Importance of Speaker Stands

[trainCatcher]

Hi guys,

In light of the heated debate about the importance of "high-quality" speaker cables, I was wondering if anyone had any opinions about the importance of good speaker stands. Are flimsy stands really that bad? How stable do speaker stands need to be? Has anyone done any blind testing on speaker stands?

I ask because a friend of mine is looking to get some bookshelf speakers. She asked me about the importance of stands and I didn't know what to say. Thanks!

-Mike

[tonyvdb]

Speakers are designed to not transmit sound through the stands this is partly why tower speakers need to be sitting on spikes so there is as little contact with the floor as possible and they sit level. "Bookshelf" speakers do not sound good if placed in a bookshelf as some might think due to the name because they are again designed to not only produce sound through the front and bass port but the cabinet its self will transmit sound through whatever it sits on or is placed in thus changing how it sounds.
A speaker stand should be made of something rigid and have as little contact with the floor as possible. A good stand usually only has 3 feet with spikes and brings the speaker to a hight so when you are sitting the tweeter is at ear level.
I am sure others will chime in with other things to say about this as I am only just scratching the surface.

[JCD]

Like just about everything in audio, there are differing opinions on what makes a good stand. I've heard that a must have is spikes, I've also heard that spikes offer no improvement.

Another train of thought is that using something like mopads is the best way of isolating the speaker.

I think if I were going to go out and buy a stand, I'd just make sure it was stable (i.e., it isn't easy to tip over) and that it was the correct height for my speaker (i.e., tweeter at ear level).

JCD

[trainCatcher]

tonyvdb wrote:

"Bookshelf" speakers do not sound good if placed in a bookshelf as some might think due to the name because they are again designed to not only produce sound through the front and bass port but the cabinet its self will transmit sound through whatever it sits on or is placed in thus changing how it sounds.

This seems like a good thing to keep to keep in mind. I'm not sure if she is considering putting the speakers on bookshelves. If she does, then putting a damper underneath, as JCD suggested, is a good idea.

[Scuba Diver]

I have found that placing bookshelf speakers in a bookshelf even with isolates and airspace around the speakers the sound still changes and rarely for the better.

[Josuah]

Floor-standing speakers should not be using spikes unless necessary. Spikes, or any other rigid coupling with the floor, will increase the amount of vibration transferred between the floor and cabinet, in both directions. This is bad. Use spikes if you need to increase static friction and prevent lateral movement of the speakers. Rubber bumpers or something else to decouple them is ideal.

Likewise, you want to decouple the speaker cabinet of bookshelves from the stand. And whatever is left you want to make it so the stand does not vibrate much, and again is not coupled to the floor. That's why stands come with foam bads you can stick on their tops, and you may even want to go with bigger/thicker pads or rubber bumpers. Filling a stand with something dense (e.g. lead shot) gives it more mass and makes it harder for kinetic energy to create large vibrations, and the free movement of the filling helps dampen any vibrations that do happen.

[MatrixDweller]

One of the purposes of spikes is to keep the enclosure still. This added rigidness can improve how the woofers delivers. If the enclosure is wobbling back and forth a quarter of a millimeter it can have some impact sonically on the woofers output. Especially if that wobble is slightly off center.

A good stand should isolate the speaker from the floor and the floor from the speaker. ie: vibrations from the speaker shouldn't go into the floor and the vibrations from the floor shouldn't go into the speaker. The easiest way to accomplish that is with lots of mass. Concrete, hardwood (maple, oak, etc), steel (filled with sand or lead shot if hollow), or stone are all good choices for high mass materials. High mass will also stop your enclosure from moving if properly attached (bolted) to the speaker.

The main purpose of the stand should be to get the tweeters to the around the same level as your center or at ear level. A flimsy stand will get it there but could worsen the output of the speaker due to it wobbling ever so slightly, not absorbing vibration, and sometimes ringing when intense vibrations happen.

My personal experience is that a good stand will help the speaker perform to it's fullest. From what I can actually hear, is that it seems to improve upon the speakers lower frequencies the most. Good stand = tighter more accurate output.

[nova]

Other things to take into account when talking about stands is; kids and/or dogs. Sturdy stands are a must if you have either. I've had more than one bookshelf speaker hit the floor. My preference is to forget the stands all together and get good floor standers

[aerodude73]

Hi Everyone,
New to the site/forum here, but from what I've seen, it looks like I've found a great new place for my home theater interests and questions.

I have a 50" Samsung DLP, an Onkyo 7.1 Receiver (just purchased, still in box--getting the speakers next week), and a Samsung DVD Player/Recorder with VCR. The speakers I bought were a pretty basic entry type level from Polk Audio (RM6750 system), but they Sound Great! The store was an auth. Polk dealer and the room was roughly 18x24 or so, my liv. room is about 11x17, and he played a Battle scene from Master & Cmdr that was LOUD yet Clear with those little speakers. What I am looking for is help with speaker stands---I've found some on Amazon from the low $30's and up, that were Reviewed pretty well for design, height adjustment, ease of assembly, etc. Obv. i'm no High tech audiophile but do Love great sound for movies/sports, cd's when I play them at home (not too often actually there though). They had some stands by Atlantic & Sanus, in black & silver (the speakers i'm getting are a titanium color finish), and was wondering if anyone here had some insight to these, or others that didn't cost too much, or any helpful hints I might ponder as well. Also, the Rears I know should be facing the listener, angled towards them, and i''ve read the height should be about Ear Level for the fronts & Rears, though the Polk Audio cust support tech mentioned a height of 6' (?) for the surrounds---which is higher than my ears would be when viewing. He also suggested 16G speaker wire which I can find pretty much anywhere (one local "chain" store had a roll for $19.99!).

Again, thanks for any help and suggestions. I'm waiting to hook up the Onkyo Receiver until I get the speakers next week.

[MatrixDweller]

The RM6750 looks like a pretty good entry level system. What model receiver is your Onkyo? If it puts out any decent wattage I wouldn't crank it. The RM6750 states that is can handle 50W continuous and 100 peak. A good receiver could blow them.

For short runs 16 gauge wire is acceptable but 14 gauge is usually the recommended thickness. The longer the run the thicker it should be. I'm using 12 gauge OFC, and my rear speakers (when the room is finished) will run almost 30ft, sides at about 22ft. Don't get tricked into Monster cables and pay through the teeth. Tests have shown that zip or extension cords of the same gauge perform on par under normal conditions.

As for stands...as I mentioned above, the stronger and heavier the better. My Klipsch RB81's are beasts of a bookshelf weighing a good 30lbs. I have my surrounds currently on B-Tech BT77 wall mounts. They can handle up to 55lbs so I think I'm safe. I might go with two more for the fronts if I don't build my own floor stands or get some RF82s.

[tonyvdb]

aerodude73 wrote:

Hi Everyone,
New to the site/forum here, but from what I've seen, it looks like I've found a great new place for my home theater interests and questions.

Welcome to the Shack Aerodude,
Some people have reported putting sand inside the hollow tubing of speaker stands and this helps with stability and also makes the stands more rigid.
As MatrixDweller has already stated be careful as to how hard you drive the speakers as most Onkyos have far more power than the Polks can handle. (also curious as to what Onkyo you have) Also I would use no smaller than 14awg wire on any speaker length.
As far as mounting the surround speakers make sure you get them higher than ear level as you want them to fill the space not direct the sound by placing them to fire at the listening position. Make sure they are attached into some wood studs and not just into the drywall as the vibrations will eventually pull them down (Yes I have had this happen to me).

[Josuah]

I'd go for metal balls. Sand doesn't add a whole lot of weight. It's just not that dense. I went with BB pellets.

[aerodude73]

The speakers (all 4--front/rear) will be on Stands, not any walls or anything so need to talk about studs.
As I noted, the Polk Audio support tech said more than likely, I could get away with or use 16g (100' would prob. cover the whole room, or if needed, another 30 or 50' spool if I ran out--doubtful though), as the 2 front surrounds will be about 8-10' from the Receiver, and the center obv. much closer on the tv stand below the tv itself. looks like from the receiver to the wall, up over the door along the molding, and down to the rears will be no more than 25, maybe 30' tops. So if I have 100' of the 16g for all 5, i'm thinking it should be plenty. And as noted, the room tested was Much larger than mine is, and he was cranking that Master/Commander battle scene, and then the NYC Flood scene from The Day After Tomorrow--and the center channel was crisp and Clear with the 8" Sub adding enough OOOMMPPHH and the surrounds did great as well. So with My room being quite a bit smaller, I don't think i'll ever Need to "see what they can handle" and crank it, you know? somewhat loud on occasion, but not CALL THE COPS loud. Anyway, here is the info a few of you requested:

RECEIVER INFO:
Onkyo TX-SR505 (B) Amplifier-Tuner Audio/Video (on the box), 7.1 channel home theater Receiver
Product Features:
75 Watts per Channel Minimum into 8 Ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.08%, FTC (2 Channels Driven); 100 Watts per Channel Minimum into 6 Ohms, 1 kHz, 0.1%, FTC (2 Channels Driven)
DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic Iix
2 HDMI Inputs and 1 Output (1080p Pass-Thru to HD Ready Displays)
Color-Coded 7.1-Multichannel Inputs (Receive 7.1 Surround Sound from Compatible Blu-ray and HD-DVD Players)
Technical Details
audio_output_mode: Surround Sound
component_type: Receiver
Built In Decoder: Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS-ES decoder, Dolby Digital Surround EX, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder

[thewire]

How will you be placing the center channel? Do you want a stand for the center channel? I have one extra from awhile ago is why I ask.

[aerodude73]

I will be putting on the shelf below the TV (got the stand from my brother--he has a 52" DLP and the stand is a Bit bigger than I prob needed for my 50" but for $200 and Already Put Together--!!!--I had to get it). Very strong tempered glass, top shelf for the TV, and 2 of the same for the shelfs below. The Center will be on the upper shelf.

[thewire]

That looks like a better option to me.

[aerodude73]

yea, thanks. the center itself isnt' that big to really need a stand (up-tilting I would imagine), here is the dimensions: Center - 4-5/16 H x 11-3/16 W x 5-13/16 D, 5.25 lbs