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speaker stands on wood floors

I'm looking for advice on coupling (or would it be isolating) my speaker stands to the floor. I have a hard wood floor and want to avoid spiking the wood directly (but as a last resort, I'll do it anyway). I was thinking I'd use the spikes, but place those round metal disks below them. I read about some disks that were lead in the middle, encased in an outer brass ring, but those were too expensive. I want to do this for about $60. I would need 12 devices since this situation also applies to my component rack. That's about $5 per device. I already have the spikes for the speaker stands and the rack. I'm new to this level of tweakiness, so I'm not familiar with the brand names of the discs or their cost. And any other suggested techniques for the speaker stand coupling would be welcomed.

Thanks
Don
hessong
metonymie
19 posts
 
I second the audiopoints advice - the coupling discs are 6.99 per unit but worth it. But be warned, if you slide the discs on a hardwood floor, they can scratch the finish as well, as I learned...
warrenh's avatar
warrenh
2,299 posts
 
Don, granted, spiked speakers, even on discs, are a bit of a pain in the ass to move around. It'll be worth the pain, though. Remember, if you decide you want to couple, as Tom said, don't place anything in the path of the resonances. Nothing!--not even blue tak, felt, or the like. Audiopoints.com has plenty of white paper on their website explaining the principles of resonance transference. It's worth the trip; and a phone call. peace, warren
theaudiotweak
2,801 posts
 
Don, I have found it best to use the Audiopoint APCD discs from Starsound under the points of speakers rather than having the point go directly into the wood. Beause of the shape of the disc, more resonance is captured off the point and transfered over a wider contact area and onto the wood suface. I use these discs on all soft surfaces. This method is the best way to capture and transfer resonance to ground. Tom
msa
35 posts
 
Try solid granite, 2 inches thick, cut to the size of your speakers. They did wonders for my Thiel 1.6, and they look good.
mghcanuck
116 posts
 
Hi Don:

I have a pair of Kef Q5 floorstanders that stand on threaded spikes. Our living room, which is where the stereo is located, has a laminate floor, essentially HDF with a layer of vinyl/laminate made to look fake hardwood.

Anyway, I had also been wondering about how best to resolve the spikes issue, since they had sunk a bit into the laminate. I purchased "IXOS 304 layer discs" and, while not dramatic, I did detect an improvement in the overall quality of the sound coming from the speakers, a little more focus, detail and clarity. Also, no more damage to the floor.

IXOS is a British manufacturer of audio cables and accessories (including discs and spikes). I bought the discs from an on-line shop with a warehouse in England: www.hificables.co.uk. The price for a set of 8 discs came out to about $30 US. They were shipped quickly and were well packed.

Something that is not obvious from the pictures on the web site is that the discs have a thin layer of polyfoam on the bottom that has a coat of adhesive that can be exposed by removing the covering layer of wax paper. I did not do this since I like to be able to slide the speakers around a little.

Good luck.

Max
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