I kind of have the ideal interface with my Soliloquy 5's. They are bolted directly to their custom built matching stands filled with kitty litter. All together they weigh about 75 lb per speaker/stand combo. This worked magic especially in bass articulation and image stability. |
Thank you but NOT an option. |
In my secondary system, I use Chicago stands which have threaded steel spikes to couple stand to the floor and speaker to stand. That is how they were meant to be used, and it sounds great.
In the last issue of Hi Fi+ they reviewed the Guru speaker from Sweden. The designer of that speaker disliked spikes and claimed the spikes amplified resonances and usually one peak resonance. Guru used some sort of soft squidgy feet.
Do you have the resources to try different methods and devices? Each, will have proponents and detractors. Find out what works best for you. The differences can be quite staggering.
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My favorite method for securing monitors to stands is with artist's kneaded erasers.
Kneaded erasers do a great job of anchoring the speakers to metal stands and unlike Blu-Tac which many people use, won't ruin the wood finish of the speakers or leave any sign they've been used.
I've used these with ProAc Tablette 50 Signatures and ProAc Response 1SCs, and even after 2 to 3 years of bonding left no mark when they were removed.
The trick is that the erasers have a fine powder that are part of the eraser matrix which prevents the eraser from becoming gooey.
On occasion I had bumped the speaker and they never lifted from the stand. Instead, the stand and speaker moved as a unit.
Kneaded erasers come in small pads that can be pulled apart and rolled like Play-Doh into little small snot balls. Place one of these balls at each corner of the stand then place the speaker on the stand and push down slightly to compress the erasers and form the bond.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/design-kneaded-rubber-eraser/
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Kneaded-Rubber-Charcoal-SAN70531/dp/B00006IFAJ
A pretty good tweak for only a buck! |
Generally the tweeter should be at ear level and stands should provide a solid, sturdy platform for best sound.
Other than that, system/speaker and speaker/room interactions are way more important. |
I've used Herbies fat dots between the speaker and stand. They are very reasonably priced and come with a trial period. |
The variation in speaker construction probably precludes any universal best method. I have used Blutak but have not been happy with it. I have gone back to being a dealer after a long lapse and I have been investigating the things that have come along since I left. I have been using Star Sound Audio Points under my speakers and find it does pretty much what their website say they do. There are many other similar products that I haven't tried but these work. An alternative approach is to use ball bearings and saucers to decouple the speakers from the stands, the opposite approach from the points which couple them. This approach has been recommended by Barry Diament and others. I am going to try this myself as I have some on order that do this. The main thing is to keep your system consistent throughout. That is, don't couple some parts of it and decouple others. In one method you are trying to drain vibration out of the system as quickly as possible, in the other you are trying to suppress it at each level. As to fill material, I have tried lead shot, sand and kitty litter and have not been completely happy with any of them. I am currently awaiting delivery of two products designed specifically for the purpose, Micro Bearing from Star Sound and Atabits from Atacama. I will post what I found out. I know the Micro Bearings work because my rack system is filled with them but have never added them to an existing stand. |
I use good quality but not exotic fillable stands loaded with sand, and interface the top plate of the stand and bottom of the speaker with Black Dots from Herbie'e Audio and find the combination out performs the brass spikes I had been using previously. Herbies 's gives a money back guarantee so it's easily worth a try. But I'd guess you'll like the effect of the Black Dots.
(I'm not affiliated with Herbies, just a satisfied customer) |
Skylan 4 posters and Herbies Big Fat dots..work exc..... |
Thanks guys.Going to give the Herbies a try. |
Like Clio and Thorman I like Herbie's Dots, either the Fat Dots or the Grungebusters. |
http://www.kleintechsys.com/product.html |
I used to use what we in the U.K. call Blu-tack, a pliable putty material similar to plasticine, between the speaker base & the stand. But since discovering Herbie's range of wonderful products, I've used their Big Fat Dots which improves on Blu-tack.
In addition to the speaker/stand interface, I have just discovered the importance of the interface between stand & the floor. I used to just use spikes onto a base metal disc on my hard wooden floor. I just received a set of Herbie's Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders, which I tried on both my main system's Von Schweikert VR4jr speakers & my old stand mounted Linn Sara speakers of my home cinema system. I was expecting these Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders to just improve the bass on my VR4jrs, which in my room, can sound a bit boomy on certain CDs. Well, it improved the bass alright, but more than that, these Gliders brought an big allround improvement to detail & sound-stage. The improvements are not subtle, but is unmistakable and clear on first listening. For the very reasonable price that Herbie's charge for these ($12.50 for one), its a no-brainer in my view. |
You can also try the little round cork stickers (they come in various sizes) that they sell at hardware stores. Cheap and easy. |
I use Vibrapods. Any other soft interface that I tried sucked up some of the micro-dynamics and low level energy.
Blue tac is a favorite here, but was one of the worst for me causing a blurring of the sound. |
Another vote for Herbie's big dots. |
