Spikes for DIY Wooden speaker stand

[soulforged]

Thanks for the invite Soundsgreat! I'd surely take that up...very interested in checking out your DIY stuff since I'm planning on building my own speaker soon...

Will PM you soon...which part of Blr are you in?

 

[captrajesh]

try Torvin

Not available with them. I'm told they are using rubber stubs

if you are up for it I can get it machined and send it across,any design any type !

soundsgreat; literally

 

[shaizada]

No offence taken soundsgreat...everyone is entitled to their opinion...

This thing has been discussed threadbare everywhere but I'd still say if you have a good hard surface (granite, marble, vitrified tiles etc.), spikes would not make much difference to the sound. wooden flooring or carpets are a different story. My speakers stand on the rubber feet, I also tried the screw on spikes they came with but did not see any major difference. I actually felt the bass loosening a bit with spikes :O I had discussed this with Mr. Murthy as well (when I wanted spiked for my spkrs) and he had the same views.

On the contrary, I feel that spikes on granite/marble/tiles would actually de-stablize spkrs at high volumes. But this is just my opinion and I'm not a guru...

You might want to add mass to the speaker by filling sand (if it allows). I had cudappa stones on my spkrs...and they did help...

Spikes would make a difference (positive or not depends on the listener and application), but the physics is still the same whether it is a hard surface or not. Spikes provide a means for a mechanical ground much akin to an electrical earth ground. It lets stray energy a way out of the system.

I have always preferred to spike speakers into the ground. The reason for this coupling (as opposed to decoupling with rubber, tenderfeet etc.) is because the only thing you want vibrating are the drivers. All their mechanical energy should be converted to sound. Any other vibrations will interfere with the energy/movement of the driver which produces sound.

Letting stray energies remain within the realm of the driver (something that rubber feet will do), let's parts of the driver energy get wasted and somewhat "muddy" the energy of the driver itself. Hence effect sound in a negative way. Now your PERCEPTION of the sound might be negative or positive, but the physics remains.

Just my thoughts and opinions on the matter as I've done tons of experiments.

Have fun experimenting guys.

Want to really have some fun changing the sound. Try wooden cones of different types of woods and shapes. That's a whole other realm of sound tweaking

 

[gobble]

Spikes would make a difference (positive or not depends on the listener and application), but the physics is still the same whether it is a hard surface or not. Spikes provide a means for a mechanical ground much akin to an electrical earth ground. It lets stray energy a way out of the system.

I have always preferred to spike speakers into the ground. The reason for this coupling (as opposed to decoupling with rubber, tenderfeet etc.) is because the only thing you want vibrating are the drivers. All their mechanical energy should be converted to sound. Any other vibrations will interfere with the energy/movement of the driver which produces sound.

Letting stray energies remain within the realm of the driver (something that rubber feet will do), let's parts of the driver energy get wasted and somewhat "muddy" the energy of the driver itself. Hence effect sound in a negative way. Now your PERCEPTION of the sound might be negative or positive, but the physics remains.

)

Hmm I see noticeable improvement with spikes attached to my speakers. However the base of my speakers is shock absorbing type setup - common suckers supporting a glass top. My setup is therefore indirectly on rubber feet. Yet it works i.e better than speakers placed directly on glass. I did feel that they sounded worse without the glass top (but spikes on) as well but that may have been due to mm differences in flatness of my surface resulting in unwanted vibes.

Cheers

 

[soundsgreat]

Hi,

Thanks for the invite Soundsgreat! I'd surely take that up...very interested in checking out your DIY stuff since I'm planning on building my own speaker soon...

Will PM you soon...which part of Blr are you in?

You are welcome anytime ! Am in Sanjaynagar (Near to Hebbal Ring Road).

Sure do PM me and we shall take it from there,also any help from side on the new speaker build ?? let me know,I'll be glad to help !

soundsgreat; literally

Yes indeed,I have access to a fine machine shop where I can it machined to any shape and size !

Regards.

 

[shaizada]

Hmm I see noticeable improvement with spikes attached to my speakers. However the base of my speakers is shock absorbing type setup - common suckers supporting a glass top. My setup is therefore indirectly on rubber feet. Yet it works i.e better than speakers placed directly on glass. I did feel that they sounded worse without the glass top (but spikes on) as well but that may have been due to mm differences in flatness of my surface resulting in unwanted vibes.

Cheers

Gobble,

I'd get all your hifi "listening" equipment off ANY kind of glass, tempered or not, in an absolute hurry. Glass is the worst sounding thing you can put audio equipment on as it rings with horrible resonant frequencies directly in the listening frequency range.

Try wood and other materials, but please do try and stay away from glass if possible.

EDIT: Also, if your speaker stands allow it, fill them up with sand. Pack it in well so that you get the maximum amount of sand in them. Then spike the stand into the ground and finally spike the speakers into the stand. Let me know if you're able to do that and report back on the sound you are hearing. PLEASE GET EVERYTHING OFF ANY KIND OF GLASS I just don't want you to mess up your listening experience as glass is just horrible horrible horrible. Don't know why the hec they use it for audio equipment stands. Such nonsense!

EDIT 2: The sand filled stands provide a secondary earth for vibrations to dissipate from and into. Vibrations from the ground won't get into the speakers and vibrations from the speakers will drain into the stand.

 

[gobble]

Gobble,

I'd get all your hifi "listening" equipment off ANY kind of glass, tempered or not, in an absolute hurry. Glass is the worst sounding thing you can put audio equipment on as it rings with horrible resonant frequencies directly in the listening frequency range.

Try wood and other materials, but please do try and stay away from glass if possible.

EDIT: Also, if your speaker stands allow it, fill them up with sand. Pack it in well so that you get the maximum amount of sand in them. Then spike the stand into the ground and finally spike the speakers into the stand. Let me know if you're able to do that and report back on the sound you are hearing. PLEASE GET EVERYTHING OFF ANY KIND OF GLASS I just don't want you to mess up your listening experience as glass is just horrible horrible horrible. Don't know why the hec they use it for audio equipment stands. Such nonsense!

EDIT 2: The sand filled stands provide a secondary earth for vibrations to dissipate from and into. Vibrations from the ground won't get into the speakers and vibrations from the speakers will drain into the stand.

I have absolutely heavy duty "stands". Not possible to load them further. Infact, I will be cutting them down to size to reduce their weight and make them transportable when I move house.

do you mean the glass will resonate at the crystalline atomic level or at its coupling with the stand? My coupling is fairly dead inert and dampened with the arrangement I have made. At the crystalline level Granite is bad too you know? But I will try polished black cudappah stone maybe sometime mid-year. Marbles sounded bad when I tried my heavy chappati rolling base.


Cheers

 

[gap g j]

Thanks everyone who have replied in the thread, I was busy with the carpentry work. the carpentry work is in finishing stage and next it goes to the painter.

btw, I have decided to make the spikes in the lathe locally.

regards
Gap g J

 

[miroflex]

Gobble,

I'd get all your hifi "listening" equipment off ANY kind of glass, tempered or not, in an absolute hurry. Glass is the worst sounding thing you can put audio equipment on as it rings with horrible resonant frequencies directly in the listening frequency range.

Hi Shaizada,

What is your opinion on glass as a material for turntable platters?

Regards.

 

[magma]

^^^
use wood,granite Acrylic combinations