Ping RGA- Skylan Stands

[N. Abstentia]

Hey RGA, I see you talking about the Skylan stands a lot, so I checked them out. But I'm curious about what they are made out of....you said they are some sort of fiberboard? How heavy are they?

I currently use these stands:
http://www.studiotech.com/jsp/produc....jsp?prodID=12
Which are $175. They are thick steel, and they take at least 3 people to move around when I have them filled. I assume since you chose not to use a heavy steel stand like these and spent more for the Skylans you think they are better, so why are they better?

What makes the 4 pillar Skylans $150 better? I'm serious here, sell 'em to me! I'm finally upgrading my rear speakers to match the front and I'm planning on using those same Studio Tech stands right now.

Are they heavier/more stable than the steel stands? Although it would take a small tractor to knock mine over now....I can't imagine anything being any more sturdy.

[topspeed]

Hey RGA, I see you talking about the Skylan stands a lot, so I checked them out. But I'm curious about what they are made out of....you said they are some sort of fiberboard? How heavy are they?

I currently use these stands:
http://www.studiotech.com/jsp/produc....jsp?prodID=12
Which are $175. They are thick steel, and they take at least 3 people to move around when I have them filled. I assume since you chose not to use a heavy steel stand like these and spent more for the Skylans you think they are better, so why are they better?

What makes the 4 pillar Skylans $150 better? I'm serious here, sell 'em to me! I'm finally upgrading my rear speakers to match the front and I'm planning on using those same Studio Tech stands right now.

Are they heavier/more stable than the steel stands? Although it would take a small tractor to knock mine over now....I can't imagine anything being any more sturdy.

I'm not RGA, but I bought the Skylans on RGA's suggestion so I'll take a shot at this. The base and top plate are MDF, custom cut to your speaker's dimensions and needs. I had Noel oversize the bottom plate to make sure my kids couldn't knock them over. There are 4 ceramic discs impregnated into the top plate at the contact points to help dispel vibration. The posts are composite (aka plastic), are large diameter, and filleable with sand or shot. Filled with sand, they are about 40lbs at a 32" height.

Why are they better? They're not. You could argue that wood has superior vibrations absorbing properties blahblahblah but does anybody think a stand really has that dramatic an affect on a speaker outside of putting the tweeter at ear level? I hope not. I can say that the custom sizing was very cool and amazingly accurate as the top plate is perfectly flush with the bottom of my speakers. It is very stable too. I had my 2 and 5 year old knock into them and my kids came away the worse for wear.

Don't forget the price is in Canadian.

Hope this helps.

[N. Abstentia]

Glad to hear from someone that has these stands, I wasn't sure who to ask for so it's good for anyone to chime in

I do like the idea of the custom top plate. Are your stands actually 32", or does it put the tweeter at 32"? If your stands ARE 32" I would be very interested in hearing more about them, as I am torn between a tall stand with a short speaker or a shorter stand with a taller speaker. I'd like to put my surround tweets around 50" or so. What kind of speakers are you using on them, Topspeed?

[topspeed]

Sorry N., they are actually 28". My bad.

I've got my Von Schweikert VR-1's sitting on them and it puts the tweeter at about 38". I wouldn't be as concerned with the height of the speaker as the sound. Noel can cut the stands to whatever height you need, just tell him your speaker dimensions.

BTW, I have no idea why the 4 post stands are so much more except for the fact that he's using a lot more material. The base plate on the 4 post jobs must be huge!

[N. Abstentia]

Kinda dissapointed at the lack of RGA here...maybe I need to talk some smack about Audio Note

Paradigm kills Audio Note.

[kexodusc]

Awww....c'mon N. Abstentia, don't be so lazy...spend $25 bucks on a 4' X 8' sheet of 0.75" MDF and build some 42" and 24" tall stands like I did....
Fork out $5 bucks for some PVC or ABS plumbing tubes and caps and you can make them sand loading pretty quick.
All this combined with $5.00 worth of black gloss spray paint, $5 worth of some wood glue and a bit o' elbow grease can make a pair of stands in about 8-12 hours (less if you know what you're doing)...and they'll be custom shaped and sized to whatever you want.
I'm even thinking of veneering or buying some vinyl laminate from parts express for $12 to match the pillars of mine to my Studio's finish. That would save tons of time on the painting and look great. Buy some little rubber stoppers/protectors for $1 to act as dampeners/isolators for vibrations any you're set.

It's fun and for $60 tops for 4 stands that are heavy, neutral to the sound, and won't move if your fiancee's niece runs into them!!!