spikes

[Hallett]

802D's came with a set of spikes is it worth all the trouble to put
them on. the speakers are on very plush carpet i'm just trying to get
some advise . thanks Bob

[Karma]

HI Bob,
Your simple sounding question is not so simple. The idea of spikes is to efficiently couple vibrational energy from the speaker box (or any other component) to the floor or mounting surface. But the spikes will couple surface energy back to the speaker (component) just as well. Thought is needed with components other than speakers. Spikes also tend to solidify the speaker position and to keep them from rocking. They give a very solid feel.

Their effectiveness is best if the surface is very solid, like concrete. You didn't mention what's under the carpet. That is the key issue. If the surfaces are solid then spikes can be very effective in a subtle way and definitely worth the trouble.

As everybody on this forum knows, I am a big advocate of spikes. I spike everything. But I also make sure the the spikes have a good surface to couple to.

Sparky

[amdan]

802D's came with a set of spikes is it worth all the trouble to put
them on. the speakers are on very plush carpet i'm just trying to get
some advise . thanks Bob

I have suspended timber floors with carpet over it. Spiking my 802N speakers made a significant difference. It was well worth it. However, make sure you have found the right position for your speakers before spiking. It is quite difficult to move the speakers with the spikes on. I have taken them off again to experiment with positioning. Positioning makes a huge difference.

[nicky]

Entirely subjective.

In a blinded study, some will say it makes a difference while others can't tell the difference. No real, true scientific study is able to prove otherwise, but is based only on theory...thus entirely subjective to each individual.

One persons take on it at:

http://www.audioholics.com/education/loudspeaker-basics/speaker-spikes-and-cones-2013-what2019s-the-point

[Indytown]

Entirely subjective.

In a blinded study, some will say it makes a difference while others can't tell the difference. No real, true scientific study is able to prove otherwise, but is based only on theory...thus entirely subjective to each individual.

One persons take on it at:

http://www.audioholics.com/education...019s-the-point

Your explaination is entirely subjective.

What equipment do you run?

[Hallett]

Your explaination is entirely subjective.

What equipment do you run?

Bryston sp-2
Bryston 4B-SST
Classe Delta CD
B&W 802D
Velodyne DD-18


Thank's for your advise guys.
i'm still trying to decide if it's worth it.

[RobP]

The easiest way for you to find out is just to give it a try, you have nothing to lose but some time :T . I spiked my 803's and found an improvement and then went a step further with a pair of Sound anchor stands and found even more improvement than the factory spikes.

[RebelMan]

Nice to see you still making appearances around here SG. It's been a while, stranger. :W

[Ted]

Nice to see you still making appearances around here SG. It's been a while, stranger. :W

No kidding, the guy becomes a moderator and disappears... And where is that poor kid and his trike? I miss him (no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else is always worse off!).

[RobP]

Nice to see you still making appearances around here SG. It's been a while, stranger. :W

I have been really busy with work, things are calming down a bit so I plan annoying you guys more often :lol:

[RobP]

No kidding, the guy becomes a moderator and disappears... And where is that poor kid and his trike? I miss him (no matter how bad you think you have it, someone else is always worse off!).

:lol: , I think its time for that kid to make a comeback............. :B

[Ted]

:rofl: Awesome!

[Hallett]

Thanks again for the spike info. :roll:

[misterdoggy]

Spikes have had plenty of posts before on HT Guide

I have them and can tell you

The spikes are dangerous and would pierce your rug. You can get metal cups for the spikes to fit in to their groove.

When ever you want to move these behemouths, the spikes cause damage.

Is there are difference in sound ? IMHO not at all. perhaps some perceive a difference, but it could also be do the the listening height gets altered and goes a few inches higher. Vibration more fixed, this is doubtful since these things weigh a ton and you have so much pressure on any feet you are using, its hard to imagine vibration being a factor.

I actually paid $300 usd for my spikes as they don't offer them in Europe with the 802d's, and if I had it to do all over, I wouldn't bother. A gazillion holes in my hardwood floors, scratches and roll marks from the rollers too. I would just keepthe rollers and put the whle speaker on a hard plastic square.

[Hallett]

Spikes have had plenty of posts before on HT Guide

I have them and can tell you

The spikes are dangerous and would pierce your rug. You can get metal cups for the spikes to fit in to their groove.

When ever you want to move these behemouths, the spikes cause damage.

Is there are difference in sound ? IMHO not at all. perhaps some perceive a difference, but it could also be do the the listening height gets altered and goes a few inches higher. Vibration more fixed, this is doubtful since these things weigh a ton and you have so much pressure on any feet you are using, its hard to imagine vibration being a factor.

I actually paid $300 usd for my spikes as they don't offer them in Europe with the 802d's, and if I had it to do all over, I wouldn't bother. A gazillion holes in my hardwood floors, scratches and roll marks from the rollers too. I would just keepthe rollers and put the whle speaker on a hard plastic square.

Thank you for the info i thought the same thing with the weight of the speakers the spikes might not be needed just wanted to make sure i wasn't
missing somthing by not putting them on . some day i might just try them
to see for myself. thanks again.

[Eliav]

Hi
I had tried them on, removed them, and then found out that keeping them, so that the speakers are about 1.5" above the carpet level made a BIG difference with the sound stage and the lower end. I strongly advocate not only trying them but also trying different heights relative to your floor level
Eliav

[Gump]

The easiest way for you to find out is just to give it a try, you have nothing to lose but some time :T . I spiked my 803's and found an improvement and then went a step further with a pair of Sound anchor stands and found even more improvement than the factory spikes.

Hey SG,

I'm considering buying a set of the Sound Anchors mainly to improve the stability of my 803D's. They're sitting on some thick carpet right now and seem very wobbly. You might remember I had a "tipping" incident a couple of years ago and I'm not eager to see that scene repeated.

What's your appraisal on the improved stability of your speakers with the SA's? Is it significant?

Also, do they cause the speakers to tilt forward or back? My speakers are currently at a pretty good height level and if they were raised up an inch or two by the SA's I wouldn't want that accented by having them tilted back as well.

Mucho Thx.

[beden1]

I use sound anchors on all of my floor speakers. They provide excellent stability and can be adjusted for a solid level position, or you could also adjust them for a stable speaker angle.

I'm not sure if spikes or anchors provide any sound improvements (technically speaking). I think they would noticeably benefit the sound by raising the speakers off of carpet, however.

I have large A/D/S 910 II speakers in one of my setups that originally came with floor stands that I unfortunately lost along the way. These stands raised the speakers 6" off the floor. I recently had bases made that again raised them 6". This addition really opened up the sound for these speakers that are now tighter and much more lively.

When elevating speakers, you need to consider the height of your tweeters in relation to your sitting height. I have found, at least in this one setup, that the optimum height of the tweeters is several inches above your listening height while sitting.

[jack667]

Will the speaker be damaged on wood floor without spikes? I heard that vibration can cause problems, but can't see how 8 spikes would reduce vibration on a small surface area away from the drivers?

[beden1]

Will the speaker be damaged on wood floor without spikes? I heard that vibration can cause problems, but can't see how 8 spikes would reduce vibration on a small surface area away from the drivers?

I'm not sure about this one. The speakers I referred to are 31 years old and are still playing strong without any problems. They spent 30 years sitting directly on a wood floor.

[RobP]

Hey SG,

I'm considering buying a set of the Sound Anchors mainly to improve the stability of my 803D's. They're sitting on some thick carpet right now and seem very wobbly. You might remember I had a "tipping" incident a couple of years ago and I'm not eager to see that scene repeated.

What's your appraisal on the improved stability of your speakers with the SA's? Is it significant?

Also, do they cause the speakers to tilt forward or back? My speakers are currently at a pretty good height level and if they were raised up an inch or two by the SA's I wouldn't want that accented by having them tilted back as well.

Mucho Thx.

Hey Gump,

The SA actually made a major improvement in stability over the "stock" spikes, when I first seen how they would sit on the stands I was a little worried, but after I installed them my worries quickly went away.
The SA come with the option to tilt the speaker back or make them level, I found that I liked mine tilted back, its not much, but it did make a slight improvement in image height, but this may be due to the fact that I tend to sit up a bit higher than the average person being that I am 6' 4".

[Gump]

Thanks Robert! I'll be placing the order next week.

[sg2]

http://s.guillard.free.fr/802D_ptfe_feet/

Makes it a breeze to move them around when needed, leaves exactly zero trace on the wood, and of course, does not change the sound by zilch.

Regards,
--
Stéphane

[misterdoggy]

Stephane,

Wow looks great !! Living in France too, I can buy those Teflon Shoes. so much better looking with the Unit on the floor.

And it doesn't change the sound. Thanks Stephane. This has maybe solved an age old problem for me.

I really don't like the looks of the spike feet, either side rubber of pointed, being an artist, it was just not pleasing to the eye to see such hulks of weight and desing reduced to 4 points. It is UGLY IMHO.

But what you have done is very pleasing artistically speaking Bravo

[amdan]

Hey Gump,

The SA actually made a major improvement in stability over the "stock" spikes, when I first seen how they would sit on the stands I was a little worried, but after I installed them my worries quickly went away.
The SA come with the option to tilt the speaker back or make them level, I found that I liked mine tilted back, its not much, but it did make a slight improvement in image height, but this may be due to the fact that I tend to sit up a bit higher than the average person being that I am 6' 4".

Soundgravy,

Was there a significant improvement in sound quality over the stock spikes?
TIA.

[RobP]

Soundgravy,

Was there a significant improvement in sound quality over the stock spikes?
TIA.

Yes, there was a major improvement, the bass was more focused and ledgible than with the stock spikes. The midrange also seemed to open up a bit, I dont know if the benefit in the midrange was from the height that was added, putting the center of the driver closer to my ear or if the better bass performance unmasked this quality.

please keep this in mind, my speakers are spiked through carpet on to a solid concrete surface, so the effect that the SA's would have on other substrates may differ, It would be interesting to see what effect a wood floor would have on my system.

[misterdoggy]

Just wondering when reading the inputs about height changes.

When we are setting up our systems, we move the speakers around, both in distance and toeing in or out etc, until all of a sudden, BAM, the sweet spot comes in and the magical center "image" appears as though there are no 2 speakers, but one in the center.

Maybe the difference people hear with spikes, is actually part of this moving around the imaging. Having to do with the 'sitting' position or 'listening' position, rather than the spikes themselves.

I try to keep the 3 front speakers as closely aligned in height as possible to this end.

Any changes in height, width, toeing in or out will make a change. Anything that makes it better I guess is worth it.