Speaker Stand Costs, Safety, Features

[Opal]

SX Series Bespoke Fillable Speaker Floor Stands | Kanto Audio

Fill these stands to increase weight and reduce unwanted vibrations. Decouple your speakers from the room thanks to the isolation feet.

www.kantoaudio.com

This is the best stand that i came across that looks top notch quality but also affordable. Good alternatives to KEF stands

 

[MarkS]

what the stand mount speakers lack in bass response would easily be provided by my subs.

A lot of bass impact is in the 100 - 200 Hz range, above subwoofer range.

 

[Penelinfi]

You could get a stand, build a box around the bottom and fill with heavy filling.
Put threaded insert on speaker bottom and hole through top plate of stand, bolt it on.
Or if you have open frame stands, could make a little platform/hang heavy mass down low.
Option 3 : hang them from the rafters

 

[dped90]

It doesn't make any sense to pick stands before speakers, especially not if you want them to be secure.

I am NOT choosing any particular stands before even auditioning any speakers. All I am doing now is trying to determine how safe it would be to use stand mount speakers at all in my room, since by far most users I see have bare floors. Instead, all I have on my carpeted floor are a pair of old four way kit speakers with 15" woofers. Dimensions 20.25" x 16" x 25.5", so it's not like I've ever had to worry before about >$2K speakers crashing to a hard floor.

 

[dped90]

A lot of bass impact is in the 100 - 200 Hz range, above subwoofer range.

Yes, on top of off-axis performance issues, that's another concern. The trick is to find stand mount speakers which can deliver ample slam and sound stage dimensionality within that band, but which will not break my budget nor have to be pulled out too far into the room-and thereby be too much off-axis from my ears. I may therefore be forced to increase my per speaker budget.

Only reviewers (Stereophile, enjoythemusic, Parttime audiophile, audioholics) finding such stand mount speaker to perform admirably across at least most critical parameters will be the ones I could justify sparing time to audition, assuming they’re even available to be heard. But so far it’s really been a very disheartening journey, to put it mildly. The latest let down was this speaker. https://www.stereophile.com/content/aerial-acoustics-5t-loudspeaker

At this price point I wasn't expecting JA to find speakers from this brand with off-axis windows this narrow, even if that B & W 803 D3 is $2K/pair more. What was Aerial thinking? Why opt for a ported box and/or other design choices just to get extended bass and/or higher output? THAT's what subwoofers are for! And I need two pairs of mains and a CC speaker for this long overdue 5.1 system build. So, the hunt continues. Very frustrating, unless I consider spending $3K per speaker to get something like those B & W 803 D3’s.

OTOH, unless James Larson’s measuring methodologies and/or listening limitations are different than those of John Atkinson’s, I wonder how both would find the highs, mids and midbass of 5T versus this discontinued one? https://www.audioholics.com/bookshelf-speaker-reviews/sv-61r

In any case, there’s no substitute for personal listening tests. And if that’s not possible with those speakers on my short list then I’m screwed. But if I do get lucky to hear those models under decent conditions what do you think of setting these stands https://www.amazon.com/Stands-M-26720-Monitor-Stand-Black-26720-000-55/dp/B0016ZQYOY?ref_=ast_sto_dp
into plastic molds with ~55 lbs concrete ~ 5" thick and ~ 3" beyond the diameter of the base? Would it not provide about the most stable platform with them placed on thin carpeting-even if I were to occasionally raise a pair of them up to the stand's 43" maximum height?

And aesthetically I like the smooth gray concrete look.

Giving away a pair of Ikea speaker stands

S$0 | Leg made of steel. Base made of concrete. Can run wires through the tubular legs. Height 89cm. Please note: ▶️First come first serve. No reservation. ▶️Collect from my block in Woodlands.

www.carousell.sg

 

[Sancus]

I am NOT choosing any particular stands before even auditioning any speakers. All I am doing now is trying to determine how safe it would be to use stand mount speakers at all in my room, since by far most users I see have bare floors. Instead, all I have on my carpeted floor are a pair of old four way kit speakers with 15" woofers. Dimensions 20.25" x 16" x 25.5", so it's not like I've ever had to worry before about >$2K speakers crashing to a hard floor.

Fair enough. In that case I'd say you'll be fine as long as you pick something that can be bolted to a stand. Most floorstanders are not THAT broad based or heavy really, for example Kef R7s are 70lb and 7.9"x15". I don't think you need a 100lb stand for stability or anything like that. 30-50 is fine.

The harder part is that most don't bolt to stands by design.

 

[Somafunk]

Here’s a well prepared test of various stands with/without iso pucks and height/distance level matched with a measurement laser in a fully treated room with accompanying frequency responses/waterfall graphs.

 

[dped90]

You could get a stand, build a box around the bottom and fill with heavy filling.
Put threaded insert on speaker bottom and hole through top plate of stand, bolt it on.
Or if you have open frame stands, could make a little platform/hang heavy mass down low.
Option 3 : hang them from the rafters

Option 3 won't do. The prior option looks the most feasible but can't visualize a way to securely couple a ~ 50lb mass to, say, the bottom part of this pole. https://www.amazon.com/Stands-M-26720-Monitor-Stand-Black-26720-000-55/dp/B0016ZQYOY?ref_=ast_sto_dp

What do you think of my concrete mold idea?

 

[jhaider]

That's half the problem. I haven't decided on the two pairs of main speakers, nor exactly where they will be placed relative to my 65" TV and my chair.

Lift the TV to get the speaker placement right, IMO.

Searching [ speaker stands with concrete bases ] This is the ONLY such product I could find, and discontinued too.
https://www.carousell.sg/p/giving-away-a-pair-of-ikea-speaker-stands-142001784/ You'd think that if IKEA were wise enough to use concrete bases (?? lbs) they would go the extra mile and make them adjustable.

I wouldn’t seek those out. The metal poles are thin and flexy. They can barely support a mini standmount. I used them for KEF Q-Compact surrounds, and that was probably beyond their capabilities.

 

[dped90]

Here’s a well prepared test of various stands with/without iso pucks and height/distance level matched with a measurement laser in a fully treated room with accompanying frequency responses/waterfall graphs.

I was excited by this shootout until Colt said that the Focal Trio 11’s are what-82 lbs?? Seriously, even nearly everyone’s dream stand mount speaker, the Joseph Audio Pulsar, is under 40 lbs.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/joseph-audio-pulsar-loudspeaker

This review and those measurements could have been FAR more useful if real world stand mount speakers were used; those brands and models Colt would find people discussing here and at Steve Hoffman, AVS, audiophilestyle, et al. Frankly, it looks for all the world like the mission here is essentially to sell stands for Sweetwater. And at $1200 each at that-even way more expensive than stands from KEF, B&W, et al.

And unlike those Focals, which otherwise to its credit can do lows quite well, the good news (I think?) for me (for a change) is that the results of those waterfall charts may be largely irrelevant an issue, since from about 80Hz and lower my subs take over.

As for that “quasi-scientific” screwdriver rapping test, it seems hardly surprising that those Gator stands would ring like a bell compared to the Sound Anchors when the latter has 82 lbs on top to keep it quiet.

Last but hardly least, while having to date NO hands-on experience doing this, whether one uses Audyessy, DIRAC, mini DSP, “convolvers” or other hardware/software solutions, electronic and at least some degree of acoustic room correction is universally claimed to be mandatory for achieving far less problematic sound reproduction for anyone’s system. Colt here gave no hint that his room received any such correction. Perhaps the Gators and many other stands way less costly than those Sound Anchors would have thereby performed much better-even when used with those Focal behemoths.

Thus, with those humongous Focals in the mix the perceived good vs. bad ratings among those stands would be how relevant in my case?

Indeed, I wish that Colt or someone would repeat those tests using this adjustable height stand
https://www.amazon.com/Stands-M-26720-Monitor-Stand-Black-26720-000-55/dp/B0016ZQYOY?ref_=ast_sto_dp
with my concrete mold idea described above-but this time with a “normal” sized audiophile quality stand mount speaker model. That would likely be a huge help.

 

[dped90]

Lift the TV to get the speaker placement right, IMO.



I wouldn’t seek those out. The metal poles are thin and flexy. They can barely support a mini standmount. I used them for KEF Q-Compact surrounds, and that was probably beyond their capabilities.

As I do with the 32" Toshiba CRT TV in my bedroom, ideal TV height, regardless of distance away, is where my eyes fall on the screen just below its center. I can't see how anyone would be comfortable craning their necks upwards to watch TV.

But as I don't have any part of the 5.1 system yet, I haven't sprung for the 65" Sony OLED that I'll want for my living room.

 

[JustJones]

The most stable stands I've used are 4 post or art pedestals, I had Focal Trio11 be on art pedestals, Dutch and Dutch 8c on Skylan 4 post, Genelec 8351b on those adj 2 sound anchors they were all extremely stable. I now have Atalante 5 which are 75lbs speakers on 4 post and I never filled the posts with anything. I've had floor standers less stable. I also owned Joseph Audio Perspective 2 and I liked the Focal Trio11 be better. All that aside of all the different stands I've had by far anything 4 post had the most stability.
Edit: These have all been on carpet.

 

[jhaider]

As I do with the 32" Toshiba CRT TV in my bedroom, ideal TV height, regardless of distance away, is where my eyes fall on the screen just below its center. I can't see how anyone would be comfortable craning their necks upwards to watch TV.

Depends on how one sits and the height of the seating. If you sit ramrod straight on a low sofa, then you need a fairly low TV.

Our 65” LG OLED starts at a little over 50” off the ground, which was necessary to get the mouth of the LCR waveguides at ear level. It works fine, just as the same starting height did with our old 55” LG OLED.

 

[dped90]

The most stable stands I've used are 4 post or art pedestals, I had Focal Trio11 be on art pedestals, Dutch and Dutch 8c on Skylan 4 post, Genelec 8351b on those adj 2 sound anchors they were all extremely stable. I now have Atalante 5 which are 75lbs speakers on 4 post and I never filled the posts with anything. I've had floor standers less stable. I also owned Joseph Audio Perspective 2 and I liked the Focal Trio11 be better. All that aside of all the different stands I've had by far anything 4 post had the most stability.
Edit: These have all been on carpet.

I really have no clue from what you describe as "4 post" pedestals. A photo or two would help.

Also, I suspect that if you owned speakers the size of the Perspective 2's (not that I've even seen much less have heard them), your room is large enough to where being on ear level with most of their drivers, or with whatever speakers you're now using. My room's ~ 20 ft x 16 with a ceiling sloping from 11 down to 8 ft. Some here consider that not a small room, presumably due to the height.

But I've found few speakers, from Aerial Acoustics and Genelec to cite only a few, that will deliver accurate and neutral sounding response if much at all off-axis. Thus, especially when using stand mount speakers in "smallish" rooms, how could stands with adjustable height not be essential for many?

However, the trick again is to make such stands as safe for expensive speaker as possible when placed on carpets. I can't see how this is possible unless the bass is heavily mass loaded.

 

[JustJones]

For example Skylan have 4 post stands.

Skylan Manufacturing Ltd.

Audio speaker stands and damping boards.

skylanstands.com

Art pedestals.

 

[JustJones]

I consider my room small. 18 x 14 with 12 ft cathedral ceiling. I'm not doing home theater but you seem very focused on stability of speaker stands. I'm just saying these types have excellent stability.

 

[dped90]

Depends on how one sits and the height of the seating. If you sit ramrod straight on a low sofa, then you need a fairly low TV.

Our 65” LG OLED starts at a little over 50” off the ground, which was necessary to get the mouth of the LCR waveguides at ear level. It works fine, just as the same starting height did with our old 55” LG OLED.

Shxt! This sounds like yet another godzilla issue poised to pounce on this loser, this one with CC speaker stamped on its chest. I usually slouch in an old Drexel upholstered swivel rocker chair and where my eyes are ~ 35" above the carpet.

But how far away are your eyes from the screen? And when looking straight ahead do you then have to gaze a lot upward to see just below the screen's center?

Having the bottom of a 65" screen 50" above the floor at 11 ft away would hardly result in enjoyable viewing. Which, if any, audibly accepted solutions for CC speaker design and placement?

 

[JustJones]

The way I've bought stands for my speakers is determine the height using anything handy. I've used end tables and books. Once I know what height I need then I get the appropriate size stand. You can always adjust slightly with sorbothane pucks if need be.

 

[dped90]

I consider my room small. 18 x 14 with 12 ft cathedral ceiling. I'm not doing home theater but you seem very focused on stability of speaker stands. I'm just saying these types have excellent stability.

Yes, the point I've had to stress all along here is that my entire 2nd story co-op apartment is carpeted; indeed, thanks to this building's shxt quality flooring the co-op bylaws make (the original) carpeting mandatory. It's bad enough when I drop the TV remote on the floor in my bedroom and the woman downstairs rings me to complain! Such are the realities of housing on super overpopulated and overtaxed Long Island. My dream after retiring is to escape this Alcatraz and buy a house with a few big rooms and a small kitchen.

Meanwhile.............. once again, like Colt and probably almost everyone here, you not only have your stands on way more stable bare floors but your speakers are very safely in corners. None of this are options for me.

 

[JustJones]

My stands are on carpet. And are out from the wall on either side of my TV stand. I have the front of the speakers extend a couple of inches beyond the TV stand to get better imaging and FR.