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Stands, to couple, or not to couple, contradicting products and positive reviews

There are many practices/products intended to "couple" a stand-mount speaker cabinet to the floor of a room (spikes, adding mass to the stands via sand/shot, specific bolt-on stands for certain models, etc.).  Conversely, there foam speaker pads by Auralex and others, which are intended to de-couple or isolate the speaker from the stand, with rave reviews of audible sound improvement.  

So which is right, should I try to "connect" my speakers to the mass of my house, or do I want to "float" the speakers so they are free to resonate on their own?
waxhawfive
chayro
2,984 posts
 
Yeah, but Geoff, who's to say the OP will like the sound?  The OP is asking which is "right" - to couple or isolate.  It's certainly worth trying both, but he might like the sound of just putting the speakers on the floor.  When I had my Operas, I tried Symposium platforms under the speakers and they definitely cleaned up the sound, which would have been great if the sound was boomy.  But it was just too thin for my taste.  
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Uh, I already answered his question. Why do it half way?
waxhawfive OP
1 posts
 
Thank you for all the replies. Like many things, there appears to be no "right" answer. Time to start experimenting; I have a few different durometers of foam, blue-tak, wood blocks, fasteners, etc.. I’ll try it all, from rigid coupling to fully "floating" (short of mag-lev), and see if I can even hear a difference. Should be interesting.

Thanks again.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
Roller bearings isolate laterally, couple vertically. Symposium Acoustics Roller Blocks and the similar bearings made by Ingress Engineering in Canada are a great value, if the Townshend Seismic Pods are out of reach. 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I’m getting a strong sense of deja vu here but recall, gentle readers, roller bearings in cups isolate in the horizontal plane AND the three rotational directions, you know, twist, rock and roll. 🕺 That’s why when roller bearings are used in conjunction with some nice springs hint hint you can isolate in ALL 6 DIRECTIONS.

geoff kait
machina dynamica
serving audiophiles’ isolation requirements since 1996
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