Granite Stands for B&W 804s

[RacerChris]

In preparation for arrival of my new 804s, I am thinking about getting stands. I live in California and it's not a matter of IF the "BIG ONE" hits, it's a matter of WHEN time. :E And you don't have to be a structural engineer (which I just happen to be) to figure out that it wouldn't take much to cause these babies to fall... 8O (For those on the east coast, "BIG ONE" is in reference to EARTHQUAKE :B )

Anyways, I know SOund Anchors makes some steel stands, but they are U-G-L-Y! :lol: Has anybody heard of a company that makes or can make granite slab bases for speakers? If you have a line of them, then please lmk...

Thanks!

[Fife]

Just get Sound Anchors. They arent that bad looking and they REALLY make a day and night difference!

Check audiogon. A few pairs for about $150.

If you get granite slabs and put them directly under your 804, they may produce unwanted brightness.

[jlee]

How would putting Granite Slabs under the 804's produce brightness? I have done just that and experienced none of this brightness you speak of.

Fife, what is your budget for the granite stands?

[Fife]

Jlee, I am not looking for grnaite stands. I think Racerchris is.

When I put my Matrix 805's on granite slabs between my speaker stands, I noticed the sound was "messy" . When I remoced them, the sound was more focused.

[RacerChris]

How would putting Granite Slabs under the 804's produce brightness? I have done just that and experienced none of this brightness you speak of.

Fife, what is your budget for the granite stands?

Well, geez, haven't even received the 804s yet, so have not established a budget. Guess these things have to be custom made, huh? So pretty pricey?

[jlee]

Well, I had a design done up for custom made granite slabs and an aluminum base (curved exactly like the 804 base of course) between the slab and speaker... To make it look like a miniature Signature 800. I never got around to making them because I plan to upgrade to 803 and make the custom stands for those instead. In the mean time, I have them on granite slabs with blue dots in between the speaker and slab. The bass has tightened up and is more pitch accurate and defined. With my design of having everything bolted together, I think the improvements would be even more substantial.

>When I put my Matrix 805's on granite slabs between my speaker stands, I noticed the sound was "messy"

So you had 805's on the slabs which were then on top of the stands? Did you use any sort of "tack" between the speaker and slabs? If not, it WILL sound messy.

[Fife]

jlee, I had blue tack between granite.

Granite slabs would work but I found they sound much better when you have "something" between the granite and the component.

If it was just granite and then speaker on top, the sound could be improved with some type of ioslation between them.

[jlee]

Fife, I had mine on carpet before so for me, the sound was improved. I heard none of the messiness you describe. I was taught that ideally, you don't want the speaker to rock back and forth easily. Even with spikes on the carpet, the 804's could "rock" a bit easier than on the granite with tack.

Out of curiosity, when you say "something" between granite and component, what would qualify if it's not tack?

Cheers.

[Fife]

Jlee,
My friend has tried his 7NT on granite slabs on carpet and the sound we heard was harsh. Eventually he used just the stock B&W spikes untill he got Sound Anchor stands. The sound wasnt necessarily messy per se but the sound was faster and the bass was tighter. I guess its a matter of preference.

I'm not saying using granite is bad, but it would depends if you have a suspended floor under your carpet and how much blu-tack you are using...etc. Heck, i've used granite slabs before I could afford better stands so they are'nt that bad. :wink:

The "something" would be ceramic cones or spikes....

[RacerChris]

Well, in my case, the granite slabs would be bolted to the bottom of the speakers. Otherwise, it wouldn't add much in the way of bracing in case of an earthquake! Assuming they were bolted, I would suspect that all the benefits that Sound Anchors provide would be realized.... Everyone agree?

[jimmyp58]

I don't own B&W speakers but I saw this post and am compelled to respond. Perhaps the granite slabs from Sound Anchors might not appeal to your eyes, but I can vouch for the company's craftsmanship. They are A+. Bob and his staff do an awesome job. They custom-built a center channel speaker platform for me and the build quality is second-to-none.

Buy with utmost confidence!

Jim

[RacerChris]

I don't own B&W speakers but I saw this post and am compelled to respond. Perhaps the granite slabs from Sound Anchors might not appeal to your eyes, but I can vouch for the company's craftsmanship. They are A+. Bob and his staff do an awesome job. They custom-built a center channel speaker platform for me and the build quality is second-to-none.

Buy with utmost confidence!

Jim

Jim,

Thanks for the reply. I did not realize Sound Anchor makes a granite slab stand for speakers. I was unable to locate anything on their website about them for B&W or other speakers. Am I missing Something?

[Fife]

I have only seen Sound Anchor stands using granite for Amp or rack stands. I havent seen any of their speaker stands use granite.

I agree that Sound Anchor is top notch as well.
I would only consider 2 types of stands: Sound Anchor or Skylan stands.

[jimmyp58]

My mistake, Sound Anchors doesn't do granite for speakers, just amp or racks --- sorry.

But I remain committed to my statement that even though they may not be pretty, their craftsmenship is phenomenal.

Jim

[robcraigw]

Sound Anchor stands

I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I have always thought that the Sound Anchor tubular stands are the coolest looking and most functional stands around. But, then, again, I work for a tube forming company.

I agree with the other post advising that you get Sound Anchors and try to like the looks. They're a great product and the owner is a very nice person. I met him at CES a few years ago and think he makes an excellent product and is customer oriented.

[gostan]

How about the Soundcare Superspikes. Has anybody given them a try as a compromise between the regular B&W spikes and the Sound Anchors?

My left front speaker gets moved ocassionally in order to get into a closet, so I do not think that the Sound Anchors would work for me.

One of my business ventures is in marble and granite fabrication. I can imagine that granite would be a great base/stand to hold a speaker in place (if customized), but I am not sure about sound enhancement.

[Fife]

Gostan,

You could always get a slab of marble/granite and use your existing B&W spikes (or other spikes like Audiopoints) and place your spiked speaker on top of the granite.

Then you could chisel indents/craters on the granite slab where your spikes would be and that should hold the spiked speakers on the granite slabs securely in place. The deeper the crater, the more stable. The chisel area should look like the holes that are used on hardwood foot protectors for spikes.
But there is the sound issue you have to test though.

Soundcare Superspikes look good but are probably best for hardwood floors.

The Sound Anchors or your custom granite stands have the added benefit of protecting your speakers when you vacuum.

[EAmin]

Sound anchors - 700 series

I'm very interested in the center anchor for my HTM7, but I was wondering if anyone has done/heard Sound Anchors for 703s? On the website, everything specifically refers to the Nautilus line. I emailed the Company, but haven't heard back.

I also agree with some of the other comments that they look kinda cool.

[Fife]

Regarding Sound Anchor stands:

You want this for your center channel, one. It is specially made for the HTM1 should you decide to upgrade.

The 703 is similar to the CDM 9NT.
The 704 is similar to the CDM 7NT.
Sorry too lazy to look up the dimensions for acurate comparisons.
The CDM NT stands look like this.

However, my friend is using something like these.

Matrix 804

Nautilus 804

It looks better than the CDM NT stands but doesnt surround the whole speaker.

It is based on their 3/4 post stands bases.
It was custom made and looks more like the Nautilus 804 stand without the humped area in the middle.

BIG improvement in sound I must say.
Bonus is if you decide to sell you speakers, you could use these stands for other floorstanders of similar sizing.

...and make sure you spike them!

[EAmin]

I spoke with Bob today. He is a nice guy, and is very professional as previously mentioned. He's done a few 700 series systems, and actually emailed me a drawing of the 703 anchors (see below). I think I will go for them as well as the center stand.

[RacerChris]

In preparation for arrival of my new 804s, I am thinking about getting stands. I live in California and it's not a matter of IF the "BIG ONE" hits, it's a matter of WHEN time. :E And you don't have to be a structural engineer (which I just happen to be) to figure out that it wouldn't take much to cause these babies to fall... 8O (For those on the east coast, "BIG ONE" is in reference to EARTHQUAKE :B )

Anyways, I know SOund Anchors makes some steel stands, but they are U-G-L-Y! :lol: Has anybody heard of a company that makes or can make granite slab bases for speakers? If you have a line of them, then please lmk...

Thanks!

For those still watching the original post, I have since received my 804s and LOVE them. I have also contacted Sound Anchors and confirmed that the speakers are NOT bolted to the stands. The reason they gave me is the the insert in the bottom of the speaker is great for push forces, but not pull. Anyways, still looking for pic of them installed, until them I'm reserving judgement on how they look....