Is Spiking Necesarry?

A big +1 for lowrider57!!

@john_g   What type of floor do you have your Treo CTs on?

@gdhal   ??  What is the basis for your quite categorical claim in favor of spiking into the listening room floor?  I am still spiking my speakers but they are being spiked into Herbie's gliders!  Speaker vibrations are not going down the spikes into the concrete slab under the padded carpet and back up the spikes into the speakers!  The speaker vibration is being dispersed from the gliders into the carpet.  Those vibrations dissipate.  I had my speakers spiked without the gliders and with, with is it.  The sound is cleaner.  Perhaps my situation is aided by the fact that the deep bass is reproduced by my stereo subs.  BTW... they are also decoupled!  After decoupling them I did have to increase the subs bass level a bit as I was no longer hearing the smeared resonant bass coming back up the spikes.  YMMV vary, but it can't hurt to try it and listen for yourself.

@gdhal   I appreciate your question about the Herbie's gliders.  It is easier to move the spiked speakers with the spikes in the gliders.  I am still careful when doing so as I fear toppling over my speakers if moved carelessly.  

I just found my email correspondence with Robert Herbelin from Herbie's Audio Lab about the gliders.  Here it is:  

Placing a Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider underneath each cone and spike of the speakers would likely be beneficial, better isolating the speakers from the floor and any vibrations that would affect the speaker's performance. Many of our customers have found that the Gliders improve bass response and linearity, as well as other subtle sonic improvements throughout the audio spectrum. In addition, Gliders allow for easy repositioning of the speakers when needed. Between the three different options, titanium has the best potential to control the very high frequency, acute vibrations that tend to cause glare, though that potential isn't always realized; besides that, sonic differences between the three metals is subtle and system dependent. Due to the lower price, brass is the default recommendation; stainless steel is a good alternative to brass if you prefer the stainless steel aesthetic, and titanium has the greatest potential for controlling vibrations among the three (again, that potential isn't necessarily always realized and is somewhat system dependent).

@gdhal  The Herbelins will let you return the gliders if they don't work for you.

@gdhal

You’re right that the speakers dancing around the room to the music would be an issue if it happened. Happily I can report that it doesn’t. The gliders really do sink into the carpet pile. My speakers are 11 pounds per lighter than prof’s Thiel 3.7’s.  It takes purposeful lateral force to move the speakers.

To follow-up on the above posts... In my case I use the spikes that come with the Vandersteen Treo CT's.  Each spike sits in a Titanium disk with a dimple to accept the spike.  The titanium disk sits in db neutralizer material which in turn rests in a small glider.

 For my two 2wq subs., I use audiopoints that then rest in Herbie's giant db neutralizer gliders.  These are larger versions of what I use with the Treos.  In the case of the main speakers, the result of coupling to the decouplers has worked wonders with clarity and openness of sound.  

The subs. are an interesting case in that the drivers are down firing so when seating the audiopoints into the gliders the subs were lifted up from the carpet beneath.  This resulted in cleaner deep bass.  The perception was of less bass, so I was able to compensate by slightly turning up the output of the subs.

The other very desirable benefit is that decoupling the deep bass relieved the rest of the house from the "boom, boom, boom.  On certain recordings, our Westie thought it was thunder and would bark and run around, aggravated.  This works well as my dedicated listening room is located in the basement.

@gdhal  After being brought back to this thread today, I was wondering how things worked out with your GE References regarding placement  and your overall assessment of their sound quality.

@gdhal   Wow!  Just finished reading your review.  Very comprehensive and detailed.  I liked how you kept updating as it reveals how your continuing listening experiences matured your overall view of the References and their sonic/cost benefit relative to the T Ones.

I went through a similar experience upgrading from Vandersteen 3A Signatures to the Treo CTs.  The cool thing for me is that although the Treos are sleeker in appearance, there is a greater verisimilitude relative to the Model 3's.  Since I still have both Vandy 2wq subs., the deep bass hasn't changed.  If I didn't have the subs. I would have needed to jump to the Quatros which are too pricey.  The Treo CTs are so much cleaner and precise at all frequencies.  They provoked me to go from very large high quality copper speaker cables to all silver cables so I could realize all that the carbon tweeters of the Treo CTs are able to deliver.  Awesome!

Now back to your situation.  After looking at the pic of your setup, and reading about the relatively narrow room, the choice of any Golden Ear tower speaker was smart as they are slim widthwise.  I'm so glad to hear that all went well.