Amp Stands - Wood or Stone

From personal experience, I have tried both granite and different types of wood. Under front end components and amps. I found the granite gave me a more "forward" or up-front presentation, sometimes "edgy". Not the case with wood.

I've done a good bit of footer experiments. my findings are that very hard surface, IE glass, stone, marble, etc tend to emphasize the high frequencies. So I would stay away from those unless you need more high frequencies. But it can also sound bright which is why I would stay away from hard surface like stone. Wood has a much better balance , especially tone woods like maple which is what I would use

bamboo cutting board works great as stand. You can get it in Ikea for $20. It will look nearly as if it would be MapleShade brand.

I would opt for a platform where the frequency range is well above and below the range of human hearing. You cannot hear it nor will it influence the sonic of your system. 

If the platform arrives with a specified vibration management system based on material science, physics, and geometry and is designed into the stand then you eliminate a lot of guessing and additional expenses where those funds could be used to purchase more music or finer equipment.

Robert

LiveVibe Audio

I know a few guys who have experimented with amp sand boxes, and said the sound completely tightened up. Basically a 3" wooden litter box for your amp filled with sand.

I would definitely use some rare wood from a National Park. Or the petrified forest stuff from Arizona

(I know, not funny)

Amazon has affordable Pangea amp stands. I've used a bunch of similar stands, they all worked great.

Two layers of Baltic Birch plywood (13 ply, 3/4" thick), with a layer of viscoelastic material (Green Glue, or Acoustic Sciences Corp. WallDamp) between them. Finish with lacquer or polyurethane. Place on a set of Townshend Audio Seismic Pods, or for a low price option a set of the aluminum "spring spikes" available on ebay.

..

I say wood, look up Butcher Block Acoustics they make all kinds of stuff in rock maple and walnut, they will custom make you anything and not charge insane prices... 

Wood is more of a natural musical material IMO.. Like a violin or guitar, it should resonate like wood does for a more natural sound

Maple wood.

Wood is more of a natural musical material IMO.. Like a violin or guitar, it should resonate like wood does for a more natural sound

It is possible that is a consideration . . . I am not sure. However, except for speaker cabinets, most other components have a chassis made of some type of metal. Although I am sure there are exceptions to that. (I kind of remember a passive preamp that was being advertised in Stereophile frequently, and it appeared to have a wooden chassis.) And then ofcourse are the brass instruments, and certain woodwinds such as the flute and sax. . . . I would think (and I may be wrong) that the ultimate goal of any stand for a component would be to minimize vibration. I am also surprised that deniers and naysayers have not chimed in yet.

I tried the butcher blocks and my speakers didn’t feel solid..  I have granite and isolation under my amps and speakers and am very happy.

The best thing is to move to a house with a solid ground floor

Solid steel brand stands all the way 

I made my own out of a slab of live edge black walnut.  I put Isoacoustic feet on it for vibration mitigation.  It’s supporting a D’Agostino S350 and looks amazing.  

End grain maple 4'' thick does the trick with isoacoustic feet. Holes drilled in them filled with lead. A sleek half-blind or through dovetailed cap using exotic species to rest on top looks nice, with a sheet of 8# lead between them. 

People who use wood, granite or glass have absolutely no idea what they're doing. All of these materials absorb and release energy in non-linear ways. You're simply choosing another form of coloration. Active isolation is the way to go.

I like the idea of 2" slabs of hardwood, either finished edges or raw.  Then, rather than having them standing on the floor, I'd wall-mount them with a hidden cleat.  Then conceal all the cabling for a super-clean and finished look, if possible.  

The best form of isolation is Symposium Ultras with your 

component coupled to it with the metal pucks

Mechanical and airborn vibration/energy  is dissipated as heat and drains through the component into the pucks and ultimately  into the Symposium.I have 6 under all my components.  The earlier above comment  is simply that wood does not drain vibration 

and stone rings and does not absorb and convert the vibration  energy to heat

the original question was “ what’s a good amp stand”.

Really any stand that is rigid and on spikes preferably.  
vibration control is an entirely different conversation

Good luck Willy -T 

Livevibe all the way

https://livevibeaudio.com/audio-points-coupling-discs/

And there isn't really any true "isolation" possible on the planet earth

I've experimented with stands and footers over a number of decades, I've probably tried virtually every kind of material out there. Only you can determine which solution best for you, this is part of tuning one's system. In general the material used will kind of tell you what to expect, soft delivers softer more diffuse sound, hard will tighten up things. I've also found a rather unique solution for some of my equipment in using high test monofilament fish line hung from custom built stands, this closest to no stand, footer solution I've found. This delivers most natural timbre, tonality, micro and macro dynamics, natural decay, etc. This method allows the most sympathetic movement with vibrations, and the least editorializing of the myriad solutions I've tried.

See if you can get some of that fancy Cardas wood but beware, if the price per inch is equal to what they charge for those tiny cable supports (that do nothing for the sound), you'll be shelling out big $$$.

It sure does seem that if you have access to both stone or wood 🪵. One is stuck in the proverbial situation where you get to try both and see what happens. Good luck 🍀 in the search for the best. 

There are multiple effective combinations. I would use a combination of materials like wood stands with elastomer pucks and topped with stone or even better Black Diamond Racing composite platform. One of the issues with AGD is the light weight. It would be nice to be able to weight the components down as well to couple them to the platform.

I recently installed a seismograph in my house. Although I live in a quiet neighborhood, one aspect of vibration is that it vastly increases during the day with traffic and human activity. So you want mass, but decoupling (hence the elastomer pucks) from the earth.

@kidbuck Thank you for your guarantee… what are the terms?  

A big +1 to phishhhhh4

The platforms are a destination product you can spend years and $$$ and not be happy trying wood, Granite ,Carbon Fiber, air bladders, constrained layer dampening etc... Like I did.

You will be done the first time with Live Vibe products, give them a call and go from there.

@

@ghdprentice ghdprentice

I should've used the word BET.

I bet you $1000. US that you would fail a blind test listening for the difference between wood and stone amp stands.

And when you handle a Life vibe product you will get the sense it's a serious piece of craftsmanship

Robert is great to deal with

@czarivey Horrible for audio. The cheap Ikea boards are not solid.  

 bamboo cutting board works great as stand. You can get it in Ikea for $20. It will look nearly as if it would be MapleShade brand.

My experience is directly related to my speakers.  Maggies (I have 3.6 model) improve by orders of magnitude with the bracing of metal Mye stands on spikes.  The extra rigidity helps the sound greatly.

This is not germane to owners of box speakers, but critical IMHO for Maggies of all sizes.

@kidbuck 

Nice first post….

Way to ingratiate yourself to the regulars.

kidbuck

I bet you $1000. US that you would fail a blind test listening ...

You sound like quite the hustler. You're not fooling anybody. We don't do gambling here.

Is it possible that I could bet @kidbuck doesn’t see ten post unless he goes on a temper tantrum rant. Must be one of those asr folk. @ghdprentice so sorry such rudeness is being thrown your way. 

I have never heard any amp sound different no matter what it was sitting on. 

@jasonbourne71 said 

.I have never heard any amp sound different no matter what it was sitting on. 

Exactly.

Thanks everyone for your responses.  Sounds like everything audio; opinions all over the map.  Wanted to ask because I have to do something.  Going with hardwood on cones / spikes based on cost and aesthetics.  Thanks again everyone for sharing your experience and time.

Are you to use spikes under the  stand directly to a wood floor? And remove the stock feet from the amp and use pucks under the amp?  

@jasonbourne71  you really can't hear a difference even with tube equipment , I find that hard to believe.

I am a long term Tube user, Phonostages, Pre-Amp, Power Amps and later down the line introduced a Valve DAC.

How these devices are mounted does make a difference, to how the end sonic is perceived.

It is possible to create a tidied up end sound or an end sound that is messy.

The used Tube Input / Output Phonostages and DAC's using Tubes are very sensitive to the structure they are mounted on, as well as the Sub Plinth or Configurations for a Sub Plinth they are seated upon.

Valve Pre Amp's are also susceptible to being able to produce variances in the end sound when on a structure that is not ideally suited. The Sub Plinth or Configurations for a Sub Plinth a Pre-Amp is seated upon will show how the Bass can be Loosened or Tightened, depending on materials selected to be used.

Out of all Tube Devices used by myself and experienced in use in other systems, Power Amp's are notable for not being subtle in showing a discernible difference in an end sound, depending on the structure selected. The Sub Plinth or Configurations for a Sub Plinth a Power Amp is seated upon, is able to produce a sound that excels the Amp. The looseness of a Bass Note and Decay is very easy to detect for having tightened up, as the Amp is placed on differing Structures and Sub Plinths.

I have evolved in my investigations over many years creating a Structure and Sub Plinth Supports.

In my experiences had, Racks work at their best when seated on their own Sub Plinth. Racks also improve substantially when rigidly coupled. Sub Plinths in my experiences are usually at their best when made up as a Tiers using a variety of separators. Bypassing the devices footers can have a much improved effect, is a good substitute footer is discovered.

Granite has been a go to for numerous years as a Tier Material, numerous Board Materials have been used, where the one that proved most impressive over all Board Types was a highly compressed PUR Foam board that had mechanical properties.

In recent years all board materials used, have now been met with a material that is Superseding them. The material is a Phenolic Resin Impregnated Densified Wood Board, such as the products from the Brand Panzerholz or Permali.

These materials are not to be overlooked, they are being used in Speakers and Turntables, and can be found as well as Sub Plinths.

Phenolic Resin Impregnated Densified Wood, is the clue, a search will assist with finding Brands that have variants of how it is seen as a finished product.

Dymond Wood Board is supplied with a large range of colours, it is unknown if all colours are available in a dimension that would be suitable as Sub Plinth.

Veneering a Board is also an option, it is seen as a Method used for P'holz in both TT Plinths and Speaker Cabinets (Kaiser Speakers - Tankwood).      

@pindac

Excellent contribution.

@gkelly 😊👍 Some folks simple self-discredit. No response necessary.

@testrun The only reason you need amp stands is to get the amps up off the carpet so that they ventilate correctly. I made a set just recently and used 8/4 walnut on spikes. You have to finish the wood which is more expensive than the wood. Stone is more difficult to mount spikes on, but does not need a finish. 

As far as sound quality goes it makes absolutely no difference. If it looks better to you it will sound better. So, by all means, pick what looks good to you. 

@mijostyn I'm surprised the "moderators" and people on here who swear by the materials used for amp stands are tolerating your opposing opinion.

I agree with you. I posted on this thread that I bet a person would fail a blind a/b test and was essentially attacked for having such an opinion. 

They scolded me, called me a "hustler", and removed my comments. Why?

For being a newbie and disagreeing with their claims. 

I have never heard any amp sound different no matter what it was sitting on. 

Some people may have a more acute ability to hear than others.  I don't, but I do not discount those that say that they do.  

My Audions sit on marble which sits on cherry wood shelves. Two sticks of wenge wood span the Audions front and back leaving a couple of inches between them. On this "bridge" sits a 15lb lead block.

Maybe it's just my ridiculously sensitive hearing and hyperactive neurons, or maybe it's all the tubes in my phono amps, preamp and power amps, but I can hear differences in the sound of different supports beneath the amplifiers. Quasi-authoritative proclamations that this is impossible indicate that your situation may differ entirely. 

@kidbuck 

Your combative stance and attitude is likely what got your post removed. If I went on ASR and challenged the nerd types that all amps sound different, I would probably have the same reception. 
 

You aren’t the only one around here with your viewpoint. But others are smart enough to temper it. If not, their posts meet the same fate.

@ozzy62 I was never "Combative". 

Your statement is unfair, and false. 

What happened is I was instantly belittled for my viewpoint including the fact it was my first post. Y'all are being bullying and rude so I said I don't care about your personal attacks. Those remarks are the ones that should be removed. I'm sorry I'm new and i disagree. Sheesh. 

I didn't go on a "temper tantrum rant" of which I was falsely accused of or try to "hustle" anyone because my use of the word "bet" was OBVIOUSLY not in a literal sense because I was asked for specifics on my use of the word "guarantee" that I clearly used figuratively. So I changed the word to bet and it was taken from there with the berating and untrue assessments because I don't agree and that I'm new.

I'm not combative so let's just be fair because that's ridiculous. Defensive, yes, but only because of how y'all came down on me. And you continue to do it. Its not nice to belittlepeoplebecausetheyvare new and don't agree. 

Yeah, I'm new and not in your circle so I'm being taking advantage of and it's not good.