How to Decide on the Perfect Speaker Stands
Over the years the home stereo system has evolved substantially. In fact, today it seems like every day there is some new tweak or improvement available in home sound equipment. It’s hard for the average consumer to know when to buy, what to buy, and how to get the most for their money. That being said, what most owners of high fidelity sound equipment don’t realise is that without the proper placement and configuration, their home speaker system will not come close to realizing its full sound quality potential. Hiding a sound system away in a cupboard-like entertainment center hurts the owner and audience in 2 big ways: 1- It takes up the entire den, living room, or entertainment room; 2- It may be eating up the acoustics, and ruining the hi-fi quality of the speakers. Instead, knowledgeable consumers are looking to speaker stands to bring their speakers out into the open, and maximise sound quality.
What is a speaker stand? An invention that crept out of the 80’s without great fanfare, people began utilising speaker stands when they realised getting the speakers off the floor made a world of difference in their sound quality and performance. This quick and easy fix for improving sound has since been extremely popular amongst musicians and high fidelity enthusiasts alike. The science behind it is that most floors (especially carpet) and common domestic furniture pick up on the vibrations around them, essentially swallowing a portion of all sound produced by the speaker. Or, vice versa, the speaker can pick up vibrations from other sources like people walking over the floor, causing undesired vibrations and again deadening sound. In order to counteract this effect, the speaker stand was designed as a sonically dead column, on which speakers could be isolated, lifted and mounted. Today, there are a range of aesthetically appealing brands and styles of speaker stands available that will optimise speaker performance, without looking like a space age command center was dropped into the living room.
The first thing to look for in a quality speaker stand is stiffness. Without a certain amount of rigidity the stand will still be subject to vibrations, and therefore no better than domestic furniture. If the stand is moving and wobbly, it is obviously less than ideal as the idea is to protect the speaker equipment, not jeopardise a fall. The best stands will be made of steel, or an equally resilient material like thick glass, and the support tubing will be rectangular, square, or circular in cross-section. For extra heavy equipment, look for stands that can be filled with another substance, like sand, to increase their own mass and support more speaker weight. The flat top plate of a speaker stand generally has small pads made of plastic or rubber to support the speaker and minimise vibration. When mounting the speaker, the listener can choose to apply additional reinforcements to keep the speaker securely atop like top spikes or gel pads.
Once the speaker stands are being set up in the home, having the speakers and especially the tweeter at the proper height will be of utmost importance. Ideally, the speakers/tweeter should be placed at ear level for someone in their normal listening position in the room (think about whether the listener will be sitting on a couch, lying on a bed, etc.) Do some homework and have measurements available as to the desired height of the speaker stands. Some speaker stands are adjustable in height. Many simply come in a range of graduated sizes. Regardless, it’s important to know whether or not the speaker stand has the desired height, or at least has the potential to adjust to the desired height, for the room.
Rest assured that speaker stands come in a wide variety of shapes and colors, so there will be something to match the existing home décor. One variety of speaker stand is made of a thick glass tubing that can be filled with any material (besides a liquid) to perfectly coordinate to match the room it’s in. The base and platform portions of speaker stands come in a range of shapes, as do the column supports. Keep in mind that part of the idea of the speaker stand is to create some distance between the speakers and thereby improve the sound quality. The idea is to create almost an equilateral triangle between the listener and the speakers, so sit down in the room and imagine what would compliment the space. An added benefit is that many speaker stands are equipped to hide unsightly wires and cables that often become a tangled mess sprawled across the living room floor.
One of the major concerns about speaker stands is the requirement to use spikes to fasten them to the floor. Many people would rather not cause that type of damage to their home flooring. However, the fact of the matter is that once the home stereo system has been purchased, it’s going to waste without the proper mounting of the speakers. Other options include mounting speakers on the walls or ceilings, but this type of damage is going to be far more intrusive, and require a great deal more unsightly material to keep the speakers secure than the floor spikes (not to mention wall mounting is unrealistic for anyone who rents). The spikes make minimal perforations in the flooring, which can be easily repaired should the speakers need to be moved. Alternatives to spiking the floor include setting the spikes in blocks of wood, or small metal cups specifically designed for speaker stands.
Where can speaker stands be found? The internet is a great resource for finding the widest range of colours, styles, makes and materials. Anyone with a very specific vision should start here. Of course as with any internet shopping it can be difficult to know exactly what one is getting without seeing the product in person. As always, make sure things like return policies, warranties, delivery details and payment security are discussed before making any purchases or giving any information over the internet. Another option is to try any local audio equipment location where speakers are sold. These establishments will either have speaker stands in stock, or be able to assist the buyer in finding a nearby vendor.
At the end of the day, the method of mounting speakers is an individual preference. Speaker stands are an affordable way to quickly and easily improve the sound quality of a home hi-fi stereo system. They help the speakers work better by eliminating many common, completely avoidable, complications like picking up vibrations, and poor room and listener-related placement. Nobody wants those pesky “deleterious colorations” ruining the sound quality on their home stereo system’s speakers. To start hearing things clearly, give speakers a quick and easy speaker stand makeover.
Tags: hifi speaker stands, hii stands, speaker stand, speaker stands