Floorstanders over Suspended Hardwood-Help Please

I've tried the Vibrapods under my 125lb full range speakers (Von Schweikerts, as in the article), and it worked great on carpet while using a wood footing, but the pods didn't jive on hardwood floors, sounded awful actually. I'm currently using the original speaker spikes with nickles underneath each spike, and though that sounds much better then the Vibrapods or sitting flush on the floor, it's still not ideal, still looking for a solution myself....

My flooring is actually 3/4" not 1/2" oak (my typo) and is t-and-g blind nailed over 3/4 ply. I'm still sure that points will leave an impression, but it is impervious to keys! :-)

Believe that I will give the final Stehno suggestion a try and maybe consider some variation of the Hdm/Socrates approach if that doesn't pass the wifely test.

Place a cement stepping stone with washed rock top on the berber. They come in various sizes. You can spray paint them black so they look better and do not call great attention to themselves. They are very heavy as to sink into the carpet and form a solid base. Measure where your spikes would be and drill holes into the concrete and place your speakers with spikes into the holes deep enough until the speakers are stable and do not rock back and forth. Placing a speaker directly on tile on top of carpet does not always create a stable situation. The speaker tends to move around on the tile. You can also use the stone and then buy a 1.5 by 1.5 inch by 18 inch piece of wood ( two for each speaker ) which can be cut to match the stone. You turn your speaker on its side - measure where the spikes will be and drill holes in the wood and place them on the speaker spikes so they form a stand to be placed on the stone. This way you do not drill into the stone. You can use a smooth stone this way also. The two pieces of wood should be longer than your speaker and run parallel to each other - one in front and one in the back. This way you are spiking into hardwood . This will elevate your speakers the distance of the wood so you can adjust by using a 1 by 1 inch or 2 by 2 inch depending on the length of your spikes. I do the last way with my ML Odysseys as not to spike into my hardwood floor ( no carpet ) - I do not use a stone on my hardwood floor. I put felt under the wooden pieces to be able to move them and position them more easily while they are spiked to the speakers. The speakers are very stable by the stand-like nature of the two pieces of wood - its like spiking your speakers to your floor without actually doing so.

Coupling speakers to the floor, or in the case of monitors to the stand, is another audio myth. There is no good reason for it.

Charlie

I agree with Danvetc, and believe that you ought to DEcouple speakers from the floor, walls, everything. Best thing is to hang them, but room cosmetics usually prevent this. I know this works with Magneplanars and the Bose 901's, especially if you have a big room with cathedral ceiling. I never experienced it with a conventional box speaker, but it ought to work. Why do you put Monitors up on skinny stands?