The shocking SOUND DIFFERENCE Between Speaker Stands 🤯

[@dougking9788]

As a certified machinist, I'd consider looking into a local metal fab shop to build a set of those sound anchors and fill them with sand or spray foam. $1200 just seems high for what is essentially a few of lengths of square tubing. Interesting video though! Congrats on 100,000!

[@LAskeHosting]

50$ for material and 50$ for someone to make them and you are good to go

[@ColtCapperrune]

I would be skeptical that any shop would really be able to get it done for much cheaper. But it’s certainly not a complicated design! Thanks for watching!

[@Endless_Skyway_Adventures]

@@LAskeHosting to your point, cheaper to build but you’re looking at $500 all in.

[@AnthonyRodriguezOnline]

Interesting. I enjoyed it.

[@joshestock]

The shipping is a big variable. They’re 70-80 lbs each. I’m guessing the cost to ship is $200 each way best case.

[@enricolisk1357]

Tapping test. Please consider: a. Removing the 85-pound speaker before tapping. b. Place a glass of water on the stand, Tap, check the ripple. i) Taller the wave, poorer the performance ii) Longer duration of ripple, poorer the performance

[@peterroy6801]

Brilliant

[@rezolution6272]

Speaking as someone who used to design and install Pro audio and video for home theater systems, these things carry some significance but offer variables that cancel some of the science. It is interesting to see differences but here is the thing, "you" are not a stable object. You move your head. If there were an apparatus, that you locked your head into that made it stable and kept it in the exact same spot every time this would be valid. There is also the fact that Bobby hears music different than Johnny does. None of us have the same exact hearing in both ears. There are also differences caused by hearing damage which happens to everyone over time. There are so many variables that point of position (although somewhat important) doesn't really matter. Acoustic treatment then becomes the most important thing. Canceling frequencies that build in a studio ultimately, are more important than the position relativity to your ears and your speakers. Headphones on the other hand are always relative to your head and don't have any room frequency build-up. The best way to mix would then be to use both. The monitors to hear what the music sounds like in a room environment and how the low and high frequencies build in a room situation (which will be different for everyone and anyone since we don't have the same room) and the headphones to hear it without those frequency builds. The flat response of the monitors is only important as a reference from one song to another and not "shaping" the music to "your" ear. Only the people that have the exact monitors as you do, the same dimensional room, the same acoustic treatment and the same hearing will hear the music as you do. That being said, you have a very nice setup going there!!! I enjoy your content and wish you the best of luck in future endeavors!

[@gregvanpaassen]

Most of what you say is true, but Floyd Toole and his colleagues at Canada National Research Council and later Harman-Kardon Research showed pretty convincingly that listeners prefer a flat frequency response, linear phase response, and "tight" waterfall charts. Even older listeners with degraded hearing. It is true that narrow dips don't matter very much, and that millimetre differences in head/mic/speaker position affect those. Broad valleys in frequency response are much more objectionable. Toole recommends listening to classical symphonies when evaluating sound systems. Completely agree about the importance of room treatments. Hard surfaces produce terrible sound.

[@JohnOBryan]

During the first test, you were standing behind the left front speaker. During the second and third tests, you were standing to the back right of the right speaker. Do you think this played a factor in the results?

[@coyoteproject999]

@JohnOBryan That’s something I noticed too. For the analysis of the measurements to be good, the parameters must be the same. A person's placement affects diffusion and absorption

[@amb3cog]

You're actually supposed to leave the room when running sweeps. For exactly this reason too. ✌️

[@VisnitchiRaul]

100% it did.

[@Atheistic007]

I feel you should be in the room in your listing position, because that real use. YMMV @@amb3cog

[@RadicDotkey]

These tests are invalid if they were randomly standing in high velocity (low pressure) zones of room modes of this studio.

[@BrainztormProductions]

Gotta say though the placement of you guys standing will affect room acoustics and could render a slight difference in testing probably as much as the stands make especially the triangle base stands, you were standing right behind the left monitor and you will act as absorbtion, much thicker than a bit of foam matting

[@NEEDSHES]

Thank you!

[@thomasw1865]

I thought so, too 🤔

[@LovelyDoetje]

Everything in the room will influence his measurement. Moving the concrete blocks as a whole or as parts to a different position will make a difference. They should have taken the not used stands and themselves out of the room during measuring. Also this test doesn't show the difference in sound because of reflections created by the stand or sound difference created by the supportlevel of the speaker. But it is great entertainment.

[@RonGallant]

I came to say this. 👍🏻

[@patrickbuick5459]

Yup yup...

[@phenixnunlee372]

Also, the difference in the resonance at 10-50Hz could just be noise floor because frequency response is rated for somewhere in 30ish range. Second the low frequency resolution is heavily affect by the FFT size (Gabor limit) so that can color how you see the response in the water fall. It would also be interesting to see what the standard deviation in the responses. Also, taking a high resolution fit you could use a student's t-test to see if the responses where statically different. I really loved the video it is nice to see people incorporate measurements into their decision. Finally in building acoustics we use things called tapping machines that drop calibrated weight to tap a floor to see how resistant they are to impact noise (foot steps). The tapping was the right thing to do and maybe gator should be tapping to products. I was expecting the concrete to more damped than it was.

[@GaryBeilby]

Great details thanks. I was also expecting the bricks to produce a superior sound. Biggest take away for me is that those pucks make far too little difference to be worth the effort.

[@ScottGrammer]

The dips at about 180Hz and 270Hz are likely room issues. These frequencies would correspond to distances of about 6 feet and 4 feet. I imagine you'll find that raising or lowering either the speakers of the microphone will change those dips considerably. I don't know what kind of flooring you have, but I suspect that coupling to the floor is a problem with all your speaker stands. Have you tried suspending the speakers from the ceiling at the same spots? The screwdriver was a great idea, BTW. Many decades ago, Wharfedale used to build double-walled baffles in their speakers that were filled with sand. They were about as dead as can be when whacked with something.

[@dingdong2103]

The room response was pretty bad in general.

[@sebsoud]

@@dingdong2103 well, the acoustic treatment of the room seems to be non-existent. Better to check this first and then see how things can be improved, that's the logical way.

[@producedbynell]

This is the absolute best video in my 10+ years that I’ve seen on this topic. I’m actually equipped to make a purchase. 🙏🏾💪🏾

[@ClaytonShay]

This felt like an episode of myth busters, so cool! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ColtCapperrune]

Hahaha the highest compliment possible 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@muyeikasamurabi1602]

I bet if you first painted or soaked the cinder blocks in a penetrating poly sealer and then filled them with sand, you would have markedly better results. It comes down to mechanical vibration in the end. Slap some cork sheets and/or dense rubber inbetween each block on top of that and your DIY setup will compete against the expensive stands. The "tone" or resonance of the stand is 100% negatively affecting the results. Remove as much of that resonance as possible and you are off to the races in a much better position. Why do we put tapes and towels on drums? Congrats on the milestone. Great content!

[@markfawcus]

A few years ago I made some speaker stands using the solid version of cinder blocks, using one laying horizontally and two back to back stood vertically on the first to achieve the height I needed. I painted them with latex paint (2 or 3 coats) and 'glued' the blocks together using construction adhesive. I did this in the garage, then when it came to moving them to the listening room I 'noticed' the weight ... something like 75 pounds per stand. To my ears they contributed to a very good solid sound (despite me painting them to match the room color, wifey dictated their removal not too long after I installed them). I'd recommend avoiding the hollow blocks and sealing or painting them. I don't know if your room has a solid (slab) floor or not, but mine is a slab so coupling to the floor isn't too much of an issue.

[@Madrrrrrrrrrrr]

No. Weight will let freqs travel and ring. You want decoupling. And as sturdy as possible. Loose blocks won't help. The weight distribution on the $1200 is off balance. That is why the pole under center of gravity is the best. Wall studio speakers rest on 4 poles per speaker. Even better weight distribution.

[@audiokemestry]

Before upgrading to Barefoot 01s, I opted for cinder blocks over sound anchors (to save some money). However, I didnt leave mine naked. I wrapped them with a sheet of thick black vinyl, got isopucks, and also filled the hollow parts with rock wool. Not sure how much of a differenve this made (as I didnt do A/B testing with them wrapped) but all I can say is that Im super happy. Along with all the other acoustic treatment Im using (panels, bass traps, MLV, diffusion) my room measures almost flat down to 32Hz using REW. Cinder blocks are more than sufficient in my room and I have no interest in upgrading to sound anchors...at least not yet. Great video!

[@halrichard1969]

Most non-audiophiles will place their speakers where they can. The room is a compromise and the furniture is a compromise. However, its a good thing to learn something. I have always ignored the Waterfall Chart, because I did not completely understand it, and well, I didnt want to make the effort to learn it. I learned it today with your comparison explanations. Thanks for that. Enjoy your audio sir.

[@Matt_Morgan]

I'm sure if you put sand in the Gators, like most users tend to do, you'll find that you'll get similar results as the Anchors, if not better. I changed mine for three legged ones and added crushed glass instead of sand and there's absolutely no ringing when I tap the legs with a metal object. I can also vouch for those ISO Acoustic Pucks. I use them too.

[@charlesbonkley]

Except those speakers in the vid are stupidly massive. I mean, WTF? Why even bother trying such a stand?

[@archiebeatz]

This is just what I needed dude. Thanks man.

[@ColtCapperrune]

Glad it helped!!

[@thecraggrat]

As people seem to be picking up on, the time domain (viz resonance decay) is going to be influenced by the absorption characteristics of the material/structures of the stands. For the concrete blocks, they (from your tap test) are quite resonant, but have minimal absorption. To increase the absorption, isolate the blocks from each other with a rubber like absorbant material (say the sound deadening material for car panels) and fill with a non resonant lossy material, ie sand etc. That should help by reducing the energy that can go into the concrete to make it ring, and then by absorbing the energy that makes it into the concrete after the stimulus is removed. So less energy should be absorbed and should also decay much faster.

[@shanegrush]

Great stuff, Colt. Congratulations on your Silver Play Button!

[@ronhochhalter3491]

Where this test went wrong was the minute someone said that the video was sponsored by a retailer. At that point there was no chance that a product they did not sell would have any validity in the test. Common sense folks, there's no way you can get anyone to spend $1200 on a speaker stand if it doesn't win the test over some concrete blocks.

[@danielelsinnombre8723]

exacto

[@codycreepcore]

I love tests like this. Acoustics is always sooooooo important for mixing and honestly I never thought to think about the sound of different speaker stands, but just if I had stands or not.

[@EazyRed]

keep in mind. Confirmation bias is a thing. Just so you know, the peaks and dips are due to super slight placement differences. The difference is not the stand lmaooooooo

[@gregvanpaassen]

The screwdriver tap test comprehensively shows the differences. The expensive stands were by far the best.

[@Bladecutter]

Great video. My wife watched it with me and was engaged! How did you make your measurements? I am considering starting to use REW, can it provide the graphs that you used? If not what do you recommend?

[@vandimarzio2251]

Don't be around the speaker when measurement is progressing. You guys seems like so big useful basstraps behind speakers affecting between 40-150Hz🙂

[@officialWWM]

But you will be in the room when you’re mixing, so it makes sense to be there when testing.

[@irish7460]

For the record, this is also doubles as a GREAT audio freq graph tutorial too. Kudos to you.

[@unclemick-synths]

Excellent video 👍. Looks like concrete blocks are the new egg cartons! 😀

[@InnerSiegeMetal]

Without even watching ... this is brilliant. Great content !

[@Three-Chord-Trick]

I read a post on KZbin where the author claimed to use toilet rolls as speaker stands. I suspected he was joking, but I tried it (new rolls, with the paper). AND IT WORKS. They eliminate any muddyness and boomy, intrusive bass frequencies. 😮

[@danielelsinnombre8723]

gracias, muchas gracias.

[@JurassicTrance]

Can you please ask your friend what model Laica Laser he was using?

[@davidpinkston7072]

Interesting tests. Been through all known permutations and I ended up with ATCs on Sound Anchors tuned with Trinnov System. I need to add the pucks now to see any differences. Appreciate your diligence.

[@ColtCapperrune]

You are running a great set up already!

[@josepuente8852]

I run PMC IB1’s with Sound Anchord and a Trinnov. I also added Iso pucks, the largest ones that allow 40lbs per puck. You’re definitely going to feel and hear a difference, one in the lows, and two with your transients. It’s worth the cost.

[@carlosbrown3591]

Nice video bro. How do you like the new Focal Sub12? I have the Trio11's and was looking at getting the sub too. I actually want a second pair of monitors (closed box design) though. Have you heard the Ex Machina line yet?

[@simongore29]

Honestly, my favourite part was tapping the stands! A simple technique that doesn't need much. I'm going to Rockwool fill my stands to take out the 'ping'. Thanks for the idea!

[@drgrunn174]

fill inside and isostrip outside, or something alike. Coz, U know, they emit those vibrations outwards.

[@dingdong2103]

Tapping the stands may bring joy in your heart but when you have +-10db peaks in your room response stands don't mean jack shit. You need better monitors and room acoustics...

[@jamielallen]

I'm running into an issue with my gator stands, but I need to pop the clamp/tightening device so I can line/make a barrier to stop a buzzing when one pipe vibrates against the other. Is that clamp/screw mount device simply glued to the pipe? Or was it harder to get off? I can't quite get it by twisting using only hands.

[@KevinGenus]

Sound Anchors fills each stand with different types of sand/epoxy mixtures to deaden the sand. You can do something similar with the cement blocks and probably get the same results (meaning the "thud" when you hit them).

[@scotth6814]

If I was going to use cement blocks, I would spray expanding foam into them.

[@ShnukmZ]

my ADHD was twitching when you guys did the sonarworks and were standing in a different position in the room every time🤣

[@RedSpark_]

Fantastic comparison Colt and a big thanks for putting the effort in to do it properly and showing all of the measurements without smoothing. Just a few comments: The 80hz peak on the blocks might not be a resonance. Notice how it doesn't decay (it's flat), that's the kind of thing you get in measurements when you have some background noise hum. or it's really really long, did you fill them with anything? it is still better though, you can see the smaller sloped peaks get shorter and the slope of the lowest mode is steeper. The measurements for the Gator stands might look a little better because you're providing some bass trapping with your body as you stand behind ready to catch them! Also, did you re-adjust the height when you put the pucks under the sound anchors? It looks like the comb filtering in the high end has shifted up in frequency which is what you'd expect if you changed a path length somewhere.

[@ColtCapperrune]

All excellent observations! We took multiple measurements of each set up, and the results were the same. The HVAC was turned off for each test. And my room is very quiet when nothing is happening we did not adjust the height of the sound anchors when we added the pucks. Mostly because I actually wanted the speakers to be a couple inches taller for the final position anyway. Thanks for the comment and for watching!

[@SpacedOutDoonie]

Anyone know if those pucks are better than iso pads?

[@utubewillyman]

Great test--very informative. I'm curious to see how solid concrete would do. Those hollow blocks have resonance chambers like the body of a guitar.

[@saruman4935]

Which size of sound anchors you got? Coz I have focal trio 11 be as well which model do you have? Thank tou

[@the_adam_gallant]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm wondering, did you take these kinds of measurements when you were doing the ultimate monitor shootout vid? If not, do you think this kind of measurement process would affect your selection process?

[@ColtCapperrune]

Great question! We did not take measurements of the different monitors because it wouldn’t have really told us much. Just the difference in frequency response between the monitors. Choosing monitors is deeply personal, and much less technical. We need to to get as technical as possible to find these results for this video. Thanks for watching!

[@rodmorrison47]

Well. I was certainly not prepared to be that surprised at the differences. You definitely get what you pay for. Great video, and your pride at your 100K award was both wholesome and justified. You've got a new subscriber.

[@berinloritsch]

I think what you are seeing is in the difference of the rigidity of the different materials and construction. For the concrete blocks to behave like you thought they would, you would need to fill the gaps with sand and use mortar to make one solid structure. The combination of mass and removing the ability for the blocks to vibrate against each other would make them more rigid and contribute less to the sound of the speakers. When the concrete blocks are loose like that, they all can still vibrate. That said, the results from your sound testing did reveal some standing waves in your room. Parallel surfaces that are about 14.15 feet apart can account for that 80 hz standing wave (speed of sound divided by hertz). That can be fixed by making the surfaces different by as little as 5 degrees, or introducing diffusion blocks on even one side. The low end reverberation can be addressed with some bass traps.

[@djpatrikk]

Well said. I was a bit surprised to see the graph of his room. Not that mine will be any better but it is smaller so I don’t think I’ll have the low end resonances that he has.

[@sandovalproducer]

Congrats in your 100k subs, glad to be one of those since some weeks ago

[@imhenotic]

Nice test, although it would be nice to have a scientist or an epistemmology guy in the room to check for methodological mistakes that will certainly affect the results. For example, were you guys standing at the same place during measurements? I’m assuming not, behind the speaker is one of the worst spots possible. Where was the camera guy? The audio test must be done remotely with the room completely empty. When you guys took the concrete stands out to test the others, did you left them in the room messing with the acoustics or you took them out? Nevertheless great video!

[@henriquematias1986]

How does the gater stand sound if you tap with the speaker on top? I have my Focal shape twin on then for years and it’s not bad 😅

[@enricolisk1357]

Considering 20 Hz to 20 kHz human hearing range: Can we really "HEAR" the difference in reduction of resonance below 20hz? Thank you so much for this video. Much appreciated!!!

[@erniesanders3724]

Congratulations on the You Tube Award Colt. Love your posts.

[@MusicCityAcoustics]

This is awesome! Thanks so much for making this video! Now we can send people this video when we're shouting from the rooftops about the importance of good speaker stands. 😂

[@ColtCapperrune]

It makes a significant difference! Thanks for watching!

[@jackeyyow]

Hi, may i know whats the model of the laser measurement set and where can i get those ? Thanks

[@lorindamikaela]

I made steel speaker stands 2 years ago, stands weigh 43kg [95 lbs] each. Four legs on each stand filled with fine sand, 40cm / 16 inches high. A little overkill but I'm happy --- the speakers sound fantastic !!!

[@myturningpoint]

I'm literally converting my garage into a home studio right now (video series on my channel) and I have a pair of the Gators (UK/EU versions). Luckily I have PLENTY of acoustic rockwool left over from the soundproofing of my walls and ceiling that I'm using to build about 20 acoustic panels with for the room when the building work is finished. I will be setting aside some of that rockwool to stuff into the Gator's tubes to deaden them as much as possible. I will also be DIY'ing some isolating 'pucks' from the leftover techsound SY100 rubber soundproofing layer and 5mm soundmat underfloor isolation layer under my flooring. So glad I found this video regarding how decent the Gators are for their price point. thanks!

[@kelly.david.lee.]

I'd be interested to see this test done with solid wood stands? Awesome vid thank you!

[@ColtCapperrune]

Thanks for watching!

[@BassStuff]

Congrats on the 100k subs Colt ! You are so honest, interesting and eloquant, this channel is awesome. Have you compare the ISO pucks with the cheaper MoPad from Auralex?

[@gregalee]

The concrete blocks have huge air volumes inside and will resonate because of them. Like you, I built stands out of concrete blocks and measured them. They were terrible. However, I didn't use any flat blocks like you did, only the standard masonry units with the two large voids. I stuffed these with cut squares of recycled denim insulation until there were no more voids filled with air. They calmed down quite a bit and sounded passable afterward. I oriented the blocks so that the open sides of the voids were facing vertically, toward the bottom of the speaker. They essentially eat up any energy leaving the speaker cabinet directly downward.

[@aaronb1138]

I'm willing to bet most of the LF waterfall energy was the fact that the concrete blocks effectively extended the baffle all the way to the floor.

[@thejunkexperiment553]

Colt! I need a cable management video! Your studio is so organized! How do you get all your compressors, EQ’s, preamps etc in cunjuction with the xlrs/cables organized!

[@danweston6109]

The bricks are effectively extending the baffle of the speaker down to the floor, changing the low end response/baffle step designed in the crossover. Hence the 2db upper bass boost with bricks.

[@csdstudio78]

This. I was looking for a baffle step comment.

[@martinlopez2955]

how high off the ground where your speakers? im going through something very similar with a set of JBL L55's that Im trying to setup properly in my control room.great video!

[@andyracksthecams]

If the concrete blocks cost thousands then hifi nob eds will say they sound better yes!

[@brucedickert5411]

Holy Schneikey, I loved this video. So incredibly informative. Apparently, I'm not as cool as I thought...and also as apparently, way nerdier than I thought. Keep em coming Colt. And congrats on the award!

[@AdamsOlympia]

I've been very happy with my Monoprice Monolith stands, mass loaded with sand. I can't imagine the sound quality changing much with more expensive stands, but I could be wrong. Running Adam A7X on them.

[@robertfournier7050]

I like that you work on showing us these differences. I also own a nice pair of Focal ..

[@AtTheSourceStudios]

I ONLY wish you had showed the audio comparison as well. Other than that I love these kinds of videos. Comparison videos FTW!!

[@ColtCapperrune]

Unfortunately, there’s no good way to show you what it sounds like. First of all I would get a copyright strike for listening to music. Secondly, a mono camera microphone is in no way even a decent representation of what’s happening in the room. I wish there was a better way to do it, but I have tried several, and the results are all very underwhelming. Once they go through a camera and get posted on KZbin.

[@mixfactortv]

Colt, Please tell me an alternative for Trios because SoundAnchor is not really available in Europe.

[@andreashalim6694]

The brick might perform better if you use a hollow brick or construct it differently. I'm guessing what caused the problem was the brick surface area. Its.huge compared to the stands. So it will certainly reflect more frequencies and might store more. Try reducing surface reflection area from the brick, that will be an interesting comparison.

[@rileymcmead]

The recording of the sound anchors with the pucks sounded like it was playing natively through my speakers. That is really amazing. You could use that setup for film production.

[@monarch_music]

Sound Anchors make a kevlar puck for the bottom of their stands that decouples the stands from the floor even further than the built in spikes. They made a huge difference in my room. So much so that I bought a second set of pucks for the subwoofer in my home theater. It would be interesting if you ran the test again with those.

[@ColtCapperrune]

I have a set on the way!

[@slavesforging5361]

ooooh. i likey.

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

@@ColtCapperrune I would recommend the Gaia I or II under the stands ( screwed in).

[@iggylai]

Colt, I also own Focal Trio 11's. Which model of Sound Anchor Stands did you purchase? Appreciate the help. Thanks.

[@jorykevinberger7047]

I wanted sound anchors until now. Very disappointed. The pucks doing the heavy lifting. Gator impressive compared to sound anchors. Would have liked to have seen a smoothing as well and to see that “ear” difference AND then hear what you have to say about that ear difference, if what it would show corresponds to what you hear. I wonder in general if the sub is causing the wider null around 270hz in relation to the desk. And if you widened the focal, or put them horizontal, if new placement overall would help? Curious how you decided how far back from the front wall and how wide cone to cone was the best measurement? Cheers! Loved seeing this insight!

[@ColtCapperrune]

So the sub was turned off for all of these tests. The pucks are definitely the most impressive part of all of this. And with smoothing turned on it was definitely a better curve with the sound makers plus pucks over anything else. Thanks for watching!

[@gregvanpaassen]

@@ColtCapperrune The sub doesn't need to be on to affect the results. The mere presence of the sub's cone and cavity would colour the sound. It drives me nuts listening to "speaker tests" with other speakers in the same room, resonating merrily at random frequencies. Having got that off my chest, your Focals are very nice!

[@jwtubification]

Nice video and interesting results! How would you expect those results to differ with some of the more common home studio monitors like Yamaha and Adam and KRK vs the results you got with the Focal Trio, which is more of a professional grade monitor than a lot of home recording people might have?

[@Endless_Skyway_Adventures]

The part that is shocking is that you didn’t test the difference with the speakers raised so that the waveform leaving the speakers doesn’t encounter turbulence from reflections off of your console. Assuming a vertical dispersion of 90 degrees you have 30% of that field bouncing off the console and back to the woofer.

[@ColtCapperrune]

The reason that wasn’t a concern is because we were simultaneously testing for the real world. Speakers and stands don’t live in a vacuum. So they had to be in the correct placement for my mix position in order for the data to mean anything to me personally hope that helps!

[@Endless_Skyway_Adventures]

@@ColtCapperrune alternatively you could run them horizontally and raise them to keep your mid and tweeters at the same level. Or you can just ignore the destructive resonances in the low end. At least test it, maybe I’m wrong.

[@AndrewCCM]

THIS. Console/Desk always contributes to nulls/dips. I see it most for me at 120hz using smaller monitors (Kali IN-5, etc). Solved by moving them up and to the side of my console. Its a bit weird, but it fixed the giant null I was getting at 110-120ish...

[@pyanek]

but at 16:50 you hit the stand with the speaker ON it, which is completely different to holding a brick in a hand, or hitting the other stand with the hand pressed on it... the weight on the different materials is non-comparable. Why did you do it this way when you could've made the conditions actually similar for every stand? is this an elaborate paid ad?

[@laserfloyd]

Those high-dollar stands must have some kind of insulation inside them? That's pretty wild that they don't resonate nearly at all when tapped. Of course, you could just pour a solid concrete slab of a stand and call it a day. 😂

[@ColtCapperrune]

They must have something inside them, they weigh a ton, but we couldn’t get the end caps off without damaging them to check

[@shanegrush]

The uprights are filled and damped from the factory, but anytime I’ve asked I’ve not gotten a direct answer as to what the material is. 😂 Love the Sound Anchors though!

[@billytootill5885]

i bet it you were to coat blocks it a flex seal type coating of Ryno bedliner coating the would out perform most stands. Id like to playing around with some option and find out.What software and mic are you using to measure freg responce?I have laser level mason by trade but attempt my own music so have mic and DAW and all that.

[@kellydonnelly7828]

Great vid Colt. Doesn't look like you are using the spikes and coasters. I've been using Sound Anchors since 1999. To me ultimate performance would be Sound Anchors on spikes and cone coaster with Isopucks. Also the stands have less resonance due to the filling and the actual mass of the stands. The powder coat does little as far a I know. K.

[@ColtCapperrune]

I agree! Unfortunately, they are out of stock, but I will be getting some as soon as they are available

[@mjagsfan11]

I am the Operations Manager at Sound Anchors. We absolutely have conecoasters in stock! LOVE the video. Seeing the comparison was very cool, and you did a great job explaining everything.

[@kellydonnelly7828]

@@ColtCapperrune You won't be dissappointed Colt. You might want to try the original spikes with the cones. You have 2 be carefule during install but they're easier to adjust for level. Originally those were the only spikes avaiable. Coasters now come w a smaller wider surface point designed for the cones. They r much shorter, harder to level but fit tighter on the cones.

[@itsanthonybest]

What tool / software are you using to measure this?

[@jked7463]

One thing to remember, the anchor stands cantilever the speakers off of the front of the stand posts while the $100 stand support the speakers under the center of gravity of the speaker. That makes them inherently balanced. That puts puts less bending stress into the posts themselves. The anchor stands with the excentric loading makes the post into a spring. The posts are probably filled with a sound deadening material (spray foam?). That makes them a well damped spring, but still a spring. But even though the posts don't resonate, the fact that they are in a bending mode, means that they may be allowing micro movements. And the speakers are also on a cantilevered arm. That would allow for more micro movement as the drivers move back and forth. Those micro movements may be what you are seeing in the waterfall plot and why it is not much better than the $100 stands.

[@EXPLICITBG]

What measurement software are you using?

[@Transistor97]

First of all, congrats on hitting 100k subs! That's awesome! I was thinking you could cut down on some of the resonance in the Gator stands by filling them with cotton balls or sand or something similar along with the pucks. Obviously with a smaller profile speaker. Might be worth a try?

[@ColtCapperrune]

Thanks so much! I think that’s absolutely worth a try, and the pucks on the gator stands with smaller lighter speakers is probably a wonderful budget option! I would’ve loved to have a bit more time to experiment with filling the concrete blocks, and the gator stands with sand to see what would have happened

[@devicefuldb5097]

Great vid. Did you have sand in the Sound Anchors?

[@guillaumev1022]

You should try to fill the cheap gator stands with sand and measure to see how much of a difference it makes.

[@ColtCapperrune]

I would have loved to do that, and fill the concrete blocks with sand

[@tfbattag]

What I was thinking too. I used to do that with hi-fi stands back in the day.

[@moemerhi]

Congrats on 100k. Been a fan since 49k and its been a pleasure!

[@EthanWiner]

The reason your measurements were surprising is because you didn't measure what you think you measured. I promise you that all of the sonic differences you measured are due to very small changes in speaker placement. I understand that you used a laser device to get the speakers as close to the same location each time, but they must have been slightly different. Even 1/4 inch is enough to make a real difference in both the response and waterfall graphs you showed. The ringing you heard tapping the concrete blocks is at midrange frequencies, so that won't affect the bass range. And it probably wouldn't be loud enough to show on the graph anyway. A sine wave sweep excites that resonance much less than whacking it with a screwdriver. This stuff is very tricky to do correctly! When I measured speaker isolation, and proved it has no effect on competent speakers like yours, I kept the speaker placement differences to less than 1/4 inch. And even then there were small differences due to room acoustics, unrelated to the isolation devices being compared.

[@EthanWiner]

@ColtCapperrune001 Thanks Colt, I truly appreciate your mature and reasoned response to my clear explanation of the physics.

[@baronvonlichtenstein]

I think the differences fall off with distance. From the distance his speakers were to the measurements I would think minor angles would be trivial.

[@davidbadstubner4582]

What I really want to know is where you got those slick boots when you did the chop saw segment!

[@macdtravis]

I bought similar stands to the gator stands, they fit in my budget, and are high enough for my standing desk. Just wondering if putting some rubber rings or matting around the stands would help with improving the reverberations?

[@aro7975]

What about the vibration you feel when the bass is playing. Does the sound anchors help more with that?

[@cesarmunoz1832]

Great video ! And quick question have you made a video regarding power in your studio ? What’s the gear you use for that such power isolators ? Thank you so much for all the videos you make !

[@al5152001]

Hello!!! Can those speaker stands be purchased….Please let me know where and how……Thanks! Kinda scan through video…..Rushing to work

[@matthewpritchard6109]

Really interesting! I hadn't realised how much of a difference: (a) the speaker stand makes; and (b) the acoustic pucks make. Yet MORE kit I'm going to have to try to convince my wife to let me buy...

[@alexrichardson9125]

You have a way of explaining complicated points such as the waterfall chart very clearly and creating real interest - you should be a teacher!

[@sparkplugrecs.official]

@Colt Capperune Can we get links for the tools used to measure?

[@oscarmorales-cn3hz]

Filling the main tube with wax helps a lot, and also place the stands with rubber and foam on the top. I did it in my early years for the studios 40 years ago... Good stuff!

[@andynonimuss6298]

For the rest of us who don't have 82 lb monitors... the stand I recommend is the K&M Konig & Meyer 26720 monitor stand that is height adjustable. Mine are holding up my heavy A77Xs with little effort. The rated load capacity is 35 kg / 77 lb. K&M also has a new model 26722 that is exactly the same specs, but now has a larger top plate.

[@juricabura8967]

It was great test, but only mistake is that You changed Your standing positions in the room while recording. It will effect the sound a lot. Thanks for test and effort, really cool video

[@byteborg]

What software did you use for measuring? FWIW, I made stands for my nearfield speakers from printed plastic (solid) and threaded rods. This combination is also sonically dead, so to say.

[@pace_of_mind]

Hey Colt, awesome video, thanks for sharing the results of your experiment! I think I'm going to go ahead and deaden my gators by putting some sand into it as many people suggest. One question, I assume your measurement mic is omnidirectional, but usually they have different frequency responses depending on the angle. Why did you directed it towards the ceiling? I wonder how the waterfall is going to look like if you face it straight towards the speakers. My waterfall is always

[@walkabout16]

Would people and stands moved around in the room between tests effect the resonance of the room? Was there sound deadening in the walls? ( anechoic chamber)

[@christopherward5065]

In my experience stands that are stiff, well dampened and low mass are better. Stands that ring are resonant. Stands with high mass do a couple of things. They resonate at lower frequencies and they store more energy longer. Stands couple the speaker to the floor so the floor gets driven and sends sound back into the room. The undulating floor makes the stands wave the speakers around. Decoupling the speaker from the stand cleans up the sound. The iso acoustics pucks on the stand improves the sound by limiting transmission of vibration into the stands and the floor. If you put isolation pucks between the stand and the floor you will get an even better outcome. If you measure the mass of the speaker and its stand and get isolation pucks that are designed to work in that mass range, you will get a very direct sound minus stand resonance and floor resonance. The imaging and resolution will both improve.

[@jpruggieri]

Hey Colt, what software did you use to get the readings?

[@bluespeakswords3910]

Do you have a video walking through how in the world you make your voice sound so clear in this video? it is crystal and full. Its is literately the first thing i noticed right in the beginning of your video! I'm searching through page for one now but i don't see it.

[@ColtCapperrune]

Thanks so much! All of the room tuning portion of this video was using a Sennheiser MKE400 on camera. And a Sennheiser 416 mkII was used for the talking head, second half of the video. I do have a video called “audio for video” I believe it was going over how I process my vocals in these videos. However, it won’t necessarily be exact settings. Hope that helps!

[@ColtCapperrune]

Also, keep in mind all of the dialogue in this video is happening in a very well treated room with nearly 100% absorption on the walls

[@bluespeakswords3910]

@@ColtCapperrune Thank You so much for this!!! I'm about to go to the video now. I do short form Spoken word and poetry content and the sound from my vocals are literally all over the place. Its kind of embarrassing LOL. Your videos are really good BTW. Got you are a new subscriber here. Thanks again! 😄

[@Kookaspahkina]

The sound anchors resonate in the low freqs without the pucks?

[@brianjones3584]

Colt, just curious why you have the sub sideways versus facing you?

[@JamesArthurHurley]

Wait. Home Depot didn’t want in on this sponsorship? Hahaha. Amazing, still watching but I frigging love it

[@ColtCapperrune]

😂😂😂

[@NonJudicialParent]

May I ask what laser was used to measure the speakers, the distance, and the angle of the speakers?