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Hi,
I am switching from large floor standing full range speakers to a pair of monitors, not purchased yet. This will be my first time owning speakers this size and had a couple of questions about speaker stands. Is there a difference, or noticiable difference, in sound quality out of different stands? what about other factors such as astetics and build quality? if so can you direct me to some brands that are reasonably priced $200-300 and commonly available. Also what about size? i saw some stands that were 16" and some that were 30" how do you know what size is right? Should i go by trying to position my ears around the same height as the tweeter?Thanks for any thoughts you have.
=tylr=
Follow Ups:
I have an excellent set of Skylan stands which IMO are better in terms of construction etc - and nicely finished - than some more expensive models. They retail from $200.00CDN - $350.00Cdn and they will even customize them to order. They are high mass stands lead and sand fillable - and apparently upgraded since I bought mine.Don't underestimate the importance of the stand because in essence it's part of the speaker's resulting sound. On the other hand you don't want to overspend.
I've tried several conventional stands with my Paradigm Studio 20's and every one sucked the bass and tone out of the speakers until I tried the Mapleshade Bedrock. Made them sound like floor-standers. You get a 30-day money back so there's minimal risk.
If you have already decided which monitors you are buying, you might wish to contact the speaker manufacturer to get their recommendations on stands. They may either test the speakers using a particular stand or may maintain a list of stands that owners have found work best. I agree with others that with monitors stands are an integral part of the unit, and using the wrong stand or placing the speaker at the incorrect height can be detrimental to getting the most out of the speaker.It's actually easy to determine the correct stand height -- first, position yourself in the chair or sofa you usually sit in to listen and then measure the distance from your ear to the floor. This distance should match to a point mid-way between the high and low frequency drivers on your monitor. You will need to determine where this is located relative to the cabinet dimensions - you might be able to estimate this by looking at a photograph of the speaker front with the grill removed, or better yet contact the manufacturer. Once you know where this is located relative to the bottom of the speaker -- this measurement minus the distance of your ear to floor will be the stand height. In practice this doesn't have to be exact but should be relatively close. To give you an example -- if the distance from the bottom of the speaker to the midpoint between the high and low drivers is 10" and the distance from the floor to your ear is 34", then you should use a stand 24" tall. Obviously you may wind up with measurements that may be 26", 27" or some other number -- you can probably "get away" with using a 28" stand (most stands are sold as either 24 or 28"), but some companies, such as Sound Anchors, can custom-make stands to whatever height you want them.
If the speaker manufacturer provides stands then buy those. If not then the OEM products specifically made for certain speakers would be the next bet.
Build the TNT-audio Stubby stands. You can build them as tall as you want. The platforms can be any size you want, too. Then paint the PVC any color you like. Stain the platforms to match your furniture. All for about $40. They are very easy to build and very sturdy to boot. The only tools you need is a drill and the right size paddle bit. Maybe a hacksaw to cut the PVC and all thread rod if needed. Check out the site below. As far as the height of you speakers: ear level at your listening position. Also very easy, unless you listen while lying on your floor or in some weird yoga stance.
There is a huge difference in sound quality when you use good stands. You really should consider it part of the speaker. The main difference is that good stands will tighten the bass, focus the sound, and allow the speakers to disappear...which is exactly what you want with a monitor, as these are its strengths. Obviously aesthetics is personal, but build quality: in my experience heavy steel that is already filled with sand, or that you can fill with sand or lead shot, or a mixture of both, because you want them HEAVY. Also you need to spike them to the floor to "ground" any vibrations like little lightning rods.
Having said all that, I really think Sound Anchor stands are some of the best stands, and they can make you custom stands in your budget. They come unfilled, or already filled with sand (I would just get them already filled, but you can save a little money and do that yourself later).Now about hight. That really depends on the speaker. Most speakers, as you say, like for your ears to be vertically the same hight as the tweeters. Some work better at another height. Check with the manufacturer. But it can be influenced by your room and tastes too. The nice thing about the sound anchors is they will make them custom.
So the easiest thing to do is ask the manufacturer where the listening axis should be, measure ON YOUR LISTENING CHAIR how high your ears are from the floor, then look at the site below, and call them with any questions.
The harder thing would be to get your speakers, find some way of experimenting with height (like using huge stacks of textbooks to find what works best for you in terms of tonal balance (sometimes putting them a little higher than suggested makes them less bright for example), then measure and call and order.
Note also that sound anchor makes dedicated stands for certain brands such as B&W, Spendor, and others, but the custom made, single post ones and definitely in your budget.
Here is the lind for Sound Anchor:
Good luck,
--Jack
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