Vibrapods have been the best for me...and I have tried many things under my monitors with varying results.
Speakers on speaker stands-isolation ideas?
I have some mid sized book shelf speakers that I use on 24” high speaker stands. I’m looking for sway to best isolate the speaker and or stand from vibrations.
The current speaker stands are filled with play sand and I have blue tack underneath the speaker holding them on the stands. The stands are located on an upstairs bonus room with carpet and foam padding underneath.
Anyone recommend some ideas for better isolation for this kind of setup?
The current speaker stands are filled with play sand and I have blue tack underneath the speaker holding them on the stands. The stands are located on an upstairs bonus room with carpet and foam padding underneath.
Anyone recommend some ideas for better isolation for this kind of setup?
21 responses Add your response
@chayro Some valid points. One thing I like about the Acoustech pucks is they grip the speaker quite well with practically no damage to the veneer. When I lift the speakers off the stands there’s a fair bit of resistance - not enough to withstand a forceful and deliberate push , but enough to withstand most accidental bumps and earthquakes. I've been using them with my Walnut Spendors for over a year and there's only the slightest discoloration where they contact the speaker. |
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http://www.primacoustic.com/recoils/ These cost me around $100 each. They are without a doubt one of the best and most cost effective additions to my system. I even have one of these sitting under my REL Sub to great effect. |
I know we're talking sound here, but I have to again mention safety. A painter knocked over one of my Opera Callas monitors held to the stand with Blu-Tak. I was able to grab the unit by the speaker and the stand and speaker stayed together as one. Of course my dog happened to be laying exactly under the speaker and would have been injured on killed had the speaker not been secured to the stand. Keep that in mind. As a bonus, it may yield the best sound as well. |
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amg56 I had to look up Sorbothane on the net. I've never heard of it before. It could be marketed in Aust. under a different product name. That’s odd. Sorbothane has been part of the audiophile vocabulary for what, gotta be 30 years. Has Aussie land been cut off from communications? 😀 In my opinion Sorbothane is probably best relegated to its original intended use as shoe insoles. |
Check out seller "dang-good-stuff" on eBay for genuine affordable Sorbothane materials. You can place it between the speaker and stand instead of blue-tak. Just recently bought some to isolate bookshelf speakers from a resonate office table they sat on and SQ improved. Comes in 3 densities, 30D, 50D, 70D, get the lowest value that will still support the weight of the object for best isolating effect. For people using stands on carpet, many people have recommended spikes under the stand into the carpet. |
I like these Acoustech Speaker Dots: http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/41761/AcousTech-Speaker_Dots-Isolation_Devices They’re the Sorbothane pucks that come standard with Sound Anchor stands. I’ve found nothing that "sounds" better. |
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Check out Herbie's products. http://herbiesaudiolab.net/spkrfeet.htm |
IMO, you are approaching this the wrong way by assuming "isolation" as you call it, will yield a sound that is more preferable to you. I'm a big fan of standmounts and I have consistently found that each speaker requires something different to adjust the sound to your preference. You must also consider safety, as putting a speaker on a stand with no attachment subjects it to being knocked over. But rather than think of isolation, I would first try the speaker on the stand with something like Herbie's black dots, then with Blu-tak, then with some hard interface - I've used casino chips, and see what sounds best. Same thing with the stands. Try spikes, try Herbie's Ebony Domes, which are also good under speakers, but allows them to move around. I don't even think isolation is necessarily desirable. I have found the stands to greatly influence the sound of the speaker, almost as if they are a part of it and sometimes coupling the two units as one yields the best results. I think. |
That’s not a bad idea. Gelatin. As in Jell-O. Of course, you have to work out the engineering details. Speaking of Jell-O, of the major food groups Spam seems to offer the best of all possible worlds when employed as a damper. Not too hard, not too soft. And if it doesn’t work out in your system you can make sandwiches out of it. |