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Stands, to couple, or not to couple, contradicting products and positive reviews

There are many practices/products intended to "couple" a stand-mount speaker cabinet to the floor of a room (spikes, adding mass to the stands via sand/shot, specific bolt-on stands for certain models, etc.).  Conversely, there foam speaker pads by Auralex and others, which are intended to de-couple or isolate the speaker from the stand, with rave reviews of audible sound improvement.  

So which is right, should I try to "connect" my speakers to the mass of my house, or do I want to "float" the speakers so they are free to resonate on their own?
waxhawfive
erik_squires
16,159 posts
 
No, don't hang the speakers. <hahahahahaa>

Newton's third law would cause lots of doppler distortion. The woofer would act on the air and he cabinet, causing it to move back and forth, and altering the intended output. 

You can hear this with some monitors that are light and loosely coupled. Add mass to the top and they sound much better. This is why. 

Best,

E
chayro
2,997 posts
 
IMO, in a domestic living environment, there is absolutely no way to predict the sonic effects of coupling, decoupling, spikes, gliders...
I have had many different speakers in my home and needed to work with each one to find the most pleasing sonic result.  Some standmounts, like my Operas, liked to be Blu-tak'd to the stands, while my Harbeths preferred a hard non-anchored mounting.  In the end, you just have to listen and decide what works in your room.  People never seem to like that answer for some reason  
gnjtack's avatar
gnjtack
41 posts
 
What is right is what sounds right to you.
Experiment with a variety of common cheap materials under your speakers like foam pads, wood blocks...etc. to get an idea of what sounds better, before you commit to some high dollar item.
My experience with decoupling or floating has always diminished P.R.A.T. in  my system.
For what its worth....I like spikes.

Greg
GT Audio Works
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Blue Tak and similar materials are hardly good examples of decoupling. I’m talking about the Townshend method of decoupling/isolation, I.e., mass-on-springs. 
chayro
2,997 posts
 
Yeah, but Geoff, who's to say the OP will like the sound?  The OP is asking which is "right" - to couple or isolate.  It's certainly worth trying both, but he might like the sound of just putting the speakers on the floor.  When I had my Operas, I tried Symposium platforms under the speakers and they definitely cleaned up the sound, which would have been great if the sound was boomy.  But it was just too thin for my taste.  
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