Speaker stands, do they really matter?

[MN Mike]

I have Klipsch RB-5II's for fronts and they are on short stands(approx. 18"). I'm considering a taller stand and also one that is weighted. I have read elsewhere that a stand should weigh 2x the weight of the speakers they are holding.

Any comments about this or reccomendations on decent stands. I have home made one right now.

[mtrycraft]

I have Klipsch RB-5II's for fronts and they are on short stands(approx. 18"). I'm considering a taller stand and also one that is weighted. I have read elsewhere that a stand should weigh 2x the weight of the speakers they are holding.

Any comments about this or reccomendations on decent stands. I have home made one right now.

As long as it is stable with the speakers it is fine. You need to have the final speaker height of the tweeter level with your ears in final seating position.

[92135011]

here is a simple test
take your little finger and rub it back it forth on your speaker.
If you see it move back and forth with your finger, then it's probably a bad stand.
Sturdy stands can tighten your bass response and give you an overall better sound. Of course, it also elevates your speaker to the reference axis for best sound

[skeptic]

Placing loudspeakers on stands has several effects.

First, by changing the height of the tweeter, you are changing the frequency response of the treble reaching your ears. This is because you change your relationship to the tweeter axis. Tweeter response is highly directional and as you change your releationship to it in many models, the relative response and tonal balance it creates will change. Since directional cues are best perceived from higher frequencies, placing the speakers in a location which puts you closer to the tweeter axis should improve so called "imaging" meaning the stereo effect as well.

Placing the speakers on stands also has the effect of changing the apparant height of the sound source. Depending on where you sit at a live performance, the source may be above you (the performers on a stage or platform and you are near the front row), at ear level (much of the orchestra seats), or below you (you are in the balcony.)

There is also an effect on bass response. In general, having the woofers close to a reflecting surface increases the loudness of bass. The floor is generally a fair reflector of bass tones. Putting speakers on stands reduces the relative loudness of the bass due to these reflections. It also reduces the direct coupling of any cabinet vibrations into the floor. I assume that this is why some people use those little spikes.

In general, smaller speakers including bookshelf types of about 2 or so cubic feet can benefit from being placed on a stand or shelf. Floorstanding models or so called towers work best IMO when placed directly on the floor.

[mtrycraft]

Sturdy stands can tighten your bass response and give you an overall better sound.

Nope, it will not.

[Woochifer]

You basically want something that will provide a stable platform for the speakers, and minimize the vibrations getting transmitted into the floor. The suggestion for heavier mass for the stands is basically to lower the center of gravity so the stands don't get easily knocked over. It doesn't affect sound quality all that much. Having fillable columns works great for stabilizing the stands. In general, the heavier the speaker, the more rugged a stand you'll need if for no other reason than to prevent them from tipping over in high traffic areas.

The keys are really making sure that the speakers don't sit flat against the top plate, and the base plate doesn't sit flat against the floor. Most stands, even the cheapest low end models, use spikes or some form of isolation. As mentioned, just find a stand that's tall/short enough to put the tweeters right about ear level and you should be fine.

[Thomas_A]

Besides the most important issue, speaker stand and speaker height, I will add som comments.

It is quite easy to hear various resonances of various things in the room when playing test tones due to the acoustic pressure in the room. In addition, I've made tests where I put some decoration stuff on top of my speakers (or actually, my girlfriend put them there) made of metal. It was quite easy to hear distortion from this piece when playing certain frequencies, causing it to vibrate both against the cabinet and by itself. Anybody who wants to attend a test double-blind are welcome, I am certain that the test will be 100% correct for anyone to hear it. I myself can bet a miljon dollars that I do it 100% correct.

Now, anything in direct contact with the speaker can vibrate and resonate. Speaker stands are heavy and some of the damped with e.g. sand. So resonances would be less and perhaps impossible to hear. In certain instances and test tones it might be possible to hear something, but with music it will be harder. The easiest way to avoid it - put foamy feet between the speakers and the speaker stand. This will ensure that the speakers vibrates less and that the transmission of vibrations from the speaker to the stand and floor also will be less. Don't bother about that the speakers sway back and forth while giving at a light push, the forces/frequencies generated by the speaker will generally be above the fundamental resonance f of the speaker-foot-stand interface. In fact, spikes will make the speaker move more since the fundamental resonance is often in the 20-100 Hz region. Thus, when the speaker is playing these frequencies it will move much more than if the speaker was free-floating in air. Theoretical calculations of this were made by Dick Pierce at the rec.audio.high-end many years ago.

See e.g. measurements at:

http://koti.welho.com/msalone5/audio/vibra.html

and


http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/sonicdesign_e.html
(manufacturer's comments)
http://www.sonicdesign.se/sdfeet.html

And various threads at rec.audio.*

I don't understand why those "spikes" are still used...

T

[F1]

......
Now, anything in direct contact with the speaker can vibrate and resonate. Speaker stands are heavy and some of the damped with e.g. sand. So resonances would be less and perhaps impossible to hear. In certain instances and test tones it might be possible to hear something, but with music it will be harder. The easiest way to avoid it - put foamy feet between the speakers and the speaker stand. This will ensure that the speakers vibrates less and that the transmission of vibrations from the speaker to the stand and floor also will be less. ......

I had a great success with ruberised cork sheet. I have a fishtank (with a submersible water pump in it) on top of a cabinet, next to my speaker (go figure). The water pump created very bad resonant with the cabinet such that when the cabinet is closed you can hear very audible hum and when the cabinet opens the hum is much less. So I put a ruberised cork sheet under the fish tank and to my surprise the annoying hum from the pump is completely gone. I guess cork sheet also works perfectly to remove speaker vibration.