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Stone blocks under speakers.

Keep in mind... all this coming from a guy who thinks an interconnect that costs more than 40.00 is snake oil :lmao: I guess these kind of tweaks intrigue me so much because a. they are measureable and b. I can afford them :lmao:[/QUOTE]

We can agree on the above. I buy my interconnects at Sam Ash, Lowes, etc. Most I've ever spent is about $20.

Reading this thread made me realize that the speakers can transmit vibration to the floor, and thus to the turntable. The TT is on a table that sits on the floor (will wall-mount it soon).

If I can isolate any vibration for cheap, I'll do it. I'm a music lover, not an Audiophile. But if I had unlimited funds....well, we'd both be there, I suppose.

Rick
 
As an almost -impoverished artist that is also a music lover, I dumpster dive for scraps of marble and granite frequently. Everything in my apt. is a stone sandwich, even the radiator tops.
 
I've had my Large Advents on concrete blocks for decades. Definitely adds clarity & tightens up the bass. I've gone further & keep my "bookshelf" located Advent/1s on smaller concrete blocks. Not that she cares or knows the difference, but I even have my daughter's computer speakers (Baby Advents) on small concrete bricks.
 
If bare concrete blocks aren't your thing, check out the speaker stands I made by using some fleck-stone spray paint on concrete deck pylons.

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what is the rule on a subwoofer in a HT envirioment? Do you want to put that up off the carpent on a hard stone surface or do you want the bass to resonate through the carpet and the floor. Most soubs that i have seen dont have spots for spikes on them at all.....

just curious
 
Well, as long as we are showing low cost low tech speaker stands, here are mine. This first is cement patio blocks covered with white marble vinyl tile. These are my old stand; about 15 year old. Cost, about US$4.00 for each stone.

Then next are my new stands made from real marble tile. Total cost, about US$5.00 each plus some time.
 

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If your not superstitious..You can probably get a good deal on polished granite blocks at from your local monument dealer ( broken stock)
 
willyrover said:
Nothing wrong with saying "cinder block".

Also known as: breeze blocks, clinker blocks, foundation blocks, cement blocks, concrete block, and yes, that rediculously technical sounding name "concrete masonry unit (CMU)"
Click to expand...


I agree, it is ridiculous sounding. I was just having fun. :D I still call them cinder blocks. :yes: In fact I went out and bought more "cinder blocks" to temporarily hold up some shelving for my new (new to me) acquisitions.

To reply to an earlier post about my Large Advents on cinder blocks:

I have them on two blocks that are next to each other with a strip of 3/4" plywood sitting on top of the front block to tilt the speaker back a bit.

I am very happy with this arrangement, it sounds alot better than the speakers just sitting on my floor (carpeted concrete).
 
bluewizard said:
...my new stands made from real marble tile. Total cost, about US$5.00 each plus some time.
Click to expand...

I love that simple, elegant approach. I would like to do something similar. What adhesive did you use to join the wood dowels to the backs of the tiles? Do you think the adhesive and that type of construction will hold up to, say, a heavy speaker being rocked around by a mild earthquake/tremors? I fear the sight of my beloved speakers crashing to the ground during a "techtonic event." (Which, believe it or not, is due in New England sometime sooner than later.)
 
80sKid,

I used 5-minute Epoxy glue. The wood braces in the corners are 3/4" quarter round molding. The joints are simple butt joints; the end plated glued to the side plates, so it is not a perfect square.

Believe it or not I did this in my kitchen on top of my microwave (just a convenient surface to work on).

First I polished the edges that were going to show with an electric sander, then finished with hand sanding with very fine sandpaper. Finally, i polished the edges with rubbing compound and a buffing wheel mounted on my drill. Then wiped everything down with alcohol to make sure there was no residue to prevent the glue from sticking. (by the way, I did the sanding outside)

Sounds like a lot of work but it's just the edge and it went quickly.

Keep mind you only want to polish edges that are going to show. The edges you are going to glue, you want rough.

I laid down a layer of wax paper so I didn't glue the whole thing to the top of my microwave.

I placed glue on one of the pieces to be glue and the wood brace. Use the glue sparingly or it will ooze out of the edges and make a mess. Pressed them together and quickly wiped any excess glue with alcohol and/or mineral spirits. Though the proper solvent for Epoxy is acetone. While it is still wet, any common solvent works.

I place the corner of the two pieces against a framing square and taped it to made sure it didn't separate while drying. Keep in mind this is 5 minute epoxy, so it dries pretty quickly.

Then I did the diagonally opposite two corners. When dry, I fitted those two right angles into the final square.

I covered the edge that will contact the speaker with some thin peel-and-stick craft foam from the local hobby shop.

These are absolutely rock solid. Once that epoxy dries, it is like rock. Several times I have picked these up by one side.

If you are worried about resonance, you could cap the ends with MDF and fill the inside with dense fiberglass insulation. In addition to this, if you cap the ends with MDF, you could put plastic bags filled with sand in the bottom to add additional mass to the stand.

Right now our local Home Depot has grey granite, rose/tan marble, and something resembling sandstone for less than $2 per square; less if you buy a whole box. The Rose/Tan marble is alway cheap, either there is a lot of it available, or nobody wants it.

If you are willing to pay $5 per square, you can have a much wider selection of stone.

Also, most home stores will cut the stone for a small fee. For example, if you wanted your stands 18" high, you could have four of the tiles cut precisely in half then stack half tiles with full tiles. Or if you want a perfect 12" square, you could have them trim (about) 3/4" off the side pieces. It it was a prefect 12" square, you could them cap the top with another 12" marble tile. But you are at the mercy of the clerk at Home Depot to determine the accuracy of the cuts. His idea of 'precise' and yours, could be noticeably different.

Sounds like a lot of work, but it went very quickly. In fact, I had to rush to stay ahead of the 5 minute epoxy. Probably an hour and half from beginning to end.

steve/bluewizard
 
bluewizard said:
80sKid,

I used 5-minute Epoxy glue. The wood braces in the corners are 3/4" quarter round molding. The joints are simple butt joints; the end plated glued to the side plates, so it is not a perfect square.

Believe it or not I did this in my kitchen on top of my microwave (just a convenient surface to work on).

First I polished the edges that were going to show with an electric sander, then finished with hand sanding with very fine sandpaper. Finally, i polished the edges with rubbing compound and a buffing wheel mounted on my drill. Then wiped everything down with alcohol to make sure there was no residue to prevent the glue from sticking....
Click to expand...


Thanks for the detailed explanation, Steve. I'm definitely going to consider this for the need I have right now. I could use about a 5 inch lift on some tower speakers and this could be the ticket.
 
I read many of the posts here but not all, so sorry if this was already mentioned.

Are the "blocks" for bare floors only, or on carpet as well?

Also, I had some long very pointy and sharp spikes that came with some big tower speakers. You put them under the speaker and the spike went through carpet and made contact with the floor.

Would that achieve something similar to the "block" method?

BTW, I didn't end up using the spikes for long--you couldn't move the speakers at all, without really pulling up hard, and eventually the spikes bent and I gave up.
 
You can use block speaker stands on any surface. But obviously if you don't want scratching to occur on a smooth floor, you need to do something to provide a smooth base (smooth piece of wood under the stone, or felt pads, rubber pads, piece of carpet remnant, etc.)

If the spikes bent, then you were doing more "dragging" of the speaker than lifting. With spikes you have to completely lift the speaker out of the carpet, move it and then set it down. If you have speakers that are too heavy to do this, then spikes probably aren't for you.
 
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