$50 Speaker Stands
I needed some temporary 24” stands for a pair of VMPS 626 ribbon monitors and didn’t want take the time or money to buy a pair. I sat down with a piece of paper and designed a pair of stands that would be cheap and quick to build. All I needed was 2 ten foot long 2 X 10’s, some 3 ½ “ screws and 8 spikes. I got the first two at Lowe’s Home Improvement store and the spikes from PartsExpress( part 240-730 SPEAKER SUPER TOE SPIKE 4 PC SET $7.90). The total cost was under $50. Their final dimensions are 24” X 9 ¾” X 13”.
I cut 8 - 21” pieces of wood and 4 -13” pieces. I screwed them together from the top and bottom only, two screws for each of the four upright boards. I painted them with black semi gloss paint (I already had that – add $8 if you need to buy it). The spikes require drilling a ½” hole and auguring in the spike base with an allen wrench. I selected semi gloss black to blend in with the other black components and not call attention to itself. My strategy was measure once, cut once, paint once, and install when the paint dries. It took one afternoon.
I chose this design because it was easy to build without great carpentry skills, gave a bigger platform than most available stands and included a full width front as recommended in various posts to help bass response. They seem to work just fine, but I have not compared them to anything else. They put the speakers at the right height for my listening position and my wife did not have a fit. The combination of the 626 ribbons and the 24” stands create a 48” black column, and I am hoping my wife does not even notice when I but my new RM-30’s in their place.
Here are some upgrades/modifications that could be done to this design.
1. Clad them in MDF and give them a gloss paint job.
2. Disguise them by wrapping them with fabric that looks like speaker grill material. This covers any carpentry mistakes and lets your friends think you have dual subwoofers.
3. Add a slanted front of MDF to try to boost the bass.
4. Seal the spaces inside between the boards with silicon sealant and fill the interior space with lead shot or sand. I guess you could cut a hole in the top to get the sand/shot in and out.
5. Select some really good, straight lumber, then do some really nice carpentry and finally, paint or stain to emphasize the wood grain. You would probably end up with stands that look great and have a sense of pride in your work. This could probably not be done in an afternoon.
Photos at :
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?action=gallery;area=browse;album=155
