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Speaker plinths & Spikes

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Excypher
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Hey everyone,


 New to the forums, have poked my nose in a couple threads before, But been finding it difficult to get some solid opinions on Speaker "mounting"


 At the moment, my two main front floorstanders are a pair of Kef Q7's (not iq7's the older, bigger ones)


At the moment their sat on a deep pile carpet, no spikes no nothing.


 Spikes i can stump cause their what... £15 for a set, but there is another option, Granite plinths.


 With an unbiased opinion, imagine your fairly into your audio, but your not likely to detect "Subttle nuaunces" in the sound... Is it really worth spending the cash to put them on plinths, or is it a load of hot air?


 


Thanks for reading and appreciate all input Smile

ElectroMan
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

Not sure about granite plinths, but I think the more solid and inert the base, the better.  You could also use brick or similar.

I've had a pair of Kef Reference One's for about 10 years, and these come with metal spikes.   If set up correctly they make the speakers very stable - certainly an improvement compared with resting them directly on the carpet!

I assume they also sound better, though they've been on the spikes since I installed them so I haven't bothered to test them with/without the spikes!  Smile

Messiah
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

I think it may come down to cost really. Spikes at £15 a pop should provide plenty of stability - however when you can buy these they may be worth the small extra outlay.

 

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ElectroMan
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

They look great!   Depending on weight, it could also be worth spiking those through the carpet ...

griffy
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

So, anyone got an idea to which of the options below is best? Or just stick with spiked speakers/stands into the carpet (speakers blu-tacked onto the stands)ÿ

ÿ

a) Buy a granite plinth and lay it on the carpet, with speaker placed on top

b) Buy a granite plinth, lay it on the carpet and put spiked speakers on top

c) Buy a granite plinth, spike it to the carpet and put the speaker on top

d) Same as c) but spike the speaker as well

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ

Octopo
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

Buy some decent stands with spikes, attach speakers with blu-tack. If you are on a hard surface chopping boards from your local supermarket are great for aesthetical value.

seduct10n
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

Hi,

ÿ

B&Q do 3/4 inch granite 300mm x 300mm white speckled slabs for about £3.50 each. ÿYou need to go to a superstore to find them in the outside area. ÿThese are very good, and then you could spike the bottoms into the carpets, and then blue tack onto the top of them.

ÿ

Also, if you have a fire place builders near you, or grave stone makers, go in and ask them, as they will have off cuts and will make them to measure and in what ever colour you want etc.

ÿ

I found that 1 inch slate plinths cut to size work quite well under all of the components, cd, amp etc. ÿI got 2 of the for £20, cut polished and they look mint under my components.

ÿ

Philÿ

Gerrardasnails
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes
griffy:

So, anyone got an idea to which of the options below is best? Or just stick with spiked speakers/stands into the carpet (speakers blu-tacked onto the stands)ÿ

ÿ

a) Buy a granite plinth and lay it on the carpet, with speaker placed on top

b) Buy a granite plinth, lay it on the carpet and put spiked speakers on top

c) Buy a granite plinth, spike it to the carpet and put the speaker on top

d) Same as c) but spike the speaker as well

ÿ

ÿ

ÿ



I have mine on granite but I bought decent stuff - I've got all my components on my rack sitting on the Tesco chopping boards (good for cooling). I took the spikes out of my RS6s and changed them for the rubber feet that come with them - these sit on the granite (so answer c). When I auditioned my speakers at Sevenoaks in Holborn, they had them sitting on granite and they looked good and sounded superb. I noticed a tighter bass. However, if you don't think you will notice small differences, and you are not worried about the look, I would just go spikes to carpet. You need a decent sized plinth and a fairly thick, heavy one and they are about £30-40 each.
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ElectroMan
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes
seduct10n:

or grave stone makers, go in and ask them, as they will have off cuts and will make them to measure and in what ever colour you want etc.

At the risk of appearing morbid, I like the sound of that!

Grimly Fiendish
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

I have sand filled Atacama stands on carpet with a solid floor and I can't hear any difference when spiking them.

Excypher
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Re: Speaker plinths & Spikes

Sounds good this!


Ill see into the gravestone/fireplace makers that could supply cheaply.


 Thanks for the opinions and advice, much appreciated!