[Jenner]

You need to decide first if your speakers need to be coupled to the floor or isolated from it. In my experience, spikes are great for coupling and bad for isolation.

^^^^^^ THIS! ^^^^^^^^^

100% agree with Craig. You really need to see what your speaker/room wants and it's so easy and cheap to try to decouple or couple and just listen. The internet can't tell you what works best for you, only listening yourself to both methods will tell you what works best for your setup.

[Randy]

@thorman - where did you get your maple cutting board plinth?

https://timbernation.com/isolationplatforms_popup.html

I use a pair in dark cherry. Beautiful and effective. With Gaias on the speakers, no spikes underneath the platform.  Sounds great.

People used to say that spikes through a carpet to a concrete floor made for "ringing" from the floor. If nothing else they can make a speaker sound excessively bright.

[Audiosaurusrex]

https://timbernation.com/isolationplatforms_popup.html

I use a pair in dark cherry. Beautiful and effective. With Gaias on the speakers, no spikes underneath the platform.  Sounds great.

People used to say that spikes through a carpet to a concrete floor made for "ringing" from the floor. If nothing else they can make a speaker sound excessively bright.

+1 for Timbernation and Gaias!
Have both and noticeable improvements. I just love my Timbernation rack. Chris is a perfectionist in his workmanship! Gaia’s on me M’3s are also very effective for me on hardwood floors but they offer spikes for carpeting too.

[Randy]

+1 for Timbernation and Gaias!
Have both and noticeable improvements. I just love my Timbernation rack. Chris is a perfectionist in his workmanship! Gaia’s on me M’3s are also very effective for me on hardwood floors but they offer spikes for carpeting too.

My room is carpeted so I have my speakers on the timbernation platforms. Those Gaias are great, and astonishing how they improve the sound of speakers. What I don't understand is how having the logos pointed in a certain direction (toward the front of the listener) can make a difference. That has me scratching my head.

[wilbur_the_goose]

I ended up trying the Gaia II stands.   

Holy ****.     I doubted every review, but these are amazing.   

Thanks for all your advice!

[ilikerecords]

Very interested in this topic.  I'll be looking for a solution where I'll have my Encore's on a carpeted floor (frieze with padding).

[JDoyle]

Very interested in this topic.  I'll be looking for a solution where I'll have my Encore's on a carpeted floor (frieze with padding).

I’ll clarify why I don’t like spikes on carpet, since I also have the Encores. With the provided Salk spikes, I could not get the speakers to stand straight... they always listed to on side or another and were very difficult to position with the spikes on. I also like to move my Encores around and sans spikes, they are very easy to slide around.  YMMV 

[wilbur_the_goose]

@JDoyle - I confirmed to myself that it's not a good idea to leave the standard Salk plinth on the floor - you need something to get it up off the ground.

A good, inexpensive solution could be ice hockey pucks.   I use pucks on my equipment to ensure equipment can breathe - that I have enough space between equipment.

2 or 3 hockey pucks in each corner of the plith could work for you.  But Gaia shocked me in how well it worked.   I purchased them with every intent of sending them back, but they're not going anywhere.   I don't know how or why they work, but they do.

[ermd1]

I confirmed to myself that it's not a good idea to leave the standard Salk plinth on the floor - you need something to get it up off the ground.

Why?

[ilikerecords]

I’ll clarify why I don’t like spikes on carpet, since I also have the Encores. With the provided Salk spikes, I could not get the speakers to stand straight... they always listed to on side or another and were very difficult to position with the spikes on. I also like to move my Encores around and sans spikes, they are very easy to slide around.  YMMV 

So what are sans spikes?

[jjss49]

So what are sans spikes?

sans   /sanz/
prepositionLITERARY•HUMOROUS

without.
"flavorful vegetarian dishes sans meat, eggs, or milk"

[ilikerecords]

sans   /sanz/
prepositionLITERARY•HUMOROUS

without.
"flavorful vegetarian dishes sans meat, eggs, or milk"

😂  I certainly read that incorrectly.

[ermd1]

Why are the plinths alone not good??

[wilbur_the_goose]

(sans is a French word that means 'without')

@ermd1 - here's one person explaining why you shouldn't put your speakers on the floor:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pd8UK6SZ_s&t=69s

[JDoyle]

@JDoyle - I confirmed to myself that it's not a good idea to leave the standard Salk plinth on the floor - you need something to get it up off the ground.

A good, inexpensive solution could be ice hockey pucks.   I use pucks on my equipment to ensure equipment can breathe - that I have enough space between equipment.

2 or 3 hockey pucks in each corner of the plith could work for you.  But Gaia shocked me in how well it worked.   I purchased them with every intent of sending them back, but they're not going anywhere.   I don't know how or why they work, but they do.

Is this what you mean by Gaia? https://www.crutchfield.com/S-SkNuhxB2nvk/p_892GAIA3/IsoAcoustics-GAIA-III.html?XVINQ=GLX&awkw=310303491794&awat=pla&awnw=g&awcr=183340671790&awdv=c&awug=9011859&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9dHWpOKp7wIViojICh2iMwP1EAQYASABEgJoC_D_BwE

If I tried to use Hockey Pucks as you mentioned, would it be best to add the spikes first, or just place the pucks under the flat base?

[glynnw]

My Spatial Audio X5 speakers are on a berber carpet on concrete.  They are sitting on Gaia feet that are then on Gaia devices that are small round platforms with spikes.  One this is all set up you will NOT be able to experiment with placement - just too difficult.

[wilbur_the_goose]

@Jdoyle - Hockey pucks are cheap.   I'd buy 16 - 8 per speaker and try them.   Try them with and without spikes and go with whatever sounds better.

And, yes, those are the Gaia's in your URL.   You choose the I, II, or III based on the weight of your speakers.

[JDoyle]

Easy enough to give it a go... thx Wilbur T.G.! 

[mav52]

 Timbernation, I do like their racks, very solid I have one.   Spikes, well I used spikes under my book shelf stands, which are filled with shot, holding 40 lbs Vapor Breeze speakers, ( heavy) siting on a 1/'2 thick wool rug.  Well it worked great, until we rearranged the room and found that the spikes had put small holes in our tile. The wife was pissed. So I went to Herbies Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider and I really like the outcome and it saved our floor.

[mick wolfe]

Timbernation, I do like their racks, very solid I have one.   Spikes, well I used spikes under my book shelf stands, which are filled with shot, holding 40 lbs Vapor Breeze speakers, ( heavy) siting on a 1/'2 thick wool rug.  Well it worked great, until we rearranged the room and found that the spikes had put small holes in our tile. The wife was pissed. So I went to Herbies Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider and I really like the outcome and it saved our floor.

Saved the floor and your marriage