Any new ideas on an old theme?

Timrhu said:

"Very interesting discussion here. If you use the wood pedestal under the speakers is it best to simply lay it on the carpet or would it be better to spike the wood block to the floor? I think I may try it this weekend."

I have a rather interesting arrangement where I have a few magazines under the block of wood to raise the level of the speakers off the hardwood floor a bit... so I guess I would suggest trying the wood "pedestal" directly on the carpet, and then with spikes under the pedestal to see if that is an improvement. I am not sure what advantage is gained by coupling the speaker-pedestal system to a wood sub floor if that just adds the chance of exciting the floor and transferring vibration to your equipment rack, but some proponents claim that it increases the bass response in a good way. Try it without spikes first and if that sounds good, you may have saved some money. If you have some extra spikes around the house, try that too.

For an (expensive) commercial solution and some hype about wood platforms, check this site;

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/speakerstands_hub.php

Thanks so far to all… and especially for the link too.

Knownothing
Thanks.

I too have, after some dedicated time, spent trying out different footers under components, found differing wooden types of either boards or blocks, do impact the sound.

My rack is atop a Beech plywood base which just rests onto the top of the carpet… the rack is spiked into Mahogany Squares which reside in between Beech & spike.

I’m not too sure just how much decoupling is going on if I use spikes anywhere in the chain. Rather the thicker 7/16 pad, and ½ pile may afford some detatchment, onto that why not place a board of sorts, and use pods, pads, or roller blocks there for the speakers to rest upon?

My concern that way would be stability, and number of supportive/dampening devices that would be needed for the job.

My speakers are right at <100 lbs each.

I’m liking this notion as it’ll raise up the speakers’ overall height, which for me, would be a good thing. … and prevent further holes being punched into the wood underlayment.


In fact doing away 100% with spikes seems a plus to me in general.

Apart from what and how many, I’ve seen some notes that reflect a tipped up tonal quality when roller blocks are used, as well as lessend bass depth and impact… is that a general but accurate, consensus?

Blindjim,

FWIW, I don't have any spikes anywhere in my system. My problem had to do with muddy bass that affected the overall sound. The bamboo boards under the speakers with a little blutack between them made a huge positive difference with that problem and cleanup the midrange and the treble too. I don't know if that was an artifact - I.E. cleaner bass affects the whole spectrum by allowing the information in the upper registers to come forward and no longer be obscured by low frequency resonance? So for me, the bass may be tipped up a bit as a result of isolating them from the floor, but certainly not in a bad way for sure.

Speaking of tipping, my speakers aren't that tall and I have wooden shims under the bamboo boards tilting the speakers up about 10 degrees which helps with the imaging a lot, and maybe improves the phase between the tweeter and mid/woofer??? In any case, tipping 100lb speakers without substantial and well secured spikes dedicated for that purpose might be ill advised!

Finally, putting a large beechwood block under my CDP made a huge and silly good difference in the sound of CDs. Much more balanced and analog with no more sibilance or digital nasties. I fooled around with different methods to support the CDP on the wood platform including small hardwood blocks directly under the case and found that I liked the stock feet the best. The hardwood blocks increased the resolution but reduced the bass too much for my taste, "tipping" the overall sound up as you say.

You will just have to try different configurations to see what you like best. I am definitely sold on the value of big blocks of wood for various application in hifi systems. One of the cheapest and most effective tweaks I have found by far.

Oem,

I place mine on the teak wood floor,and lay a carpet in front of the speakers.

My fried has wall to wall carpet and use the cerabase directly on the carpet,and the results are just as astounding.

3 or 4? I use 4 under each speaker,using the speaker screws to thread in the cerabase ,but you could experiment.the important thing is to make sure the cerabases are in contact with the speakers body....

Knownothing
Ultimately, the least expensive gizmo I found which worked best under CDP & non spinning junk were those iso cups herbie's Audio Labs sold with the Ebony balls. Steve no longer has the Ebony balls and the cups are now of a different material... clear... not black... and softer.

Fafafion
Do keep in touch... and let us know when these gizmos go on sale! I am now, both astounded and curious... but not wealthy.