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Speaker Spikes - do the shake test

Everyone by now knows that speaker spikes improve the sound. The theory is that the tweeter excursion is so short, that any speaker cabinet front to back movement creates Doppler / intermodulation distortion. That movement can exceeed, by many times, the excursion of the tweeter. So, the effect is most pronounced up top and then towards the bottom most frequencies. Or so they say.

I have some C4 series II speakers that come with four “spikes” in the plinths. But, the people in Denmark seem to think we all have hardwood floors. The so-called spikes are dull “lugs" that really are meant to sit into four small aluminum floor bot dots, for any better term for them. Many have speakers on carpet, and the so-called spikes sitting on those four round aluminum discs still are pretty wobbly on carpet.

Last week, I pulled all eight of the spikes (not nearly sharp enough, with a 30 degree rounded tip, to be called a spike) and had the guys in the machine shop at work lath them to 60-degree POINTS!

OK, re-installed and speakers leveled (four point level is a pain). WOW, now they are stable as a rock when you push and tug on them. What was NOT expected, was that the BASS response is significantly better. Not that bass is easy to do, but the contribution to the C4’s bass that spikes that are now planted into the concrete floor and under the carpet is amazing. The bass can now place a black dot on a white background as needed. Everything isn’t a shade of gray in the bass. I always felt that the C4’s weakness was bass definition, but the weakness is that Dynaudio doesn’t supply two sets of spikes, those for hard surfaces and those for carpet. That’s too bad, as the supplied spikes don’t cut it on carpet. My spikes are now good enough to pierce down below the carpet and rest on the concrete. But, real spikes should be like half-inch ten-penny nails that don’t chew-up the carper as much as my 60-degree spikes. But, I can’t find this spikes for the C4’s.

If you are like me and haven’t given your speakers the shake test, go do it! If they wobble around any at all see what you can do to fix it. The rewards are well worth as close to free upgrade as I’ve ever done. Don’t think for a second that it seems, “good enough”. If they move around, it isn’t.
rower30
rotarius
431 posts
 
I will add my 2 cents as an engineer with experience in dealing with vibration from machinery. Elastomers are used to absorb/isolate/dissipate vibration and certainly help with components like CD players. Spikes made from metal or exotic hard materials do nothing but transmit vibration and couple the speaker to the floor. This will alter the resonant frequency of the vibrating speaker panel which will affect the sound for the better or worse. A dense, heavy, well designed cabinet may have no need for spikes, in that case you may very well prefer vibration isolators under the speakers like Wolf Garcia does.
In my professional opinion, ranking materials for feet has no scientific basis because you are not taking into account the actual cabinet the feet are attached to. It would only make sense if we all had identical speakers!
studiosoundman
27 posts
 
Wolf, I must ask:

While working for years as a professional musician one wonders why you have such a negative opinion for the equipment and people who assist in manufacturing your paycheck. Are you still working because in my opinion the professional sound industry has definitely evolved since the 70’s?

Unfortunately I disagree with you on many fronts from resonance research and development in professional audio equipment, recording people who participate as hobbyists in consumer high-end audio (they do exist), and those clueless engineers? I thought the cluelessness title was still held by producers.

Most “hi-fi heads” I know recognize the difference in recorded materials and sound. They can learn much for the pros, especially sitting in a great sounding room without “spitty & boomy” loudspeakers.

Resonance affects sound quality from the mixing desk, recording mechanism, processors, microphones and stands, guitar amplifiers on down to the musical instrument. Resonance also affects CD transports and DAC’s, pre and power amps, carts mounted on turntables and loudspeakers therefore forming a common bond to the negatives caused from vibrations in audio equipment.

Hello Ketchup,

We sold all rights and data from our tests to a manufacturer. There appears to be a tremendous gap in the consumer audio industry for ‘affordable’ third party research.

It was once pointed out to us that high-end audio is filled with graphs and charts almost always originating from the company selling you their products. Anyone can make a beautiful graphic representation showing off their own prowess which proves nothing other than a printed means to increasing their sales pitch. Third party research is incredibly expensive unless you find a way to make it affordable. In this case we got lucky and turned our time and documentation into a small profit.

By the way, nice racking approach in your system.
wolf_garcia
6,695 posts
 
France. They're from France. Also, I point out the lack of an audiophile propensity among many pro producers and engineers because it's interesting that in spite of that fact great stuff gets done. I've worked with people with great ears for recording and astonishingly sophisticated technical skill who think much of audio geekdom is madness. MADNESS...
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Wolf Man, one can't help wondering if the recording engineers you've worked with, the ones with "great ears and astonishingly sophisticated technical skills," are the same ones responsible for compressing the sound on many modern CDs.
studiosoundman
27 posts
 
Wolf,
I prefer to work on both professional and consumer sides of the audio fence. Madness limits ones abilities for discovery.

Every industry has its share of madness but it is the people who avoid this lack of common sense that raise the level of recording music and the appreciation thereof.

Vive le France
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