Stands are made for many floorstanders. I have Hales Rev 3s and made my own (very cheap trick) I used four hockey puks on top of which I laid a square foot cement stepping stone which is about two inches thick. Then the Hales sit on top with their spikes in the cement. They were raised about three inches and something magical happened to the low end response. Hey give it a try and you won't invest over $20. |
One vote for yes and the bass sounded and felt better too. It's all about experimenting with your toys to get a sound you like. No two persons ears hear the same. |
I agree with the above posts, although I have had my success with Sound Anchor stands, first their standard stand for B&W Matrix 803's, then custom cradle stands I had made for my Alon V's. The stands raise the speakers a bit, offer adjustability in the tilt of the speaker by adjusting the spikes, and add mass loading when the heavy stands are coupled to the bottom of the speaker. IMHO the bass is much cleaner and better overall. I may have to try spiking the stands into some hockey pucks thanks to woodman!! |
If you raise the speakers off the ground then you may get better or worse bass (usually less). Another approach is to tilt the speaker back, so that it fires at your ears, but the distance between the LF driver and the floor is maintained, which will help keep the bass reinforcement the same. |
I use Sound Anchors on my floorstanders. |
I had to raise my floorstanders when they were set up in my old place in a smaller room, where I had to sit closer than was ideal with the model in question. I don't do this anymore in my new place, but it can be helpful under certain circumstances, so don't hesitate to at least experiment using some kind of makeshift 'stands' for them. I used short stepstools myself, but whatever you use (bricks, blocks, phonebooks, boxes filled with newspapers or magazines, all with a piece of plywood or something layed over top for stability), check your results before laying out the bucks for something real. BTW, you could also look into lowering your listening chair situation in some cases. |
I have not used stands but have experimented with tilting the speakers back by adjusting the height of the spikes (as described in the Merlin owner's manual). Well worth the time to find a position that suites your taste regarding imaging. |
I did something similar to Woodman, added 3 inches in height.
Big difference for me, I was really tired of 'listening down' to the sound stage and the midget band effect.
Just get some different size bricks, decide on the right height then make something.
Cheers |
On the other hand you could always throw out those midget "girly" floorstanders and get yourself some "real man's" floorstanders ... preferably ones that require 2-3 people to lift, and will kill you if they fall on you. |
Sound Anchor can fabricate custom stands for floorstanders. I have a pair of Monitor Audio Studio 20s and I needed to raise them 4". The stands are metal, quite heavy and the spikes allow for tilt adjustment. Cost was about $250. By raising the high I was able to correct for a treble suckout. |
Sistrum SP101's under my still almost Dunlavy SCiv's make a marked improvement.. The way these platforms are built allows me to adjust and compensate for floor irregularites left to right and align the tweeters so they are slightly north of my ears. The position I prefer. These platforms enhance detail, speed, imaging and enlarge the soundstage in all directions.. I higly recommend these platforms.. Tom |
With the same speaker, KEF 103/4, but with different amps, I had different results when raising the speaker off the floor.
When I had the Aragon 8002, I had to keep the 103/4 far away from any wall including 8" off the floor. Now that I am using the Gaincard, I have the speaker only a few inches from the rear wall and no longer raising it off the ground.
The KEF is a 3-way speaker with about 40" height. |
Sounds like that Gaincard could use a little help in the bass dept...or is it that the Aragon dances with lead feet?... |
Hi Z-man,
I am not sure what lead feet means...
However, the Gaincard definitely doesn't play as loud as an Aragon, ARC, Nakamichi Stasis, or any other amp I had except for maybe the Aleph, but it does control the bass very well. So, I wouldn't say the Gaincard needed help with the 103/4. After all, it is a 91db efficient speaker.
And, ont he contrary, the 103/4 actually needs to be away from walls to produce feasible bass, that is, before I tried the Gaincard. With the Gaincard, I can push the speakers all the way back and remove its elevations. The bass is still better than with the other amps. But, the highs greatly improved more and more as I get the speaker closer to the wall.
So, maybe the Gaincard has better synergy with the KEF and the newly acquired Bogdan silver cables I am using now. The Tannoys I was using didn't fare as well with this set up. I think, perhaps, Tannoys just like copper cables. |
I use a custom-made pair of 6" tall Sound Anchors under my B&W Matrix 803s. joel |
I bought a pair of Osiris Giza multi-purpose stands that I used to some effect in a previous setup (same folks that made the acclaimed 24" speaker stands). They weigh a ton and, when filled with sand, require two people to postion them without causing damage to something in the process! They have adjustable cones at the four corners with optional feet. Standing about 3 1/4" tall, they can be perfect for some applications. I use one now for an amp stand and am keeping the other for when I finally get around to biamping. See if you can find a pair if you wanna raise your floorstanders. |
