Babyproofing Stand-mounted speakers

I don't mean to bring into question anybody's parenting skills, but Unsound seems to have the perspective that kids are incapable of being taught restraint, respect and just plain good behavior.

As I said, I have a four-year-old who grew up with my system and now have twins who are going through toddler-hood and there's never been an issue. Granted, I would not want my system to be a hazard to them - so the tube cage stays on, the speakers are bolted to their dedicated stands which are filled with sand, etc. To think that you'd have to "tether" everything to the walls as Unsound suggests would indicate that you've got some bigger issues to contend with than top-heavy speakers.

Furthermore, I'd really hate to think that it'll take "luck...and...a couple of years before they can be reliably taught to respect adult toys." Parenting should be more than protecting children from themselves and accomodating them to the point of allowing them to run our lives. There's a hierarchy in a family and children need to be lovingly taught where they fit in the family structure. And here's a hint...It's not at the top of the pyramid.

As I said, I don't mean to offend anyone, nor bring into question their parenting skills. I'm just trying to offer a bit of perspective based on my real-life experience(s).

You can have your system and responsibly raise your children, too. Now...whether or not you'll have the time to listen to it is another matter altogether ;>)

Sell the kid on ebay and upgrade your preamp with the proceeds.....:-)

Sorry to interrupt a lucid thread.

Just kidding.

Sand does not have near the weight of the fine lead shot, and sonically is not as good either. If you had not already purchased the Revel stands, I would agree to try another higher quality stand such as the one suggested. The M-20s actually have threaded screw "mounts" on the bottoms that bolt into the top plate of the original stands, so an adhesive is not needed. Microbearings would be less toxic for sure, but availability may be a problem. The small holes drilled in the bottoms are very secure with the duct tape due to the texture of the stands on bottom. I put some epoxy in the hole as well just to be sure when the stands were upside down after filling, then put the heavy tape on as well. The stands have special feet which can be mounted on the bottoms of the speakers as well when being used off the stands on a bookshelf etc. If you sell the stands, you will also have to sell the feet with them... the stands are fairly useless for other speakers. Revel could have done something a lot better in quality than these, especially for the price...

I don't have any kids, but I do have a fat ass that smacks my stand mounted speakers now and then. Kinda like Godzilla wackin' a building with his/her tail and the building don't topple over. My stands are completely filled with steel shot and weigh about 40 - 50 lbs. Each monitor rests on four giant snot-ball sized pieces of silly-puddy-like artist's kneeded eraser which work great at anchoring speakers to stands. An added bonus is that when you pop the speakers off the stands and remove the flattened gray mini-pancakes, they leave zero residue on the fine wood of your speakers.

Dan I know you meant no harm, but with all due respect, some of us ARE contending with bigger issues. Issues that prohibit the expectations that you take for granted. Issues that are increasing at an alarming rate. And here's the important part, issues that usually aren't discovered untill after the age of two years. Even my most guarded attempts have not saved my child from some misfortunate accidents. Even if one is dealing with typical children, I honestly believe that a child should be within arms reach in the face of potential hazards or remove the hazard. It is my own opinion that it is unfair and cavalier to expect reliabilty during the learning stages. Pardon me if I prefer to err on the side of safety, I was only trying to save others the misfortune of dealing with a preventable accident. With that said, I do sincerely wish you and your family as well as all fellow Audiogoner's and their families health and happiness.