How to couple my monitors to stands???


Happy New Year, everybody!

I just acquired a pair of Aerial Acoustics Model 5 monitors and will be receiving a pair of Osiris 24" stands by UPS today. I need to know what I can do to keep my speakers FIRMLY planted on the stands.

Here's the problem...For those of you unfamiliar with the Aerial 5's, they have 3 brass "cones" (for lack of a better word) that screw into the bottom of the speakers - two in the back, one in the front. The front "cone" is height adjustable and tilts the speaker back to align the tweeter and woofer. Of course, if I just set the speakers on the stands, they'll be very unstable and could easily come sliding off the stands. I've got little kids in the house, so they've got to be solidly planted.

How critical is it that the speakers be sloped? I was wondering if there might be some kind of a "cup" (again, for lack of a better term) that I could couple to the stands (with blu-tak) that would keep the cones from sliding off the stands?? I got the idea from the cups that I had to buy for a chair with casters that I was using on hardwood floors.

Any help that you can provide will be GREATLY appreciated!

BTW - I know that Aerial offers a Sound Anchor stand for these speakers, but at $500 I couldn't pull the trigger. I got the Osiris for $299 shipped.
danheather
I use blue-tak. Works GREAT, is dirt cheap, and enhances the sound. I don't think that any "angling" will change the sound too much, although I could be dead wrong. I say ditch the cones and use blue-tak. Cheers!
How about putting a big glob of blu-tak around the base of each spike? The stuff sticks pretty well and probably would prevent accidental knockoffs. The angling is there for time-alignment and the speakers probably won't sound quite as good without it.
If you are needing the most secure method then unscrew the cones , drill three holes in the stand top plate and secure the speaker with the appropriate threaded screw (into the bottom of the speaker). You will be able to use the adjustable cones on the stands for your tilt adjustment.
Bobby@merlin
sorbothane round isolation pads work great. dampen vibration and have a tacky surface that wont stick to the speakers. selling some on audiogon now.

alan
You could pull the trigger for 300 but not 500 for a pair of far-better-made and perfectly matched stands? And then try to save $ (yet increase hassle-factor) and expect a decent setup with non-matching stands? come on. Shop around. Ditch the Osiris. I am sure you can find Aerial stands for less than retail. I have a pair of 5s, the stands are worth the extra money, and mate perfectly with the speakers, securing them to the stand with 2 large allen-headed bolts. These are the best 2-way monitors I have ever heard and have compared them against many others that I have brought home. They deserve the best stands, and the correct ones. Do yourself a favor and do what you should have done to start with - get the Aerial stands.

-Ed