Best treatment for floorstanding speaker feet????

jaxwired · « **on:** 21 Oct 2011, 10:44 am »

I have an older pair of KEF floorstanding speakers (large). They have threaded glide feet. My speakers are on the second floor of our home on a carpeted floor over a plywood decking. Any suggestions for how to best handle the speaker feet? Seems to be massive debate about this among audiophiles. Granite block under speakers? Spikes? Rubber? I'm confused. Advice appreciated.

I'd like to try spikes but I have no idea what the thead size is on these....

DEV · « **Reply #1 on:** 21 Oct 2011, 02:19 pm »

Why not just contact KEF to find out?

Putting anything under your speakers also raises them, so you might want to take into acount your seating height also.

DEV · « **Reply #2 on:** 21 Oct 2011, 02:57 pm »

Have you ever heard of Sistrum platforms? There are allot of individules using these under their speakers also so you might want to check them out.

Just google Sistrum SP 101 and you will be able to find allot of info., personally I use SP1 under my speakers.

Herbie · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Oct 2011, 08:32 pm »

Hi, jaxwired. For excellent sonic results and ease of mobility, I recommend considering four Giant Fat Gliders under each speaker in place of the present feet. They’ll surely give a better sonic result than industrial-type glides.

Coupling with rigid spikes to a suspended floor (or 2nd-story floor) is usually not ideal. Too many floorborne and speaker-generated vibration and reverberation issues to deal with. Rubber, Sorbothane, Vibrapods, etc. don't do well with frequency linearity. A granite block can be beneficial, better than setting the speakers directly on a carpeted floor, but you'll still have to decouple between both the speaker and floor and between the block and floor. Granite slabs are often put to better use on top of the speakers to help stabilize the cabinets.

If you want to use spikes, you wouldn't have the ease of mobility that Giant Fat Gliders provide, but you'd have superb lateral stability and excellent sonic results with Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes:

Either of these products will provide the decoupling/isolation and stability you need with a suspended floor. BTW, an easy way to find the thread size is to just take one of your footers to any hardware store and match up the threads with an available nut or bolt.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

bkh · « **Reply #4 on:** 24 Oct 2011, 05:03 pm »

Hi Steve,

For a suspended floor with solid hardwood surface, will speaker generated vibration still a concern?
What would you recommend for footings of floor standing speaker that already comes with spike?

Thanks,
Bryant

Herbie · « **Reply #5 on:** 24 Oct 2011, 05:18 pm »

Hi, Bryant. On a hardwood floor, speaker-generated vibrations will reverberate back up the spikes to interfere with loudspeaker performance as well as create floorborne vibrations that will potentially affect other parts of the audio system. These concerns are more pronounced with a suspended floor.

A Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider under each spike is an ideal solution.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

bkh · « **Reply #6 on:** 24 Oct 2011, 11:27 pm »

Thank you, Steve.
Does the hardwood floor on suspended flooring make it worse than Carpet?
My speakers already has brass disc permanently attached to the spikes. I can unscrew and removed the footings, or put some isolation under the brass disc. The brass disc is about 1 inch in diameter.

Herbie · « **Reply #7 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 12:08 am »

Regarding the speaker/floor interface, a bare floor isn't inherently any better or any worse than a carpeted floor. With a suspended floor, it's best to decouple and isolate the speakers either way.

A 1 inch diameter Hush Puckie "base pad only" under each of your present brass discs would be beneficial.

Hush Puckies

The dBNeutralizer base pad is the gray material under the titanium disc shown.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

beaglebump · « **Reply #8 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 01:51 am »

Hello Steve,
Would the Fat Grounding Base work on a carpeted floor, or are they primarily designed for hard surface floors?

Thank you, Michael

Herbie · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 02:02 am »

Hi, Michael. Fat Grounding Bases work best on uncarpeted surfaces, though they'll usually do okay on thin carpet. On a carpeted floor, you would use Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders (which can also be used on uncarpeted floors) for best results.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

Occam · « **Reply #10 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 02:08 am »

Quote from: Herbie on 24 Oct 2011, 05:18 pm

Hi, Bryant. On a hardwood floor, speaker-generated vibrations will reverberate back up the spikes to interfere with loudspeaker performance as well as create floorborne vibrations that will potentially affect other parts of the audio system. These concerns are more pronounced with a suspended floor.

A Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider under each spike is an ideal solution.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

+1

They're the best I've found under the spikes of my Marten Miles II floorstanders sitting on 130+ yr old parquet hardwood flooring.

DEV · « **Reply #11 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 02:37 am »

Quote from: Herbie on 25 Oct 2011, 02:02 am

Hi, Michael. Fat Grounding Bases work best on uncarpeted surfaces, though they'll usually do okay on thin carpet. On a carpeted floor, you would use Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders (which can also be used on uncarpeted floors) for best results.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

Hi Steve,

My speakers are curently set-up in a living room space which happens to have very thick dense carpet and underpad to boot and yes a suspended wood floor "two layers of 3/4", I have tried many different devises from couplings cups "discs" and what I what found using such with my speakers while using "spikes" made my speakers more unstable, "they were very rocky" not a good thing.

I tried a product called Systrum and they seemed to work the best with past speakers so I just automatically placed them underneith my current speakers but find my floor interacts allot more with bass notes and they are heavier speakers but because of the woofer design I suppose. I also noticed the speakers were a little rocky so I just installed the spikes for the first time that came with my speakers and will compare, speakers are more stable.

My speakers are MBL 101E's

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

For others reading there is a bit of a gain in sonics when you have a suspended floor and that is to have your speakers positioned running with the joist underneith, unfortunately I can't do that, next best is to have them position in between two joist. Try it you will be amazed!

Herbie · « **Reply #12 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 03:12 am »

Hi, DEV. For large speakers on thick, spongy carpet, Giant Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders are usually ideal. The broad convex surface allows for lateral movement better than standard Gliders, which will sink into spongy carpet somewhat. The MBL101E's have a fairly wide footprint, so you shouldn't have any problem. Might be a little wobble when you push on them, but they'll hold pretty stable on their own. When moving the speakers on Giant Gliders, just push slow and easy from a low position.

If you want to anchor directly to the floor and still achieve superb decoupling and isolation of the speakers, nothing beats Herbie's Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes:

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

DEV · « **Reply #13 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 10:53 am »

Quote from: Herbie on 25 Oct 2011, 03:12 am

Hi, DEV. For large speakers on thick, spongy carpet, Giant Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders are usually ideal. The broad convex surface allows for lateral movement better than standard Gliders, which will sink into spongy carpet somewhat. The MBL101E's have a fairly wide footprint, so you shouldn't have any problem. Might be a little wobble when you push on them, but they'll hold pretty stable on their own. When moving the speakers on Giant Gliders, just push slow and easy from a low position.

If you want to anchor directly to the floor and still achieve superb decoupling and isolation of the speakers, nothing beats Herbie's Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes:

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

Hi Steve,

okay thanks, I have not tried your "Giant Gliders" which are 2-3/8" wide. When I went to your site I noticed three different types with some basic descriptions beside. I noticed reading Brass & Stainless Steel you have noted same notation but the Titanium says ... care to elaborate.

1. Brass: superb hi-end results with most audio systems. "Take it the pick above is this one"

2. Stainless steel: superb hi-end results with most audio systems.

3. Titanium: best-looking and best-sounding results possible.

To be clear which product are you suggesting is the superior one? because you also make mention of Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes.

Thanks

DEV · « **Reply #14 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 11:39 am »

Hi Steve,

I found a partial answer to my question reading another posting of yours saying;

Hard, rigid materials all have a unique sonic vibrational character that affect the musical palette. Titanium is generally amongst the most audio-friendly, sonically neutral of rigid materials.

All three versions of Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders improve a system's audio because of the decoupling and isolation function that they provide. Sonic differences between brass, stainless, and titanium Gliders will be quite subtle, but noticeable in a highly resolving system, with titanium giving a bit more of a pure result.

If budget considerations are most important, brass would be the best value (or stainless if it's a better aesthetic match). If sonic results are most important, titanium is the best value.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

DEV · « **Reply #15 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 11:59 am »

Hi Steve,

just placed an order for 8 of the Giant Cone/Spike Decoupling Glider in "Titanium".

I'll post my thought's once I have tried them.

rw@cn · « **Reply #16 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 12:24 pm »

I have a set of Magnepan 1.7's (will be spiked soon) over laminate flooring with pad over a concret slab. I am debating either the Giant cone/spike glider or the small gliders. Which one would be better?

Also I am assuming "Glider" doen't mean gliding when the music is playing.

Herbie · « **Reply #17 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 02:58 pm »

Quote from: DEV on 25 Oct 2011, 10:53 am

To be clear which product are you suggesting is the superior one? because you also make mention of Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes.

Hi, DEV. Neither product is necessarily superior over the other. "Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spike" is the name of one of the products. Each has different advantages in different circumstances or applications. Giant Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders provide easy mobility of the speakers; Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes offer solid anchoring to the floor.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

Herbie · « **Reply #18 on:** 25 Oct 2011, 08:22 pm »

Quote from: rw@cn on 25 Oct 2011, 12:24 pm

I have a set of Magnepan 1.7's (will be spiked soon) over laminate flooring with pad over a concret slab. I am debating either the Giant cone/spike glider or the small gliders. Which one would be better?

Also I am assuming "Glider" doen't mean gliding when the music is playing.

Regular (small) Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders should do very well with your Maggies on a laminate floor. Speakers will not move on gliders unless you deliberately move them.

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

Herbie · « **Reply #19 on:** 31 Oct 2011, 10:52 pm »

Hi, DEV. I’m glad the Gliders arrived promptly. USPS delivery times to Canada can be unpredictable, but you can always count on getting nailed for the Customs taxes. (Not as bad as shipping with FedEx or UPS though, which charge hefty brokerage fees on top of that).

Magic Sliders provide a perfect Teflon bottom for Herbie’s Audio Lab Gliders, though it's the thick dBNeutralizer material that does the work decoupling and isolating the speakers.

To eliminate wobble, you would anchor to the floor with Deluxe Superior Decoupling Spikes, but then you would lose the mobility advantage of the Gliders (so each has a particular advantage in those regards). On a thick, spongy carpet, wobble is inevitable but only if you make the cabinets wobble. The cabinets shouldn’t wobble when just standing free. Hopefully you’ll appreciate the sonic benefit and realize as others have that the wobble potential is of no real consequence to the speakers’ performance when using the Giant Gliders.

Steve
Herbie’s Audio Lab