Speaker stands for Studio 40? (1 Viewer)

[John S Smith]

Before I buy stands for v3 Studio 40's could someone point me in the right direction regarding stands.
I don't find the Paradigm Stands offered by distributor @ $300.00 particularly attractive and am considering making some. As long as I provide a solid base without providing a soundboard for unwanted harmonics, ie if I use tubing fill it with shot/sand. Is it very much more complicated than that?

..john

 

[John Garcia]

No it's not more complicated than that, really.

www.racksandstands.com

www.audioadvisor.com

www.partsexpress.com

I'm using the high mass 24" stands from Parts Express, and even without filling, they are extremely stable.

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[mackie]

Ask your dealer about the less expensive stands Paradigm sells for their other lines. They are good stands and can be had for less than $100...

 

[John Garcia]

I have the S30s for my surrounds and I moved a set of S26s that the high mass stands replaced to my bedroom. The S30s cannot be filled without some fiddling, because of the wire routing hole in the bottom, but you can fill one column of the S26. These stands are decent, but I got my high mass stands for $89/pr. and they weigh well over 2x that of any of the Paradigm stands (26lbs each, unfilled).

 

[John S Smith]

Good links, thanks, one thing I am concerned about is a 2 year old, hurting or being hurt by speaker on stands, so...

What about brackets? I have a pair of very heavy cabinets either side of TV, while looking for stands came accross "Omnimount" who also carry brackets and their web sight specifically mentioned compatibility with Studio 40 installation.
A pair of Omnimount (WB 60) series brackets mounted to the sides of these cabinets and bolted to the base of Studio 40's would/should allow my speakers to simply swing out of the way. Also the 11" arm gives me a fairly ideal spacing on the speakers. They "look" rigid but will I run into problems with the cabinets resonating. (is this the right description/terminology?)

Found these brackets at HiFi for less @ $66.00, Sounds too good to be true!

www.omnimount.com

 

[Donald B]

Here is another place that has a nice selection of stands. I personally enjoy the VTI stands. Check out dynamic home theater dot com

 

[mackie]

The studio 40s have screw holes in the bottom so they can be mounted to stands. You can consider drilling holes in the base plates on the stands and attach the speakers to them. The recommended Studio 40 stands are pre-drilled and come with screws.

 

[John Garcia]

Blu-tack or something similar will also keep your speaker pretty well planted on just about any stand (not as good as screws though). Just me personally, but I'd never bracket mount 40s.

 

[ChrisCollins]

John Garcia,

I have a question about those parts express stands that you have.
I have been looking for new stands as well
-What is the size of the top plate of those stands, the website doesnt tell
-And also, are they 24" without the spikes? How tall are they with the spikes?
Thank you

 

[John Garcia]

24" without, ~26" with - the spikes are quite tall.

If you look at the literature rather than the picture, I think the top plate size is listed. I don't know off hand, but it's something like 9x9.5; rather large. If you look at Image1 of mine, the speakers are 8.5" wide so the plate hangs over about 1/2" on either side. I didn't like this at first, but I don't even notice it anymore.

 

[John S Smith]

Just me personally, but I'd never bracket mount 40s.

John, is this just your gut feeling, I'm really seeing no downside to this solution, (If I can convince myself the brackets are up to the job). Bolting them to the side of the cabinets will allow me to accurately postion tweeter elevation, I eliminate the stands which would be a magnet for a two year old. If there is a major sound compromise I can always take them down and go back to the stand idea. This is my first attempt at a HT and this group helps to make it a little less daunting for newbies. Thank you all, for the input, I'll post a picture in a week or two.

..john

 

[John Garcia]

I say don't bracket mount because it means the speaker is too close to the wall usually. It may allow good tweeter direction, but probably will not offer an optimum placent for the speaker. If you don't get it right when you first mount them, you are sort of stuck with where they are. I like my speakers to be a bit further out into the room when possible.

 

[mackie]

I have these speakers, and they are sensitive to placement. I recommend placing them a minimum of 1' away from any wall or cabinet. If they're too close to something, they sound dull and flat.

The 40s on good stands will take a petty hard hit to knock over especially if using Blu-tack like John recommended. They won't hold up to a child climbing on them, but will be fine for the occasional bump.

 

[John S Smith]

I say don't bracket mount because it means the speaker is too close to the wall usually. It may allow good tweeter direction, but probably will not offer an optimum placent for the speaker. If you don't get it right when you first mount them, you are sort of stuck with where they are. I like my speakers to be a bit further out into the room when possible.

The cabinets are 24" deep and bracket will be mounted only 1" from the front (I want to keep main and centre on the same plane for HT/TV use), so distance from the wall should be OK, distance from the cabinet however will be limited by the length of the arm, 11" to center so perhaps only 7" space between the cabinet and speaker.

 

[mackie]

I'm assuming the cabinet is a solid piece of wood and is 4-6 feet high. If that's the case 7" is a little too close. If you have the speakers already, experiment with placing it close to walls and other objects and listen for awhile. This may help you make the decision.

 

[John S Smith]

experiment with placing it close to walls and other objects and listen for awhile. This may help you make the decision.

Sounds like a plan, I've noticed Omnimount carry another version that has an 18" arm, this should put the Studio 40's in a good/better position.

..john

 

[mackie]

"Omnimount carry another version that has an 18" arm, this should put the Studio 40's in a good/better position"

Give it a shot and report back. I'd be interested in hearing the end result of your work.

 

[Thomas Nichols]

If anyone is looking at stands, I can strongly recommend the Sanus Steel Foundation (SF) series. I bought a pair and a center channel stand and they are very impressive. I mass loaded them with sand. They look great and are very stable. I don't have a 2 year old, but I do have cats and they have held up great. I know there is a standard for screw holes in the bottom of speakers....the Sanus SF stands I have say they conform to that standard, but I don't use them and am unfamilliar with said standard.

 

[SteveCallas]

My friend has Monitor 5s, similar in size and shape to Studio 40s, and he built his own stands - they look great and they were very inexpensive. Take a look - I don't see why there would be any need to spend a few hundred dollars on stands.

 

[Tyler Merrick]

Thanks for posting that for me Steve, I havent yet got my 15 posts so I couldnt post the link. I followed the guide I found online "TNT Stubby - A DIY Speaker Stand Project on TNT"

I have a hole to hide the wire but I havent yet done that or filled it with sand yet. Project cost about $40 for 4 of them.