Slate under speakers?


My system - listening area is on a suspended floor loft. Wood floor with carpeting on it. As a trial/experiment I currently have formica covered countertop sink cutouts under each of my Snell Type AIII's. No spikes...just sitting on top of the carpet. The difference was an easily noticable tightening up of the sound...more resolution...so I'm looking for a more permanent solution.

I came across some slate slabs (1 inch x 22 x 34 inches) that would would fit under the speakers nicely. Has anyone used slate in this way? If needed I could spike the platforms into the floor.
fishboat

Showing 2 responses by blindjim

If you're not afraid to move things around, I suspect various types of materials placed between the feet of the speakers and the materials being used atop the carpeting will yeild various results.

Sorry ... hate to put it that way but that's my exp thus far with speakers on similar florring... not attached to a slab.

I've read here everything from exotic woods as platforms, pavers as listed right here, slate, boxes filled with sand and other sutff atop that... with spikes and without... with soft poly materials, even read a thread here where the idea of hanging them from the ceiling was submitted.

yikes.

There will be differences using different methods, as there will be raising and lowering their overall height to that of your own ears... so the deal is to see what's best for you and in your own confort zone of attempting.

I've found adding another piece of carpeting over some new deep dish carpeting I recently had put in, and setting a piece of plywood on top of it all and spikeing the speakers to that does a fine enough job for me... for now.

The bass certianly became less boomy and it did not make the highs thin or etched.

I'm doing that with every speaker in the room, rears, mains, and center (once I get that stand built to the right height)... I'm still figuring that one out.

Enjoy.

I think all of this is as the 'listener' believes it to be.

We're using different speakers, on differing sorts of finished flooring, and applying what we feel or hope will improve things.

I suspect any or all of the above concoctions could be the fix for non solid floors. BUT it seems a no brainer additional attention to those instances is required for better results.

I'd like very much to try a composite layering of Ebony, Mahogany, and granite, totaling under 2in. with the Mahogany on top and stone on the bottom.

Everytime I've used Mahogany wood block footers for devices, the tones gained more harmonic presence and naturalness. Ebony added definition and dimension without inducing artifacts in the upper end.... and Mass, always has a good effect for imaging but it can be too too enhancing and appear either brittle at the extremes or too bright. The two woods would attenuate such ringing as the stone resonates or 'rings'.

Why not then give it a go?

Duckets, gentlemen, just duckets. Pricing out that plan came to well over $250 for 18x18x?.

18x18 will span the 16 on center floor joists, just about regardless their spots. Which BTW, might well be one other consideration. Setting the weight onto the joists directly and not in between them. Thus allowing for better coupling. The added 25-40lbs of each plinth won't hurt much either.

Speckled shiny black, with Ebony and Red Mahog sandwidched atop it ought to please the eye.