Thank you, everyone, for taking the time out to respond! This has been an informative discussion to follow. 

@mitch2

Can’t argue with any of your statements. Sound anchors run around $1200-$1500 for bookshelves, and more for larger monitor type speakers but still under $2000. It is a challenge for some to add this amount to the speaker, but it can be a bigger positive difference than some speaker cable IMHO. There are some users that add pucks of various sorts to the speaker "plate" and this can make a difference (up to you if its better or just different).  I’ve seen larger wooden (MDF) boxes filled with sand that sounded good, a good mastering client built some for his ATC 150s. I have found NO version of wood only or cinder block that sound as good as that or stock sound anchors. I am not a fan of the foam speaker squares that are commonly promoted in pro. Isoacoustics has received some good support in pro and consumer, Ive used them myself under towers at trade shows to positive result. I know a few people that use them on sound anchors.

It is fortunate that I do shows and demos and get to try lots of variations in the same environment- so it’s easy to hear the results of A vs B.

Brad

@mitch2 

"IMO, good speaker stands do not need to cost anywhere near that amount."

No, they don't, but his are worth it because they allow any speakers that they are used with to sound their best, and you can only know that by trying them. I cant afford them either for the standmount speakers that I own, but I own the Sistrum Stands for my floorstanders, and the difference and improvement is something that could never be duplicated by wood or concrete.

@lonemountain

I am not a rep for anything.

Regarding my comment about not having to spend thousands of dollars,

@audiopoint had stated,

The company I represent does not manufacture speaker stands for less than a few thousand dollars per pair

IMO, good speaker stands do not need to cost anywhere near that amount. Sound Anchors stands are less money, and a person who is somewhat talented in wood or metal working could probably put together something acceptable for even less. Solid wood end tables or a cinder block set-up with a wood or metal plinth could even work. Some folks have built forms and cast stands out of concrete. Good stand mount speakers, with the right footers, should sound good on just about any solid support. If you want spring footers, there are much less expensive options than Townshend. Elastomers are even less money. A person can spend as much as they want, but it doesn’t have to be a lot.

Mitch:  You use sound anchors and are the rep for them in the USA. I’ve always recommended them over the years a solution for most people. Very popular in pro, less so in Consumer but should be.

Not sure I understand your comment above? Are you saying a listener doesn’t need to buy Sound anchors and can do this themselves?

@lonemountain 

"In a proper mastering room you will find a very high mass stand and weight tuned springs to completely decouple the speaker from the floor."

A listener can do exactly that, without spending thousands of dollars.

@audiopoint Excellent post.  Ive been involved in pro and consumer for 40+ years.  Stand demos are the most shocking demos in the business.  Cheap stands add a sound to the speaker that cannot be removed.  A good speaker can be ruined by a crap stand.  Even a good looking one.

I really wonder how many people are convinced all these accessories (stands, cabling) are all just evidence of "the man" trying to rip people off.  Funny, if you do an audio demo, it's hard NOT to hear a difference.  In a proper mastering room you will find a very high mass stand and weight tuned springs to completely decouple the speaker from the floor.

Here's an interesting mastering room tour of speakers mounted in glass (high mass), isolated with weight tuned springs.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAO9WjsFcaI  (full disclosure, we are the supplier of ATC to Northward Acoustics and understand why he does what he does) 

Brad

Brad

rocray

1,373 posts

06-17-2023 at 03:45pm

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24794&AID=11051853&PID=9042331&ref=cj&utm_source=cj&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=Sovrn+Inc-2470763&utm_content=11051853&cjevent=a23b5f6f0d4f11ee803265080a82b820&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww. Take a look at these. I own a pair,and I don’t think they can be beat for the price.

                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

                                                      +1

                                     Can’t be beat with a stick

I agree with those that say its an accessory where price is whatever the dealer or distributor or direct sale prices can make the " willing " pay out for them. Being a necessity and an accessory for stand mounts, if your not handy to build them , well you do all your hand work reaching in your wallet.

It is what it is. It really isn't anything I would be to upset with as the desicion was made the second you chose stand mount speakers. I give more a sideways look at the ones who say they can't buy/own towers they prefer because of space. Same footprint is needed. Stands are crucial to best end results though. No escaping that...

Did You Know?

Physics dictates that the stand supporting any loudspeaker establishes a mechanical relationship combining material science, geometry, and mass to functionality. This marriage impacts the sonic performance of the loudspeaker. The stand and speaker become a single formula to perform as one vibrating entity. The same technical understanding holds for floor-borne speaker systems and plinths or platforms.

The speaker stand is the difference maker. It determines how much or how little one hears and benefits from their loudspeaker. Locke T. Highleyman, ME Live-Vibe Audio

Regardless of speaker mounting methodologies or techniques, such as direct coupling, tensioning, constrained layer damping, absorption, decoupling, or isolation, the stand dominates the sonic result. This relationship also includes any materials used between the speaker and stand or the connection to the flooring. 

We displayed a highly active monitor demonstration at a CES Show in Las Vegas. Our company presented the same monitor loudspeaker with an affordable, expensive, and State-of-the-Art pair of stands. By rotating the monitors, the results were audible as we produced three different sonics using the same loudspeakers. 

Reviewers could not believe the audible changes the speaker stands do make, but that topic appeared too difficult for words. It is easier to get people to read about cable changes.

Audio Reality:

Few written, known, or listening comparisons involve speakers and stand interactions. It is difficult and sometimes embarrassing for an industry heavily relying on limited testing methodologies, non-scientific or partisan graphs, or reviewers’ comparisons and opinions to help determine the best sound. However, when a unique topic presents, everyone hides.

Investing thousands of dollars into monitors and getting a set of cheap stands is not recommended. It is a waste of investment dollars. You will never hear the sonic capability of your system.

In my opinion:

If you want a stand engineered from top to bottom, the materials, testing, and expertise add to the expense. You get what you pay for in Sonic measure.

Disclaimer: 

The company I represent does not manufacture speaker stands for less than a few thousand dollars per pair, so no sales interest or shilling is presented here. There are a couple of ways to hot-rod lesser expensive stands. The key is to maximize the design. That information is available free of charge. 

Robert, Live-Vibe Audio   

I never understood why you would put bookshelf speakers on stands. With the cost of a proper stand, why not buy a floor stander, if you have the space? Then worry about what platform to put them on if the manufacturer scrimps there. I've heard of people buying stands and then something else to put them on top of to help with vibration control. Too much tinkering. 

Speaker stands are furniture that must perform acoustically.

You can scrimp on them, and you will get what you pay for.

I use some RockVille I got on sale at Amazon for 69$ for 29" but they may be too high for my Harbeth 3.0's. Metal single post I filled with rock and later I weighed down base plate in place. No children on site so structurally it seems ok, must warn housekeeping tho. Sounds ok and frees up some real estate in my small place. Speaker stand station overall drives me crazy tho, the all look terrible and most of the good ones seem like they must be terribly over priced.

I’ve been very happy with the Pangea 400 stands (same configuration as the Monoprice stands in the first response), filled with lead shot.  Weight is 150-175 lbs, plus speakers.  Bedded in Blue Tac, my Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 EX has a bottom end like my Dynaudio Heritage Specials now.  

Lots of good answer so forgive me adding one more. I had a set of these and they are very sturdy, easy to assemble. The one point - and forgive me if others have already pointed out - you can also experiment with inexpensive pads/material between the stand and your speaker. Happy listening! 

Pangea Audio LS300 All Steel Floor Bookshelf Speaker Stands Pair (36 Inch) $149.00 Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EVNE96C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There are many highly respected speaker manufacturers who absolutely do not recommend heavy metal stands or metal stands at all. Borresen makes their own stands out of mdf, unfortunately they are not available separately and if they were, the cost would be… too much to bear. Danish furniture is expensive anyway. 

I used to think Spendor's stands were just plain stupid expensive.  Until I tried them.  I was using some typical sand filled square column B&W's before.  I had no idea how really good the little Spendors were until I tried these.  The difference was not subtle.  

they are expensive and ugly.  It's like wheels in the Mercedes dealership, they will cost more because the buyers have money. You can buy 200 dollar chairs with prettier and sturdier legs than those ugly 600 dollar speaker stands

I purchased a pair of Lovan steel speaker stands that were approx 28" high from audio Advisor that looked and were just as well built as Sound Anchor stands. 

Granted this was about 12 years ago and prices have definitely gone up, but I got these stands for $50 new. They were originally $80, but were on sale at the time.

I've noticed many speaker companies that make stand mount loudspeakers at exorbitant prices sell the matching stands for equally exorbitant prices. And naturally, they say their expensive stands are required for optimum performance. I haven't examined a whole lot of these expensive stands, but my opinion is they aren't worth their price tags.

My 2 cents worth.

For metal stands, Monoprice quad-post stands were highly recommended.  The only complaint I had is the small top plates.  For wood stands, Rockville stands have a good value proposition. Two-tone wood stands (RHT or SS series) are in imparticular simplistic and appealing in looks imo. It comes with two sizes of top plates (7"x9.25" & 9.25"x11.8") )for accommodating different sizes of bookshelfs that I found handy.  However, if you choose wood stands, two extra treatments are highly recommended. First, fill sands in the post up to 75-85% high (to enhance its SQ but keep the center gravity reasonably low). Second, place proper "decoupler" between the bookshelfs and top plates to reduce possible resonance to the minimum. For that, I found drum dampener gel/pad are one of the best decouplers . It will help keep the speakers stablized on the stands too.

At the risk of opening myself up to ridicule I bought Rockville stands for my many pairs of bookshelf speakers. They were dirt cheap and doing admirable job after a few cheap modifications. I filled the posts to the top with rice and applied a layer of dynamat to the platforms. Even my bottom ported Sonus Faber sound excellent on them and they are aesthetically decent as well

Because someone will pay it.

I used to put my Quad ESLs (aka "57"s) on cinder blocks. Perfect height and you can paint them any color you like. If you have a hammer drill and masonry bit you can fit them with spikes too. 

After that, I bought some solid 1" x 1" square steel and had it welded into some custom stands by a local welder working out of his garage. The problem is that paying for steel and cutting, welders, paint,... it all adds up and it was just a little more expensive to buy the audiophile stands. 

Another option is to buy 8" concrete form tubes at your local Home Depot, cut them to the height you want, tape off the bottom really well with plastic, fill them with quickcrete and set your steel spikes sticking out of the top (which will be the bottom). This would be a more acoustically diffusive shape and would not create much diffraction from the speakers. You can wrap them in fabric or carpet, paint them, or whatever you like.  

If you can get your stands used I think that's the best value out there. 

On the Monoprice stands that the screws don't align, make sure you have the top plate on correctly.  Turn it 90 degrees and the holes should line up.

I made that mistake on my first pair.  The top plate runs in line with the bottom plate, not across.

I got those Monoprice stands, and two of the holes did not line up between the platform and the base, so I could only screw in 2 of the 4 screws. I read other reviewers on Amazon saying the same thing. Still works, though. For some speakers, the stands, though extra, are still considered an integral part of the speaker, though for some, the stands are included in the price, like Dynaudio Confidence 20.... 

@phylophyl , exactly.  +1 and agree.

Accessories that do not cost much to produce are where most dealers make their profit. Always has been always will be the case. High end merely takes that to the highest level possible without jail time. There is this thing called capitalism and free markets plus marketing to keep it all humming. Pretty crazy eh?

Oh wait……🙄

Another vote for the Monoprice stands! I have a pair in 24", 28" & 32".

They are WONDERFUL. Can be filled and modified if needed.

If you can catch a Monoprice sale with free shipping, they can be really inexpensive.  I spent on average for my (3) pair, just $71.00 a pair SHIPPED!

Highly recommended!!!

Note: matching your speaker’s color (not grain)

You could ask for unfinished oak, and a few waste strips of that oak (from that batch)..

Then you need to try on the waste strips until you find the color that works with that oak that ends up very close to your finish.

OR, asked for painted, black or send a color chip, paint can, ....

You get the idea, make them look like factory or custom.

I prefer tilting the speakers back so the tweeter is aimed at seated ear height, thus shorter stands, and a method of tilt, like these referenced above

https://www.ebay.com/itm/322933325356?hash=item4b30537e2c:g:Ax8AAOSwwKxbu5Fh&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwE7os%2F9NrvMxBj7%2FqbegKJC8JIGA2QuGq3qndkSjS6MfMGPlar5i1w%2Bk1jdfDUp8AIE8IerC6%2FREMZwqMx3yInekBvgwZo9uv5iHZrLm9AOKf%2F8kMF%2B784TCdwE2Y8efabz8f5E0U5O7FOWzY%2B633GyGNUACwxB2xTDe5MwMz6%2BlurGwlFxlixq0LC7rcF2u2vRgGvGRv%2BzVjb7Ihvg559vf24fOP6G%2BbGX%2BD5gVNC8sTf2cI8VH4C5AwnlX%2FgMvPg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5qB9MaZYg

1. Tilt or Non-Tilting stand. (Non-Tilting stand will not have rear lip on top plate)

2. Choose a size for the top and bottom platforms (up to 10" X 10")

   (Top and Bottom Platforms can be the same size or different)

3.  Choose a height for your stands.

..........................................

The tilt, combined with angled toe-in combine to alter the reflections from walls, ceiling, floor (both direct and reflected)

Audioman58 is on it. 
Check out Audio Advisor.  They have good, sturdy speaker stands and reasonably priced. 

Pangea from Audio Advisor  they used to have a $300 stand and I would spray a bit of sealer foam in the bottom cavity  then screw the plate on ,uthen go to home depot and buy a bag of washed,dryed play sand filll it 3/4 then more spray foam  then screw the top on , it’s then solid and absorbs vibration even better.

These are affordable and solid. You can fill the stands with shot or sand for more rigidity. The spikes and saucers are a nice addition as well. Good luck

https://www.standsandmounts.com/speakerstands.aspx

The stand mount TAD speakers reviewed in last month's Stereophile retail for $32,500 and do not include stands. If you want their version, add another $2500! You'd think for that money, the stands would be included but I guess the people that can afford the speakers won't quibble about another two and a half thousands dollars. 

The next question is why buying bookshelves and stands when you can get towers.

I’m not sure what you consider to be expensive, but I’m a big fan of Kanto SX22 and Kanto SX26 speaker stands. Both the 22” and 26” models come in black or white. There’s a lot I like about them.

• They are made of thick metal, and they can also be sand-filled. Once so, they weigh about 40lbs.
• They come with innovative isolation feet whose spikes easily pull off to reveal silicone footers for hard floors.
• They come with two different sized plates to accommodate both large and small sized standmount speakers.
• they have a cable hiding mechanism, if your speaker cables can fit.

https://www.kantoaudio.com/speaker-accessories/sx-series/

@yogiboy 

Yes, that is the name that I was thinking of. They are beautiful, and specifically designed to allow all surfaces of that box to resonate if I recall. You were very fortunate to get them with the speakers.

@rlj 

Those stands look good. Timbernation also makes good stands of different solid hardwoods.

I use something like this....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/322933325356?hash=item4b30537e2c:g:Ax8AAOSwwKxbu5Fh&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwE7os%2F9NrvMxBj7%2FqbegKJC8JIGA2QuGq3qndkSjS6MfMGPlar5i1w%2Bk1jdfDUp8AIE8IerC6%2FREMZwqMx3yInekBvgwZo9uv5iHZrLm9AOKf%2F8kMF%2B784TCdwE2Y8efabz8f5E0U5O7FOWzY%2B633GyGNUACwxB2xTDe5MwMz6%2BlurGwlFxlixq0LC7rcF2u2vRgGvGRv%2BzVjb7Ihvg559vf24fOP6G%2BbGX%2BD5gVNC8sTf2cI8VH4C5AwnlX%2FgMvPg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5qB9MaZYg

Monoprice has great stands at very reasonable prices. Heavy and sturdy.

@roxy54 TonTrager, I have them for my Harbeth HL5s! BTW, I bought the Harbeths used and the seller included the stands!

@mitch2 

Solidity and mass aren't always the answer. Sometimes a lighter frame with low mass and no bottom plate is the better approach, as in the expensive aftermarket wooden stands that are sold for Harbeth Monitor 40's. The name escapes me right now.

I recall in the '80's I bought a pair of Celestion SL6s speakers, and I bought a pair of inexpensive Chicago speaker stands for them because that was all that I could afford. They had a thin top plate and four skinny tubular legs; one at each corner. The speakers performed fabulously on those stands, but sadly I didn't realize it until I had some more money to spend on heavy steel stands with massive steel posts filled with lead shot. The magic was gone.

I also had ProAc Response 1's that loved a massive stand. Spendor SP100's also responded differently to single or multi pillar stands. What I am trying to say is that expensive isn't always better, but sometimes it's justified if a talented designer has done research on your particular speaker and come up with a design that brings out the best in that design.

I’m a sceptic on buying audio supports. Each time when I’ve finally purchased reasonable products, my scepticism has been proven unfounded.

Last month bought a used pair of Sound Anchors - 3 post - stands ($400). Well worth the money spent.

I spent more than I should have on good stands because I wound up moving to tower speakers. About $700 on the stands. Oh well.

Not sure how one would highly engineer a speaker stand - solidity, stability, mass, and damping, +1 for Sound Anchors, they have alway# worked great for me

My Sound Anchor 3 post stands were $500 I bought them same time as my speakers and they were a worthwhile investment rock solid.

Average speaker stands are not too expensive, but ones that are highly engineered are, and the reason the designers get the money for them is because they are often worth it. Good stands make a big sonic difference.

The speaker stands made for my monitors cost $300 and they're a bargain. Had to assemble them myself but the fit 'n finish was 1st rate. 

The stands for my JBL 4319s went for 25% off and that was a counter offer to my asking for 10% off. I ended up paying $400 for a pair of Wharfedale Linton speaker stands (never parting with them)

.Here's a link to Pro-Jects reissue of their monitor stands for around $400 (€399) and they look rather nice.

If you're talking about spending less, I'm sure there's something out there if you look hard enough.

All the best,
Nonoise

Thanks!

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24794&AID=11051853&PID=9042331&ref=cj&utm_source=cj&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=Sovrn+Inc-2470763&utm_content=11051853&cjevent=a23b5f6f0d4f11ee803265080a82b820&cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww. Take a look at these. I own a pair,and I don’t think they can be beat for the price.