Alternatives to the Thiel Outriggers?

Barry we need to get together on neutral ground and compare the two product types we believe to be the best..Tom.. I am a Starsound dealer.

Hi Uncontop,

Mounting your speaker on a rigid support, such as a spike or a cone or a single slab of rigid material, will allow vibration to travel out of the speaker and down through the floor towards the equipment rack. This is a significant problem for rooms that have both concrete floors and suspended wood floors but is a very serious issue for listening rooms that have the latter. Additionally, if the electronic components are also on a rigid mounting vibration will travel up from the floor and into the equipment which will contaminate the signal. Rigid mounts are not "one way" transmitters of energy. Because they are rigid they allow the energy to flow both directions - out of the equipment as well as up into the equipment. Additionally, using materials that have their own sonic problems (such as materials that ring: stone, glass, metal. etc, or materials that are resonant: natural wood, Plexiglas, acrylic, etc) will impart those unwanted characteristics into the components they are supporting.

The optimum method for supporting a speaker is to place it on a high mass, high absorption platform that will decouple the speaker from the floor as well as absorb unwanted stored energy (vibration and resonance) out of the cabinet and change that destructive mechanical energy into a more benign form such as thermal energy (heat).

Best Regards,

Barry Kohan

Disclaimer: I am a manufacturer of vibration control products.

The resonance if given a singular path can be more easily discarded ..in an audible sense..Audiopoints or Sistrum provide such a path.. The closer to the original source the better ..Do not add any further mass or dampening..If you do, you will have multicolored results.Tom

there are probably benefits from raising the tweeter as the 1.6 is relatively short. also if you have a wooden suspended floor as in an upstairs room, or any that isn't solid like a concrete floor, you might well benefit from placing the speakers on stone plinths or perhaps paving slabs. i'm having some 3 cm thick black zimbabwe granite plinths made for my 1.6s. i have wooden floors throughout my apartment, and i can feel them resonate (which i'm sure is colouring the sound). i'm going to use spikes under the plinths and at least temporarily, use spike cups under the four spikes. later i am thinking i might try stillpoints between the plinths and the 1.6s. i figure that 3cm thick granite is likely to have enough mass to damp the vibrations whilst also raise the tweeters to a more useful height.

Dan use the discs under the points if you place the platform on wood, glass or plastic shelving..The upper points only require the discs if your component is very light in weight say 10 lbs. or less or if you feel you need to protect the underneath surface of the component. The results without the discs on the top points is greater focus...but you have to have a reasonable amount of mass on top to do so..I have found the discs increase the effective mass of lightweight components on top and therefore gain greater focus. I'd would be happy to help if needed..Tom

They are the SP-004 and I have discs for top and bottom. Maybe I'll try them under my amps.

Which models are they?..Do you have the APCD discs as well?..Those platforms will work under many different pieces of electronics as well..A friend of mine just purchased a pair of SP1's to place under his Halcro pre and power..The improvement was amazing. I sell Starsound products..Tom

I have a pair of Sistrum stands (for floorstanding speakers) that I am ready to part with. Email me if you are interested, uncontop.

I worked for a Thiel dealer up until a year ago..The outriggers are really just a device to keep the speakers more upright most of the time..they do nothing to improve the sound..I am now a independent dealer and sell Starsound products..Audiopoints and Sistrum..They both greatly improve the sound of all loudspeakers including all the Thiel products..Tom