Been having a few scares recently with the dogs and the speakers
Due to the layout of the house, right now, everything is pretty much where it has to be. Not much option on moving everything to another wall.
the LEFT speaker is near the entrance, and sometimes when i get home the dogs get too excited and bump the speaker, twice i have caught it on its way down.
the RIGHT speaker is near the stairs to the basement, a couple weeks ago the roomates girl was coming up the stairs and the dogs got excited and bumped the speaker, she caught it as it was fixin to fall down the stairs. God bless her. Needless to say my speakers keep getting bumped and moved a centimeter here and there and i have to keep re-positioning them.
So fair i have been lucky, as the speakers have never actually hit the floor, somone has always caught em.
Obviously, something needs to happen, cause this aint cuttin it. I love my dogs and i love my speakers, so i have to find a way for them to exist in zen.
Currently the Jm Labs are bolted onto the stands, they will NOT come off, which is good or they woulda been all dinged up and dented by now.
Im toying with the idea of bolting the speakers to the floor. If you look at my virtual system you can see a pic of what i got going on here.
Currently, the speaker stands are spiked and sitting on top of granit slabs that have felt feet on the bottom to prevent them from scratching the floor.
Now, im really not too worried about damage to the floor from bolting them down, not like i am with potential scratches caused by spiked feet. I can repair 3-4 small holes in the ground a lot easier than a crapload of scratches caused by spiked feet.
Sonically, what should i expect from such an action? I wouldnt have to keep re-positioning them which would be nice, but if doing this will suck the life out of them i would rather try something else.
Any experience with having speakers bolted to the floor? Suggestions? Tips? Humerous storys? Monkey jokes?
What kind of stands are you using? It is always a good idea to have heavy stands with a mass greater than the speakers, something you can fill with sand, silica sand, whatever. If you don't have good stands, get some. Then dogs ( and kids) are less likely to knock them around. You can also drill a bit of a dimple in the granite where the spikes rest, so that they don't slide.
Or.....you could move your speaker(s) up against the wall when you're not listening to them (critically). You just have to put some tape down or some other mark so that you can easily put them exactly in place when you want to listen.
Fill quality stands with a combination of sand and shot. Then use Office Depot $1/packet blue tacky substance to adhere speakers to stands top plate. Should be stable enough then.
Slappy, Grab a tube of Liquid Nails construction adhesive, glue the speakers to the stands, then the stands to the floor. Does wonders for vibration isolation, & really gives you a solid footprint/foundation! Or Build a cage around your system with chain-link fencing. Then I'd start playing a CD of a Dog with a bigger bark, which would keep them away?
I'M ONLY KIDDING!
Slappy, looking at your system, why don't you just move it over to the right another foot, or more?
I agree that behavior modification for the dogs is a good idea.
However, if you decide to bolt the speaker to the floor, it could be good for the sound quality. There will be no possibility for rocking movement of the speakers during play, and it will provide an excellent connection for vibration exit.
This would seem to be a rather extreme measure, but if you can deal with patching the holes later, it can work. I'd make sure that you are very happy with the speaker placement before you do it! LOL!
I have a 135 pound male Rottie, who plays around in front of my system all the time, and pretty roughly too. I have speakers which are 6' tall towers with only a 1 foot square footprint, sitting on a 3-point Sistrum Platform. He has never knocked them down. I came close to knocking them down myself a couple of times, though.
Basically, you have to do what works with your lifestyle.
Slappy, What about clamping the speakers to the granite slab. Raise the slabs by putting 1x2"s under the granite and then a C-clamp to lock the stand base to the granite slab. You could even leave the spikes on. No holes in the floor and I don't think the dogs could tip the speakers over with a base of granite locked to the bottom.
Slappy, this may be a bit crude, but you can take two trash cans (new ones) cut-em in half, paint-em and fill-em with some Mix-Kwik Concrete 3/4 way. Place your stands in them, let them set overnight. The next day (after plenty of rest) "wrestle" your "weighted stands" into their listening position and place the JM Labs on top. Now, whoever TIPS THESE TOWERS would have to be a BULL or a HORSE !!!! Let me know your results.
Attach Weebles to bottom of stands. Cuz you know Weebles wobble but they don't fall down. Or maybe run fishing line from a ceiling hook to provide additional stability.
I'm liking Rx8man's idea as you could also get rid of some of your Ex-Roomates/Ex-Fiance's parts this way, leaving more room in your freezer!
I would use cardboard sona-tubes to pour footings for decking, instead of trash cans, & then cut them off after it cures.
This would be a great driveway project, or garage project, as you don't really want to mix concrete inside.
Your stands look kinda low anyhow so take them to 24" with the concrete base attachment?
If you mix in a color tint into your concrete mix, it wouldn't require painting. You could make a templete of your stand base to insert threaded bolts before it fully sets up. Allowing you to just attach your stand to the concrete, instead of inserting them into the mix.
Mix in some glass beads, broken-up cd's, body parts, etc.... You could get really creative with this Idea! Go hit a Crafts store see, as these places are a hidden single guys oasis loaded with single women with time to kill to knit, sew, etc. You could wind up with more than just the dogs, running around the house if you use the Slappy spanish fly?
Ellery911, Poor Lump needs 4 Lee's Press-On-Limbs just to take a leak! Don't give Slappy any ideas, as I think I saw the Ginsu Knives in a block on his kitchen counter in his System pic's? "Tough Enough to Cut through a Tail, & still slice a Tomato"! Oops, which could turn into another Slappy project just below....
Audiobugged, that is one very weird website ! Coon tails for the do-it-your-selfer ? Ellery911, that's a sick site, but less strange ! Joe Cartoon is a gas, so is Ebaums World, wonder what Slappy thinks ?
No offense...you ok?? Weird website. Body parts...etc..?? Waaas up??? I think you need to buy a new set of speakers! That will cure anything!! (at least for a week) :o)
Telescope_trade, I'm Fine! I just did a fast Yahoo search to find something on the lines of a review for the DK Design Amps, & there it was!
See it could be worse, if WE weren't into HI-FI as a hobby? You could be like this guy, & spend the whole day running in circles chasing your own tail.
I think I might take your cure advice, buy a new pair of speakers anyhow just to be on the safe side?
Where is Slappy??? He's awefully quiet, did he get stuck in the Quick-Crete???
Ellery911, I hope that Hot Chick has Arms & Legs? As you may have given Slappy idea's on how to get women not to wobble, & run away from him with your "Lump The Dog" link?
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