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Cheap speaker tweak

I was going to post this under " misc audio " but since I did only tweak my speakers I thought I would place it here. I have speakers that come with spikes from the factory, I'm sure many of you have encounter this situation. But I also have carpet in my listening room. When I initially bought my speakers I read the manual, which suggested I let the spikes go right into my carpet. What???!!! Not a chance I thought, I just put in new carpet.

So I purchased some of those carpet saver pads, you know the ones you use to put under sofa feet. I set my speakers on these but the spikes were always causing the pads to lean one way or the other. Then one day surfing somewhere on a audio site I saw a maple board ( that's right just a board ) for sale. The claim of course guaranteed to give your piece of equipment guaranteed " superior sound " I knowing a few things about wood also knew that this was merely a $2.00 piece of maple that someone had routed an edge on, selling for $70! Yikes what will be believe next? So I got to thinking " hey I think I'll go to the local Home Depot and buy a couple of pieces of wood to place my speakers on, then they won't lean "

Well to make a long story short ( I know too late ) I couldn't find any wood the right size. So I went over to the ceramic tiles and began looking. Eventually I found a 12X12 tile that was visibly expectable. I bought a pair @ 99 cents each and took them home and put them under my speakers. I only wanted to provide my speakers with a more stable base, but I got more than that. The first time I listened to my system I thought wow! Everything is more transparent, the sound stage is deeper, the highs and mids were smoother and the bass was tighter. So I got to thinking when I was at the Depot I also saw some marble tiles 12x12 @ $5.49 but 3 times as thick, of course I went back and bought a pair. And yes things improved even more, and the appearance isn't bad either. I can see it now someone is going to read this and make a fortune selling these special speaker tiles.

So if your into cheap tweaks and your speakers are under 1 foot square. I would suggest shopping at your local lumber company. If you do post your results, I would be curious to know if it is just my setup. But now that I think about it, and if my ears are not deceiving me. I'll bet their are other things like this that will work under my equipment.
kt_88
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ivanj
35 posts
 
Nice post - these can be good for amps, too, YMMV, depensing on setup etc.
erider7368
1 posts
 
Hello from Houston,

I agree. I have been using marble slabs/tiles for at least 15 years. I have a large marble cutting board (purchased at Crate and Barrel) under my turntable which in turn sits on a sand filled Arcici Lead Balloon stand, I have one under my OTL headphone amplifier (the exposed glowing tubes stand out and look particularly good in the dark), under the speakers etecetra. First and formost like you said, there is significant improvement in the quality of sound (after all it is all about sound isn't it ?). Secondly, they look fantastic dramatically improving the WAF. Lastly, the marble breaks the monotonous, stern look of the various black components.

I have been an avid "audiophile" since I was a kid and can only dream of having a system like Albert Porter's (or even listen to one as good as his) but two young kids and sundry other responsibilities only allow me these minor luxuries.
rasta
32 posts
 
I did the same thing but instead of using marble I used granite which is a harder material. I had spike holes drilled in the marble and the edges flared. The marble is black with gold viens and looks beautiful. I use them under my Target speaker stands. Now the sound is outstanding on the Dynaudio Contour 1.1's and the look is as I said very nice. A lot of tile and marble outlets have scraps that can be used and this can lower the cost also.
royy
148 posts
 
Audiophile knew about this tweak for years. Sunos Faber even sell a piece of stone for a ridiculous $500 option on one of thier model.
garys
65 posts
 
If you stroll outdoors to the masonry section at the Depot, you may find 16" x 16" x 2.5" blocks, your choice of brick or concrete, and hey, the cost per pound is very low. They make pretty good speaker bases, especially if you want to raise your speakers a couple inches. Of course they have a low WAF, and if you use too many of them you may have to reinforce the floor. Hmm, guess that's why my system is in the basement.
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