Spiked Speakers

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Hi All,

I have a pair of Mission 733s, which were spiked into my carpet, we have just had an expensive oak floor laid and I am reluctant to start spiking holes into it.

Can anyone recommend an alternative solution?

I seem to remember I had some small rubber pads when the speakers were new , but these have long since been lost house moves etc....

Will the sound quality be affected by changing from spikes?

Cheers

Lee
 

AlmaataKZ

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Andrew Everard

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Ingredients:

Eight (8) 2p coins
One punch, like this
p1120220_l.jpg

One hammer

Method:

1) Place 2p coin on bench, table or other solid surface.

2) Centre punch on coin, hit with hammer.

3) Repeat for the other seven coins.

4) Place coins, punched side up, on floor, seating the speaker spikes in the punched indentations.

5) Once speakers are positioned, push down firmly on top of each one to ensure it's firmly located.
 

SteveR750

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Andrew Everard:
Ingredients:

Eight (8) 2p coins
One punch, like this

One hammer

Method:

1) Place 2p coin on bench, table or other solid surface.

2) Centre punch on coin, hit with hammer.

3) Repeat for the other seven coins.

4) Place coins, punched side up, on floor, seating the speaker spikes in the punched indentations.

5) Once speakers are positioned, push down firmly on top of each one to ensure it's firmly located.

Don't you need to add

6) punch coin into floor creating an indent into which the coin fits securely, thereby creating a rigid bond between the coin and the floor
 

Andrew Everard

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Re both the 6) points above, neither are relevant: you're making a dink in the face of the coin into which the tip of the spike sits, not punching so hard you push out the other side of the coin, or making a hole through it.
 

SteveR750

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I understood you don't want to make a hole in the coin, only an indent to locate the spike; but if the coin can move relative to the floor, then the whole point of the having the spike is negated surely? I wasn't being totally serious, but nor was it totally flip(pant)...sorry, I was just leaving...

I assumed that the purpose of a spike is to couple the speaker to the floor following the principle of Newtons 3rd law, so that the cabinet / driver chassis is fixed firmly in space so that all of the energy is dissipated as sound waves from the driver, and not radiated from the cabinet / stand.
 

Andrew Everard

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SteveR750:I assumed that the purpose of a spike is to
couple the speaker to the floor following the principle of Newtons 3rd
law, so that the cabinet / driver chassis is fixed firmly in space so
that all of the energy is dissipated as sound waves from the driver,
and not radiated from the cabinet / stand.

Right on the implementation of Sir Isaac, not quite on the why. The idea is to locate the speaker firmly, and is to do with the 3rd Law, but it's more about stopping the whole speaker moving in the opposite direction to the speaker cone motion, albeit only minutely. Thus energy is not wasted moving the cabinet, as there is greater resistance to any such recationary movement!

The weight of the speaker should be sufficient to get the coin intimately acquainted with the floor, and thus resist movement. If you want to be doubly sure, you could try the above with 1p coins, thus making the psi higher due to the smaller contact area, and keeping things even more stable. Or indeed £1 coins if you're feeling flush.
 

aliEnRIK

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I think the coin idea is sound, except id blutack the coins to the floor (Metal against polished wood doesnt equal much in the way of friction)
 
A

Anonymous

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I may have missed it in translation but:-

Is the sticky felt pad key to the above being effective?

I cant get the picture out of my mind of a pair of speakers dancing around the room in time to the music, because the coins the speaker spikes are sitting in are behaving like pucks on a Ice Hockey ring!

Serenity

PS Dont worry, its that time of day / month / season
 

Andrew Everard

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No, and believe me they won't. Felt pad likely to make the coins more 'skaty'; conventration of the weight of the speakers on four coin-sized points more than sufficient to keep them in place, even on a polished wood floor (not that the OP said the floor was highly polished).
 

aliEnRIK

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Andrew Everard:Except the Blu-Tack will introduce a degree of compliance into the mounting, and allow some movement.
emotion-5.gif


We're going to have to disagree with that one Andrew

Its true that the speaker wont (or shouldnt) 'move' in the conventional sense just by being sat on the floor. But id say it will vibrate more than when using blutack

(And I do speak from experience)
 

SteveR750

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Andrew Everard:
SteveR750:I assumed that the purpose of a spike is tocouple the speaker to the floor following the principle of Newtons 3rdlaw, so that the cabinet / driver chassis is fixed firmly in space sothat all of the energy is dissipated as sound waves from the driver,and not radiated from the cabinet / stand.

Right on the implementation of Sir Isaac, not quite on the why. The idea is to locate the speaker firmly, and is to do with the 3rd Law, but it's more about stopping the whole speaker moving in the opposite direction to the speaker cone motion, albeit only minutely. Thus energy is not wasted moving the cabinet, as there is greater resistance to any such recationary movement!

The weight of the speaker should be sufficient to get the coin intimately acquainted with the floor, and thus resist movement. If you want to be doubly sure, you could try the above with 1p coins, thus making the psi higher due to the smaller contact area, and keeping things even more stable. Or indeed £1 coins if you're feeling flush.

This is exactly as I understood it too, maybe I am over-estimating the sensitivity of the system. The coin must move, no matter how small, but then its probably less than the wood in the cabinet does (as coloration or resonance)
 
A

Anonymous

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Putting speakers on spikes is just wrong. Especially on hard floors.

Use damping feet. They will reduce vibrations transmitting to the floor and back to the speakers.

A cheap damping feet is 8 2x2" squares cut from a mouse pad. Sonic design or equivalent is better.

Theres a reason your washing machine isnït put on spikes!
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
Yes but our washing machine isn't a loudspeaker, and I'm afraid the analogy doesn't work. You indeed want to retain all of the enrgy in the washer so it dos not intrude into your house, which means it bounces and vibrates away merrily. This is the last thing you want a speaker to be doing, the drive unit needs to be held firmly in space for it to impart all of its energy into sond waves and not movement and friction of the cabinet....
 

Andrew Everard

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Moalboal:Putting speakers on spikes is just wrong.

Because...?

Moalboal:Use damping feet. They will reduce vibrations transmitting to the floor and back to the speakers.

And allow the speakers to move, which is exactly what we're trying to avoid.

Moalboal:
A cheap damping feet is 8 2x2" squares cut from a mouse pad.

Sonic design or equivalent is better.

You mean like

7113_1.JPG
???

Moalboal:Theres a reason your washing machine isnït put on spikes!

The relevance of which is...?
 
A

Anonymous

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A stiff connection to the floor will do the opposite. It will transmitt energy to the floor which will return into the spekears which will make it resonate.

Theres been plenty of research done about this. Google: sonic design for more info.

Btw i donït work for Sonic design. I donït even own one of their products at this time. My speakers are actually on SPIKES! Coz my wife think it looks better. However iïve tried them before and they work wonders. There are plenty of other manufactures of damping feet that are surely just as good.
 

Andrew Everard

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Moalboal:A stiff connection to the floor will do the opposite. It will transmitt energy to the floor which will return into the spekears which will make it resonate.

In fact, the connection will act as a mechanical ground, or drain, for unwanted energy, taking it away from the speaker.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Hmm, Newton said something about every force creating an opposite force...

A washing machine on spikes would wobble out of the house.

Itïs easy to test. Put your fingers gently against the speaker to feel it resonate. Now switch from spikes to damping feet and do the same. The diffrence is huge.

When listening you will notice the bass tighten up and your neighbours will thank you. Because the whole construction of the house is not playing along with the music.

No need for further discussing. If you want to know the physics about it there is plenty on the net.

If your speakers sound better on spikes, then great. Thatïs whatïs most important.
 

drummerman

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Andrew Everard:

Moalboal:No need for further discussing.

If you say so - sensible to quit while you're behind...

Momentary change of subject; Did you ever comment on that cheap USB DAC you bought?
 

lovstromp

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Moalboal:....
Itïs easy to test. Put your fingers gently against the speaker to feel it resonate. Now switch from spikes to damping feet and do the same. The diffrence is huge.

....

Isn't it the other way around? Putting your finger on the floor and see which method translates more vibration to the floor
 

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