Monitors on Short Stands


Has anyone tried monitors on the floor or very short stands (e.g., butcher block) -- perhaps even angling the speakers up slightly?
tim_j_thomas
Yes if you angle it works better for bass can cause image to be a bit low. Energy offered such a stand back in the late 80s. Try it see if you enjoy.
Give it a try, you may enjoy the sound. For me personally, the bass went lower, but the treble and imaging suffered.
Mapleshade makes a stand like you describe - called the "Bedrock". The low stance increases the bass response, but the speaker is suspended off the platform by brass fitting and a large cone in front so the mids and treble are less muddied than if you just placed them on a slab of wood.

I owned a pair several years ago and thought they were quite good with what I had at the time. Remember, the results of any changes in the speaker/room interface are highly unique to that particular room. What sounded like mud in one room might be fantastic in yours.

I would say this - if you feel your speakers sound thin and your domestic environment will tolerate low to the ground placement, Mapleshade gives you a 30-day money back on their stuff, so it's definitely worth trying.
Here's the address for the stands. I don't think A'gon permits links, so you'll have to cut and paste.

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/bedrock.php
Apparently this low profile speaker stand idea isn't as uncommon as I thought initially.

I have a pair of Phase Tech Priemier Collection 6.5 two ways which rest on a mite under, one foot tall wooden stands. the speakers sit on four compliant nodes and have a slight angle or tilt up towards the listener's position.

The esthetic is IMO a bit odd, but the results are pretty good in fact. I do find however the bass improves with these non portted spaekers when in close proximity to a rear wall.

the resultant SS also has it's own sweet spot as dictated by the angle of tilt. the SS doesn't levitate much if at all, but is acceptable for sure.
I had always thought that putting stand mounts on the floor was a bad idea. However, I know Pierre and he does some very good things so this fall I bought some ultra bedrocks on Audiogon. I was wrong, its not a bad idea, its a REALLY BAD idea, about 5 minutes was all I could stand of my Spendor speakers on them compared to Pierre's Quadrapier stands I usually use. Totally different sound balance, all bass, no treble. The good part was that I sold them to someone with large floor standers and they worked well for him. There may be some rooms in which this works but it didn't in mine.
Yes.

Doesn't work well with more directional drivers like many tweeters, etc.

Works better with more wide dispersion designs. It can help get more bass out of a smaller box when it does.
I used no stands at all- with my large monitor speakers. I put them right on the floor 30 years ago when bass was everyone's idea of a good time. It Worked well enough with my Klipsch Heresys. I later learned a real potent high current amp with a class A sound worked even better.* Then again I stopped listening to them on a regular basis about then.
*( yes I know the efficiency of a 1976 Heresy. These are pre outlawed Alnico Heresys,V.1 beyond which, at the time, there was no V.2 or V.3,.
As measured at 4 feet not 1M, using a 1,000 cps lab generated perfect sine wave for a signal measured in a sound isolated or "anechoic" chamber not a "room" meant for anything alive to exist in.
Dear brothers O'phile try getting those same results at a pure 100 cps, then you will understand why you can have a speaker rated @ 104dB/W/4FT sound thin, Because all of that Spl is treble and Mids. If the music you play is entirely above about,.,1,000cps. Otherwise you'll likely prefer the sound coming from a nicely made Electro Voice woofer under the influence of a nice big power amp, tube is just fine, but don't expect much from a 2A3 SET, except as noted.
Thus the seemingly insane idea of true synergy between a fairly high output McIntosh power amp and the highly efficient Klipsch speaker.
I think it's true. I keep a real small Mac just for the two pairs of Klipsch I own. The ones mentioned, my old Heresys. I have a reasonable doubt that I'll part with them even if they sit idle, And a pair of 1978 LaScallas. I bought them only about 5 years ago, largely because I thought I should get the speaker I wanted during the well known, teen aged "the louder the better idiocy period."
I still like music played too loudly for most..... but would be willing to trade.... lascalas ...for sell.... my lost....function superbly..... could use a nice facelift ..I have the perfect amp...package deal....tubes for the SS Mc.... Sure but extra... nice price.... you want fries with that........etc. etc...yada,yada ... bing.

Mapman said... "Works better with more wide dispersion designs. It can help get more bass out of a smaller box when it does"

Must be so I guess at least in my situation... my 24 in tall monitors use a flat faced (piston ?) foam filled 8 inch bass/mid driver that disperses a wide SS.. and at 84db 8 ohm they don't play loudly, but definitely smooth and openly... think panels.