Reducing Resonance Between Speakers and Stands – Need Advice


My Joseph Audio Pulsar speakers are currently placed on some basic stands, which themselves sit on spikes. When playing bass-heavy material, I feel the sound doesn’t quite detach cleanly from the speakers — instead it seems to vibrate and spread sideways, as if too much resonance is being transferred into the stands.

 

I’m looking for something to place between the speakers and the stands that would help reduce these resonances and improve bass clarity.

 

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

gabriel123

Have great success with AUVA Isolators between my HarbethC7s and my Warfdale Linton stands. 

From what I have read here, I would start with improved speaker stands.  I am not one for flimsy stands (e.g., TonTrager/Harbeth) so suggest something strong, stiff, and damped. 

I second the recommendation for Sound Anchors stands by @buellrider97 and I have successfully used them with several speakers.  They are as solid as it gets, and internally damped with sand.  They provide a stable base and the footprint is usually wider than the base of the speaker.  They accommodate 3/8-inch threaded footers or anything else you want to use. 

My speakers are bolted directly to the Sound Anchors stands (i.e., no worries about the speaker-stand interface material) although I believe I used a thin sheet of IsoDamp, a harder elastomer, between the speaker and stand (primarily to protect the speaker finish).   The rigid connection between the speaker and stand results in the substantial weight of the stand providing mass loading for the speaker.  Under the stands, I have used a variety of footers through the years including spikes (gave up on those), Herbies Giant Fat Gliders, damped springs (similar to Townshend), platinum silicone hemispherical elastomers and, most recently, back to Herbies on my carpeted concrete grade slab floor.

Audiophiles seem to write off the hemispherical platinum silicone footers but I found them to be quite good.  They can be sized for the weight they are supporting and, being an elastomeric material, they respond similar to a three dimensional damped spring. The problems may be that they don't cost much, aren't shiny, and don't have a complicated engineering explanation for how they function.  In my system, they just worked.  Good luck.

 

FWIW, my KEF Reference, and in line with @mitch2 comment, were bolted to the stands. I think the goal is to make the speakers one with the stands, not isolate them, mass load the stands, and then dissipate any vibration using a good set of footers. 

Thank you! As always, you provide so much useful information.

For now, I will buy some silicone footers and use them between speakers and stands. I will also try to fill the stands with sand. In the future, I will buy better stands and use dedicated isolators instead of spikes. 

OP

I suggest that you use Iso Acoustic isolation devices. fir my personal observation, it is a must for me in mounting my Ls50 and ATCs on the stand mounts.

for me (YMMV) the isolators help enhance the separation of instruments and vocals of several singers. just makes a clearer soundstage that help projecting in my mind the venue.

 

try it, if it does not work for your needs, just return it

good luck