BEST speaker stands?
- Thread starter dj_AmTraX
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
PE heavy-duty stands are very nice, and frequently go on sale, with free shipping.
The best I've had are Osiris, but they have been out of business for years. If you can find a used pair, jump on it. Mine are sand filled.
http://www.sigsound.com/NU&DInfoPages/OSIRIS.htm
Whichever height will place the tweeters closest to ear level is what you wanna go with.
I use a set of 18" Lovan Jazz for large bookshelf, and the Osiris 24" for smaller monitors.
The best I've had are Osiris, but they have been out of business for years. If you can find a used pair, jump on it. Mine are sand filled.
http://www.sigsound.com/NU&DInfoPages/OSIRIS.htm
Whichever height will place the tweeters closest to ear level is what you wanna go with.
I use a set of 18" Lovan Jazz for large bookshelf, and the Osiris 24" for smaller monitors.
Inspiribomb
Enjoy the journey
I have the Sanus Ultimate Foundations stands and they are very very nice. I think mine are 30" tall. They would be a tad too tall if I was using the included spikes, IMO. I've also heard very good things about the Osiris stands, but have no experience with those.
whoaru99
Epic Member
I have Sanus Ultimate Foundations as well (like the one in your larger picture). Mine are 22", I believe.
The height depends on your speakers. The most common recommendation I've seen is to get the height of stand that places the tweeter about ear level when you're in your seat.
You might be surprised by the price though...
The height depends on your speakers. The most common recommendation I've seen is to get the height of stand that places the tweeter about ear level when you're in your seat.
You might be surprised by the price though...
Inspiribomb
Enjoy the journey
I picked mine up for $90 shipped on ebay, brand spankin' new :thmbsp:
Yeah, I was thinking about making some out of solid wood blocks.
macaltec
Metal Master
I use 1/4" steel plate and various tube sizes from 2" to 4" square and round. Fillable too. Heavy as all get out either way.
macaltec
Metal Master
Care to show off some photos?
I don't have any. It's kinda like the plumber who has leaky pipes. I actually only have one pair here, the rest have been given/traded away. I have "large" speakers so I really have no need for stands. I am making a couple pairs for Cableguy. I'll try to do the documentary thing and take pics as I go along.
macaltec
Metal Master
Here ya go. The only pic I have
top and bottom plates are 1/4" x 12" x 12" and the tube is 1/4" x 4" x 4" and about 11" tall. Corners of bottom plate are drilled and tapped for a spike (1/4-20 UNC bolt). The 4" tube is capped on each end and the plates bolt to it. The cap on the top of the tube has a hole for filling with you favorite material. I used steel shot from the shot blaster. Not as refined as what you can buy but heavier and cheaper (for me). The finish is what is gonna cost you the most.
*EDIT* That is a special "acoustic" dust on the floor.
top and bottom plates are 1/4" x 12" x 12" and the tube is 1/4" x 4" x 4" and about 11" tall. Corners of bottom plate are drilled and tapped for a spike (1/4-20 UNC bolt). The 4" tube is capped on each end and the plates bolt to it. The cap on the top of the tube has a hole for filling with you favorite material. I used steel shot from the shot blaster. Not as refined as what you can buy but heavier and cheaper (for me). The finish is what is gonna cost you the most.
*EDIT* That is a special "acoustic" dust on the floor.
Sounds highly effective and inexpensive. Best part about this scenario is being able to pour out the sand to make it lighter when it's time to move.
If I were to go the wood block route, I'd be stuck with these good looking but-incredibly-freaking-heavy pieces of "furniture". Hey! It doubles as a foot stool! Also, an ottoman! Could be cool, but also a lot of work.
NicoR
Certifiably Awesome!
I used something similar for my own, only without metal, because I lack the proper tools: wooden top and bases and pvc pipes filled with gravel. Turned out rather well, didn't need finishing, and I believe about 25 lb. per stand (filled of course)(someone stole our bathroom scale though, so I'm not very sure).
Rybeam
Super Member
I have heard of people using Sonotubes, concrete forms. They of course could be filled with sand or....I suppose wood or metal ends could be attached with glue or better yet threaded rod.
I checked the net and found a site that can get the whole family in on it !
http://rhythmweb.com/homemade/tubes.htm
I checked the net and found a site that can get the whole family in on it !
http://rhythmweb.com/homemade/tubes.htm
whoaru99
Epic Member
$90 is a very good price if 30" works for you.
I got mine much less than retail/internet prices, through my brother, but still a few bucks more than the deal you got.
BajaGringo
Abalone Farmer
I have played with this setup for a long time and it is a very personal thing based on taste, room acoustics, speaker construction and your own capacity to perceive frequency. I just modifed my arrangement to run 4 speakers off 2 amps in my rack:
HPM100's
Postioned horizontally in front up high, 8 feet off the floor with the ports plugged and angled down towards the listening sweet spot of the room.
HPM1100's
Positioned 8 inches off the floor in front, putting the tweeters slightly above my ear, midrange at ear level and woofer slightly below.
The speaker stands for my 1100's are quite simple - I poured concrete into a 12X12X8" mold and then covered them with walnut veneer. They look very nice and work even better. My 1100's sound fantastic and the new 15" woofers fill the room better than my old Yamaha sub.
Friends who come over and know my setup all comment how exceptionally sweet this setup sounds right now.
But what do I know...
HPM100's
Postioned horizontally in front up high, 8 feet off the floor with the ports plugged and angled down towards the listening sweet spot of the room.
HPM1100's
Positioned 8 inches off the floor in front, putting the tweeters slightly above my ear, midrange at ear level and woofer slightly below.
The speaker stands for my 1100's are quite simple - I poured concrete into a 12X12X8" mold and then covered them with walnut veneer. They look very nice and work even better. My 1100's sound fantastic and the new 15" woofers fill the room better than my old Yamaha sub.
Friends who come over and know my setup all comment how exceptionally sweet this setup sounds right now.
But what do I know...
I am using JBL 4311's as stands for my Acoustic research AR4x's, because I like the sound of the AR's MUCH better than JBL.
bluewizard
Active Member
I was going to comment on this yesterday, but got distracted. There is no 'best' of anything. There is only 'best' relative to my tastes and preference, and 'best' for the money.
Since you never mentioned how much money you want to spend, we can't really say what is best. So far you have had comments that include everything from cement block to expensive sand filled steel stands.
Also, a lot depends on your speakers. You want the speaker roughly at 'ear' height in your listening space. Presumable you will be sitting in a chair, so ear height when you are sitting down.
My speakers are 26 inches tall. I made speaker stands by buying 12 inch square marble tile and epoxy gluing them together into a box. The puts them a little below ear level, but it works out fine.
My previous speaker stands were 12"x12"x3.75" cement Patio blocks. I covered them on 5 sides with white marble vinyl floor tile and used two per speaker.
Both worked very well for me; they are solid and aesthetically pleasing. Cost? $3.00 each for the 'marble' patio blocks. $5.00 each for the genuine marble boxes.
Note: I could have done the same thing in genuine granite. Of course, the selection I had wasn't great. To get genuine marble or granite for about $1.00 per square foot, you have to take what is on sale. Normally, it is $5.00 to $15.00 per square foot depending on the style and rarity of the marble.
The same thing could be done with standard ceramic floor tile. If you need it taller than a foot, you can make a simple wood frame out of 2"x2" lumber and glue the tile to the wood, cap the ends with MDF or plywood, and if you are worried about resonance, fill the boxes with fiberglass.
If you want to do it on the super cheap, build the wood frame and glue on vinyl floor tile. Though, you will find that ceramic is only about $.50 more per tile than vinyl.
Obviously I'm working on a very restricted budget.
But my point is, there is no 'best', only best for the money.
Steve/bluewizard
Since you never mentioned how much money you want to spend, we can't really say what is best. So far you have had comments that include everything from cement block to expensive sand filled steel stands.
Also, a lot depends on your speakers. You want the speaker roughly at 'ear' height in your listening space. Presumable you will be sitting in a chair, so ear height when you are sitting down.
My speakers are 26 inches tall. I made speaker stands by buying 12 inch square marble tile and epoxy gluing them together into a box. The puts them a little below ear level, but it works out fine.
My previous speaker stands were 12"x12"x3.75" cement Patio blocks. I covered them on 5 sides with white marble vinyl floor tile and used two per speaker.
Both worked very well for me; they are solid and aesthetically pleasing. Cost? $3.00 each for the 'marble' patio blocks. $5.00 each for the genuine marble boxes.
Note: I could have done the same thing in genuine granite. Of course, the selection I had wasn't great. To get genuine marble or granite for about $1.00 per square foot, you have to take what is on sale. Normally, it is $5.00 to $15.00 per square foot depending on the style and rarity of the marble.
The same thing could be done with standard ceramic floor tile. If you need it taller than a foot, you can make a simple wood frame out of 2"x2" lumber and glue the tile to the wood, cap the ends with MDF or plywood, and if you are worried about resonance, fill the boxes with fiberglass.
If you want to do it on the super cheap, build the wood frame and glue on vinyl floor tile. Though, you will find that ceramic is only about $.50 more per tile than vinyl.
Obviously I'm working on a very restricted budget.
But my point is, there is no 'best', only best for the money.
Steve/bluewizard
