Spikes go way back to some of the earliest days of realizing vibration control really does have an effect on sound. A spike, anything hard really, was better than the plastic or rubber feet then (and still) common on many components. Somehow the idea of "grounding" took root. This idea always was at best a metaphor and never did have any validity. Vibrations do not flow like electricity from one place to another, cannot be drained, etc. Whatever. As if logic or physical reality ever stood in the way of an audiophile and his drive to misunderstand.
So anyway, congratulations for actually listening. What you really want is something hard enough to not flex under rapidly changing load of a vibrating speaker, that is highly damped and non-resonant, and that will also somehow hold the speaker securely in place so that it does not shift over time - not easy given the way the cones are moving back and forth all the time.
A spike just seems the perfect solution. Except as you noticed it sure doesn’t sound perfect. Blue tack does but its not equally hard at all frequencies of vibration so as you noticed does sound better in some areas than others.
With experimentation I think you will find you are able to fine tune it a bit by the amount, location, and thickness used. Also it matters if the Blue Tack is directly between speaker and floor, or between a footer and speaker, etc.
The reason to experiment is after a while, and fairly quickly I think, you will get a feel for what works and why. Its hard to explain, but just do it and see. Probably you will come to realize some combination of a cone shaped footer going from the speaker onto a small puck shaped disk on the floor will get good results and not mess up the floor. Then you either make that or buy one that seems to fit the bill. Like a simple thing to try, file or sand the point of a spike to be more rounded. Or place something like a penny between the spike and the floor. Change the penny out for a nickel. No kidding. Try it and see.
Sorry, but other than the no longer available BDR Cones there are no recommended products so all I can do is recommend this process to help you figure it out for yourself.
So anyway, congratulations for actually listening. What you really want is something hard enough to not flex under rapidly changing load of a vibrating speaker, that is highly damped and non-resonant, and that will also somehow hold the speaker securely in place so that it does not shift over time - not easy given the way the cones are moving back and forth all the time.
A spike just seems the perfect solution. Except as you noticed it sure doesn’t sound perfect. Blue tack does but its not equally hard at all frequencies of vibration so as you noticed does sound better in some areas than others.
With experimentation I think you will find you are able to fine tune it a bit by the amount, location, and thickness used. Also it matters if the Blue Tack is directly between speaker and floor, or between a footer and speaker, etc.
The reason to experiment is after a while, and fairly quickly I think, you will get a feel for what works and why. Its hard to explain, but just do it and see. Probably you will come to realize some combination of a cone shaped footer going from the speaker onto a small puck shaped disk on the floor will get good results and not mess up the floor. Then you either make that or buy one that seems to fit the bill. Like a simple thing to try, file or sand the point of a spike to be more rounded. Or place something like a penny between the spike and the floor. Change the penny out for a nickel. No kidding. Try it and see.
Sorry, but other than the no longer available BDR Cones there are no recommended products so all I can do is recommend this process to help you figure it out for yourself.