I have the entire state of Massachusetts under my speakers. Wait...North America...yeah...that's it.
So......what do you use under your speakers?
Looking to replace the stock spikes on my new speakers (Vivid Audio) that will make improvements in sound as well as give me a little more height. I have a commercial grade carpet over concrete with no padding. Not really looking to alter any frequency range but wouldn't mind general overall improvements in clarity, imaging, etc. I have been looking at Eden Sound Terracones, Stillpoints and Wave Kinetics. Price is not a deal breaker. TIA.
37 responses Add your response
Geoffkait, yeah a pump. Dayglow, this is not an election. I have a box full of tiptoes of various material and mixtures of them, string suspension platforms, various pucks, including ones that are solid carbon, like magnet pucks, springs with various dampers, etc. None of these are anymore than shots in the dark. |
I find that one has to experiment to determine what is best. Usually, with concrete floors, it is best to couple the speaker to the floor (sharp-pointed cones), but, isolation could, in some circumstances, be better sounding. If you don't like the cones you tried, then perhaps isolation, instead of coupling, should at least be tried. I use isolation with my speakers and I do this with a Symposium Svelte shelf under my speaker. The shelf has a soft core between two aluminum sheets so that vibrational energy is dissipated as heat from the molecules in the soft core rubbing together. This results in a tighter sound, particularly in the bass. I also use shims under the Svelte Shelf to change the backwards tilt of the speaker. If you don't like the height of the speaker, it is often possible to achieve some of what you want by changing the tilt of the speaker instead of raising it up. If you tilt the speaker back (top leaning away from you when you stand in front) that often acts in the same way as raising the speaker. This changes where the drivers are pointed and can change frequency balance, and for reasons I can't explain, such backward tilt tends to raise the height of the image. |
Geoffkait, Yes it was the Halcyonics which electronically cancelled the vibrations sensed but only up to about 300 Hz. The StillPoints standoffs also work quite well. I can only imagine what music reproduction would be like were there no vibrations affecting the signal path, including those originating in it other than music sources. |
After many years of poking holes in various floors I noticed that there was an "anti-spike" movement afoot (!). Stillpoints make perfect sense, and plenty of speaker makers are now using some sort of "decoupling" on the stands, under the speakers, etc....so I bought 4 butcher blocks that fit the bottom profile of my speakers perfectly, painted 'em flat black, use 2 per side to get my tweeters where they should be (D'Appolito array so no tilt allowed), and bought a set of the proper weight rating Vibrapods, thus allowing the Stillpoints people to keep their inventory stable. Done. The blocks have tiny rubber feet to keep them where they belong (the floor, and on top of each other), and the speaker sits on the 'Pods on the top of the blocks. This renders meaningless whatever your floor is made of (dirt, wood, slate, sand, dried groupie vomit, thatch, granite, concrete blondes, etc.) and my SOTA (according to my friend Art) rig sings like a really well versed bird. |
I, too, had Symposiums and like about twenty or so other isolation devices, sold them or put them in a box in my storage room. There has been much tinkering with isolation devices made of many mixes of vibration absorbing materials. Some even work under some circumstances. Most are better than putting a component on the top of a table or cabinet. I still remember buying some of Steve McCormack's TipToes that often did help. It has been a slippery slope since then. Unfortunately, everything has a resonant frequency including resonance dampening materials. You get to pick your poison. Dampening helps some until you get close to the resonant frequency. In short, if you like it, use it. |
I, too, like the symposiums. I have had mine for years and they have made an incredible improvement, both in my sound room and downstairs, as hey have greatly helped reduce the sound in the room under my sound room. Here is why I recommend them to try, first. 1. a pair is only approximatley $700 or so. 2. You can place them under 2 components if you don't like them, and don't want to bother sending them back. 3. They are very easy to slide around the floor and very easy to move the speakers on top of them. (other soulutions make it very difficult to move speakers around). The Townsend items look great but it does not look too easy to move speakers around with them. |
Like you, Nobrainer, I have a concrete floor covered with commercial carpet and no padding. A couple of years ago, I bought speakers with plinth bases (no spikes). Since my floor is not flat, the speakers wobbled. I tried using shims and pads to level and stabilize them, but I was not totally susccessful. In the end, I reached out to Sound Anchors. For $325 shipped, in about four weeks, they made me custom sized cradle bases with three-point adjustable spikes. The bases are solid metal and heavy, and fit my speakers perfectly. I noticed, after installing them, the very sort of improvements you are looking for: Cleaner transients, more stable images, and a slight increase in clarity. A great value. |
Thanks for all the recommendations. Let me say the problem isn't with the speakers. In fact of the many 30k plus speakers I have had in my system these are by far the most musical, natural, versatile ones I have owned/heard. Since they are new I have had brass floor protectors glued onto those teflon furniture mover discs to make it easier to move them around in order to find their sweet spot. After experimenting I realize that I prefer the speakers about an inch or more higher than what the stock spikes will give me. I also do not like the sound of the spikes in contact with my cement slab. I did speak with Stillpoints and their sales mgr. said that the Vivid G2 speakers are among the few speakers that would not benefit from their products, which he said was a testament to the design and build of these beauties. So at the end of the day what I would like to acquire is a product the will give me the height requirements I am looking for and that will serve to isolate the spikes from my cement slab without altering any frequency range but that will enhance the speed, articulation, etc. of an already SOTA speaker system. |
Have a look or let's say listen to where and what you sit on. Rise or lower your head/ear position. A good stable listening position is often over looked. Also try adjusting the spikes to fit your preferred listening position. Lower in the front spikes and rise the rear ones. Location, Location, Location. |
I can't say that I've experimented with all the brands that you've mentioned, but I was very impressed with the sound of Audio Points by Star Sound Technologies. Specifically the 1.5 AP-A's. |
You are basically saying you bought new speakers, but you do not believe Vivid Audio knows what they are doing. Spikes will in fact alter the tonal balance. That is what changes the way a speaker images. It is no secret, manufacturers of stereo equipment have been playing this game for years. It used to be desirable to maintain as much warmth as possible and still have good imaging, but the scale is swinging the other way with imaging heading the list of priorities. The question of the day is how vivid is your system and how well does it image? This is why we have audiophiles who listen to live unamplified music and say their stereo sounds better. It might be a good idea to contact Vivid Audio regarding your concrete floor. They may have some suggestions for you. |