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Thinking about upgrading my speakers. All the speakers that I've looked at so far all weigh at least 250 lbs each! One is 420 lbs! The heaviest thing I have at the moment is the Pass amp @ 150 lbs that require assistance from my brother to move around. So my question is how the heck would someone be able to get these babies into the listening room? Would I call places like professional piano movers to do the job to ensure they don't damage the finish?
FrankC
Follow Ups:
the dealer should be delivering and setting up what I assume is a multi-thousand dollar speaker.
By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.
Galileo Galilei
Call a few of the mastering studios and ask them how they got their Dunlavy or other giant speakers into the room and into position.I'm serious. Many of them are regular folks who would be happy to answer your question.
:)
Edits: 10/24/15
I have Genesis 6.1's that weigh about 140# each and must be set up meticulously to get the best out of them. I put their outrigger spikes into Herbie's Titanium Giant Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders on new carpet. Their designer/guru, Gary Koh personally sets up all their speakers and has written a cookbook that he says shows the exact way to set up speakers in 10 separate chapters. Each chapter selects a parameter of setup geometry and uses a selected musical piece and describes how to adjust to get a particular result. Most of his chapters suggest that you resolve the measurements to less than 1/10". These actually can let me make tiny, precise adjustments easily and alone.
Now I understand that 140# is not even close to 700#. But, I have also put these Titanium gliders under my new Steve Blinn Super-Wide rack's cones and have loaded it up to over 650# including the rack. The gliders allow me to actually move this 60" x 18" x 30" rack away from the wall for occasional power-cord swapping and contact cleaning. I must do this ever so carefully swinging one end away from the wall to avoid 'burping' components all over the floor, and so I do unload some things, but I am convinced that if the load were solid - like a speaker - I could easily dance with it.
Everything is going to the dogs
IF, I stress IF, the bottom of the speakers is flat AND strong, you could move them around the way I move a safe: placing a series of golf balls under them to roll them around and get them where you want them. While it is easy to move something in one direction by putting it on pipes, using the golf balls provides for not only easily moving something around, but also for rotating the item and lateral movement as well. My gun safe weighs nearly 900 pounds empty and was it was easy for me to move it around once I had a number of golf balls under it.
As the speakers more forward and the balls come out from under them from the back, just take the balls back around to the other side, put them in position, then continue the movement. The item will easily glide back onto the balls that were placed in front of it. Works like a champ.
The caveat of course is that there will be force applied not to just the edges of the speaker cabinet, presumably the strongest near the sides/wall, but also randomly all across the bottom. That is a very important consideration and one that should not be overlooked.
What ever/ how ever you do it, I wish you success and a damage free event. Of course the EASIEST way to move them is to be well-heeled enough to pay somebody else to do it!! LOL
That's not a problem I'm likely to have any time soon.
roN
Edits: 10/23/15
UH?
Carefully?
I've helped riggers move VERY large / heavy / delicate wafer fabrication equipment and you do so slowly, with great deliberation. Every step is planned, right down to the final set-down.
Too much is never enough
I'm quite interested in this thread also as the loudspeakers i've settled on (Magico S7's) are 300lb's each (600lbs!). We're on the same page Franc as i'm also thinking of engaging a specialist piano mover who has experience moving expensive grand pianos. I got a good recommendation from Steinway Pianos in my local area. My theory is they would have the necessary experience and equipment to carefully move very heavy, valuable equipment.
Vitus SCD025MkII, SIA025, Oppo BPD-103AU, Magico S5's, Taoc ASR racks + SCB-RS50g, Stillpoints Ultra 6's/Mini's/LPI's, Furutech GTX-D(G), Gigawatt PC-3 SE Evo, Jorma Prime pc's + xlr's/Statement sc's/Unity pc, Siltech Classic Anniversary rcas + HDMI
Edits: 10/23/15
.
... One of your prerequisites was: "... to ensure they don't damage the finish?"
Something tells me those claws just might damage the finish.
(I certainly would not let them touch the granite sides of my Andra II speakers!!!)
But a nice idea, nonetheless!
...you could try these. Just hope you don't have stairs.
I can't go to work today. The voices told me to stay home and clean the guns.
Yes, those things work very nicely. But if you leave them under the
speakers, in the event you have to adjust tow in/out or distances from
walls, well you know ... your speakers will NOT be coupled to the floor!
There will be stray resonances! And how are you going to put spikes on
those babies to ensure proper coupling with the floor?
On a solid floor, such as a concrete slab foundation, coupling is good, because it helps the speaker to remain stationary.
On a flexible floor, such as wood over wooden joists, decoupling is good, because it reduces the resonances of the floor.
:)
I'm guessing a 250 lb. speaker is coupled to the floor pretty well unless it's in a large bowl of Jell-O.
I can't go to work today. The voices told me to stay home and clean the guns.
I think you are correct, of course, but there are those who will swear
that bad things occur if your speakers are not spiked to the floor
or otherwise very securely affixed so as to do away with cabinet
vibrations and suchlike.
...when I was reviewing speakers, I bought a decent hand-truck at Home Depot and covered the inside with a towel using duct tape to hold it on.
I could move 200lb speakers by myself without scratching them up and down a couple of steps.
Anything over 250lb you may need piano movers.
Hand truck. If you have some practice at it, no problem. I move my 800 pound safe by myself, not a scratch. 200-300 pound speakers, easy peasy.
Piano movers would be a good bet.
But there are also pro sound guys who unload, set up, break down, and load heavy equipment on a regular basis. When I worked for a little regional rock band, my motto was "don't carry what you can drag, don't drag what you can roll, and don't move what can be left where it is". :)
Also, furniture delivery guys, especially from a really good high end store, have got this down. They do stuff like this every day. They're probably your best bet.
:)
Usually, when someone buys brand new, extremely large/heavy, and very expensive speakers (from a well-known manufacturer) the moving/setup part is included in the deal. If you are thinking of upgrading in this manner and all the moving help you need is NOT included in the final price, start looking elsewhere.If you are buying used speakers, then obviously you are on your own. The suggestions provided so far are good ones.
BTW, you must be absolutely sure that the flooring in your room is able to withstand the stresses produced by two concentrations of heavy weight situated symmetrically, on one side of the room. Factor in the pounding activity of driver arrays concentrated at each of two weight-bearing points, and you might have cause for concern. I would be inclined to put them in a basement room with concrete flooring if I was able.
Edits: 10/23/15
A rocking motion that owners of large loudspeakers master. Can use roller dollies if you have no carpet.
My thought exactly after skimming the Harley piece on the Magico Q7s.
At 750 lbs ea , I thought how do you adjust toe-in? How and when do you attach the spikes? That's like trying to move a solid block of granite in 1/8 or 1/4" increments.
Initially, at over a quarter million dollars the pair, delivery, installation, and tuning should be on the dealer and written into the purchasing contract. Afterwards, when you want to replace the carpeting in the room or move, you're on your own.
For rooms with suspended floors, that's a significant concentrated "live" load.
None of which Harley mentions even in passing. Big name reviewers as we know all get the manufacturer to deliver and set up loaners.
Yes, piano movers is definitely a good idea. Have them place furniture movers (slipstick) under the speakers temporarily, so you can slide them around to find the right position. Once that is done, you may or may not want to remover the casters (with help) from underneath the speakers.
Jack
Hey Frank,Our friend Mr. Tong, with his 420 lb Rockport speakers, did just that to uncrate and set up his speakers. He said using piano movers was a "no brainer", and I tend to agree with him.
I had a friend help me uncrate my 215 lb Egglestonworks Andra II speakers.
I will point out however that I managed, with difficulty, to do all the fine tuning of them by myself. (Fine tuning the Andras is actually more difficult than the Rockports since mine have spikes and his don't - for the reason that they would just punch a hole through the sub flooring!)Good luck in your search for speakers.
Edits: 10/22/15
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