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Spikes versus wall coupling

I have a Polk SRS-SDA 2.3 speakers. They are 185 lbs each and currently sit on thier furniture glides on a maple floor, over subfloor, over trusses. No carpet. They have a passive radiator for lowest base at the bottom of the cabinet, and I roll to a subwoofer at 60HZ. I like to move them occasionally so have been reluctant to use spikes.

My question is what am I really missing sound wise? And would wall coupling do as well as spikes. I can put them on some marble slabs,as another alternative, or remove the glides and have the bottom fully sit on the floor, o rthe marble. I do not have a turntable. Or should I spike them despite the hassle?
gammajo
avguygeorge
2,300 posts
 
You might try a platform/shelf under the speaker and on top of your glider(between) There are many brands most work well.---I had the same setup but I ain't advertising for this co.---Go to 'tweeks' and see what they got new or used.
newbee
4,794 posts
 
Personally I would not advise spikes. Why would you want to couple these speakers to a wood floor. In fact, with the mass of these speakers they are already more than adequately coupled. In my view you should want to isolate them from the floor, if anything, so you don't have to listen to the results of floor vibration any more than necesary. FWIW, I can't think of a single reason to couple speakers to a wall.

Now don't laugh too much at this suggestion, but you might consider using some hockey pucks and some felt pads on the bottoms of the pucks. That way you get some isolation and still have the ability to move your speakers about.
gammajo's avatar
gammajo OP
846 posts
 
Newbee
I am not laughing at all. This is my feeling too, that isolation would be better, unless you are trying to bleed vibration out of the speakers. With isolation I would think that you dont have to worry about vibration generated by the speakers going into the floor and then rebounding back into the speakers at the wrong time. The pucks or other devices make sense, but why not directly put the felt or cork under the speakers?
rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
My experience is different. Every speaker I've ever lived with sounded materially better when firmly coupled to a solid floor, including suspended wooden floors which is all I've ever had in my listening rooms. The most common difference I hear is increased definition and articulation in the mid-bass through lower midrange.

Most recently, I was suprise by the improvement in my Eidolons when I replaced the stock spikes with Walker Audio Valid Points. Given the mass of the Eidolons and given that they were already spiked, I wasn't expected a difference: but the difference was very material.

The key point is that all systems and floors are different; you'll never really know what you may be missing until you try it and then listen for yourself.
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