Footers under new speakers
Hi , I’m seeking advice regarding footers and/or platforms under my speakers. I purchased Tekton Double Impact’s and have heavy shag carpet and padding over a cement slab floor. House is 35 years old, cement is thick and well cured. I’m from that old mindset of spikes into cement and I am looking for an improvement. I’ve looked online at Gaia footers and Herbie's Studded Giant Gliders. I emailed Herbie’s and specifically inquired about the studded gliders alone on the DI’s over carpet. I asked about stability and was told the speakers were “ heavy enough “. Unfortunately I just set up the DI’s temporarily to get a little break in time. They are without any footers upright on my carpet. At 115 lbs the speaker does about zero to compress the carpet. I understand weight Vs footprint is abysmal but they won’t even stand straight. I’ll probably put the spikes on for a bit until I formulate a plan. But my first concern is that Herbie’s gliders alone are not enough and due to the minimum cost of the speakers I am struggling with purchasing Gaia’s footers and footer spikes. The seismic stands look exceptional, but I’m trying to be frugal. So I’m looking for suggestions like, gliders or dots with or without spikes on wood / stone plinths spiked to the floor. My goal is to try some sort decoupling (Gliders / Springs / Dots) AND eliminate the need of having to rely on the carpet being compressed. And yes I have cheap speakers and seek a cheap solution, so I get that limitation. Unfortunately I can’t afford Tannoy’s or Fynes to compliment my 180 watt tube mono blocs for at least a year. Cheers , Mike B.
@buellrider97 Thank you. I sent a message to Townshend though their website to get their recommendation for my speakers and I asked if they are a seller on Audiogon. I found a listing for $1799, but I can't figure out how to get seller info and feedback on them. I've never purchased anything on Agon. |
@sls883 , locate the ad in AGON Sales section. Scroll to the very bottom, it shows 100% on 525 items. Also a link to their E-Store. Up top there is a buy now and a make offer. If I was to pull the trigger I’d directly ask for their best price or make an offer 5-10% under their asking price. It also stated free DSL shipping, but coming from UK I’d clarify if there is an import duty or tariff so you’re not surprised. I also watched Hans Vanbeeker ( spelling ? ) video review. He really liked it but was vetoed by the wife. One thing he pointed out was the center of gravity for the speaker is ideal to have at the center of the devise. He pointed out most speakers are weight forward center of gravity because of driver weight. He suggest putting a dowel under the speaker and rolling the speaker fore and aft to determine COG. And if you have offset drivers doing the same side to side. I just saw the video today and need to look further , but my first thought was do I need a larger size as I’d assumed one would just set the speaker centered. Might be irrelevant, not sure yet. But once you’ve established contact you can find out. Please let us know what you’ve learned. Also noticed 883 in your logo, that’s a Harley displacement size. Cheers , Mike. |
@dekay , I currently do not have anything but spikes and the non pointed OEM equivalent. I have a pair of 26” Sound Anchor 3 leg stands that weigh about 60 lbs each. I’ve run JBL and Klipsch Heresy on them. Just spiked through the carpet. I HAD blue dots but they melted and damaged the unfinished Heresys. I have a pair of Zu Omens that I ran spiked in place of the previously mentioned speakers. At only 50 lbs I had to lean on them to pierce the carpet and pad. I then purchased Timber Nation 4” thick footers with spikes to put under the ZU’s. I put the spiked ZU’s on brass cups with the footers. Looked great, sounded like crap. I talked to Sean Casey and experimented per his suggestion with spacing the ZU’s. I eventually gave up not being able to improve the SQ which was pretty good to begin with. I’m changing to a higher power rig with Rogue M-180’s and Rogue Hera pre. Hence I purchased the Tektons to get me by until I could afford something nicer. So I’m at day 4 with the Tektons sitting bare bottom on the wrong wall with the wrong amp. The funny thing is they actually sound decent. So my goal is correct room placement, new component shelf, NO TV, gear low to floor and room treatments. I’m currently trying to avoid subs and am considering what I’ve asked about in the thread. I’d try the Timber Nation footers but at 14”x14”x4” they are smaller than the 12”x18” footprint of the Double Impacts. I’m looking at new thinking as mentioned above , but struggle with not knowing and spending close to $2K to experiment. Then throw in the carpet and I have where I’m at. So far I’ve done everything I can to compromise the SQ of the Tektons and playing Tool at 95db with a cheap modded Akitika op amp , they sound really good. Go Figure. So with only spikes to try and wanting to try something new , I’ll probably get some 18x24 bamboo cutting boards and/or some similar sized sheets of quartzite or marvel to try. I’ll try spiked on that and maybe Herbies on that. I can discard the sheets and return or repurpose the Herbies. I figure that will let me know if I’m on the correct course before I pony up for Gaia’s or Townsend platforms. Maybe my logic is incorrect but these are my thoughts. I respect and appreciate all the input and I’m fine with criticism of what I’m doing. I’m just looking for the answers most of you already know. Cheers , Mike. |
@buellrider97 Thank you. That's good information. I'll report back with any feedback that I get from Townshend. Yeah, I've had the sls883 name for a long time. My first Harley was an 883. Within months, I went to a 1200 Custom. Then a Deuce. I had a numbered paint set on it and cool wheels. Wish I still had it. Then a Road King, then Road King Custom. Riding where I lived in Nebraska was not much fun (flat cornfields), so I eventually sold them. |
