What your choice speakers with spikes or speakers with a vibration isolation device?
stringreen, Herbie's gizmos "absolutely ruined the sound" I've no doubt that's what you experienced, but I have to say in my experience I have yet to encounter any loudspeaker that didn't sound better with some form of isolation underneath. Even my portable Sony radio sounds a tad better when placed upon a compliant surface. It's certainly possible that many loudspeakers were designed to be placed on spikes, and that's where they will measure and sound best. I just haven't encountered one like that yet, but that is far from conclusive. It would be good to have designer feedback here, as the only thing I've read was by Alan Shaw from Harbeth who once said he was happy to test his top of the range M40s placed on top of some telephone directories. However these are only just my impressions, and I prefer an organic midrange sound to one that might be deemed to have a tight precise bass output. This should be easy enough to test, at least with my radio, once I can get someone willing to assist me in a blindfold experiment without too much derision. Anyway the evidence, what there is, seems to come in the form of baffle accelerometer readings which heavily favour any compliant feet over any spikes. However panel resonance is a tricky business as this article tries to demonstrate. http://www.tonestack.net/articles/speaker-building/cabinet-sound-insulation-measurement.html In any case the old argument about Newton's first law of motion is not very helpful here. The forces generated by the movement of the low mass cone in comparison to the large mass of the cabinet are virtually insignificant. For the driver motion to actually move the speaker, the cabinet would need to be placed on a very low friction surface and the volume output would have to be comparitvely huge, with huge panel resonances to match. |
@oldhvymec, ’If i had a wooden suspended floor I might consider isolating the stands from the floor- it might provide the best possible sound but would be a compromise compared to a more solidly mounted system on a solid floor. The best all around for a room is solid, no doubt. I have a few way I can go, including outside in the summer months. Raised floors are probably the hardest to control. I’ve found large soft decoupling silicone isolators work very well too. I’m just a decouple guy... From my primary LP playing days, and still do, just a lot of streaming, servers, CD, a little Reel to Reel. There is no need for AS much vibration control.. as before. For me it’s bass distortion more than vibration control, NOW.’ My experiences too. I think decoupling/isolation is more critical, if like me, you have suspended flooring and close proximity to heavy traffic etc. @raysmbth1, ’I’ll stop now I always hate it when guys go into goofy metaphors for how things sound.’ Yeah, me too, especially when experienced reviewers do it - they should know better. No one likes over the top stuff but I’ve got to ask, do you still feel the same about the Mag-Lev feet under your subs? |
