Casters to replace spikes

Spikes are better coupling to floor for better sound.

Hi - thanks for the response.  As noted I'm 100% for some compromise, and purely focused on whether there are specifcally made casters to either connect directly w speakers, or that could accept floor spikes in some way.  I'm aware this will also chnage the height of the speaks some, but again, I'm fine on the compromise.  Thanks!

Just an opinion, but I would buy short casters, screw them into a very thick maple “cutting board” type wood plank and then spike the speakers to the board. Maybe even use 5 casters on each board (one in the middle). I do not know if any “audiophile” casters. Please don’t give the tweekers any ideas!! 

Just an opinion, but I would buy short casters, screw them into a very thick maple “cutting board” type wood plank and then spike the speakers to the board. Maybe even use 5 casters on each board (one in the middle). I do not know if any “audiophile” casters. Please don’t give the tweekers any ideas!! 

My speaker's have casters, they were designed that way. 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/A1431D59-D098-411E-B31F-EC38A8FEA386/?_encoding=UTF8&store_re...

There are all kinds of dampened casters for rough travel. Some are spring loaded and they use all different types of wheel compounds.
There are a few cantilever types with shocks and spring tension adjustment..

NO Spikes.. Bad idea, always has been, always will be.. Always decouple that is like 1980s tech, spikes good Lord.. 

You're transferring a SECOND bass signal through the floor to arrive at YOUR seated position at a different time.. It's just that simple.. Air and floors deliver the signal at different times. THAT equals MUDDY bass.

You'll never notice the difference until you clean it up. 30 years I been preaching it.. Along with no BASS duty for valve amps and separating the BASS cabinets from the monitor cabinets.

Regards

I have tried all kinds of things under my Vandersteens (although not the MillerCarbon suggested springs).   There is nothing remotely as good as the spikes that came with my speakers as I hear it.

Appreciate all the responses.  I will add that the Studio2's are crossed over around 80Hz to a pair of JL F212V2 subs which handle the deeper bass.  Maybe the impact wouldn't be so bad?  Again my room is not treated and has other bass issues to be sure so first things first on making these things movable!

The improvements achieved by moving them out from the wall behind them will far outweigh any possible improvement wrought by spiking.

These guys offer an option…
https://soundocity.com/shop/outriggers/low-profile-caster-outriggers/

If you know any metal workers they may be able to help out with some 2” flat stock being bent at designated points to be outriggers that accept office chair casters made like roller blade wheels for hardwood floor.  I had a set made a while ago for a pair of Eggleston Andra that needed to move back when not in use.  The flat stock was measured to clear the bottom of the Andra, bent up at 45 degrees and back out again at a height that allowed the caster to have the speaker sit at the same height as they did on spikes.  Roughly 1.5” off the ground.  They drilled the outrigger at I believe 5/16” to accept the post of the chair casters.  Worked really well and looked very nice once painted black. 

30 years I been preaching it.. Along with no BASS duty for valve amps and separating the BASS cabinets from the monitor cabinet.

I forgot phase plugs too. 20 years on those.. I’m even revisiting whizzer cones, too.. :-)

Springs are great they just need a good dampening agent like memory foam and paint the springs with silicone paint. Flex Seal works really good. Put ear plugs inside the springs and install them (No Bound style) it’s a BIG one up from stock No Bound.

On a 1 - 10 a NB is a good solid 5, with dampening added, 6.5-7, IF adjustable silicone/spring pods were a 10 (SOTA).

You can dampen the heck out of stock spring casters, the same way... Paint the springs and add shocks..

Regards

My original B&W 801 E series speaker’s came with castors on them. Bought them new in 1982. They still sound great. I use them in my second  system for 2 channel and for HT. 

My B&W 801’s came with casters to mount in the speaker which I am glad they did
as when I clean my system it would be a bitch to move a 200 lb speaker by myself
and they were designed for the use of the casters

Don't be misled by silly opinions, like "NO spikes".

If your speakers rest on a concrete floor, you can't do better than to couple the speakers to the floor as solidly as possible. Spikes lead to more adjustability than concrete bolts, so spikes are a definite alternative in such a case.

I have a rack of electronics in my HT, and it's on casters for reasons similar to yours. It can be made solid by screwing down 5/8" bolts through the bottom shelf to elevate it off the casters. Works fine, takes 2 minutes to make it ready to move, and two minutes more to anchor it.

You can easily do the same thing with a solid block like a maple butcher block. Four bolts, one on each corner (holes drilled and tapped for the bolts); 4 casters, one in the middle of each side. Just fix your speaker to the butcher block, and you're done.

But if your floor is wood, forget it. Locking casters will be better. IMO

Good Luck!

   terry9 hit on a most important factor a bit. I have been challenged in this area as I have moved from one abode to another.....First, the location of your system. Is the floor solid, on the first or upper floor, or subject to vibration if only normal footsteps create distortion? Speaker positioning is, of course, important.
   Even though your floor is carpeted, carpet is not an end all to unwanted vibration. Just my 2 cents.

I use 3 casters, 2 front, 1 rear center: more weight per caster, and always wobble free anywhere. I also put rear corner blocks to prevent tipping, just a bit above the floor, no contact unless speaker starts to tip.

you want good tight axels so they don’t wobble, mine are dual wheel furniture casters.

I’ve had these and other speakers on spikes, on casters, on felt pads, I don’t hear any difference.

Townsend says soft, to prevent earth vibration going ’up’ to the speakers.

I change the toe in according to one or two listeners. I have full out serious listening, part out for more room when one leaf is in the table, and ’parked’ for holidays with all 3 leaves in the table.

my JSE Infinite Slope Model 2’s came on 4 casters, I changed to 3. The front was sloped, ’time-aligned’. My current enclosures are flat front. I put a 1-1/2" block above the front casters to tilt them back, for both time-alignment and to project the tweeters ’up’ directly to seated ear height, and alter the angles of all 3 driver's reflections to/off floor and celiling/rear wall.

Spikes

"Spikes both couple and decouple the cabinet/speaker output from the floor.

Bass wavelengths are quite long and, below about 200Hz, boundary dependent. Without a surface to travel along they dissipate somewhat rapidly. A woofer would ideally be as close to a boundary (floor) or multiple boundaries (side and back walls, and even ceiling) as possible, or at least a constant distance from them. By elevating a cabinet from the floor with spikes, you reduce the propagation efficiency of bass wavelengths. So, you decouple bass from the room, even if ever so slightly. The effect is quite audible.

Spikes couple cabinet output to the floor, turning it into a transmission medium. Soundwaves travel through many solids much more rapidly than through the air. Instead of "moving the floor", cabinet output is transmitted to the listener ahead of the music, through the floor (made usually a good carrier of sound like wood or stone). This is why I’m no fan of spikes, and the Sunfire people aren’t either.

Try some damping compound between the spikes and the cabinet (not between the spikes and the floor) and let me know if you hear a difference. I’ve seen composite spikes that were metal only on the tips, otherwise rubber. Should work better.

Since spikes do two things I don’t like--diminish bass propagation, and transmit or even amplify spurious cabinet talk--I never recommend their use.

As Sunfire recommends, rubber or other absorbent materials can be used as feet for speakers or subs.

Since a lot depends on the height of the stand and the materials from which your floor is made, why not experiment? Personally I like Dynamat." 1987 or so..

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From the old VMPS web site (Brian Cheney. Mr BASS).. and Sunfire.
35 years ago. Like I said there is a reason NOT use spikes, and I can’t think of a single reason to. Wooden floors can be worse..

Otherwise its just a HUGE drum. 3.5" to 5.5" concrete bounces like a drum.. The dryer it gets the tighter it stretches in a monolithic pour. The worst of the worst.. A slab with soft expansion joints. One slab is different than the next. Decouple always.. Really muddies the bass.. Just a big bass driver (the floor). Very little bass cohesion otherwise.

If Carver and Cheney,(RIP) agree, I’m in their CES winning corner.

Innertubes, spring, silicone pods, YES, spikes NO!! Rubber spikes, how’s that working out.. LOL Charlie Chaplin’s drunk routine..

Opinions.. I don’t think so... Just my self proven and re-proven facts over and over.. I have 2 boxes of spikes.. Even Merlin spikes.. rare from the 30s.. they kinda work.. They are tuned for record player isolation and rumble

Regards

Casters are Horrible ,no coupling what so ever , just to move  never a permanent 
solution if you want defined imaging or tight deep Bass.

Over the decades I have spent small fortunes on coupling/decoupling devices to what avail? Likely negligible. Why? Well, my floors are terrazzo = hard as can be


A few years ago I tried Harbor Freight dollys with rubber casters- cheap and highly effective, as well as super easy to move, position and adjust speaker angles


hth

https://casterconnection.com/caster/4-spring-loaded-tpr-rigid-caster?gclid=CjwKCAjwmeiIBhA6EiwA-uaeFeVFXJX935zEHcOsjgr6rbQCp5nLAUjnkhuZtFqU4I7XtfI3l9AipxoC3lYQAvD_BwE

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I don’t know the weight of your speakers. My monitors are 375 pounds each (before mods). Two in the back of this type of caster for me. The front use a single adjustable spring/silicone pod. You can set top to bottom alignment, forward or backward (caster) positive or negative. There is no need for top to bottom left or right (camber) positive or negative adjustment. Then set the toe.

It won’t move, it would be dampened very well and of course decoupled. Just a slight tip to move them and back on the front pod. You could put a slider under the pod.

I’m making new bases for my monitors this is exactly how I’m doing it. Pocket mount (enclose) the rear casters to 1 1/2" butcher block (70 lbs) and a single spring/silicone pod in the front. The 60 lb SS beveled cap is a work in progress. 500 + lb is not easy to move. I had to do something..

BTW there is NO bass used in that cabinet. It’s just the monitors made from HDF. They sound like telephone poles when you knock on them. All of my monitors do.. When they are finally placed, 100 lb of sand can added in the old bass section, as an option.. STILL decoupled.. and below my weight limit on the pod and caster springs. 600 lbs

Regards

Hi Op, you say you have "factory spikes sitting on Herbie's discs." Which type of "Herbie's discs" do you have? Also, what kind of floor do you have? (I imagine that cement would be difficult.)

I use the Herbie's Threaded Stud Gliders on a wood floor. My B&W are simple to move around. Maybe factory spikes into their gliding spike feet are not as simple? If your spikes are lifting off from the feet when you move, just know that problem doesn't exist with their threaded gliders. 

Hi- based on my email receipt the gliders are the “Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider” that were $17.00 a piece 4 years ago. Speakers I think are about 130 lbs per side.  These are in a basement on cement foundation with what seems almost like commercial carpeting - no pile and minimal cushion under but moving the speakers on the gliders while doable is a bit of a chore as one has to get low to the ground to move so they don’t tip. 

I seem to remember a caster wheel set on a speaker that after the spikes were dropped down the wheel’s could then be brought up to the underside of the speaker and vise a versa. I can’t remember the speaker perhaps I am just imagining it. If so, it sounds like a useful product.

ozzy

Hello,
I would go with the IsoAcoustic Gaia. You can then put them on nice sliders to move them. If your speakers are on carpet the IsoAcoustic Gaia feet have a carpet spike option. You get the benefit of the Gaia feet and moving them. https://x-protector.com/products/mc-x7vb-oud7
These look nice with the colored plastic. 

Yeah, 130 lbs does seem heavy. What about copying Wilson?

When I've visited the Wilson dealer, I've seen these wheels on their speaker (which seems hilarious for something costing ~17k). https://parts.wilsonaudio.com/3-caster/

If you can do some research to find out the thread pitch and length, you can grab you some Wilson wheels. 

Some really good suggestions all, appreciate the responses. 
As I was a finance and language major in college, in layman’s terms, can someone elaborate on the whole decoupling aspect ? I’m holding that with spikes on carpet for instance one is trying to stop bass energy from going into the floor so the sound is only influenced by the speaker, is that accurate? Is it pointless to do that when there is concrete under my carpet?

ozzy,
Some of the newer B&W's have the caster/spike combo 

How about custom stands on casters by Sound Anchors? I loved them with my B&W N802’s years ago.

And not only Wilson but now B&W use castors! The ease of use between 2ch and HT is a big advantage.

Best of luck!

@esthlos13, my understanding is that the purpose of spikes is actually to *couple* the speaker to the floor. The spikes pierce through the carpet to reach the concrete slab underneath into which they transfer their energy. The idea is that a giant concrete slab won't resonate much and is therefore good for absorbing vibrations. In contrast, when coupling a speaker to a wood floor, the wood would be too excited by the speaker vibrations, and the resonances created in the wood floor would negatively interact with your speakers. 

Another way to think about this is that with wood and tile, you only have one choice--to decouple. But with with a cement floor, you have another option--to couple. 

For WAF, I renoved the spikes on my speaker stands and put on some rubber wheeled casters that I purchased off of Amazon. I researched a fair bit, but ultimately chose those with the correct thread pitch and locking wheels. I ordered a couple different styles and tried them out, then sent back the set I decided against. My flooring is LVP atop concrete slab. I could discern NO difference between spikes and casters. The time to go back and forth means that any difference I might hear would be experimentally questionable. Additionally, the room is such that any first order reflections arrive late enough at my listening position to avoid any smearing or aural confusion. 

I love the convenience of the wheels. The only issue for me is that there is a slight fall to the floor. As the casters have double locking nuts, I moved the speakers to their ideal location, the adjusted height for level based on that position. 
What I have learned in several disciplines is that theory and reality often disagree. Theory may or may not accurately depict the state of things in an ideal realm, but it is often quite irrelevant in our experiential realm. In my room, where the rear and side walls are substantially distant from the listening position, there was no negative change to sound quality. The ability to easily adjust speaker position also meant that I spent more time dialing in sound because I wasn’t wrestling with the speakers (Tip: figure out where those spots are and have an easy way to return speakers there as needed). 

boxer12,
Thanks! I knew I heard it or seen it somewhere.

ozzy

Check out Mockett  CA39PB-90. 65 lb. capacity x 4 = 260 lbs., low profile of only 2 5/32" height. The lower the profile, the more stable it will be. This is a tall package with a narrow footprint, not ideal for casters but if you keep them small in height and install them as close to the outside corners as possible, it might be OK with careful handling. I usually do not consider casters on anything under 18" wide, especially if the object is tall and heavy.
http://https//www.mockett.com/ca39pb-90.html

esthlos13:

I have a pair of Wilson Audio Alexia and I had them on the casters for quite a while, ever since the Dealer dropped them off and set them up, and the left them on the casters. Later on I conjured up the courage to put them on the Wilson's spikes that the speakers came with. In so doing I noticed that the bass was missing and at that point I went and got two JL Fathom subwoofers to enhance the bass. They did such a fine job that I got complaints, These subs are quite powerful. What I did next is to eliminate the subs and got Isoacoustics Gia Titan speaker isolators for the Wilson Alexia. I had some issues with the screws and lugs at first because I got the wrong ones. I waited a few weeks before I got everything in order. And I must tell you that it was worth the wait. I waited almost 4 weeks before I made any public comments about the results I was getting from my listening sessions after I installed the Gias. It was unbelievable, I didn't expect such a difference. The bass was punching, soundstage was wide and focused; everything sounded just like I wanted it to sound from the beginning. I waited 4 weeks, just listening to the system every day to see if anything would change. In the past I got expensive interconnects and the system sounded great but after a few days it wore off and I could not recover the initial experience. So after installing the Gia Titans, I waited just to make sure that what I was hearing is really what I heard from the the start.

So my advise it to take your speakers off the spikes and get some speaker isolation feet instead. At least try it, because everyone's setup, hearing, etc. is different.

@almandog I sounds like moving from casters to spikes was a downgrade in your experience. Then moving to isolation feet had the effect of returning to the caster-sound plus some? Or did the Gaia's just get you back to were you started?

It's my experience that using isolation feet is a giant improvement vs resting the speaker directly on the ground. I use Herbies Gliders now, but Gaia's were my other option. I haven't tried the Gaia's yet. 

Hello, I have Omicron accessories under all my stereo system. Better performance than spikes, no way, at all! Carefully you can move/adjust the position of your stuff without scratching the floor.

I could really do with some castors or something that makes it easier to move my speakers that are on extremely heavy sound anchor stands. My wife like to put them back against the walls when i am not using.  The issue i have is they are almost too high as they are (in terms of tweeter level, sitting position).  Any suggestions greatly appreciated.  Cheers

I've used 14" square plant rollers from Amazon. I've never put more than 60lbs on them but they work well under that weight. I put a layer of 1/4 inch neoprene and a piece of 1/2" MDF on top. It raises them about 3".