Should I build plinths or screw spikes into cabinet?


I've got a great old pair of B&W DM640 floor standers, but I don't have the plinth and spike kit that were sold as an option back in the '90s.  Since I have been unable to track down a kit online or directly through B&W I am planning on building my own.

The speakers themselves were built without any isolation system on the base of the cabinet, and were set on top of adjustable "lugs" which were incorporated into the top of the optional wooden plinths.  Each plinth had four basic spikes mounted at the corners.  This sounds easy enough to replicate.

Does it make more sense to simply drill into the base of the cabinet and mount the spikes directly?  The tweeters are nearly at ear level, so I don't need to lift them much.  I am a little hesitant to make any permanent alteration to the speakers, however.  Any opinions or alternatives are welcomed!
guitared

Showing 4 responses by bdp24

The Townshend Seismic Pods or Bars suggested by infection are great, but not cheap. For as little as $75 for a pair of speakers you can try roller bearings.
A DIY version of the Seismic Bars could be a pair of Baltic Birch plywood shelves separated by a very slightly inflated bicycle tire in between them. With a trio of roller bearings between the speaker and top shelf you will have excellent isolation without the non-linear filtering caused by "lossy" materials (rubber of any type). 
guitared---Barry Diament, the guy I heard about the roller bearings from, put his Magneplanar 3.7's on them, and uses slightly inflated bike tires between BB plywood planks for his electronics, even in his professional recording studio. Almost as good as the Seismic Pods, and a lot cheaper!

The Ingress are the best deal around in roller bearings. He now offers a version made to Barry Diament’s specs: a highly-polished single cup made of 7075 aluminum, with a large diameter, shallow bowl (the result of machining the shape of the bowl to follow the curve of a very small section of a very large sphere) to achieve a very low mechanical filter corner frequency (of around 3 Hz), and 3/8" ball bearing. $90 for a set of three, half the price of the Symposium Acoustics Roller Block Jr’s, and of a superior design.

I've just about accepted the fact that I'm getting two sets of three Seismic Pods to put under the Sound Anchor stands my ET LFT-8b's are on. About $800-$900, but justified by the degree of improved sound (or so I've been lead to believe ;-).