand and the speaker I have also tried pretty much all the options, top spikes, 'Stillpoints' of various types, resilient pads and the ubiquitous BluTac.

Some appear to couple the speaker to the stand, others decouple and isolate the speaker. I have heard all the various methods work well with some speakers and not with others. Why this is the case, I have no idea, as I said the science is beyond me.

If you really want to get the best from your speakers, you will need to try some options. I do not get involved with 'serious' hi-fi as much as I once did, but these days I find few people that actually bother with this at all. If I am setting up a system for them, I use spikes and BluTac and leave it at that.

 

[Gray]

I've got the original Atacama SE24 stands with their massive, fillable uprights packed with sand.

They are extremely heavy, inert and stable. I haven't done the comparisons so I'm in no position to argue but I would be interested for any person that has heard a difference to explain to me the theory behind how a heavier, more inert stand could make bass sound worse than a lighter stand. In other words I don't think a stand can be too heavy - unless, the spikes are pinning your foot to the floor.

This is one area where I am absolutely flummoxed.

However I do know, and have proved in the past (by demonstration), that many speakers are very sensitive to the stand that they are on. Assuming we deal with the obvious, correct height, decent construction, no resonances etc, the performance appears to vary with the mass and stand/floor and stand/speaker interfaces.

In most cases mass affects the bass response, but how it does so is not always obvious. Mostly it makes the bass tighter, more extended but less obvious, generally I consider this a good thing. But not always, I have heard heavyweight stands rob a speaker of it's pace and rhythmic capabilities, leaving a fat, ploddy sound that makes the music almost dirge like, the great Epos ES14 was exactly like this, it's own light, open frame stand being by far the best option. The use of 'paving' or granite slabs under the speakers have, in my experience, a similar effect to using heavier stands.

The stand/floor interface makes a big difference too, good spikes, ideally fitting in the cross of Phillips type screws driven hard into the floor will improve sharpness, focus and detail resolution and I have rarely heard a downside here. Between the stand and the speaker I have also tried pretty much all the options, top spikes, 'Stillpoints' of various types, resilient pads and the ubiquitous BluTac.

Some appear to couple the speaker to the stand, others decouple and isolate the speaker. I have heard all the various methods work well with some speakers and not with others. Why this is the case, I have no idea, as I said the science is beyond me.

If you really want to get the best from your speakers, you will need to try some options. I do not get involved with 'serious' hi-fi as much as I once did, but these days I find few people that actually bother with this at all. If I am setting up a system for them, I use spikes and BluTac and leave it at that.

You certainly confirm what others have said Dave. Maybe some speakers benefit from very slight colouration from small resonances that they only get from certain stands. Probably best not to over analyse the situation!

More importantly, I've always thought your cat looks like the nice, strokeable type, unlike ours. To be on the safe side we stroked it with a broom. Took him to the Vet once. When he became detached from the car's headlining he landed on me and attacked. Vet had to treat my cuts as as the priority.

 

[Gaz37]

I've got the original Atacama SE24 stands with their massive, fillable uprights packed with sand.

They are extremely heavy, inert and stable. I haven't done the comparisons so I'm in no position to argue but I would be interested for any person that has heard a difference to explain to me the theory behind how a heavier, more inert stand could make bass sound worse than a lighter stand. In other words I don't think a stand can be too heavy - unless, the spikes are pinning your foot to the floor.

That's what I thought too.

Logically the more of the driver's movement that is turned into sound (moving the air), as opposed to moving the speaker cabinet/stand, the more bass you should have?

 

[Gaz37]

If it's relevant the stands are on a hard (laminate) floor so I have used spikes but the stands have gel pads on the bottoms. Also the speakers are blue tac'd to the stands.

Would it be worth fitting spikes to the stands? I was under the impression that spikes were for use on carpeted floors?

 

[davedotco]

I've got the original Atacama SE24 stands with their massive, fillable uprights packed with sand.

They are extremely heavy, inert and stable. I haven't done the comparisons so I'm in no position to argue but I would be interested for any person that has heard a difference to explain to me the theory behind how a heavier, more inert stand could make bass sound worse than a lighter stand. In other words I don't think a stand can be too heavy - unless, the spikes are pinning your foot to the floor.

That's what I thought too.

Logically the more of the driver's movement that is turned into sound (moving the air), as opposed to moving the speaker cabinet/stand, the more bass you should have?

But is not entirely borne out by empirical data. It does rather depend on what you mean by 'more bass', as I described above, the positive aspect of heavyweight stands is bass control, a tighter more extended bass may be perceived as less bass in some situations.

Personally I think this is caused by a reduction in cabinet 'bloom', an artificial sound designed to give the speaker the appearance of more bass, more 'warmth if you prefer.