Speaker stands, yet again...

Stu Pitt Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt Stamford, Connecticut USA Post Number: 4322 Registered: May-05	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 15:49 GMT Yeah, I know, there's tons of speaker stand threads. My dilemna is a bit different. My daughter has a while to go before she's crawling and walking, but I want to get ahead of the game. I've tried everything I can think of that would make my speakers more stable, but nothing's working very well. The speakers on the stands are pretty top heavy and front heavy, like pretty much every set up I know of. I filled up the stands with gravel and sand. Used a slab of kitchen tile under the spikes. Used coins under the spikes. All this stuff helped a little, but not a whole hell of a lot. My latest idea was a square piece of oak under the stands so the spikes could dig in. That worked great until I started leveling. The spikes basically slip in and out of the holes they created when pushed. If I push the speakers down further, it'll either do the same thing or split the wood. I'm thinking the best bet would be to get stands with a very wide foot print, so they won't topple over easily. Preferrably with holes in the top plate, so I can drill small holes into the speaker bottoms and screw them. I think I'll use blu-tak like I currently do, and not tighten the screws so that they're tight - just so that they'll keep the speaker in place in case they get bumped with enough force to overcome the blu-tak's grip. I've been searching stands all morning and even did a Google image search in hopes to find pics of a stand with a very wide footprint. The only ones that came close are stands that are designed for center channels. With those, they only have a single pillar that's very narrow, and the plate doesn't look big enough to fit my speakers. The Solid Steel tripod looking stands are deceptive. They're not as wide a footprint as they seem on a quick look. I remember seeing some older stands that were open frame and had outrigger type feet. I thought they were Linn Kans stands, but they weren't. Sound quality is important, but not as important as my daughter not getting stitches. Anyone have any ideas?
Dan L. Silver Member Username: Kbear Canada Post Number: 920 Registered: Dec-06	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 16:23 GMT I probably won't be of much help, I don't have a lot of experience with stands. I'm using the Kudos S50 right now, the sound quality is much better than my old stands. Not sure how the footprint compares to what you've looked at, Stu. It seems pretty wide to me. Mine are partially filled, which helps, and they are of course quite heavy. I haven't tried knocking them over (obviously!) but I'm sure it would take a really good push to do it. http://www.kudosaudio.com/en/loudspeakers/stands/
Chris H Gold Member Username: Hawkbilly Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 1202 Registered: Jul-07	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 16:38 GMT http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/Rooted-Butress-Stands/products/166/ An option Stu....although a little pricey.
Chris H Gold Member Username: Hawkbilly Nova Scotia Canada Post Number: 1203 Registered: Jul-07	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 16:39 GMT Would you entertain DIY options ?
Stu Pitt Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt Stamford, Connecticut USA Post Number: 4323 Registered: May-05	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 17:10 GMT The Mapleshade ones are a bit too pricey, and I'm not sure about putting the speakers on spikes, rather than a solid plate that I can attach some screws to. I'm open to DIY. What do have for me?
Jan Vigne Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 15789 Registered: May-04	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 17:28 GMT . Sound Anchor stands have been the most stable and, therefore, also the best sounding stands I've come across. But you will not get them on the cheap. Depending on the look you desire taking your stands to either a machine shop, a plastics shop or a cabinet shop should get some good looking outriggers for not too much cash. The wider the footprint the more stable the stand particularly when it is top loaded with weight. The next alternative would simply be adding more weight to the bottom rear of the stand. A 50lb. bag of play sand should make them impervious to contact with a small child at any velocity, dress up the bag'o'sand anyway you like. The Mapleshade concept of close to the floor mounting worked very well with my 3/5a's and can be knocked out by any cabinet shop with whatever filling material you prefer. I just started with a few concrete pavers to get the idea right and went form there. .
Jan Vigne Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigne Dallas, TX Post Number: 15790 Registered: May-04	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 17:29 GMT . Sound Anchor stands have been the most stable and, therefore, also the best sounding stands I've come across. But you will not get them on the cheap. Depending on the look you desire taking your stands to either a machine shop, a plastics shop or a cabinet shop should get some good looking outriggers for not too much cash. The wider the footprint the more stable the stand particularly when it is top loaded with weight. The next alternative would simply be adding more weight to the bottom rear of the stand. A 50lb. bag of play sand should make them impervious to contact with a small child at any velocity, dress up the bag'o'sand anyway you like. The Mapleshade concept of close to the floor mounting worked very well with my 3/5a's and can be knocked out by any cabinet shop with whatever filling material you prefer. I just started with a few concrete pavers to get the idea right and went form there. http://www.soundanchors.com/ .
Stu Pitt Gold Member Username: Stu_pitt Stamford, Connecticut USA Post Number: 4324 Registered: May-05	Posted on Monday, January 17, 2011 - 18:59 GMT Thanks for the info, Jan. Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I've seen Sound Anchors at my dealer's place. They're pretty expensive, but if they'll keep my daughter safe and keep my speakers from getting damaged, then they're worth it. If they have them, I'm a lot more comfortable bringing in my speakers and trying them than ordering blindly. I'm trying to remember who made the stands I'm thinking about. The looked like the Linn Kans stands, but also had a leg, so to speak, that came out in front, not just to the side like the Kans stand. Basically, the bottoms looked like a big #. Here's a pic of the Kans stand...

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