Vibrations

[Bingo]

:confused5: I'm not inclined to take 'tweaking' seriously. I suppose its because when I pay a good price for my stereo system, I believe that it ought to perform at its optimum level just as it is....and yet I do realize that other variants affect the sound....things like room size etc. I have my Orsa speakers sitting on end tables and everything seems to be all right - but I sometimes wonder if anyone has ever experimented with putting marble slabs under their small speakers or some other material that absorbs vibrations...Are there any audio afficianados out there who has tried putting marble under book shelf speakers? I read that someplace, I'm not sure where, and I wouldn't mind trying it but I thought there might be someone who has already done the experiment. Any takers?

[audio_dude]

hmm, i'd think marble wouldn't "absorb" the vibrations, but just let the speaker rattle on it, get some rubber mats and some spikes

[nightflier]

Bingo,

Check out Mapleshade (http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/index.php). They sell a host of tweaks and upgrades, including heavy wood platforms for components and speakers. The site also has a list of free tweaks, and many of them do make logical sense, albeit some I've tried have done nothing for me, but I'm also not a golden ear when it comes to audio. Anyhow, there's a wealth of info on tweaks that would make for interesting reading.

[JoeE SP9]

Good high mass rigid stands spiked to the floor will improve the sound of any shelf type speaker. Use three small tabs of blue tack between each speaker and stand. For something real cheap you could use 3 hockey pucks between your speakers and tables. Almost anything would improve the sound of speakers on end tables most especially getting some real speaker stands. :nono:
If you think your Orsa's sound good now get yourself some real stands and listen. :ihih:

BTW Marble rings. Granite is better.

[Bernd]

Bingo - you got some very nice speakers there. As Joe said a pair of heavy mass stands will make a hell of a difference.
I have also recently seen and heard some Standmount speakers on Quadraspire QX 600 LA Acrylic Speaker Stands. Very light weight and completely the opposite to the heavy mass theory. So another choice to make and one more item to audition.
www.quadraspire.com

Good Luck

Peace

Bernd:23:

[canuckle]

Speakers are generally constructed of non-audio-conducting MDF and then filled with insulation. If they are rattling, then there's something very, very wrong to begin with.

[superpanavision70mm]

Yeah, I agree with everyone elses thought about getting some stands...right now it's kinda like you are putting the cheapest gas into a Ferrari. Sure, it'll do the job, but you may as well use the good stuff to really peak out your already-made investment.

Also, I noticed some huge improvements in my setup when I used the spikes for my speakers to help keep them well grounded and this ensured even less vibration as well, which really helped tighten up the sound. You may want to check into that if you go with some speaker stands.

[swwdts]

This will sound nerdie.I used dynomat in my HT 16"Pioneer 3 way speakers & rubber spikes on mine.Although,they only put out 150watts each.

[Bingo]

Just to correct someone who thought my Orsa speakers were 'rattling' - they do not rattle at all....hardly the case. They are fine, but I kept hearing that they can sound even better when they are on solid (heavy) stands with spikes etc. Since I'm not up on all that, I need to gather as much good solid information as I can before I invest in stands. I'd rather pay a good price and get something that really does work and not just take on something that some promoter believes will work. I don't mind paying for the genuine result....but I happen not to believe in some of the tweaks I hear about.

[kexodusc]

Just to correct someone who thought my Orsa speakers were 'rattling' - they do not rattle at all....hardly the case. They are fine, but I kept hearing that they can sound even better when they are on solid (heavy) stands with spikes etc. Since I'm not up on all that, I need to gather as much good solid information as I can before I invest in stands. I'd rather pay a good price and get something that really does work and not just take on something that some promoter believes will work. I don't mind paying for the genuine result....but I happen not to believe in some of the tweaks I hear about.

Your speakers will sound better on stands - now they're not going to sound like new speakers, but they'll sound like they should.

On a table, your get a lot of sound reflections smearing up the midrange frequencies. Sound waves wrap around the speaker, they don't just fire straight, and they'll bounce off any flat surface before reaching your ear, the tonality will be changed, and bunch of other tiny minor things that cumulatively will add up to something that affects the sound quality.

Good sturdy stands will allow the speaker to act as a transducer most effectively. All the energy is used to make sound. When the woofer moves, the air is moved instead of the reacting force moving the speaker the opposite direction. On a lesser stand, the speaker will move or vibrate and work against itself in a few ways.

Stands don't have to be very expensive, though a lot of "audiophile" types insist on extreme mass loading and various points of contact between the floor and stand, and stand and speaker (ie: blue tack, rubber, or even granite now I guess).

Adding mass (weigth) doesn't reduce vibration despite common misbelief.

Good quality, inexpensive stands aren't hard to find. I like the solid steel type from Parts Express:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=240-744

they have various other sizes on their website. There's other brands too, but alot get caught up in the subjective/audiophile hooplah and can get expensive fast. They might work, they might not. I tend to rely on my ears and empirical evidence more than manufacturers claims that can't be verified but we're getting off track.

Whoever sold you those speakers should have insisted you had good stands with them....you owe it to yourself to get some.

[Bernd]

Your speakers will sound better on stands - now they're not going to sound like new speakers, but they'll sound like they should.

On a table, your get a lot of sound reflections smearing up the midrange frequencies. Sound waves wrap around the speaker, they don't just fire straight, and they'll bounce off any flat surface before reaching your ear, the tonality will be changed, and bunch of other tiny minor things that cumulatively will add up to something that affects the sound quality.

Good sturdy stands will allow the speaker to act as a transducer most effectively. All the energy is used to make sound. When the woofer moves, the air is moved instead of the reacting force moving the speaker the opposite direction. On a lesser stand, the speaker will move or vibrate and work against itself in a few ways.

Stands don't have to be very expensive, though a lot of "audiophile" types insist on extreme mass loading and various points of contact between the floor and stand, and stand and speaker (ie: blue tack, rubber, or even granite now I guess).

Adding mass (weigth) doesn't reduce vibration despite common misbelief.

Good quality, inexpensive stands aren't hard to find. I like the solid steel type from Parts Express:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=240-744

they have various other sizes on their website. There's other brands too, but alot get caught up in the subjective/audiophile hooplah and can get expensive fast. They might work, they might not. I tend to rely on my ears and empirical evidence more than manufacturers claims that can't be verified but we're getting off track.

Whoever sold you those speakers should have insisted you had good stands with them....you owe it to yourself to get some.

Excellent advice.
As crazy as it may sound different stands will give different results. Not night and day but audible.

Peace

Bernd

[dingus]

in the absense of stands, try blu-tac between the speakers and the end tables. if you arent too keen on the cost of new stands, you can try making your own, something like the ones found here;
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/stubby_e.html

[swwdts]

Those stands look really cool ! I almost lost mine,my stepdad put them out next to the trashcan to get rid of them & he did not ask me if I wanted to get rid of them.Grrr! I hope my reply is NOT spam.If so,I'm sorry!

[nightflier]

A couple more things that will make this easy:

- With third-party spikes, they typically are not cheap, so instead of buying 4 per speaker, buy 3 - it'll make ballancing a lot easier.

- While placing spikes under a home-made stand is important, don't forget to also hard-couple the speakers to the stands - most people don't like doing this because they don't want to mar the bottoms of their speakers. BluTac is the best option there.

- If you have a component that has spikes already (a turntable?), just unscrew them and place them under one of your speakers. Put the speakers on spikes on the floor, sit down on the floor and listen. If you hear a difference, then you should probably consider dedicated spikes for your speakers.

- Most subs do not come with spikes; opting for rubber feet instead (some even on carpet). Generally this is a bad idea. Spikes on a sub will improve the bass most of the time.

- Many speaker stands are too tall - not by design, but because people buy them that way. Ideally, bookshelf speakers should have their tops at eye level, with the tweeters at or just below the ears. Mapleshade actually suggests placing bookshelf speakers well below ear level and then angling them up somewhat. I don't think that's the best option, but it all depends on what sounds good in your room.

- In surround sound setups, center channels are almost never coupled to a stand - they are either in a book case or on the TV - neither of which is ideal. If possible, try to couple the center channel to a stand as well, especially for music listening.

Anyhow, that's what I've found. That said, I'm still not satisfied with how my speakers sound. I'm still tweaking things every day. I suppose that's all part of this hobby...

[Bingo]

An update: I have some good speaker stands on order from a custom builder in Canada. I will have the kind of stands where the upper plate is the same size as the bottom of the speaker cabinets....makes it more stable and more in tune with good sound. They can also be filled with sand as I plan to do. Thanks for all the guys who offered their suggestions...and encouragement.

[Bingo]

As a relative newcomer, I wish I knew how to use this forum. I already sent a reply and here comes another blank for me to send even one more...????

Best to all....thanks for all the good advice...

Bingo

[Bingo]

I really wanted to write a review about the new SB12 Plus of SVS....but being 83 years old is a definite handicap. I could not negotiate the review procedures well enough to understand how to do that....so instead I will comment on the new subwoofer that Grandpa helped me set up. It is the SVS SB 12 Plus, and in a nutshell I can say it is a much needed addition to my system consisting two Orsa monitors, an NAD C 370 integrated amplifer and a Cary CD player. When I opened the box that carried the SB 12 Plus to me, two boxes actually, I was impressed by the appearance of real quality. I was able to set it up before Grandpa came to help me with some settings on the backside of the sub, and was pretty well satisfied with the sonic results...but right away Grandpa found a way to smooth out a little boominess that resulted from too much volume on one of the sub settings...etc.

Just in case someone is reading this who knows a little about the optimum settings on the back of the sub, I'd appreciate your comments. My room is 12 x 15 x 8 and I have set the room size on medium - we tried different settings without any noticeable change in sound. I think I am going to like this sub as a good addition to my stereo system...I do not have much interest in home theater and use it only for music listening. Is there anyone out there like me? My next improvement will come when I get the stands I ordered for my Jas Audio Orsas. These are monitors. I have the stands on order from Canada and they will be custom made. That will please those who previously recommended stands to me - I forget those who did, but they will know. Thanks to all.