So over this past weekend I decided to try something different with my speakers, I have played around in the past with different combination, but decided to try something different in the mix. Here is what I did:

My PSB Platinum T6's come with the choice of installing the rubber feet or the spikes, in the past I have gone back and forth depending on a few things. I initially put them on the carpet with the spikes, but then placed the speakers up on ceramic tiles that I bought to give them a sturdy base and that alone helped quite a bit, with the rubber feet now attached on the ceramic.

However, this past weekend I changed things up again and decided to put the spikes back on, but this time put them on the ceramic. My initial thoughts were: I wonder if the spikes will crack through due to the weight and the sharpness of the spike, but after placing all 4 spikes on the bottom and doing a test run, the hard ceramic does just fine with the weight distributed across all 4 feet, so that wasn't an issue at all.

I had no idea what to expect result-wise when I began testing out a few discs that I am very familiar with, but my jaw dropped from the first few moments of the very first disc when I became very aware of the immediate results, which were incredibly positive.

For this being a fairly small tweak or enhancement, I am nearly kicking myself for not thinking of this sooner as it has really opened things up in some specific ways, mostly in the bass department and the separation now between mid and low end.

The T6's are one of the best speakers I've heard when it comes to mid-range cohesiveness, which is one of the reasons that I purchased them to begin with. I have heard lots of speakers that have great high ends (like B&W or Paradigm), but always felt that the mid-range was lost or missing. I know that toying around with different EQ can help, but I wanted a speaker that without any help, could produce the mid-range levels accurately based on the source. The T6 brings to life the full spectrum of high to low, especially with the arrangement of the tweeter surrounded by 2 mid-range speakers in it's configuration, the low end has always been good, solid, and punchy, but the use of the spikes on the ceramic has elevated the speakers (similar to using speakers on a hardwood floor I suppose) and now the low end is more prominent overall, and feels less cloudy altogether. There is far more definition and I can hear better separation in instrumentation, specifically drums. One of the first discs that I tried out was the Mobile Fidelity Roy Orbison Greatest Hits CD and immediately was impressed with how snappy the drum kit is on the upbeat tunes, there is refinement in the lower chords and the entire mix feels even more spacious and open.

I always like to be as detailed as possible when explaining improvements, but I will also add that while I feel my speakers are very revealing in good ways, they also showcase flaws and poor mixes just the same, this adjustment has also showed me where certain recordings have a very sloppy mix with regards to lower levels, less definition in the bass or heavier chords, I particularly noticed this when playing several odd selections, Batman & Robin Soundtrack is just one example. While the recording sounds dated to begin with, this adjustment has further brought to light the sloppy mixes and nearly muffled or distorted areas that should have more refinement. Bass is solid in certain areas, but the distinction between certain pitches leaves a lot to be desired.

I think this same effect is true by giving the sub-woofer a bit of lift from the floor, I have mind elevated approximately 3/4 of an inch, which is about where the spikes place the T6's now and that seems to be just about enough to help with the sound-to-floor level.

Has anyone else ever played around with their configuration or had the chance to try different things like this and if so....what were the results?