Spikes - On speaker or speaker stand???

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panditji

panditji

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Hi All

Just out of boredom bought some spikes... Now am confused whether to put the spikes on the speakers or the speaker stands for best results?

I had bought them to use on the speaker stands to isolate the stand but am wondering if I may get better results to use between the speakers and the stands...

Advice and suggestions needed....
 

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Panditji, in my very limited wisdom, the purpose of the spike is to isolate the speaker vibrations and prevent them from transferring across the surface on which the speaker is placed. If this logic holds, the greater chance of vibration transfer is via the floor. The spike minimizes the area over which the surfaces make contact and it would make sense to fix the spikes under the stand, rather than between speaker and stand.
On the other hand, it is debatable whether at all spikes serve any useful purpose. Check this out: http://www.audioholics.com/loudspeaker-design/speaker-spikes-and-cones-2013-what2019s-the-point
The article also addresses your specific question.

Regards
 
Sir, my father said the same - spikes may not make any difference but this silly hobby of ours made me buy hoping that they would... Now that I have spent the money, I am hoping to best utilize them irrespective of whether they make a difference...
 
panditji said:
Hi All

Just out of boredom bought some spikes... Now am confused whether to put the spikes on the speakers or the speaker stands for best results?

I had bought them to use on the speaker stands to isolate the stand but am wondering if I may get better results to use between the speakers and the stands...

Advice and suggestions needed....
Click to expand...

i remember having a discussion with the owner of Merlin Speakers. As per him if the damping factor in your speaker is high then you need to fix them onto the stants, else you need to isolate them
For fixing these speakers blue tack is enough and put the spikes under the Stand as it will isolate from floor vibrations
 
Then it's settled - spikes on the stands it is.... As of now I have put my speakers on small wooden blocks (very kindly gifted by Vivek from Mumbai), I will try and put erasures/Natarj rubbers and see if they make any difference...Else will put Blue Tac and fix them for good...
 
i just realised yours are harbeths. I just heard a fantastic system with Monitor 40s recently. As per the owner who had really great knowledge, the stands should be lossy ie open frame made of wood to get your speakers to really shine. this will be apparent in the nuances around microdynamics
 
I have been told and read by a few people that open frame stands work well and there are some who say heavy inert stands should do the job equally well... I remember Sidvee experimenting with open frame stands (steel ones) and not being able to make out any difference....

Can you suggest where I can get wooden open frame stands or should I get them made from a local carpenter ?
 
panditji said:
I have been told and read by a few people that open frame stands work well and there are some who say heavy inert stands should do the job equally well... I remember Sidvee experimenting with open frame stands (steel ones) and not being able to make out any difference....

Can you suggest where I can get wooden open frame stands or should I get them made from a local carpenter ?
Click to expand...

I know a friend who is using these from amazon and he's very happy:
IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R155 Sound Isolating Speaker Stands: Amazon.in: Electronics

You can also speak to Ali of Soundfoundations in Mumbai. He's very knowledgeable on vibration control.

However, if I were you, I would first try the spikes with the existing wooden blocks and convince myself on that front.

Best wishes
 
The Isoacoustics look ungainly and are probably needed in the studios... Certainly not in the living room however good they might be...

Will try the spikes on the current stands today evening and convince myself that they really make a difference... Will look at open frame wooden designs and find out a decent carpenter who can make them....
 
panditji said:
The Isoacoustics look ungainly and are probably needed in the studios... Certainly not in the living room however good they might be...

Will try the spikes on the current stands today evening and convince myself that they really make a difference... Will look at open frame wooden designs and find out a decent carpenter who can make them....
Click to expand...

If you use a carpenter, pay attention to what wood you specify. Some woods like pine have better acoustic properties. Also, using a marble or granite slab on top of the stand is said to help.
 
What makes this 'hobby of ours' so engaging is that you can take anything in your field of perception, e.g. the alloy used in the spike, and you will find loads of articles on how they can smoothen the bass, add warmth to female vocals, make the rhythm section come alive, and so on.......... I really enjoy this part as much as the music!
 
Fiftyfifty said:
If you use a carpenter, pay attention to what wood you specify. Some woods like pine have better acoustic properties. Also, using a marble or granite slab on top of the stand is said to help.
Click to expand...

Acoustic properties would on the basis of absorption of sound I think... I don't think vibration management would differ much between woods... Also as long as it looks nice, I can convince myself it sounds better... Since I do not listen to the audiophile noises, most of my music would sound better if they are pleasing to the eyes visually...
 
to my ears.. my Epos M12i sounded that bit better with lossy stands ( refer google for Epos ST12i stands ) than the rigid ones.

Maybe my ears are more sensitive..

adding spikes only increases the speaker height and thay may create a perceived difference rather than the spikes itself.

anyways... its playtime for panditji :)

regards
 
spikes....
no spikes.....

if you live in an apartment in INDIA with a concrete plinth floor ( under your wooden or tiles flooring) provided by your builder

wont do much in the isolation and vibration control dept compared to a European setting home

what spikes will do though is change the tone ( that too is noticeable only where material used is varied for example BRASS Vs SS - the difference is not that varied over different alloys of brass though or differnt designs of the same mateial)

where spikes do work ( i the vibration draining dept ) though is when you imitate European setting
for example in racks or over hollow furniture
( for example between your equipment and the furniture/rack )

but when using is directly on the floor with speakers ore stapeaker stands
then my first few lines hold true pretty much most of the time

this is only my limited experience
i have no proof
i have only my experience and ears
 
magma said:
spikes....
no spikes.....

if you live in an apartment in INDIA with a concrete plinth floor ( under your wooden or tiles flooring) provided by your builder

wont do much in the isolation and vibration control dept compared to a European setting home

what spikes will do though is change the tone ( that too is noticeable only where material used is varied for example BRASS Vs SS - the difference is not that varied over different alloys of brass though or differnt designs of the same mateial)

where spikes do work ( i the vibration draining dept ) though is when you imitate European setting
for example in racks or over hollow furniture
( for example between your equipment and the furniture/rack )

but when using is directly on the floor with speakers ore stapeaker stands
then my first few lines hold true pretty much most of the time

this is only my limited experience
i have no proof
i have only my experience and ears
Click to expand...

I agree with you magma. A spike can only solve a problem if the problem it is supposed to solve actually exists !
 
keith_correa said:
Well said! :D


I waited for some one to say this but no one did - try scented erasers, they sound better :D
Click to expand...

well keith
this is something i DONT agree with

polymers UNDER a speaker stand do not sound good and have hardly wroked well for me
they infact push virations back into the speaker
NOR to the effectively drain them
 
magma said:
well keith
this is something i DONT agree with

polymers UNDER a speaker stand do not sound good and have hardly wroked well for me
they infact push virations back into the speaker
NOR to the effectively drain them
Click to expand...

Fully agree with Magma. Polymers under equipment that is placed in a rack work miraculously. But not under speakers! I think speakers need rigidity and hence spikes work well. I have found that my speaker spikes make a difference even though mine is an Indian style concrete floor with ceramic tiles. To my ears, placing the speakers directly on the floor or stand, using polymer isolators and using spikes - all 3 sound different without a doubt, even on a concrete floor.

I have just ordered the SF spike feet so that it becomes easier to slide the floorstanding speakers and am hoping they won't mess with the sound.
 
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