Your thoughts on speaker stands


I'm trolling the expert waters here for some input on speaker stands. Besides the concept of mass loading, and energy transference, are there any other factors I should be considering? Any unique or unusual insights you folks may have regarding this technology?
earhertz

Showing 2 responses by paulwp

The most important attribute of a stand is its height. Most of the time, but not always, you need to get the tweeter to ear level. I still have an email I received from the designer of some very good speakers who told me the only function of a stand if to get the speakers off the floor and the tweeter up to ear level. Some speakers are better tilted backward a little so Im not sure what a level would do for you in that situation.

I think if you have a speaker with a well braced rigid relatively non-resonant cabinet, then weight and rigidity are important, even on a light floor. Cinder blocks work well. With a lossy box design, weight and rigidity are pointless. Wood stands are fine.

I have lossy box speakers and use metal stands filled with unscented kitty litter for one set and the matching wood stands filled the same with the other.

With metal stands, after height, damping the stand's own ringing comes next. Kitty litter works fine.
David, a "lossy" design is thin-walled, designed to resonate at an unobjectionable (usually higher) frequency, rather than a thick and rigid cabinet which will resonate no matter what you do, sometimes at an unintended and objectionable frequency. If the cabinet is designed to flex anyway, there is not much point to having a super-rigid stand.

BTW, I sold my P3s and have a surplus set of TR70 stands if you know anyone in SoCal who might need them.