DIY magnetic floating stands on spikes

[nicalexx]

This is a project I've been wanting to do for a while now, funds and time have prevailed recently, so I bit...

Hopefully you can see from the photo the construction of the stand, it's very simple, and you can get all the parts from eBay for around £100 £50 for both stands (£50 £25 each). Only real DIY bit I needed to do was drill the plywood, so as long as you're ok with measuring and drilling reasonably straight, this should be a doddle

It has resulted in a clearer low end and overall image. Unfortunately I do not have the facility to scientifically measure the before and after, so my apologies if you're expecting any graphs!

 

[maxxevv]

What kind of a load is it floating there ?

That cost sounds excessive without load context.

 

[nicalexx]

What kind of a load is it floating there ?

That cost sounds excessive without load context.

The stand is loading a HS50m, which is 5.8kg.

Magnets are N50 neodymium.

 

[gene_stl]

So you imagine that sitting your loudspeaker on a wiggly platform will improve the sound?
Fascinating

 

[dkinric]

This is the exact opposite of the purpose/benefit of a speaker stand - to provide rigidity to the speaker and isolate it from any movement.

Say, did you get inspired from this What HiFi article?
https://www.whathifi.com/us/feature...-not-believe-affect-sound-quality-but-they-do

 

[nicalexx]

So you imagine that sitting your loudspeaker on a wiggly platform will improve the sound?
Fascinating

It’s not wiggling around unless I give it a good nudge. The idea was to decouple it further from my desk.

 

[nicalexx]

This is the exact opposite of the purpose/benefit of a speaker stand - to provide rigidity to the speaker and isolate it from any movement.

Say, did you get inspired from this What HiFi article?
https://www.whathifi.com/us/feature...-not-believe-affect-sound-quality-but-they-do

Ah ok, not even aware of that article! And while I understand your concern for rigidity, I have heard a noticeable improvement from being on dense foam blocks.

 

[dkinric]

Nicalexx, I was being facetious with the link. If you like it, great. However, not having the speaker on a stable, rigid base at some level affects its ability to project a solid soundstage and likely bass response as well. It would seem these downsides would outweigh any decoupling benefits. Newton's Law regarding equal and opposite action and all that.

 

[nicalexx]

Nicalexx, I was being facetious with the link. If you like it, great. However, not having the speaker on a stable, rigid base at some level affects its ability to project a solid soundstage and likely bass response as well. It would seem these downsides would outweigh any decoupling benefits. Newton's Law regarding equal and opposite action and all that.

Duly noted.

 

[Mnyb]

Soft suspension of speakers also works , given that the resonance frequency is low enough of the suspension.

Would be a bit hard to judge the mechanical parameters of this magnetic/air spring ?

Others like sonic design sells/sold soft feet’s you order per your speakers weight

 

[DonH56]

Neat idea. Decoupling desktop speakers is pretty common -- different situation (and problems) that speakers sitting on a floor. It'd be interesting to see data on the resonances, coupling coefficients, isolation, spring-k equivalency, and a whole host of other things proving (a) I am not a mechanical engineer and (b) I need to get a life...

 

[maxxevv]

a

The stand is loading a HS50m, which is 5.8kg.

Magnets are N50 neodymium.

Hmm... that's not very heavy but still fairly decent result in terms of floated load. However, I still think that cost bill is excessive. What's the main cost drive in that bill of materials ?

Would certainly like to try my hand at one when I can spare some DIY time.

 

[HammerSandwich]

Relevant: figures 3 & 4 in Stereophile's recent Q Acoustics Concept 300 review. This speaker/stand has a suspended interface.

Wouldn't this magnetic suspension have minimal damping? I expect foam/Sorbothane/whatever to provide much more damping and not just vertically.

 

[nicalexx]

a

Hmm... that's not very heavy but still fairly decent result in terms of floated load. However, I still think that cost bill is excessive. What's the main cost drive in that bill of materials ?

Would certainly like to try my hand at one when I can spare some DIY time.

I think I may have overestimated my costings and doubled what it actually cost. So, looking at it, it seems more like £25 per stand and the magnets being the highest cost at just under £12 per stand. My apologies for getting carried away with the numbers!

 

[Blumlein 88]

My guess is springs and foam damping would accomplish a similar thing with parameters of spring loading and foam between the springs being adjustable. Another option is to stretch a rubber diaphragm around the spring coils. Something like an old inner tube from a bike tire around springs to provide some flexible frictional damping.

https://engineering.stackexchange.c...-is-the-pvc-tube-or-foam-in-metal-springs-for

One could use these vibration pads easily enough. They come in different sizes for different weights.
https://www.mcmaster.com/standard-vibration-damping-mounts

 

[gene_stl]

It’s not wiggling around unless I give it a good nudge. The idea was to decouple it further from my desk.

What about when the voice coils nudge it?
I am in favor of DIY projects. I have a few doubts about this one. Maybe put a turntable on it.

 

[Milesian]

Have always isolated my speakers by floating them on ball bearings. Counter intuitive, but sounds much better than any other method I’ve tried.

 

[Blumlein 88]

Have always isolated my speakers by floating them on ball bearings. Counter intuitive, but sounds much better than any other method I’ve tried.

View attachment 46986

Are the cups dished on the base? If so they are like designs to mitigate earthquake damage to buildings. They can do a good job isolating from vibration in the horizontal plane, but not so much in the vertical. If shaped appropriately it is a synthetic way to let them move as if they were on a very long pendulum. Typically called friction pendulums. You can add double curved surfaces and a couple other features for double or triple pendulum versions.

https://www.earthquakeprotection.com/single-pendulum

 

[Milesian]

Are the cups dished on the base? If so they are like designs to mitigate earthquake damage to buildings. They can do a good job isolating from vibration in the horizontal plane, but not so much in the vertical. If shaped appropriately it is a synthetic way to let them move as if they were on a very long pendulum. Typically called friction pendulums. You can add double curved surfaces and a couple other features for double or triple pendulum versions.

https://www.earthquakeprotection.com/single-pendulum

Yep. Concave drawer pulls from Lowes, inset into the top plate of the stand.

 

[restorer-john]

Have always isolated my speakers by floating them on ball bearings. Counter intuitive, but sounds much better than any other method I’ve tried.

So you don't have children, or cats?