I was Dumb! Get some Cheap Speaker Stands!

[@cheapaudioman]

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[@6StringPassion.]

As an audiophile purist, I use 2 eunuchs to hold my speakers, because these are 100% neutral. Plus, I know my wife is safe when I'm not home.

[@Durkhead]

Tell me your a Mel brooks fan without telling me your a Mel brooks fan

[@6StringPassion.]

@@Durkhead I've been accused of being Abby Normal.

[@Kbaum752]

A funny thing happened in the way too the forum. You'll never learn you'll always be a eunuch

[@jdm-uk-yank]

What shoe size are your stands equipped with?

[@6StringPassion.]

​@@jdm-uk-yank Genuine eunuchs don't have shoes. If yours do, then they are likely counterfeit and you need to check under the toga. I think there's a mod for that though, so no need to return them.

[@jesuscostantino2925]

I bought a couple of cheap stands (~$60/pair) off of Amazon a while back that I’ve modded the crap out of. Replaced the original steel platforms with MDF, sawed the center support down to the right height, repainted the glass bases, filled the center steel support with sand, added isolation footers, added isolation foam between the speakers and platforms. The best thing about these stands is that since they were cheap, I could afford to take risks with modification experiments. To get anything noticeably better, I’d have to spend $500+, and that would be more for aesthetic improvements rather than audible ones.

[@josephchamberlain3681]

The appropriate height stands for the listening position is a big deal and definitely worth a bit of discussion.

[@CinemaDemocratica]

Best practice for speaker placement is a *shockingly* under-addressed topic among YT audio reviewers. There's a guy somewhere in Iowa who puts five-figure-price-tag systems against a cinder block wall in his basement. There's a husband and wife who audition everything with the speakers straddling a TV stand. One of the most well-known guys in the space auditions powered bookshelf speakers by putting them on top of a floor-standing pair of speakers, which are in turn backed hard up against a pair of Federalist-era eight-pane glass windows. Which I'm sure don't rattle even the tiniest little bit.

[@AndrewB23]

​@@CinemaDemocraticayou do know cinder block wall is actually really good because it's a very dead material

[@CinemaDemocratica]

@@AndrewB23 *Your memories of your dad's garage when you were a kid have joined the chat.

[@OutdoorShellback]

JUST got myself some stands last monday for my JBL Stage A130's and the difference between the stands and the table they were sitting on was monumental and an absolute no doubter. I'm new to the audiophile landscape so sometimes I find myself searching for things often talked about, for instance sound stage and imaging. With the speakers set on the stands I finally got a taste of what that means!

[@ramondelgado6778]

What stands did you go with? Thank you!!!

[@erics.4113]

What amp do you run with the stage a130? They are fun but i really love how they look so I give them plus points for that

[@eddents]

Glad to hear you could really hear a difference. I'm curious if the new stands changed the placement of your A130's in the room? Wondering what you think was the predominant factor that enabled the stands to make such a noticeable improvement to the speaker sound in your space? Thanks!

[@erics.4113]

@@eddents it was probably due to getting them away from walls and furniture that would further accentuate the resonances of this speaker. I really like this speaker, but it is fairly resonant (cabinet) at moderate to higher volumes

[@NosEL34]

Depending on your gear and type of listening, stands are almost necessary for bookshelf speakers in my opinion. They could very well be DIY though. I will say that when I tried Iso-Acoustic pucks between my speakers and the stands I felt their was a clear difference. To me the biggest phenomenon was being able to play the speakers at higher volume while still keeping perfect clarity. I was momentarily mind blown 🤯

[@zachbenson9548]

I made my own speaker stands using concrete deck blocks, cinder blocks, high strength epoxy, paint, fairy lights, plexiglass and rubber furniture feet. Each stand weighs in around 100 lbs and the isolation is excellent! The project took about 4-5 days, most of that was waiting on paint and epoxy to dry, and cost me about $80-$90. I get compliments on them all the time and the performance is excellent. When I move this summer I'm going to sell these and build another set but refine it a little further maybe with wood veneer instead of paint, plug-in lighting instead of battery powered fairy lights and maybe an isolated platform on top depending on the height I need at the new spot. I live in a studio and built them indoors so you don't need a workshop or any fancy tools besides a plexiglass blade. I bought everything except the plexiglass at the local Ace Hardware.

[@ChicagoRob2]

The heavier, the better. I have super heavy-duty Target stands, each of which is loaded with 45lbs. of sand. The icing on the cake is spiking them to the floor. Really tightened up the bass!

[@fritzkabeano1969]

Yeah, I've used cider blocks (painted black) for years. Usually get them for free if you keep your eyes open.

[@CinemaDemocratica]

Fun fact: Any tubular style of speaker stand, designed with the intention of using (one of) the tubes as a cable chase, can *also* be ballasted. Just plug the bottom cable hole from the inside and you're stylin. I've got a friend who, when we were in college, ran his speaker cables through the tube and then ballasted around the speaker cables. I'm less sure how I feel about that, but he proves that it's doable.

[@TheGreatBizarro]

I use the Monoprice Elements Speaker Stand - 23 Inch (Pair) about $59.00 for a pair. Puts the Klipsch RP-600M at a good height for listening while sitting on my couch. They have a notch top and bottom for cables so not gonna work with infill unless you put the infill in a plastic bag.

[@jamesoloughlin]

I’m in the process of building tall speaker stands for my loudspeakers. Have a bunch of great lumber and making use of it. 🤞 I’m not a carpenter but I have some power tools and KZbin.

[@iknowyounot88]

Monoprice also has a stand with a larger top plate too if anyone's like me with big bookshelf's (Swans M300 MK2), I bought some garnet sand shipped from Home Depot which is heavier than regular play sand(silica/quarts) and cat litter but not as expensive as metal fillers and the sound difference is night and day.

[@genecase9464]

Speaker stands are one of the few areas where you can get creative, like bar stools. I bought two pairs of unfinished solid wood plant stands from Hoot Judkins 25 years ago. Strong enough to sit on. I also bought a pair of what I believe to be Paradigm metal stands at a thrift store for $19. Super heavy and welded together. Garage sales might be a good place to stumble upon some "creative" speaker stands. And Froot Loops belong in a bowl, NOT a speaker stand.

[@entitykeeper8869]

Very good product knowledge video as usual. Back in the 80's I was an audio salesman. When I would set up the sound room all the smaller speakers would be eye level while the largest speakers would be a foot or so off the floors. Rack systems were floor level. The Bose 901's were my least favorite. They required a dedicated EQ and it was a muddy sound.

[@MDavis2112]

My company sells 4" diameter neoprene pads used for compression testing concrete cylinders in 50, 60, and 70 durometer. I use them under my SVS sub and other items, about $8 each, works like a charm 👌

[@barrygalvin8631]

im using iso-acoustic gaia iii, isolation (might be considered a puck), first speaker i used it on was my polk sda 1B speakers that i refurbished myself. the gaia iii cleaned up the sound considerably. On my next speakers, the Spatial Audio hologram M3 Triode Master open baffle speakers. the isolation works well with these! I'm very happy with the results!

[@shawnjdm7064]

I used hockey pucks back in the day, 25 years ago when I was a teen. Put them under my speakers to stop the CD from skipping 🤣🤣🤣. I live in Canada, always hockey pucks laying around up here.

[@allenbrixey1122]

Exercise matt 1/2 thick, cut to the size you like. I use it under my KEF speakers and also under my subwoofer. You can use sand to fill in the speaker stands. Good job as always. 👍

[@CinemaDemocratica]

I use adhesive-backed edge guard under my speaker feet, tripled.

[@59seank]

Most speaker stands I've come across have a top plate that is too small for the speakers I've owned.

[@chadwick1e466]

Love my monolith stands. I have a pare of Emotiva B1+ bookshelves on those. Got those because Randy said they were a great deal over a couple years ago and always smile when I walk past them. For me they were the perfect height for rear surrounds and did not break the bank, but have that premium look. Thanks Randy.

[@danielh12345]

No hockey pucks for me, did DIY some stands with some old wooden beams and some plywood I still had. The feet underneath are those simple spikes with the tiny cups that they sit in. Stands are bolted to the speakers using the mounting holes where I previously had those same feet. Had some veneer leftover from the speaker build so they are finished in the same style :). Sonic improvement is definately there. Could be tweeters that are now at ear level, less reflections from the desk, added mass from the stands or combination of it all!

[@maweitao]

I got that first set of Monolith stands in December. I chose them over similarly priced options because reviews seemed more positive and they have a higher weight limit than most other inexpensive options. They're very stable and reasonably heavy without being filled. The one complaint I have is that they only came with carpet spikes and nothing for hardwood floors, but that was easily remedied. I also think they look good and will integrate well with most speakers and rooms.

[@cyberathlete]

what was the remedy. I just picked up a pair myself but haven't set them up yet. Planning to do it next week but they will be placed on hard wood floors.

[@trickfall8752]

I’ve been searching for stands but like most modern hifi gear I have t been able to find any that I find aesthetically pleasing.

[@ThePittsburghToddy]

I found some adjustable, side clamping speaker stands at a yard sale but they were missing the feet. I got some black rubber stoppers from Ace and screwed them on to the bottom of the stands. About $8.🖖🏼

[@NeilBlanchard]

Sand makes a good damping / mass loading material to fill speaker stands with. The top and bottom plate sizes are important - the top plate needs to be close to the footprint of the speaker.

[@arthurkillen396]

Square stone trivets between the speaker and stand/desk/console will greatly improve isolation as well. If you stack two of them, even better. They usually have cork bottoms, so you're creating different layers of density to isolate the speakers. They usually weigh 3-5 lbs each, so be mindful of that.

[@Voidrunner01]

I used granite tiles for my own setup, to decouple the speakers from my desk. Silicone feet under the first tile, then sorbothane feet under the second tile, and another set of silicone feet under the speakers. Lets me change toe-in angle without issue and basically eliminates any vibration from the speaker cabinet itself being transferred into the desktop.

[@charlesdrake4435]

To eliminate resonance from metal on metal contact just get an old inner tube and cut the appropriate size "patch" to fit between the metal pieces.

[@bryanklitzke9723]

Loving the Kenwood in the background.

[@deimagoston]

I don't know how accessible NorStone products in US and Canada but in Europe they are very popular. I have a pair of them and the pair of them works pretty well. All metal, adjustable spikes, hidden cables.... really good. The NorStone Stylum 2 is nearly perfect. Good height, various colors and they can hold 50 kg per stand... so it's ideal for even bigger bookshelf speakers. I really dig them. Makes a difference in sound.

[@lern2swim]

Another option for desktop (or for raising up/decoupling speakers on stands) is yoga blocks.

[@progqueen6219]

And that's what I have. 😅 As sqare stool, 2 yoga blocks mounted to a plate and some isolation knobs under the speaker. all painted in the wall colour, so they really blend in.

[@1337sim1]

Fill the metal Monolith stands with dry sand and enjoy audio bliss 😎

[@DmitriWeissman]

This video came a bit too late for me. Could save me lots of time. Recently, I "upgraded" my setup by replacing the 30 year old Bose acoustimass serving as surround and height with a pair of Q150 (at 300$) as surrounds (no heights at the moment). After many evenings, I ended up ordering a pair of Monolith stands. They are not perfect. My biggest complaint is the wobbly spikes attachment. But they do the job. And they come in different height. So it was perfect for me as I wanted surrounds slightly elevated. But I clearly see why the KEF S2 stands (attached to the Metas in front) cost more. But I was unable to convince myself to put 300$ speakers on the 450$ stands :)

[@motorcer74]

Rockville monitor stands, they come with rubber feet and spikes for carpet. Fill with lead wheel weights and sand. I use high density foam wedges also to get the correct angle. Under $100 a pair

[@dan4466]

I have the Monolith 28in ones I filled with sand. They’re beautiful stands( very heavy with the sand), but I took it one step further for looks. I got some black construction paper and cut about a 2 1/2 in width and run it on the backside the whole height of the stands. Takes away that gap in the center and really looks nice. Gives the stands a whole new look. I noticed if you looked at them from an angle you didn’t see the gap. That center gap opening was bugging the hell out of me.

[@jb678901]

No room for stands in my setup, so I went with isolation studs and insulated metal floor pucks that fix in position the pointed studs. About $20 for a set of 8, to my recollection. I stacked adhesive cork to the base of each metal puck to further isolate from the tiled floor. The studs required installation to the corners of each speaker box base, drilled and glued the metal sockets for each stud. Studs are adjustable so that I could position the speakers with a slight upward elevation, facing forward. Haven't considered the hockey pucks...but this one could be even better...with the existing studs. I supposed I would drill a small center point in each puck to fix the stud point position.

[@zippymagee]

Subwoofers I have came with hard plastic feet and would move around on the hard flooring. Pre -Drilled and screwed in hockey pucks absolutely no way they are walking around now! Also after I got them hooked up I'm sure I heard bass that I never heard from them before.

[@SteveG325]

I needed something not only attractive but that also looked good with a vintage system. I settled on some walnut kid’s stools from Amazon, about $40 a piece. They are a tiny bit low at about 13” but I listen on my low sofa, so it works. They almost exactly match the wood color of the Dynaco A25’s and have brass feet, similar to the nameplate. For isolation and safety the speakers are stuck on with a bunch of blue tack as I didn’t want to drill into them. I’m sure I there’s something out there I could do for slightly better sound but this is a good compromise for me.

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

Thanks for the review and perspectives. Not the most engaging subject, but stands have their place and purpose.

[@danedes9297]

Hockey pucks. I have wooden floors that make it necessary to isolate my subwwoofers from the floor. I use two hockey pucks on each foot to raise them. The bottom puck is a soft puck and the top is a black hard puck. The soft puck seems to better decouple the speaker from the floor

[@starker1971]

Well I try and be explicit by posting a url to the exact product I purchased but I guess that's not allowed ?? I bought the Monoprice wood 24", I like it but for the weight capacity, the top plate is very small. I have really enjoyed these wood stands. J JACKCUBE DESIGN Solid Wood Speaker Stand $59 a pair with 22 lb capacity. I have SVS Ultras sitting on them.

[@andrewkivela5668]

I used a couple of hockey pucks to temporarily raise my living room soundbar so it wasn't blocking a sensor. They worked so well I just left them in place.

[@eugeneniemierzycki6490]

Good, useful information explained in a natural, sane way! And won't break the budget!

[@jackimo22]

Sand, fill them with kiln dried sand! It’s cheep and can pack it really dense to completely deaden any void. Adds good weight to things too

[@christravis8288]

Similar to hockey pucks, you can buy really cheap anti vibration feet for Washing machines. I put them under my sub and the bass was a lot smoother, less muddy.

[@mattspokane]

For a while I used some guitar stands for my speakers. They had a good angle. I down the top with the part that the guitar neck would normally rest on. I thought that they looked all right but mixed reviews from the girlfriend. There is already foam around the parts that contact the speaker so they protect the wood and probably isolate a little bit. The biggest disadvantage is that they are rather tippy depending on the size of your speaker.

[@ScottGarrettDrums]

I bought an $18 walnut / metal computer monitor stand, for my computer desk, to put a pair of SSCS5's on. I covered the bottom of the stand, including on the stands where they connect, in car audio sound deadener (Amazon Basics brand) I happened to have on-hand. I then cut some good old foam mouse pad to size for the speaker cabinets to sit on. There is no resonance from the stand or transference to my desk. I also have room under the stand for my amp and tube pre-amp as well as heat shielding from the sound deadener.

[@Muskyfishn84]

Pangea stands look a lot like the steel monolith stands, but without the rust and with better fit and finish. Easy to fill with sand with a solo cup and a small funnel.

[@ginom407]

I use yoga blocks for my desktop Uni-Fi 2.0. The foam blocks. Been wanting to try a pair of cork blocks but I haven't gotten around to buying those yet. Highly recommend!!! Great topic Randy! 👍👍👍

[@Sylvan_dB]

I'm using cork yoga blocks. Sounds good to me! I tried foam blocks, but I couldn't take the smell. Left them out in the garage for a year or two and they lost that smell,

[@tubefreeeasy]

I just received some spring tensioned speaker de-coupler placed under my speaker stands. My goal was to reduce my desktop from shaking my tube amp and my desk in general. I'm waiting on isolation spike pads to go underneath my speakers themselves. Those will replace my Iso-acoustic sorbothane with the spike pads style because I see them being more effective. I plan to use my sorbothane as a center support of my speakers and stands. So far, with the springs, my desktop vibrations has reduced immensely.

[@tubefreeeasy]

I had to reduce the spring tension in order to work more effectively. There are 7 springs that come with my pads. I removed three of them.

[@tubefreeeasy]

I repurposed my sorbothane and fit them under my tube amp and distributor box. Try that! I do not feel any vibration on my amp. I feel that any vibration is a distortion of sound.

[@madisonsinclair5123]

Randy, love the channel. Here's a review suggestion: BIC America F12. Best performing and hands down best looking entry-level sub. Wait, no, I'm sure it will spec out as just another ported black cube, but it's not. They have raised the price quite a bit since I bought mine, but I own three of these things and swear by them. They really should be on anyone's cheap audio list. No chuffing, no clipping, just much deeper bass than you expect for the money. Check it out.

[@WisGuy4]

I use a pair of landscape pavers under each speaker on my desktop to raise their tweeters up to ear level. They are perfectly inert with zero resonance, I could select a combination for the right height, and in a brown color and slight trapezoid shape, they aren’t outright ugly like a gray concrete block would be. At $1.50 each, $6 for the full set, I have speaker stands that are a small fraction of the price of the ones that you are mentioning that are 100% as functional, if not better.

[@AnthonyTripoli]

Is the goal of these “isolators” to dampen vibrations? I get not wanting to transfer vibration/sound to a stand/desk/floor, which can add unwanted sound or color sound, but doesn’t some sort of squishy material under a speaker also absorb some of the natural energy/frequencies being put out by the speakers in the process, thereby deadening them? If you are on a concrete basement floor, wouldn’t it be better to somehow couple the speaker to that inert foundation in a way that makes the speaker rock solid instead of “dampened”? Is that even possible, though?

[@thirdkey9]

I was gonna do a DIY but recently stumbled on US based Rockville Pro-Audio and got heavy wood SS stands that were a good solution with 3 different speakers. Added some Sorbothane and sounds no different than my metal stands with sand costing 2x more.

[@eddents]

Wow, Rockville Pro-Audio has a decent selection of fairly inexpensive speaker stands. Thanks for sharing! Maybe @cheapaudioman Randy can check it out and add the link?

[@gravitystorm61158]

I have those exact ones. My Hsu Bookshelf speakers sit atop. My Hsu VTF2 pairs very well. But the stands, I place a silicone pad between the speaker and stand.

[@FlyOnAlbatross]

I got a set of Dr Pro speaker stands from Guitar Center on Clearance for $89.99. Usually they are $149.99 so it was a smacking deal in my book. I had no quality issues with my set. Fit/finish was solid and clean. I filled them with sand I got from the local pet store on the cheap at like $10 for 10 lbs. My new Klipsch Sevens fit on them exceptionally well. Just about a finger digits length front and back hanging off. To be honest I want a pair of the ones Andrew Robinson uses. Even though those bad boys go for about half the cost of the Klipsch Sevens!

[@harpermotorsports16]

I bought the Monoprice stands for my Polk bookshelf speakers and love them! They are very sturdy and look great!

[@johnlipp4936]

I have a pair of the metal Monolith stands. I used coarse ground walnut shells (from Harbor Freight, used for polishing) for damping. Works well enough for damping the ringing while not being heavy like sand. Sand would be almost 50 pounds for the pair, the shells are half that. I also have the cherry Monolith stands, two pairs. It has taken some force to get two of the four together. Not as heavy as the steel Monolith stands, but sure look nice.

[@Bradimus1]

I bought the thick, cheap, MDF shelves at Menards and cut them to make custom height stands for my Monitor Audio Bronze 100s. They are kept on them with blutack. Somebody like 18-22" high? Keeps the speakers under the bottom edge of my projector screen and tweeters at a good height for the couch.

[@MikkoRantamo]

I wonder if people who notice a difference after adding isolation pads or similar, also alter the height of the speaker. Even a small change in speaker height will likely affect the sound much more than reduced resonances. So in order to properly evaluate the benefit from isolation, you would need to keep the speakers at the same height. Many people ignore the effect of speaker placement and spend tons of money to make a lot smaller changes than what could be made from just moving the speakers a bit.

[@mikepersia5362]

I have the Monolith 28” stands filled with medium sandblast media from Tractor Supply. Works like a charm and it’s cheap.

[@thomaslytle5519]

I got the Rockville speaker stands for $79 for my front surround bookshelves. They’re wood grain with black. They look very nice. I filled them with sand and they could hold very heavy speakers. I love ‘em

[@nascarracer886]

I also use the Rockville stands in white. I use Self Adhesive Isolation Feet - Set of 20 0.75"Silicone Hemisphere Bumper Sound Dampening Rubber Pad for Speakers. Amazon $9 for 20 of them. Good isolation and no slipping.also protects the bottom of the speaker!

[@francescotenti193]

I have the same stands and I also filled them with sand, no complains at all and Made in The USA!

[@tikilord66]

2 Sterilite 3 drawer carts found at yard sale for 5 bucks topped with shelves form old shelf I had and 1/2 inch cork pads. Ultra cheap and extra storage to bootand woks great for my Q 150s

[@wingnutbert9685]

As a Canadian, I'm contractually obligated to use hockey pucks whenever possible. And if one needs to stack them and need a decorative cover, Tim Horton's XL coffee cups would be the go-to..... 🤘🦫🥓🏒

[@eduardobevilacqua9692]

I miss tim hortons

[@wingnutbert9685]

@@eduardobevilacqua9692Dunno if you're out of country, but Tim's has bitten the big one since it got bought by an inventor mob. Mc D's shrewdly locked down Tim's bean suppliers. Tim's coffee really suck now, as does most everything else they sell these days. Real shame. I gave up on them as it just kept getting worse.

[@slisgrinder]

I used rolls of bounty paper towels. Not the best looking but definitely works when you need something.

[@tpr299]

I have both pairs of my bookshelf speakers on Monolith stands that are filled with aquarium gravel. I think they are great. Even some “audio snobs” lower themselves to our level, and use them.

[@juan-HiFi]

I was a speaker stand denier too. Thanks for the video 😊

[@larryh9525]

Instead of using sand/gravel to fill my Monolith stands, I found acoustic foam on Amazon that came in 24" high sheets and was 1" thick. I cut the foam into a 2.5" strip and folded it into a semi-circle and slid it into the tube. One sheet will do multiple pairs of stands. Opposed to the stands Randy is showing, I got the black smoked glass very that has great carpet spikes.

[@dalstar925]

Was it like $25? That’s all I can find similar to what I’m thinking you’re describing. I have zero interest in putting sand or rock in mine but they definitely need something. Foam would be preferred! Thanks!

[@hifi-photo-Brian]

SAKRETE 50 lb. Play Sand works great for speaker stand filler from Home Depot for $7!

[@tpr299]

I have my wife’s Sony speakers on the angled foam isolator pads. I got mine for less than $25 at Monolith. They have them, but you have to do an extensive search to find them. Not where I expected to find them.

[@MrWslindsay]

Love the heavy metal sanus and monoprice stands. Filled them all with sand. It took the ringing out them

[@fonkenful]

For deadening material in both my old Paradigm speaker stands and British Sound Organization equipment stands, I used a granulated glass sandblasting media. Much denser than kitty litter.

[@chinacrash22]

I recently bought an Isoacoustic Aperta Sub and wow! It made a lot of difference. It seems like i bought a new subwoofer. I love it though its not cheap but i think its worth it. Try looking around and be friendly to the sales person as sometimes they will give you an employee discount, it’s possible as it happened to me. 😄

[@ricardoalmeida2069]

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to see the IsoAcoustics in action at a HI-FI Show. I can say that it really works and I'm not an expert, but I could tell the difference. If you're thinking of buying one, I think it's a good idea to test it on your speakers first. At the moment I don't use any on my desktop, but I'm also happy with what I hear.

[@johnlockwood8083]

Great video. Just ordered a pair of isoacoustic stands for my desktop system.

[@whocares0503]

I have used IsoAcoustics Iso-stand series for a lot of years on my desk. They work really well!

[@jamesrobertson504]

Monolith 28" for Elac DBR62s. Very sturdy and easy to assemble (comes with the necessary tool). Haven't filled them, but I haven't noticed any resonance. But I can't do very high volume levels or my neighbors will complain.

[@scoutdogfsr]

Hockey pucks for your speakers and for a body lift for your 4x4

[@odwatchguy]

I thought the Polk T15's were pretty good desktop speaker stands but it may be time to upgrade to something that will improve the sound quality.

[@Old_Sailor85]

I literally just ordered a pair of Pangea speaker stands this morning... I switched from Magnepans to CSS 1TD-X stand-mounts. Yes, they are much better to my ears.

[@eddents]

Great topic Randy. Most ready made "affordable" speaker stands don't vary much beyond the black metal "style". Thanks for sharing these choices with some modicum of wood involved in the design. Wood (or even faux wood) has a more appealing look to me in general than just all metal, but on its own, fails being heavy enough to prove reasonably stable. Sadly, most stands will have trouble handling the happy swipes of wagging rear end and tail from an 70lb Labrador or the inquisitive hands of very young humans, which can be reason enough many stand mounts end up on bookshelves. I think the viewers here are commenting with some interesting and useful modifications of store bought stands to beef them up or enhance their appearance. Great ideas to consider. I recently stumbled across some super inexpensive, compact end tables ( flat pack mail order) that were available in two different heights perfect for stand mounts. Made from laminated MDF and plastic, on their own they're too light, but with modifications like using a patio paver or two on the bottom shelf for ballast (painted first with stone textured spray paint) and filling the hollow plastic corner posts with sand if you're so inclined, they become significantly weighted stands suitable to sit a speaker on. And because they have one or two lower shelves, they can accommodate curio items for display (or a plant?) which makes them a bit more decorous for other members of the household (so they're not just serving as "speaker stands".) Sometimes this can help convince other household members to be OK that you want your speakers "off the wall" and set a foot or three into the room. What I've read about coupling or decoupling speakers is sometimes confusing about the final end goal. I ended up with the idea that in a world ruled by Star Wars & Star Trek technology, you'd want a speaker that could be fully immobilized floating in space at the right height off the floor. It would be completely decoupled from the floor and yet would not move so much as a micron as the drivers are firing. So much for that perfection. For us humanoids, we'll settle for stands that we can use to locate the speakers into the room a little, the dog won't knock over when it comes running by after hearing the kibble poured into the food bowl and are somewhat pleasant to look at as you are listening to and admiring your speakers.

[@sukhvindermangat1087]

The hollow steel stands caught my eye because you can weigh them down, run cords down the tubes for a "cleaner" look and if you're into DIY type stuff, you could paint them, wrap them in fabric matching the room etc... Endless ways to customize them, while having the core be steel, not sure how they would do with little humans or tail waggers tho!

[@phillipmaxwell5060]

Phone books can be covered in material and stacked for floor speakers,

[@JakeXimus]

I bought some monolith stands per your recommendation in a past video and i don't regret it. They are heavy duty and they work great. Thanks for the tip, Randy!

[@dazzlerweb]

the Isoacoustic pucks are even better.

[@NosEL34]

I agree

[@nottoolive]

So much money lol

[@dbcobbster]

I use plastic tubs of kitty litter (no joke) and they seem to work great at isolating the speaker from the floor. I don't know if other brands work ok, but Tidy Cats is what I use.

[@Ineedtotakeabreak]

Or just buy tower speakers in the first place. 😊

[@Old_Sailor85]

I used to think the same thing. Until I tried a pair of really good stand-mount speakers. My dedicated listening room is small (11 x 14) and towers don't have enough room to blend all those drivers. Towers still rule in larger rooms. Using some JBL S590s in my HT set-up.

[@IcchiNutz]

Right. Because the average person has a couple thousand to spare on that. Right

[@sage11x]

Towers are almost always a better value than a same make bookshelf + stand. Towers are great.

[@AndrewB23]

​@@sage11xtowers only make sense if you have a large room since the only difference usually is that they get louder, $1200 for bookshelfs + stands is a better value than the $2000-2200 it would cost for the equivalent towers

[@simoSLJ89]

For a desktop setup, even the Kanto stands are pretty good (S4 and S6). I have the S6 for my Wharfedale 12.1 and they are great.

[@vincedebart]

16 inch cinder blocks for large bookshelf speakers

[@dragonborn.k]

I use angled foam blocks on my desk. I can verify that the isolation is very helpful. I assume stands do similar things.

[@Thedjrut]

The hockey pucks are great went to school for audio. They said when a building a studio a great way to make a floating floor is with hockey pucks.

[@Foxrock321]

Monoprice BABY.....I love the Cherry stands,... steel top and bottom...they are solid, and room enough for larger bookshelf speaks..

[@1337sim1]

You can also use the gel "drum damper pads" that come with Buchardt speaker stands. 🥁 They work really well from my experience. 😎

[@ScottGarrettDrums]

The most well known brand is Moon Gel.

[@Cidou9210]

the recommand high for my speakers is 40cm. So i use cubes that fits my records in. Done.

[@Jerre27]

For my astronomical observatory pier, i used sandbox sand as 'deadening' material to reduce vibrations in the.pier. guess you could.use this in these cheap stands.

[@jonfoss3437]

Seems to me, that just building them from wood might be a better option

[@willisbush956]

I heard resonance once when my subwoofer next to a wall-mounted CD cabinet made it rattle (and I wasn't playing the sub loud). However, while I can feel resonance in regular speakers and objects near them, I don't hear it. Fortunate, because I doubt there's a realistic way to totally stop it.

[@bruffyb3796]

Isolation definitely makes a difference, I have foam Isolation pads that are usually used in recording studios and they are great.

[@chicken133221]

I bought the monolith and filled them with fracking sand. Good weight.

[@TheBrigar]

The foam wedges can be useful for GP speaker setup. Currently have some under my RP600s in the living room on the 24" monolith metal stands.

[@lexsemenenko]

Thank you those Monoprice look good for my coming B&W 705 S2.

[@chaosapiant]

I just purchased an IsoAcoustics stand for my subwoofer, which I'm looking forward to trying once it gets here. It's not here yet. But it will be. But just not yet. But soon. Soon.

[@voidritual777]

I just sprayed up some cinder bloks satin black! Yes, Im old school. ha!