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Speaker Support - Three Feet or Four

I'm thinking of going to a three-point foot system for my Gershman Acoustics Sonogram floor standing speakers.

Reason for doing this is that the hardwood floor shifts with the seasons and a four-point system can require adjustment throughout the year.

Each speaker weighs 63lbs, has a baseplate footprint of 10.75" wide and 16" deep. The basplate is 0.5" larger all around than the actual speaker cabinet

I believe the centre of gravity to be just below mid height and relatively centred from a footprint perspective.

I plan on mounting the two feet that levels the sideways attitude on an outrigger.

Are there any advantages to placing the outigger feet at the back or the front?

or is this just a matter of using the best config for stability based on centre of gravity?

Is there any advantage to having the feet equally spaced or use the maximum distance possible within the confines of cabinet footprint + outrigger dimensions ?

Or should I just stick with four feet?

Note: I don't have to worry about kids or pets bumping speakers :-O

Thanks in advance
williewonka

Showing 3 responses by mitch2

mitch2
4,201 posts
 
I have done it both ways with several different speakers but always using Sound Anchor stands, which add significant weight and lower the center of gravity. My current speakers are 110 lbs each (not including the stands) but are moderately tall and somewhat slender. The Sound Anchor cradle bases extend the footprint and I tried using three Eden Sound Bear Paws for a three point support. That simply was not stable enough and I switched to four feet, which I find to be a much better solution for my present situation with the feet piercing carpet and supported by the underlying concrete floor. I previously used Sound Anchor stands on three feet to support Alon 5's on a suspended hardwood floor. In that scenario, the three feet worked fine. However, it is my recommendation that 4 feet is better than 3 feet to support large speakers.
mitch2
4,201 posts
 
"Nobody mentioned which sounds better, three feet or four feet."
With 40# Sound Anchor Stands and Bearpaws, there is plenty of mass and low COG so that, in my system, either 3 or 4 footers sound the same, as long as the speaker is stable at all listenable volumes. I suspect perceived differences could be greater on a suspended wood floor but other things may be going on in that case, such as a greater potential for resonances than on concrete. It is still my belief that 4 footers is best as long as you can properly adjust the footers for equal contact.
mitch2
4,201 posts
 
@geoffkait
We don’t want anybody going ape, do we?
Don’t apes have four feet? 🐒

Does the answer to the question also depend on whether the speaker is coupled with something hard such as a metal spike or ceramic footer vs. decoupled with some sort of elastomeric doo-dad? The decoupled approach would possibly take care of any four footer rocking concerns.
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