Speaker spikes vs rubber feet

sssboa

Super Member
Do spikes really make a difference?
I'm gonna switch to rubber feet instead. Easier to move speakers around.

P. S. People that think power cords with conditioning or audio fuses make a difference in sound please don't reply! :)
 
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I think about spikes like mass. The driver wants to push. Drivers have to push against something. When they push against something solid, they do what they are supposed to do best. When they push against something less solid, they may not be as "tight", as some of their push (energy) is lost.

Now, whether enough energy is lost to make a sonic difference will completely depend on the upstream gear, the listening environment, and the capabilities of the speakers on their own.

A lot of the ability to realize this type of loss or sonic improvement is very dependent on a particular system and a particular environment.
 
P. S. People that think power cords with conditioning or audio fuses make a difference in sound or that expensive leads/cables have a distinct sound signature please do not reply!

Don’t see what this has to do with Spikes vs Rubber feet and it sure isn’t a good start to a thread if your genuinely looking for answers to the question you asked .

With that said what @Tiver said is exactly right , I have spike on the base of my Vandersteens and they work well , especially with my Biwire speaker cables ,interconnects and power cables providing the signal for solid sound from my speakers.

Audiofreak71
 
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Ideally a speaker enclosure should not move in response to the movement from the drivers. Short of adding tons of mass to the enclosure (literally), or solidly bracing the enclosure to the room (basically the same thing), spikes are a good choice for keeping the box still.
 
Depends on the application and desired effect. Spikes "couple" the speaker cabinet to the room. Rubber "isolates" the speaker cabinet from the room. And this is further complicated by what your "substrate" is--a thickly carpeted/padded room, or hardwood floors, or concrete.
It's hard ceramic tiles.

So spikes keep the enclosure still.
But on rubber feet it won't jerk back and forth either like an empty washing machine spinning :)
 
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In theory, I think spikes are the way to go. However, in practice, due to my penchant for stacking my speakers atop dual subwoofers, I chose to isolate with vibrapods. So I'm not at all certain there is one best answer to the question, other than maybe, "it depends."
 
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Some people think you should couple the speaker to the floor with spikes while others think you should isolate from the floor with pucks or pads of rubber, Sorbothane or other damping material. Both notions make a certain sense. I tried both and never heard a difference either way.

Once I put my Altec A5s atop golf balls cut in half.
 
I'm with Tom on this one. Do whatever is best for your situation. Had spikes on some heavy Infinity speakers back in the day, and I ended up damaging my floor rather substantially. Again, never heard any difference.
 
I'm with @musichal "maybe...it depends". My Kappa 9's are spiked to a hardwood floor, but my Maggie 3.6R's and Apogee Diva's (in the same room) are on rubber feet on the same hardwood floor, but the K9's have dual 12" woofers in each cabinet and can "thump". The Maggies and Apogee's are ribbon/planars that just "resonate", so a totally different form of mechanical method of operation.
 
Depends on the application and desired effect. Spikes "couple" the speaker cabinet to the room. Rubber "isolates" the speaker cabinet from the room. And this is further complicated by what your "substrate" is--a thickly carpeted/padded room, or hardwood floors, or concrete.

Spikes couple to the room? How?? The goal is to de-couple from the room by preventing as much standing waves as possible. Rubber feet are not elegant and certainly not re-sellable for gobs of money but they are effective for de-coupling the speaker from the floor.
 
Some people think you should couple the speaker to the floor with spikes while others think you should isolate from the floor with pucks or pads of rubber, Sorbothane or other damping material. Both notions make a certain sense. I tried both and never heard a difference either way.

Once I put my Altec A5s atop golf balls cut in half.

I'm with Tom on this one. Do whatever is best for your situation. Had spikes on some heavy Infinity speakers back in the day, and I ended up damaging my floor rather substantially. Again, never heard any difference.

Two very experienced members say there is no difference.
 
I wonder when they started to add those spikes to speakers. Anyone remembers? 1980s? It's my bet.
Did Yamaha NS-1000s or Tannoy 8s come with spikes? :) I guess no. But 2019 budget floorstanders do. Progress:)

Maybe there's an audiophile living in a house standing on 4 spikes.
 
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Do spikes really make a difference?
I'm gonna switch to rubber feet instead. Easier to move speakers around.

P. S. People that think power cords with conditioning or audio fuses make a difference in sound please don't reply! :)

I use spikes with carpeted floors (which have thick carpet pads) to couple the speakers to the floor and provide rigid and secure footings. I might consider rubber/sorbothane feet on bare wood/ or tile floors. I might even try both and see for myself?

But I also have a power conditioner, nice quality power cords and cables so I probably don't have a clue.
 
Oh I guess it's settled then, that's all it takes. There's the definitive answer. :rolleyes:

Now let's tackle world hunger and peace in the Middle East, should be just as easy. :D

Ah, someone with all the answers. If you can tell me why three spikes is better than four...you da man!
 
When the 40 year old particle board with rubber feet factory made supports on my Altec Model 15's rotted out, I replaced them with spikes. Those arrow heads at the sporting goods store looked real close to those sold at the audio store and way cheaper. To keep from damaging the wood shelf, I set the spikes on Sam Adams bottle caps.

This change removed an annoying rattle on the wall unit where they sit.
 
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