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Desktop Speaker Stands

BoredErica

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Let's talk about desktop speaker stands!

What puzzles me is how short many desktop speaker stands are. I'm about "average height", and I calculate with the LS50 Meta's tweeter at 5.95 inches from the top of the desk when I place it down (height of LS50 meta divided by 2, since the design is symmetrical). To get to ear height, I need 14.22 inches of height boost on average, plus or minus 2 inches based on posture. But most speaker stands seem to 10 inches or less.

I'm looking to speaker stands for my desk to boost the height of LS50 Metas by ~14 inches which are silver/white, and black if there's no other choice. Something metal and not plastic. The Kanto SP9 seemed nice but the stand top is too small to support a medium size speaker like the Meta I think. The top goes up to 4.3x7in. I don't want expensive speakers to fall off the stand. Kanto has a 6in one with a wider top but that's only 6 inches of lift.

Yoga blocks are functional, but I'm not sure how it'd look. It'd have to be white or black, and they are 4in tall so I'd have to stack multiple. I chose Metas because they look nice and have high WAF (yes, acceptance factor for me). However, I realize the shorter height of Meta compared to R3 forces me to move the speaker up more, and I have to find a way to boost the height by a lot while making it look nice.

I thought we should be getting tweeter to ear height so we're getting close to on axis FR and to reduce desk reflections? How far above do speakers have to be compared to the desk?

I'd love to hear your personal opinions on what makes a good desk stand in general too. Thanks.
 
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AnalogSteph

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Stupid question, how high is your desk? I can only assume that it is the combined effect of desk height and reduced tweeter height in the LS50s that results in you slightly unusual requirements.

IME the height requirements for writing by hand and on a keyboard with decent ergonomics are essentially irreconcileable. You basically don't get around a keyboard tray or something if you need both.

If you can't quite reach the required height, the kind of PU foam wedges they're selling as isolation pads for monitors to get a bit of an angfe going may be an option.

BTW, when I needed desktop stands in 2007 you basically couldn't get any (or not at any sane price anyway), so Dad and I had to DIY some...
 

maverickronin

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The LS50's aren't a much of a representative example for judging stands by, being a 2 way coaxial, leaving the tweeter in the middle of what's already a small enclosure. A convention design with the tweeter much closer to the top gains extra height. I just checked my JBL 305's and the center of their tweeter is about 9.5" up and it's 11.5" on my R3's

Unfortunately, I don't have any attractive solutions for your problem though.
 
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BoredErica

BoredErica

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Stupid question, how high is your desk? I can only assume that it is the combined effect of desk height and reduced tweeter height in the LS50s that results in you slightly unusual requirements.

IME the height requirements for writing by hand and on a keyboard with decent ergonomics are essentially irreconcileable. You basically don't get around a keyboard tray or something if you need both.

If you can't quite reach the required height, the kind of PU foam wedges they're selling as isolation pads for monitors to get a bit of an angfe going may be an option.

BTW, when I needed desktop stands in 2007 you basically couldn't get any (or not at any sane price anyway), so Dad and I had to DIY some...
If you mean desk height as in how many inches from the top of the desk to the floor, I don't think that matters. I'm going to want a certain amount of space for my arms to rest on the keyboard comfortable. Maverickronin in the post under yours pointed out that here the coaxial driver of the Meta makes things trickier since the tweeter isn't above the woofer.

I don't write on my desk much these days so ergonomics there don't matter to me. I've seen the foam wedges, but they seem so far from my ear that I'm hoping for another solution. :) When it comes to DIY solutions well... I know nothing about building stuff so I'd rather pay for some overpriced product.

The LS50's aren't a much of a representative example for judging stands by, being a 2 way coaxial, leaving the tweeter in the middle of what's already a small enclosure. A convention design with the tweeter much closer to the top gains extra height. I just checked my JBL 305's and the center of their tweeter is about 9.5" up and it's 11.5" on my R3's

Unfortunately, I don't have any attractive solutions for your problem though.
Yeah, I realized as I was typing the original post earlier that that is a contributing factor. By my estimation, Metas need 14.22in of height boost, and R3 7.57in. Unfortunately with R3 I'm left with the fact that they're quite large for a desk, and they might not be optimal for very near distance listening. It is still quite weird to me how in the many Meta desktop pictures I've seen, nobody has gotten the tweeter close to ear height. Does tilting up just fix the problem of tweeters not being at ear level? Perhaps it's just a concession they made because they didn't want to go further than that.

Life is hard!
 
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radix

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For my Neumann KH80s, I use two small VESA monitor stands plus vesa adapters on the back of the speakers. The LS50 doesn't have rear holes, but I bet you could do some clamp on stands plus small shelves.
 

Freeway

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Might want to look at adjustable studio monitor stands. Gator, Clutch, K&M etc.
I had Technics SB-C700 on isoAcoustic stands + 1" book tilted up. Center of coaxial speaker about 12" above desk. Sounded fine to me.
IsoAcoustic with short legs. The high long legs are worthless. So wobbly.
Sanus has a 16" stand.
 

maverickronin

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Yeah, I realized as I was typing the original post earlier that that is a contributing factor. By my estimation, Metas need 14.22in of height boost, and R3 7.57in. Unfortunately with R3 I'm left with the fact that they're quite large for a desk, and they might not be optimal for very near distance listening. It is still quite weird to me how in the many Meta desktop pictures I've seen, nobody has gotten the tweeter close to ear height. Does tilting up just fix the problem of tweeters not being at ear level? Perhaps it's just a concession they made because they didn't want to go further than that.

Life is hard!

The R3's are still great in nearfield because the woofer crossed fairly low, but they are quite a bit bigger than the LS50 Metas and won't fit on most desks.

Finally finished my custom desk project which I've been working on forever and a half.

tmSSwTN.jpg


RME ADI-2 DAC > Aiyima A07 (Waiting on a Buckeye NC252MP) > KEF R3 (Upside down on K&M 26774 monitor stands)

Plus a bunch of headphones which aren't pictured.

I spent basically a year building this from scratch. I'm some kind of ergonomic weirdo who likes his chair low and desk high, so the Uni Q's are at ear level despite being upside down.

I remember in another thread, someone said they were getting custom sized floor stands for their speakers from Etsy. I did a quick search and some could be suitable for desktop use. There was a lot of solid wood, but maybe you'll find something that fits your style.
 

JRiggs

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I’m using IsoAcoustic stands for my desktop LS50.
 
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BoredErica

BoredErica

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I’m using IsoAcoustic stands for my desktop LS50.
I know of those. They go up to 8.5in which is a decent height. Personally I'm not a fan of their looks though. To each their own. :)
The R3's are still great in nearfield because the woofer crossed fairly low, but they are quite a bit bigger than the LS50 Metas and won't fit on most desks.
Tricky thing is the size makes it harder to listen at a distance. If I put the Meta and R3 against the wall, the R3 drivers will be closer to me simply because the R3 are deeper. Of course they shouldn't be against the wall so it makes it harder in that respect as well. The manual for R3 recommends 9in minimum distance from the wall, whereas the manual for Meta does not state a minimum distance.

It's even trickier because if I decide to move to a 42in OLED TV as my gaming monitor, the desk has to be deeper to compensate for that and that might buy enough room for the R3.

I emailed Kef and they couldn't give me a minimum recommended listening distance for their speakers, which is annoying. I'd to listen as close as 19.5 inches away so I get pretty close.
I spent basically a year building this from scratch. I'm some kind of ergonomic weirdo who likes his chair low and desk high, so the Uni Q's are at ear level despite being upside down.

I remember in another thread, someone said they were getting custom sized floor stands for their speakers from Etsy. I did a quick search and some could be suitable for desktop use. There was a lot of solid wood, but maybe you'll find something that fits your style.
WOW. That is a heck of a setup lol. If I went to that room I would be so confused on what is happening. I've been looking on Etsy, but I only searched 'desktop speaker stands'. I'll give it a shot right now. They usually only come in dark wood colors though.

I'll post what I found on Etsy in a bit (probably post under this).
 
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BoredErica

BoredErica

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Some stand ideas here. (Bear in mind these can be customized for height.) You might like some of these for your own use. :)
Lots of pictures, be warned.
il_794xN.3367525988_cia3.jpg

Maybe a little too rustic for what I'm looking for. Not too bad though so it's worthy of consideration.

il_794xN.2535435471_2z0s.jpg

Customer pictures with phones are really low resolution, especially when so far back. Hey look, they're using KEF speakers in that shot! The stands are metal as is the picture below this one. How it looks up close, I really have no idea and Etsy sellers don't know how to do photography properly.

il_794xN.2785427593_l9y0.jpg

I think having a wood base looks better than just all metal.

il_794xN.2713602915_mpr5.jpg

These ones come with an optional base at the bottom for putting you amp/dac/whatever. Interesting concept. In practice I think I'll have dac/amps hidden, and only a dedicated volume knob on my desk for controlling volume digitally. Otherwise there is too much clutter. You get a Motu and you're plugging in 2.1 channels + power + microphone on the front and the thing will be very busy and take up a lot of room.

il_794xN.2546127091_p5zy.jpg

These come with a top made of ash as an option. This one has a lot of wood grain though... more than I'd like.

1638358840044.png

Finally we have the 6in Kanto SP6. Seems kind of low quality but just ask for another one if they're defective I guess. They look nice and fit well with what do you know, yet another KEF speaker. Big problem is the 6 inch height. I guess I could even put these stands on top of a yoga block or some kind of wooden furniture to prop the stands up?

I think a lighter colored wood can look fine with a white or light wood colored desks. Obviously having 14in tall stands + 12in tall speakers will require some sacrifices as far as aesthetics is concerned. Examples:
Feminine-Desks-via-@fancythingsblog.jpg
4cslww00cec41.jpg

I think audiophiles are almost all men, and gamer girls are typically younger people who tend to prefer headphones. it leaves me with no decor ideas because I can't find any classically feminine decor with speaker stands.
 
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Walter

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There is just nothing I can find ready made at the right height. These angled ones are the closest I came:

51Usy9mlZDL._AC_SL1500_.jpg

One thing to consider is that since you have coaxials, there is much less need for the speakers to be right at ear height--that is one of the primary benefits to coaxial designs. So anything for 10 inches to 16 inches would probably be fine, although the taller it is, the better it should be from a standpoint of desk reflections, I would think. You could try going to any woodworking shop near you with a photo of a design you like.

You could also try these plus a can of white spray paint:
 
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BoredErica

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There is just nothing I can find ready made at the right height. This is the closest I came:

One thing to consider is that since you have coaxials, there is much less need for the speakers to be right at ear height--that is one of the primary benefits to coaxial designs. So anything for 10 inches to 16 inches would probably be fine, although the taller it is, the better it should be from a standpoint of desk reflections, I would think. You could try going to any woodworking shop near you with a photo of a design you like.
The 9in stand from Kanto has a top plate dimensions of 4.3x7. 6in, 7x7. This one is 5.3x7.4. I don't really know what the bottom dimensions of the LS50 Meta are because the dimensions listed on KEF website measures max width and height. The speaker kindda bows outwards as you can see here:
IMG_3058.jpeg

KEF spec is 7.9x11 but in practice it's probably... 7.5x9 or something at the base? I *think* your option will work?

1638362696672.png

I've been calculating the estimated height needed and the resulting angle at 19.5 inches away. With no height boost I am 36.1 degrees off, and a 6in Kanto stand puts me at 22.86 degrees off which is borderline hitting putting me into the -6db zone. That black line in the vertical isoband picture shows where I'd be if I went with the 6in stands.

1638362801532.png
I guess how much desk reflections affect sound varies a lot from speaker to speaker and it's not something tested by reviewers, so I don't really know what my target is for how high to get it off the desk... Tilting the speaker up a few degrees might help avoid those reflections though.

It might seem like getting R3 is the super way easy out in terms of height since a simple 6 inch stand is enough, but it's 7.9x13.2 at the base for real, and a 7x7 base (Kanto 6hd) is covering only a bit more than half the depth of the R3!
 
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BoredErica

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For my KH80s, these Kantos are nice for the price. They have 6 and 9 inch tall.

Kanto SP9W 9" Speaker Stands​

They're a nice and economical option! The tricky thing is the dimensions of the top height is smaller in the 9in version. For KH80 though I'd imagine they'd be perfect. For LS50 Meta the 9incher is a bit small, and for something large like R3 it's way too small. Even the 6in version would be too small for the R3. I wish they 9inchers would work for the Metas. It ...might? A little spooky having expensive speakers boosted 9 inches up if it's not secure though.

Might want to look at adjustable studio monitor stands. Gator, Clutch, K&M etc.
I had Technics SB-C700 on isoAcoustic stands + 1" book tilted up. Center of coaxial speaker about 12" above desk. Sounded fine to me.
IsoAcoustic with short legs. The high long legs are worthless. So wobbly.
Sanus has a 16" stand.
Ahh, I'll them in mind. I was hoping for a white or light colored wood stand. They won't hold R3 (it weighs too much) but Metas would work.
 

Fuzziekiwi

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Gator Frameworks, although not pretty. You can adjust the height and angle. This is the lowest they go.
 

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Count Arthur

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BoredErica

BoredErica

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Gator Frameworks, although not pretty. You can adjust the height and angle. This is the lowest they go.
Hey, you have it at ear height so good on you! I see so many LS50 Meta setups, and NONE of them have it near ear height! I see you have a large mousepad/destkmat. In my current setup, I struggle with the yoga blocks propping up my old speakers sitting on the edge of the desk mat. It's an issue I hope to rectify in the future (somehow).

Deeper table, move the monitor/deskmat/keyboard/mouse towards the edge of the table to compensate for the deeper desk, leave the speakers closer to the wall. I think that would work.
 

Hydrav

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I've got a pair of Kali LP6v2 speakers and have been considered different stands for a while now (atm I just have them standing on a pile of books).

Some thoughts:

The most functional stand imo would be a table clamp style stand (like a monitor arm). This would give you more table space and probably a cleaner look. But I couldn't find any good ones, they all have the top plate mounted centrally, so if you have the table standing up to a wall you wouldn't be able to fit the them. Another option would be table clamps with some sort of mount for the speakers, e.g. vesa, but not all speakers have mounts in the back for such mounting, so they have to stand on a plate.

Next up is the "L-shape" stands. They require some desk space for the base plate, but leave room underneath the speaker which can be used, and also makes it easier to clean. I've read that some of them can be a bit wobbly though and start point downwards if your speaker is heavy and reaches out beyond the top plate. Some of them are angled a bit up though, like the Kanto SE6.

Finally you have the lifted stands, like the isoacoustic stands or the Kanto SP6HD. I think these are more stable than the L-shape stands, although they're the least functional, as they leave little to no usable desk space underneath the speakers. Looks are subjective, but I find the isoacoustic stands very ugly, so much so it was a deal breaker for me. The Kanto SP6HD looked a lot better, but seemed to have quite a bit of quality problems.

I ended up ordering a pair of L-shape Konig & Meyer 26772 monitor stands in grey. I also ordered some Kanto SE6 stands and will compare the two and choose the one I prefer. The Kanto SE6 looks a bit better but has less useful space underneath and do not have adjustable height. Also they're angled, which may or may not be a positive. A further negative about the Kanto stands is that they're quite expensive. IMO too expensive for what they are. In fact I was going to cancel the Kanto SE6 order but it was shipped before I could cancel it.
 
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BoredErica

BoredErica

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I've got a pair of Kali LP6v2 speakers and have been considered different stands for a while now (atm I just have them standing on a pile of books).

Some thoughts:

The most functional stand imo would be a table clamp style stand (like a monitor arm). This would give you more table space and probably a cleaner look. But I couldn't find any good ones, they all have the top plate mounted centrally, so if you have the table standing up to a wall you wouldn't be able to fit the them. Another option would be table clamps with some sort of mount for the speakers, e.g. vesa, but not all speakers have mounts in the back for such mounting, so they have to stand on a plate.

Next up is the "L-shape" stands. They require some desk space for the base plate, but leave room underneath the speaker which can be used, and also makes it easier to clean. I've read that some of them can be a bit wobbly though and start point downwards if your speaker is heavy and reaches out beyond the top plate. Some of them are angled a bit up though, like the Kanto SE6.

Finally you have the lifted stands, like the isoacoustic stands or the Kanto SP6HD. I think these are more stable than the L-shape stands, although they're the least functional, as they leave little to no usable desk space underneath the speakers. Looks are subjective, but I find the isoacoustic stands very ugly, so much so it was a deal breaker for me. The Kanto SP6HD looked a lot better, but seemed to have quite a bit of quality problems.

I ended up ordering a pair of L-shape Konig & Meyer 26772 monitor stands in grey. I also ordered some Kanto SE6 stands and will compare the two and choose the one I prefer. The Kanto SE6 looks a bit better but has less useful space underneath and do not have adjustable height. Also they're angled, which may or may not be a positive. A further negative about the Kanto stands is that they're quite expensive. IMO too expensive for what they are. In fact I was going to cancel the Kanto SE6 order but it was shipped before I could cancel it.
Good analysis. The L shape stand you bought was this one right?
26772-000-87.jpg

Functional, but seems very utilitarian. With the Kanto, I wonder if it's possible to get one and just return/ask for replacement if the quality is subpar. I've never thought of those L shaped stands sagging but I guess it makes sense. It just seems weird to me since both personal computers and speakers have existed for such a long time now, I figure there would be a lot more options (both in size and looks). But I guess most people, even audiophiles, do not care about height very much.
 
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