Speaker stands.. what is ASR's take on it.?

[Jaxjax]

I just weld my own up & fill. Then use large rubber bottle stoppers under speakers, floor sliders under stands & done. I have however tried all kinds of crazy crap & want to know what ASR members have measured when using different stands or methods of coupling ,decoupling, spiked ,steel, wood, shape ,size, etc. Also when I say crazy I mean it as I used to way back when,.... try everything from bearings, to controlled mag-lev. & many , many other things. Nowadays it's rubber stoppers under everything including my turntable. Cheap & effective although I have never measured any of this.
Joe

 

[DVDdoug]

Stands can make a difference because the position, location in the room, and the angle can make a difference.

Ethan Winer did some experiments with isolators and they didn't do anything. Isolation might help if something is vibrating/rattling.

Nowadays it's rubber stoppers under everything

It doesn't do anything for electronics. Except some tubes are microphonic, but usually you have to shock/knock the tube directly to hear anything. And hopefully you don't have tubes.

everything including my turntable.

Turntables can pick-up vibrations that get amplified by high-gain phono preamp. A phono preamp has RIAA equalization, which means low frequencies get the most gain. Sometimes you can get feedback if you put the turntable on a speaker. But I think isolation requires "soft springs" for a lower-than-audio resonance frequency.

 

[Prana Ferox]

Using a stand to time align my drivers so I can enjoy some prog

 

[Jaxjax]

What I mean by cheap & effective on the rubber stoppers is only to protect my gear, speration between rack pieces etc, Not for audible anything. My stands are about 125 lbs with 55lbs monitors. My TT is in a spot you never see as its in reaching distance directly in front of me & forward of the speakers. Never an issue even at high spl . The TT is 50lbs on its own & on glass off all things..lol The Feikerts TT's have spikes into small steel dishes on bottom. I am surprised no one here has measured hollow floor systems vs concrete slabs with coupled & non coupled etc.. You would think the crawl space gig on certain floor systems would create problems .
Joe

 

[dfuller]

I use Sound Anchors. They're about the only stands on the market that can actually adjust low enough for the "not quite floor standers, but certainly not bookshelves" speakers out there - think the size class of KH420s, ATC SCM50s, PSI A25Ms, etc etc - to be at the right acoustic axis.

 

[Imran Zafar]

This guy has done some testing showing measured differences:

 

[dfuller]

This guy has done some testing showing measured differences:

To say his testing is fraught would be the understatement of the century.

 

[Beave]

Since the video was brought up in this thread, here's another thread about it:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ound-difference-between-speaker-stands.43429/

And here are a few of the many other threads here about speaker stands:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...portant-are-speaker-stands-bookshelves.32326/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...r-stands-is-there-objectivist-evidence.46831/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...aker-stand-costs-safety-features.40266/page-6

 

[Tokyo_John]

In science and engineering, vibrational resonances and attenuation are a very well-studied phenomena, much of which is possible using linear PDEs so the math is considerably simpler than in other fields. Any object subjected to vibration has a frequency response spectrum that betrays intrinsic elastic resonances and shape/geometry factors. (For example, in "helioseismology" we study the vibrations of the Sun's surface to infer properties and dynamics of its interior.) There is typically a lowest fundamental frequency for resonances, and then a series of overtones at higher frequencies. The decay of resonances in the time domain reflects attenuation, which is an exponential function of frequency in the linear theory. Some interesting and practical inferences can be made:

1. Isolator pads/feet dampen the transmission of the source vibration from the speakers to the stand, and are typically the cheapest way to lessen the transmission of vibrations to the stands themselves. It is basically the minimum one can do, and probably the most cost efficient.
2. Tuning a stand so that the fundamental resonant frequency is well above the audible frequency spectrum ensures that all the overtones are also inaudible (even higher frequencies). Tuning a stand to have a very low resonant frequency risks overtones creeping into the audible spectrum.
3. The fundamental frequency increases with the rigidity of the material, and decreases with the density. Thus proposing a more rigid stand which is also denser doesn't make a whole lot of sense, since these effect trade off inversely with one another. If aiming for higher frequency resonances, then highly rigid and lightweight is the best formula. If aiming for low frequencies, then soft and density is the correct formula.
4. Attenuation is also critically important, since it can dampen resonances and limit their ringing in the time domain. This property varies considerably between different materials. Loose materials like sand may be better than concrete, although the response of sand to vibration is non-linear: It behaves like porous cement at low amplitudes and more like a fluid at high amplitudes.
5. Photography has found an ultimate solution to all of the above issues: carbon fiber. It is light and rigid, hence yielding high fundamental frequencies and even higher overtones. At the same time, carbon fiber is a great attenuating material, vibrations do not ring very long in the time domain.

Based on the above considerations, the best speaker stands may be carbon fiber camera tripods with some kind of sound isolator feet/pad between the speaker and the pod.

I am presently building my own stands, which will be integrated into an "entertainment center" that include a board for a large TV (65"). Since it is made of wood (walnut and bubinga), I need to be careful about resonances. I'll use an isoacoustics stand to isolate the speakers from the top of the stands (the cheapest option). I have some vibration measurement devices that I could use to detect resonances, although I'm betting that it won't make a big difference.

 

[sergeauckland]

My view, based on lots of listening tests done when I had my shop, and access to many different types of stands, is that all a stand needs to do is to get the tweeter to ear height, and be stable, so the 'speakers don't fall off.

Otherwise, whether a kitchen stool, a pile of bricks or a £1000 stand won't make any audible difference.

S.

 

[TonyJZX]

yeah

the pile of cinder blocks besser blocks is good enough if you're ok with aesthetics

 

[Svet Angelov]

My view, based on lots of listening tests done when I had my shop, and access to many different types of stands, is that all a stand needs to do is to get the tweeter to ear height, and be stable, so the 'speakers don't fall off.

Otherwise, whether a kitchen stool, a pile of bricks or a £1000 stand won't make any audible difference.

S.

the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth right here

 

[Thomas_A]

the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth right here

Not always true

Springs Under My Speakers: What's Happening?

Regarding the audibility I gave an example with a speaker placed on my hifi equipment rack with hard and soft speaker feet (sonic design). First two sweeps are hard coupling, last two with soft coupling. Perhaps an extreme example, but it shows the principle that applies...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Purité Audio]

I imagine it is possible to engineer a scenario where there might be an audible difference, cheaply made speakers, resonant stand and floor.
But I have never been seen or heard an audible difference here despite trying numerous ‘isolation’ devices.
Including some proper laboratory rolling air diaphragm devices.
Keith

 

[Thomas_A]

I imagine it is possible to engineer a scenario where there might be an audible difference, cheaply made speakers, resonant stand and floor.
But I have never been seen or heard an audible difference here despite trying numerous ‘isolation’ devices.
Including some proper laboratory rolling air diaphragm devices.
Keith

My example is a two-way monitor on an IKEA ”Bestå” furniture. The monitor itself built with constrained layer damping. So no strange setup I would say.

 

[Penelinfi]

I'm personally looking for stands which are somewhat artistic and/or present the least surface area.

 

[Tokyo_John]

I'm personally looking for stands which are somewhat artistic and/or present the least surface area.

Build them yourself...it will save a vast amount of money, and you'll get something close to what you want.

 

[Penelinfi]

Build them yourself...it will save a vast amount of money, and you'll get something close to what you want.

I've made a few, though first I'm waiting for speakers to arrive. Then can pick wood a little easier. I'd have to think more on the construction for the thin little poles I'd want to use. It's easier when there's a thicker thing to screw together

 

[CapMan]

So we are definitely saying no a pair of these at £2600

I think when the "cure" costs more than the speaker we are in a silly place !

You have to assume that good engineering companies like Revel and Kef would do this stuff natively if it made such a difference - I mean why wouldn't you

 

[Gregm]

I'm personally looking for stands which are somewhat artistic and/or present the least surface area.

How bout these: https://ripcaster.co.uk/sites/default/files/product-image/Pearl_Stand_web1.png (Cabasse speaker stands