Speaker stands

[muljao]

Most of you will already know this, so just for anyone who may be on the upgrade path but overlooking some cost effective improvements.

I recently bought a set of solid speaker stands for stand mount speakers. The improvement in the sound quality of my set up took and immediate step up. It did also have someting to do with how I was able to point the speakers into the room, having previously had said speakers on a shelf. I do know that it is not always possible to use stands due space , family etc, but it is one of the most worthwhile purchases I have made.

I have a main set up in my living roon. In my kitchen I have a second set up that is mounted quite high up on the wall, a compromise due to a 14 month old baby (oh and a wife). On my main set up I had a recent issue with my speakers, so as i a may be in the market for a new set I put my normally high braket mounted Q acoustics 2020i in the living room, on stands to see how they sounded. The difference between how they sound on listening level stands positioned correctly is massive. I liked thse speakers, but had totally underrated them, they are far better than I originally thought (grant it they are being driven by a differenct amp, but I think it is generally agreed both amps I use are not to far off each other where quality is concerned)

When you read a speker write up and the review suggests using a stand, it's importance to get the best value from your purchase probably should not be ignored

 

[unhalfbricking]

I think you're absolutely right. I have my KEF Q-300s situated on a sideboard (L) and tall, thin table (R). The bass was always a touch soft and woolly and lacked melody (I like picking out bass lines). At the suggestion of Vladimir I tried out sorbothane feet to go underneath the speakers at cost of about £15. A pack of eight -- four for each speaker. Boom! At once the bass was more controlled and more musical. Flushed with this success, I tried moving the speakers back towards the rear wall (they had been positioned about 10" forward of the wall in an attempt to firm up the bass). Bingo! More bass without losing much (if any) firmness.

My conclusion is that hi-fi speakers kick out an awful lot of energy and this needs controlling and organising in order for the resultant sound to be coherent and enjoyable. I'm sure using speaker stands would take the above improvment to another level. (On a L/R speaker test the right hand speaker sounds a touch better because it's not mounted on a sideboard). Overall, I'm very happy with the sound, though, and for the time being am holding off making that next logical move.

 

[matthewpiano]

The importance of support and positioning of speakers cannot be over-estimated. It doesn't matter how much money you spend or how carefully you select your system, if the speakers are poorly positioned and/or supported you will never hear it's best, and the sound may well be ruined.

I've got two pairs of stands - Mission 79-Series stands that I bought when I had some 792s, and Atacama Nexus 6. The Missions are heavier and more solid than the Atacamas and suit my Dynaudios very well. Set up in a triangle with the listening position, negligible toe-in, and a minimum of 30cm clearance from the wall, I get bass with the warmth of which the Dyns are capable but also melodic and rhythmic clarity. If I move them further back or place the speakers on furniture, that all goes to pot and my immensely musical and insightful system sounds a mess.

I'm quite sure people regularly end up swapping speakers or other components with no real joy, when what they really need to pay attention to is support and positioning.

 

[chebby]

My speaker's cabinets are very un-typical being square in cross-section (235mm x 235mm) and my Atacama SL600i stands are equally unusual in having a large, square top-plate. (225mm x 225mm). Made for each other with the top-plate tucked exactly 5mm back all the way around, so it's barely visible.

Atacama provide 8 of their Gel Pads which give splendid isolation.

 

[gasolin]

Isoacoustics stand on my q acoustics 3020, even when they are only 130mm wide the don't fit perfectly with my 3020, generally they make a huge difference less boomy bass an more clear precise midrange,treble

Have considered these, they cost less than 60£ where i live (denmark), but i think i would go down in sound quality, although using my q a coustics 2010i with no stands and they sound good, i would like to get the most out of my 3020 https://goo.gl/QRXRpn

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_100004211376004]

I had a spare pair of b&w fs700 in the attic and gave them to my mum to get her monitor audio bx2 bronze off the floor...she couldn't believe the difference in sound it made to her little denon micro.I did tell her ages ago but she wouldn't listen.now she sees the light.lol.

 

[seemorebtts]

You have taken the first step into making your hifi better.wait til you put your hifi on a stand and give it a decent power supply it's going to blow your mind;-)

 

[mond]

When I had my Audio Note AN-K speakers I had some stands especially made, nothing fancy, just some solid recycled hardwood from a local timber yard cut to shape and sanded down (the yard does this for a small fee). I wasn't expecting much of a difference from the Ikea stools that I was using as a temporary measure but was very pleasantly surprised with the results : was definitely an upgrade to sound. As it happens my new MAD speakers are exactly the same width as my Audio Note's were deep so with a quick 90 degree spin they once again become bespoke speaker stands I think the key is to get some as solid as possible or buy hollow ones that can be filled with sand or other heavy materials (there is even hifi grade! filling materials that can be bought for damping these stands down (or speakers that allow filling materials to be inserted into the cabinets, like some stand mounts do (e.g. my old Ruark Templars)

 

[insider9]

I have a pair of Atacama SE24 half-filled with sand on spikes. I got them free with a second hand Marantz PM66SE and some MA speakers I bought just to see if I liked them. Both amp and speakers were gone within the next few weeks but the stands stayed. They may not be perfect cosmetically but the difference in sound vs anything I've tried before is huge.

The most ironic thing is how many people end up buying lower quality floorstanders as opposed to better bookshelves as they're not willing to pay for stands.

 

[NJB]

When I had my Audio Note AN-K speakers I had some stands especially made, nothing fancy, just some solid recycled hardwood from a local timber yard cut to shape and sanded down (the yard does this for a small fee). I wasn't expecting much of a difference from the Ikea stools that I was using as a temporary measure but was very pleasantly surprised with the results : was definitely an upgrade to sound. As it happens my new MAD speakers are exactly the same width as my Audio Note's were deep so with a quick 90 degree spin they once again become bespoke speaker stands I think the key is to get some as solid as possible or buy hollow ones that can be filled with sand or other heavy materials (there is even hifi grade! filling materials that can be bought for damping these stands down (or speakers that allow filling materials to be inserted into the cabinets, like some stand mounts do (e.g. my old Ruark Templars)

I got some solid hardwood stands from a local craft shop. They are quite heavy, very stable and they are really acoustically dead. They really suit my Dynaudio Focus 160s. Tightened up the bass for a start and the speakers have never sounded better (and I have two sets of well regarded metal hifi speaker stands to compare them too). I would certainly recommend giving them a go.

 

[mond]

I have a pair of Atacama SE24 half-filled with sand on spikes. I got them free with a second hand Marantz PM66SE and some MA speakers I bought just to see if I liked them. Both amp and speakers were gone within the next few weeks but the stands stayed. They may not be perfect cosmetically but the difference in sound vs anything I've tried before is huge.

The most ironic thing is how many people end up buying lower quality floorstanders as opposed to better bookshelves as they're not willing to pay for stands.

I have said this here before but if you think about what a (especially budget) floor standing speaker is, it's basically a couple of drivers in a hollow box, whereas a similarly priced bookshelf can be affixed to much more solid stands where often you cannot change the hollowness of the floorstander, unless they have the ability of being mass loaded, as mentioned above . This is what initially made me more interested in stand mount speakers, that’s not to say of course that floorstanders cabinets can’t be well designed and well damped but then that comes at even more expense...