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Mye stands on carpet

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I just recently bought a set of stealth Mye stands for my 1.7s. First, let me say that the experience of working with Grant was excellent. I installed the stands, and the improvement mirrors what many have described on here, that of firmer, tighter bass, and an improvement in overall clarity.

To the point. I have the stands sitting on carpet, with the supplied brass spikes, but even at their full height, the bottom of the speakers still sit into the carpet. Initially, they sat above the level of the carpet, but, over time they have settled back into it. I thought they sounded better when there was a space underneath, but it could be my imagination.

Has anyone experimented with different footers/spikes that might raise them up further, or do you think it makes no difference?

Thanks,
Colin

Follow Ups:

RE: Mye stands on carpet - eb 22:14:31 07/25/14 (0)
Wanted to say another thanks for the warm welcome from the Planar Asylum.

Lots of great info and pics from everyone in this thread. Glad to contribute, instead of just read like I usually do.

I have only been in this hobby seriously since 2007. Twenty years with the same Harmon Kardon integrated amp, HK tape deck(then a Sony 5cd changer), and Advent Baby II bookshelf speakers; before getting bit by the audiophile bug.

One aspect of my solution to my bad floor with the Mye stand spike interface with the wood underfloor and flimsy floor. is the cost I put into solving the problem!!! $$$$ not happy
Probably should have just torn up the carpet and put in a new floor with some insulation for the amount of money...It needs to be done anyway, because the room gets too hot/cold being above the garage.

However, the AurelexGramma/maple block platform was not put together all at once. It started as putting the Rythmik F12's on Aurelex Grammas to fix floor vibration, and see if raising the subs off the floor would be a good thing...And I had some of the Aurlex's already for subs in my downstairs HT....
Then from there, getting fed-up with the way the spikes from the Mye stands were not solidly fitting.

SOOO> .... Seven Aurelex Gramma's at $70 ($490) and $360 for the pair(total, inc.shipping)of 21x21x3 maple platforms from Dawn's Platforms/MichaganMaple.(great deal/service and product BTW).

Almost a grand to fix the problem, but I am very happy with the results, and it also works for a 2nd system with Zu Union speakers I like to use for a couple of months in the cooler fall/winter months.

All the benefits of the Mye stands on the sound of the 1.7's is easily heard and worth the extra. If I had to quantify...maybe 10% improvement in mids/highs and soundstage, and 30% in the bass region. Mye stands are really well made and designed and work well.

Anyway, thanks for reading my random ramblings about my journey so far with the 1.7's and less than ideal floors, and will post some more pics/gear info some other time or another thread. thanks, eb
RE: Mye stands on carpet - rwiley 13:36:08 07/25/14 (0)
I had the same problem and made 8 longer spikes out of a threaded brass rod (cut to length). Grind/file one end to a point (easily done). Now the tip of the spikes rest on the concrete foundation below the carpet/pad and the stands are very (very) stable. These longer spikes also permit the speakers to be tilted as desired.
RE: Mye stands on carpet - Swamis Cat 11:00:34 07/24/14 (7)
I am thinking about getting a Mye stands as my next upgrade for my 3.7i's.

Is all the hype (among owners, I am not disparaging a Grant) real? Will I really hear a notable and dramatic improvement in bass and clarity?

How significant is the improvement compared to other changes, room treatments and tweaks? Are there measurable differences, or are they more subjective (not that I am implying real differences have to be measurable)?

By the way, the factory stands on the 3.7s don't work as well as my old IIIas. The new ones tilt all over the place on the carpet. My old ones stood up tall and totally straight.
- Here is my $.02... - Mark Man 10:27:37 07/25/14 (6)
  When I was at the dealer the first thing that struck me was how wobbly they were on stock feet...to the point, I had made the decision on Mye Audio Stands being a necessity just so I did not have to worry about kids knocking them over or any other foolish stuff that can happen when I am not around...
  
  If you look at the consensus of Maggie owners that have Mye Audio Stands...I have to believe that they are not all full of BS...well most...
  
  As I stated, I was buying them so they would be MORE stable, all the sonic benefits were a bonus after that...Jben, GL, Waz, Sadie, Josh...just to name a few; ALL stated the benefits as you describe...in my system; the clarity, resolution and detail were greater than the bass improvement...IMHO...that ribbon tweeter really sings...which is puzzling to me, but was definitely apparent...
  
  When talking to Grant I had mentioned how wobbly the stock feet were...He said, (which is just common sense), "the bigger the Maggies the more the sonic benefits"...not to mention the stability of the launch platform to try different things; tilt, height, add wheels...
  
  Now to answer your question on the "equivalent" of improvement by adding Mye Audio Stands...it is not as great as the HK/Limage, (10%-20% improvement), or going from the 3.7's to the 3.7i's, (15%-20% improvement), IMHO...I would say it is 5%-15% improvement depending on how resolving your entire system is...in my room it was 10% upgrade...With all that sexy Pass gear you own...I am guessing, (and I do MEAN guessing), your results would be similar to mine...
  
  As we have all spent more and got less, this addition to any Maggie based system is a noticeable and immediate improvement...I was going to use a set of new cables as analogy, but that can be all over the board...
  
  Once again, these percentages I am stating, are just my opinion...I would be very interested if others feel they could, or willing to give a percentage of improvement on the performance...
  Thanks
  Mark
  - RE: Here is my $.02... - Swamis Cat 15:54:30 07/25/14 (5)
    Thanks Mark,
    
    I really appreciate you putting it in perspective like that with specific comparisons. Anyone else want to weigh in? It would be appreciated!
    
    Btw, I am still having problems finding the perfect spot for my new speakers. I have tried a thousand variations from seven feet to eleven from the front wall and every conceivable distance from the side. Something is still not right with every location.
    
    I got so frustrated that last night I actually moved tweeters out. In 27 years of owning Maggies' I bet I have spent less than one week with tweets out. I decided to concentrate only on timing and driver integration and to try to ignore frequency response. Oddly when I was done with alignment of the bass, mid, tweet, DWM and my sub, I ended with smooth frequency response to boot.
    
    Knowing me, I will try something again tomorrow. I was hoping to have a location dialed in though before replacing my old speakers into the room for a comparison of old vs new.
    - Another $.02... - Satie 21:43:25 07/25/14 (0)
      I generally agree with MM I can't say that bracing the bass panels affected anything other than their bass performance, since Tympani bass panels are detached from the mid/tweeter panel. Bracing those panels with solid concrete blocks on their steel feet had a minor tightening of images and improved clarity and transient response. If I try quantifying it then maybe a 10% improvement at most. Bracing the top of the mid/tweet panel did very little beyond that.
      
      The bass panels respond very well to bracing their top to the wall and extension pace and clarity improve in a very unsubtle way. Something in the order of 20% perhaps. But the best improvement is in deep bass dynamics. There it is a 30% or more improvement. Combined with the favorable (for bass) Limage placement it is like adding a subwoofer, entirely transforms the bass. Doesn't sound like a weak bottomed planar anymore. For the combined effect 100% wouldn't be a stretch, it is like an entirely new bass section.
    - RE: Here is my $.02... - JBen 16:20:33 07/25/14 (3)
      SC, I am going out for the evening but I'll check in later and see if I can add half a penny more to the pot. Meanwhile, if you have a rough floor plan that we can see, who knows if we can all crank things up even more... perhaps even reach buck, LOL!
      
      Also...what bugs you the most? A descending list is alright also.
      - RE: Here is my $.02... - Swamis Cat 08:04:08 07/27/14 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Here is my $.02... posted by JBen on July 25, 2014 at 16:20:33
        
        JBen and Satie,
        
        Thanks again for more input. Perhaps I should play around with some concrete blocks in the interim.
        
        In terms of my constant experiments on placement I just keep trying to balance strengths.
        
        Tweets out Limage arrangements (8 to 11 ft from FW) give the best 3 D depth and layering. The issues are a slightly excessive upper bass lower mid warmth (with the DWMs) or excessive upper emphasis (without DWMs). If too far out from the front wall or too close to the sides I lose some center fill on naturally recorded chamber music (not on spot miked stuff though). In addition I cannot toe the speakers in to get time alignment. It ruins the a Limage effect and adds even more upper bass bloat.
        
        Setups closer to the front wall (close for me is six or seven feet) gain some snap and dynamics but seem claustrophobic to me. Even when it sounds good it makes me want the bigger sound stage. Personal issue I guess.
        
        Tweets out is my current experiment. Even with DWMs, the upper bass is totally lacking in bloat. It measures down a couple db but sounds great. The time alignment of tweet, mid, bass and DWM really adds some magic. In addition, even if the tweeters are as much as ten feet apart, there is surprisingly no issue for center fill on any music. Images are a bit wider, most noticeable as slightly wider center vocals. Highs are a tad suppressed, not a good thing in my system. Overall, though I am shocked at how good tweets out sounds in my narrow untreated room.
        
        What I am still looking for is the holographic layering of the Limage the snap of closer to FW, and the time alignment magic of tweets out. All that with no bloat and great highs.
        
        I have not yet found the perfect spot despite two months of experiments. That said, virtually every set up I try sounds better than just about everything I heard regardless of cost at Chicago Axpona. Oh, and it is light years better sounding than Maggies I've heard set up at dealers.
        
        Oh and my room is real simple. A 20 by 14 by 8 shoebox shaped room in a basement. No issue with windows behind. Acoustical tiles in roof. Heavy carpeting. No room treatment other than two trees on FW. Total freedom of seating location and system (dedicated music room).
        
        Any other ideas are welcome. Experimentation is good, especially before I add heavy stands. Perhaps I should call GIK before calling Grant?
        
        RE: Here is my $.02... - JBen 23:34:57 07/28/14 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Here is my $.02... posted by Swamis Cat on July 27, 2014 at 08:04:08
        
        LOL, somewhere along the line I lost track of the fact that you now have 3.7i, not just MG3a, as I remembered. I have to reset a few things in my mind. For one, I can't go and suggest that you start drilling holes on the newer Maggies...much less doing bi-amping surgery : - ))
        
        One thing, for now, don't rush to GIK. Dampening too much is a risk . I find that if one can manage to retain as reflective a room as possible, the imaging & soundstage are richer. That's the general idea...the specifics depend on various things, but this you already know.
        
        Speaking of the MG3a, did you ever get rid of the "U" soundstage or is it still bothering with the 3.7i?
        
        RE: Here is my $.02... - Swamis Cat 09:18:38 07/29/14 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: Here is my $.02... posted by JBen on July 28, 2014 at 23:34:57
        
        I combined the reply here with the one on the other thread....
        
        As to u shaped sound stage, this IS an element which in varying degrees affects most positions even with the new speakers. Further discussions on the topic are probably constructive, as I am sure others have experienced it. I have eliminated it completely before, though in a wider and larger room.
        
        Here is a description of the problem in minor and major manifestations. In real problem set ups, the issue is that the most depth occurs in the middle and then wraps in closer to the speakers. It is like a horseshoe stage. I can eliminate this effect or stimulate it based upon speaker and seat positioning and toe in.
        
        The more moderate problem is with hard panned recordings of instruments or vocals coming exclusively from one speaker (think mid sixties pop engineered in three way mono). These tend to "collapse" the far left or right channel into the speaker. It isn't so noticeable in seating locations that are further away, but is often, indeed almost always an issue for me in my current room if listening nearfield.
        
        Does anyone else have thoughts or suggestions or tweaks on this issue?
RE: Mye stands on carpet - eb 23:28:01 07/21/14 (7)
Hello,

Long time lurker, and new member...will add more info later
This was my solution to bad flooring with Magnepan 1.7's with Mye stands.
pics will give more info
My problem is with the wood underneath my carpet....
It is not even... and soft in spots when the spikes were used....
And the room is above my garage, so the floor is flimsy/bouncy.
- RE: Mye stands on carpet - JBen 23:24:19 07/22/14 (2)
  Welcome, Eb!
  
  Is that a pair of Rythmik subs?
  - RE: Mye stands on carpet - eb 16:59:07 07/23/14 (1)
    Oh, and yes those are Rythmik f12 subs....the sealed ones.
    They are great with the Magnepans, and highly recommended.
    - RE: Mye stands on carpet - JBen 00:13:30 07/24/14 (0)
      Good! I keep them F12s on my very short of likely subs for the day I decide to get serious about it. This is something that I've kept delaying for many years because the room & modded MMGs conspired to make it "less needed" for music here.
      
      You took a great step in placing them at the same plane of the Maggies.
- Ps. Nice set-up, cool room...NT - Mark Man 07:26:57 07/22/14 (0)
  .
- RE: Mye stands on carpet - Mark Man 07:24:12 07/22/14 (1)
  EB
  
  First welcome...
  
  Question, what is the distance from the floor to the bottom of your of your Maggies? Can you comment on how the added height changes your sound if any?
  thanks
  Mark
  - RE: Mye stands on carpet - eb 16:58:07 07/23/14 (0)
    Sorry for the delay in responses....
    
    MarkMan--The distance from the floor to the bottom of the 1.7's is about 9inches....It does effect the sound stage, and is a bit high for my taste.
    I adjusted my seating height, and I think mentally adjusted to the change in soundstage....
    I might try and use just the Auralex Gramma's and no maple-block to lower the speakers
    Using this set-up did solve my problems with the flimsy floor and spike stability issues
- RE: Mye stands on carpet - old guy 42 03:58:38 07/22/14 (0)
  Hi. Eb
  
  Welcome, and nice set up!!....If I ever hit the lottery, I would build the garage with the room above, like yours.
  
  Enjoy....old guy
RE: Mye stands on carpet - Markeneret 14:41:09 07/21/14 (0)
What increases the detail, quickness and resolution of Maggies on stands is not any coupling affect with the floor. It's the rigidity that it adds to the speakers; same as all speaker stands. When dealing with high notes as small as 1/2", much detail can be lost from the shaking of the speaker body. When you make the speaker/frame more rigid, then the diaphragm transfers more of it's motion to the air. What you hear is more detail, resolution, quickness highly focused imaging. When I put speakers on carpet, I first cut a 1-2" "X" in the carpet where each spike lands. I then take a large screwdriver and tear the padding underneath so that the spike is in good contact with the wood subfloor and NOT floating on the non-rigid carpet. A final foot-push on the stand above each spike gets that puppy nice and rigid=no vibrations.The bracing is icing on the cake.
"I see sound waves"
RE: Mye stands on carpet - Green Lantern 08:40:08 07/21/14 (4)
Agree Grant is a pleasure to work with and offers a A-1 product/service.
Not sure this will help your current situation (I have the non-stealth Mye stands); but I thought I'd contribute this nonetheless.
The position of my 20s forced me to go onto carpet as well as tile (at least on the left speaker). This created a ever-so-slight lean towards the tile side. Fortunately I had a few spike bases left over from my amp stands and decided to use them on the Myes. This corrected the lean and offered a bit more stability on the tile surface:

Edits: 07/21/14
- LOL - slapshot 09:03:16 07/21/14 (3)
  And that's the view from Green Lantern's listening position! :)
  - RE: LOL - JBen 09:26:35 07/21/14 (2)
    Wow, GL's carpet must be made of bullet-stoping fibers! That spike never made it through. Look at how it still needs to be couter-leveled at the bare floor side.
    
    Hmmm, perhaps that's a secret sound treatment material he is not telling us about : - ))
    - RE: LOL - Green Lantern 09:52:25 07/21/14 (1)
      Well believe it or not there was a bit of "off skew" occurring when I first plunked em down on the carpet. I'm sure they've since settled in by now but I haven't felt the need to remove the spike base.
      And judging by the above pic it still favors the carpet side by a couple of red c$#* hairs.
      And FWIW I haven't listened to music or watched TV from that perspective since my old (hard) drinking days ;)
      
      Edits: 07/21/14 07/21/14 07/21/14 07/21/14 07/21/14
      - RE: LOL - slapshot 17:49:14 07/21/14 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: LOL posted by Green Lantern on July 21, 2014 at 09:52:25
        
        The ol' faceplant listening position! :)
RE: Mye stands on carpet - Mark Man 07:52:57 07/21/14 (1)
Colscot

I also have Mye Stands, (Grant is a great guy...ditto), my brass spikes go into my carpeting about 3/4", from the bottom of the speaker to top of the carpet 1-3/4", with the non-Stealth design...

I have been interested in raising my Maggies giving them a little more height just to see what it does to the sound...I first contacted Grant and asked if he knew where to get a little longer spikes, he did some searching for me, along with myself. The key was finding the proper threads on some longer spikes. I found one type that would work from Music Direct but were way too expensive. So far I have not found anything that would work.

Here are some ideas; try some small washers to act as a stop to not go so deep into the carpet, yet still engage the carpeting...can try the spike sliders for hardwood floors, (I do not if this affects the coupling that Jben spoke of), last but not least ask Grant if he has any ideas...

The attached photo is what I am currently trying...this has raised the speakers to 3-3/4" off the carpeting...the results have been very interesting...need to do more listening before commenting on what I have been hearing...

Good luck on resolving this issue...
thanks
Mark
- RE: Mye stands on carpet - colscot 10:51:14 07/21/14 (0)
  Mark,
  
  Some good ideas there, thank you. I think I might try your washer idea. Of course, none of this would be an issue if I'd ordered the non-stealth stands.
  
  Thanks to everyone for their input.
  
  Colin
RE: Mye stands on carpet - JBen 19:18:41 07/20/14 (2)
If our current experiments (Old Guy 42 and myself) and our adopted stands (not the same as yours) are any indication, you are not necessarily "hearing things".
To preserve bass, you really want the Maggies' frames to "almost reach" the floor. However, if they fully reach the floor and "share the contact load" with the spikes (or "legs" in our case), some of the impulse/slam potential is lost. It is really "floor coupling" effects at work; the results WILL vary depending on a few factors but you may have no major issues recovering what you miss.
Ours are modded MMGs. Although OG42's are still being outfitted with some of the mods, the stands that allow for this impulse/slam to project, are already doing so to some extent. (Even without a subwoofer, my MMGs slam the crap out of any Maggies out there that I've heard so far. Yet, I cannot tell anyone; it is a figment of my imagination : - ))
The legs in our systems are not spikes, so they don't sink as much into the carpet. In addition, at my home, the carpet is on a concrete slab. So, I left just <1/8" extra for clearance. Carpets on hardwood floors may yield more when spikes are used. As long as you can smoothly slip a sheet of paper underneath the frame, you should be fine. Grant may have an idea or two on how to accomplish the change in height.
BTW, there may also be a role for judiciously applied extra weight. We can look into it later because its effect can be lost if the frame "once again", dilutes the contact pressures per square inch.

Edits: 07/20/14 07/21/14 07/21/14
- RE: Mye stands on carpet - colscot 07:50:37 07/21/14 (1)
  Thanks. I am unable to slip a sheet of paper underneath them, due to them settling after a few days. The spikes are wound out as far as they will go, without falling out of the stands. I did mention this to Grant, but these spikes are all he offers for carpet, so I will need to find an alternative, or put the stand/speaker on a platform of some kind.
  
  Colin
  - RE: Mye stands on carpet - marin 11:06:41 07/21/14 (0)
    For testing purposes, you might try threaded steel rods, cut them to the desired length and grind one end until you got a nice point.
    Happy spiking, Marin

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