FAF v. speaker stands (1 Viewer)

In the next two weeks I'll be purchasing some Paradigm Studio 40's and I will need to place them on stands. After doing some extensive searching it appears the best way to go is with a column or two filled with lead or sand to dampen reverb.

Well, this would be fine if my fiancee (FAF) did not see the need for these stands to also operate as bookshelves underneath the pedestal.

Is anyone aware of alternate designs that would make us, and our pocketbooks, happy?

Hmmmnn, sounds like the two of you need to sit down with pencil and paper and work together to come up with a design that satisfies you both. What she's proposing sounds kind of odd to me, but who knows? Maybe, between the two of you, you can come up with something that is both functional and a conversation piece for the room. Besides, seeing where your relationship is going, it probably won't hurt the two of you to get ahead of the game and start thinking like the team that you will need to be. Just my $0.02, for what it is worth.

I think there are many ways to go about this... although they will al require more work than the simple tube and threaded rod solution.

I would recommend doubling the bottom and the back of the bookcase-stand to fill with sand... it will reduce some resonance and will give it some stability (lower the centre of gravity of the stand / speaker combo)

Are you planning on building the stands? It seems unlikely you could find a pre-made bookshelf that would both place the speaker at the proper height and satisfy her aesthetic sense. If you are going to build something, I don't see a problem as long as the bookcase is sufficiently sturdy and stable.

Is her main concern aesthetics or space?

I personally think this is a great idea, and wonder why I didn't think of it first! Books are nice and heavy, and should be great for adding mass to a speaker stand. Bookshelves are also a great thing to have in an audio room because all of the uneven surfaces create a diffusor; granted, directly under the speakers may not have that much of an effect, but diffusion anywhere in a room helps.
As mentioned, I'm sure you will have to build these yourself. However, designing and building a bookcase isn't that tough. Good luck... be sure to post pictures.
FWIW, I took a cabinetry class at the local Woodcraft store and ended up buying a Kreg pocket hole jig. I used it to build a baltic birch riser for my television to put my center channel speaker in; it was very easy and took a single afternoon (not including finishing). Seems that this would be very easy to do with that construction technique.

I had planned on building this myself, but finding the right design has been the problem. I was thinking of placing posts (PVC?) filled with sand in the four corners, then adding wood siding, and finally placing a door in front. However with all these additions I see the possibility for more reverb than I'd like.

With many of the single pedestal stands, the pipe itself is fairly large. Any guesses on how big of diameter those pipes should be to adaquately dampen the stand? Is there a formula for this or is it trial and error?

Although the functionality of these stands is important, I think the primary concern of "The Future Mrs." is of course aesthetics. Also, I am going with a black finish to match the veneer of the speakers as closely as possible. I've read some about Hammer paint, but I'm not incredibly familiar with it and I don't know how well it works with veneer.

Thanks for the tips so far.. keep em comin'

PS. I live about 45 min. from the nearest Home Depot, so I need to have a good idea about what I'm doing before I head up there. If you know of specific products that would help, feel free to name drop. I'm by no means a woodworking expert, but my father knows a few things. I'm enlisting his help as well.

I don't think that the stands are as acoustically critical as the speaker enclosure itself but an empty box probably isn't the best way to go either.

The effect of the quantity/mass of sand I think is a question of personal opinion... but I'd suggest that the stands weigh as much if not a little more than the speakers you plan on placing on them. This will reduce natural resonance of the stand and more importantly prevent it from tipping over. As for construction you can go with painted wood, MDF, plywood, or even some simple black melamine... Glue, nail, screw, etc... all the joints well. I did a quick sketch of how it could work (check your email)...

I'd avoid combining tube with sheathing just because it'll introduce many complicated construction joints.

Later...
Rob

Does Ms. F understand that her bookshelf is not going to be very tall? Ideally you want the tweeter at about ear level while seated, which is roughly 30-36" off the floor. It looks to me like the tweeter on the Studio 40 is about 18-19" from the bottom of the cabinet, so a suitable stand would only be about 14-18" tall, and 24" at the absolute max. Not much of a bookshelf. Seems to me that this concept would work much better with smaller speakers like the Studio 20's.

It also seems to me that by the time you are done with this project, you will likely have spent most of the money you saved by going with the 40's versus the 60's, and all you would get in returns is some smallish boxes that hold a very few books.

I agree with Brian. I was pleasently surprised when my wife liked my floor standing Adire 281's. At first I was thinking, like you, she wanted something small, almost invisible, since she hated my previous speakers which were semi-large. Turns out they were just ugly.

Good point Brian, though the dealer gave me a difference of $250 between the 40's and 60's. I could make stands for every speaker in my 7.1 setup for that.

I hadn't thought too much about the size of the 40's but after reading your post, I probably only have room a set of books, or possibly two rows of DVD's.

Rob had a nice sketch he sent over that allowed me to fill the rear and base of the stand with sand. I think some combination of that with the smaller stature of this base may work...

Of course that may mean building a new stand for my TV...

Really, does it ever end!?

Another possibility is to pick up a used pair of Studio 60's. They're going for about $700-750 a pair on Audiogon.com.

If you're going to fill the stands with books, why bother with pipes and sand? Seems like a lot of extra trouble, books are plenty heavy.