The speaker stand/ floor interface

...I have put two slabs of dark granite beneath the stands. I guess that would work on a carpet as well. The bass is definitely firmer. And, best of all, it was cheaper than Linn Skeets

Best regards,

Oliver

Trial and error I'm afraid,

I suspect, a combination of 1 and 2 sould be your 1st try. Spikes making contact with floorboards, no wobble, but not totally impailed.

If too much energy goes into the floor, try locating spikes in cross head screw screwed through the carpet.

You wouldn't usually find platforms (or similar) are required for stand mounted speakers

Ludwig,

To me there's only one way to do the job right. Take a razor knife and slit the carpet all the way through the carpet and pad to the floor so that the spikes rest on the floor below. The best way is to cut an "X" where each spike rest. The goal is to have all 4 spikes resting solidly on the floor so that the speaker stands to do not rock at all. Make sure everything is level as well. If done correctly the carpet/pad should not have any affect on the rigidity of the stand. Anything else to me is a big compromise in performance.

Best,
John

John, thanks but that option isn't at all practical in my case. My landlord wouldn't appreciate it, I wouldn't want to pay for replacement carpeting when I move, and when I replace my speakers (requiring new placement) I'd have carpeting with gashes everywhere.

Ludwig,

It depends on the speaker. What are you using?

John's idea is best. I do it all the time and the slits are totally invisible.

But if you refuse to do that, you can do option 1. Over time the wieght of the speaker+stand will push itself into the pad securely. Once the spikes are settled in, you can then start adjusting them so that the speakers are level and all 4 spikes make contact with the floor so the stand doesn't rock.

Option 2 risks ruining the performance of the speaker with a excessively heavy stand. Again, depends on the speaker in question.

Option 3 is a non starter. You can try it easily. The sound will suck.

Option 4 is convenient, but I've found that paving slabs over carpet give a fat, leaden sound. Some people may have different experiences. Again, depends on the speaker.
Mana soundbases rule, but I've never tried them under standmounts.

best of luck,

mike.

Thanks Alex.

I'm lucky in that the floor beneath the carpet isn't wood, so there's little chance of impailed spikes.

I have sand in my stands, and blue goo between stands and speakers. I had major wobble, so I placed barbell weights on the base of the stands for several weeks, and upon removing them the spikes are driven through the carpet and maybe even the pad.

But something tells me I can do better.

(PS- Mekon seems skilled at inciting spending sprees. I hadn't totaled 5 rap albums in the last 5 years, and now I've purchased 2x that in recent weeks. )

Personally I put my stands in place and then stand on each corner to drive them through the carpet (in my case to a stone floor).
It also makes a satisfactory sound as you do it, similar in effect to popping bubble-wrap or running your fingernail around the foil of a new jar of coffee.

Mike,

I'm embarrased to say I'm still saving for a NAIM system. What I have is a low-buck setup with Acoustic Energy Aegis One's.

You mentioned something interesting- "ruining the performance of the speaker with a excessively heavy stand". That seems counter-intuitive to me. Is it that too much rigidity just transfers resonance energy instead of absorbing it? Can you elaborate a bit? Thanks.

Prowla, that's how I started but there was one stubborn corner for each stand, thus the weights I used for a few weeks.

I can only offer a layman's explaination on why heavy stands are usually lame sounding. Perhaps someone else can give a more detailed reason.

Heavy stands, be they equipment racks or speaker stands tend to trap vibration and dump it back into the component, whereas lighter ones allow excess energy to be grounded into the floor. The frequency of the vibration comes into play as well, but I can't explain how. Anyone?

The heavier stands tend to sap the jump and life out of your music.

Ludwig,

There are probably three viable solutions to your stand dilemma.

1. Cut the carpet and underlay as an X for each spike, ( the spike should rest on the floor but not dig into the wood, it is supposed to isolate).
2. Get some large cross headed screws and screw into the floor through the carpet below each spike. Then rest the stand spikes on these, you have the advantage that the screws can be levelled and the spikes can be screwed right into the stand. I have used this and found major improvements in bass control and the sound has been much 'tighter'. I think PS or one of the others guys from Naim have suggeested this as a reasonable solution to the thick carpet problem.
3. Build/buy a spiked platform with big spikes that easily go through the carpet and then sit the stand on top on it's spikes. Various materials MDF, glass, stone have been used and discussed on this forum all with various effects.

For a lower cost system I would go with one or two.

Just my thoughts.

Matthew

Thanks to Steve @ NANA for this tip.

If cutting an 'X' in your carpet is out of the question, try this...

Place four pieces of masking/duct tape on the floor before placing the stand. The stand will then pierce the tape, making its mark(s). Remove the stand and with a phillips screwdriver (number 2 works for me), push down through the carpet. Take the handle of the screwdriver and move it in a circle (swiggle), which opens up the backing even more, allowing for a nice open hole. The end result is much less destructive to the carpet (as opposed to the 'X' method) and 'disappears' after the stand/speaker is removed. Oh yea..remove the tape before setting the stand again.;-)

HTH,
jim

Thanks for the tips everyone. I might try swiggling a screwdriver (if that's legal).

Ludwig,

John's idea is best. I did this drilling and leveling not too long ago and it makes a massive difference.

A few weeks ago my sound had suddenly 'gone'. After a close inspection I found out that one of the stands was rocking. This is how big the difference is.

No need to make big X's in the carpet though. Drill holes slightly larger than the spikes and you'll be allright. Taping over the holes makes them easier to find back when you have to put the stands on.

The stands should not rock in any direction and they should be as level as possible for good weight distribution.


Have fun

willem