|   Newbie needs speaker stands | hubcap
Dec 5, 2002 9:16 AM | | I have a pair of Mission 780s for which I need speaker stands. I'm pretty new to the world of hifi audio so I would appreciate any suggestions on stands or suppliers. What characteristics do good stands have? I think they need to be at least 30" or taller and they will be on a carpeted floor. |
| re: Newbie needs speaker stands | JDaniel
Dec 5, 2002 12:24 PM | | Hubcap,
Are you sure you need 30" or taller stands? Ideally, the tweeters should be at ear level when seated, assuming you don't listen to most of your music/movies standing up. 30" sounds pretty tall.
Anyway, there are numerous speaker stand co's out there, such as Sanus. You can view them locally if you have a Circuit City or Best Buy. You can also check many places online, such as AudioAdvisor.com, where they have 33 diff. stands.
Most prefer a stand that is solid/heavy, and which can be filled with sand or lead shot. I just have mine on wooden Sanus stands, and they work great for me.
If you are handy w/ tools, you can make some very nice DIY stands.
JDaniel |
| re: Newbie needs speaker stands | hubcap
Dec 6, 2002 9:10 AM | | Actually, a fair bit of the listening in this room does occur standing up. But even seated, the ear is around 40" or more from the floor (average person, average chair).
The 780s are pretty small - H11"xW6.5"xD10.3" - and the tweeter is only about three inches from the botton of the speaker. Am I off base, or is a stand nearing 40" the best for these speakers?
Thanks for the AudioAdvisor suggestion. They have a few stands that look like they would work. The Studio Tech SN-A model is adjustable and looks ok. Should I stay away from adjustable stands?
I don't have a problem tackling a DIY job. If anyone has any designs for good DIY stands, I'm open to that option. |
| re: Newbie needs speaker stands | igor
Dec 6, 2002 12:53 PM | | Hey hubcap,
No, 40 inches would be way to high. I would go for about 24 inch stands. Don't forget, you add the height of the speakers to this, which would make it close to 3 feet or so, which if you are seating should be ideal. I recently purchased some stands at http://www.dynamichometheater.com called the "Soundstage" . Later I found out you can buy these at Best Buy. They look very cool, but my main complaint is that they are bit wobbly, and I hate the design of the top bracket, where the speaker sits on (it is in 2 pieces, stupid design). I do have these filled with sand, but it doesn't make any difference. I will replace these, probably with Studio Techs top of the line, which are about $250. Seems like a lot, but I doubt I will ever replace them. Replace the speakers, keep the stands. Another site to check out is partsexpress.com I have some other stands from them and they were good, and affordable. Also audioadvisor.com as others mentioned, is probably where I will buy next. I wouldn't recommend adjustable. Get ones that are as stable as you can. I also have small kids, so this is a different issue for me, than it might be for you. GOod luck. |
| re: Newbie needs speaker stands | hubcap
Dec 6, 2002 3:27 PM | | igor, your Sound Stage stands are supposed to feature "Zinc die cast weighted feet for ultimate stability..." and a "Universal speaker mount plate". How can they be less than perfect? j/k
Seriously, the Misson booksheves have the tweeter at the bottom of the speaker. I'm not sure why they design it that way, but the speaker does not raise the height of the tweeter much more than the stand. I don't want to split hairs here if it is unnecessary, so tell me if I am putting too much consideration into this. Tweeter three feet off the ground - is that a good rule of thumb for seated listening? |
| re: Newbie needs speaker stands | igor
Dec 9, 2002 7:50 AM | | Really the only rule of thumb, is when you are sitting in your chair, the tweeter, wherver it is, should be about at ear level. If that means you need 30" stands, than so be it. Unless you are very tall, or your chair is, I would still guess that 24-26" stands should work. Perhaps get a tape measure, and see if you can measure fro the floor to where the tweeter would be. 24 to 30" stands is not a huge difference. I am aware that Mission puts their tweeter on the bottom. A few others do it too. Not sure why, but generally Mission is quite well respected.
Yeah, well my stands are "less than perfect"! The do look nice, and for most people, would be sufficient. Unfortunately I was working with a budget, and need to get an audio rack and the stands, and stay under $300. The rack is great, and basically I got these stands for free anyway, so I shouldn't complain too much. But I will go very solid the next time. Metal all the way! |
| DIY stands | JDaniel
Dec 9, 2002 9:31 AM | | Several methods.
1. I literally went to Circuit City w/ tape measure and pencil/paper in hand. I measured the stand I liked (a Sanus), and built a set for <$25 using MDF. They didn't sell one the height I needed (about 42" for rears). You can order spikes, pads etc. from co's like PartsExpress.
2. A quick google search on "diy speaker stands" returned 249 hits.
3. Search this and other HT websites (HT Forum has a good DIY forum).
Good luck, and let us know what you choose.
JDaniel |
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