Spikes vs Slabs
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Rrusse11
Posts: 116
So the initial plan was to put a set of spikes on my 2.3s. However when dealing with ~150#s
of speaker on a set of nails, and moving them around, it was clear that the situation was fraught with potiential floor damage. It's not like they can be easily lifted off the ground and plunked down somewhere else.
So this morning I went trolling through the local shops and came home with a pair of Turkish travertine tiles, 16"x14"x1 1/8" for $40. The speakers already have a round metal foot on the bottom, which works great for getting them off the ground, and easily skidded on carpet for placement adjustment. It was a simple matter to walk them away from the wall
and place tile, walk the speakers back up onto the slabs. I'll get around to bevelling the edges and corners for appearance.
With the paver/tile underneath they now sit on a "dead zone". Hard to say if I'm not just deluding myself, but it's sounding better, more detailed and discrete.
Cheers!
of speaker on a set of nails, and moving them around, it was clear that the situation was fraught with potiential floor damage. It's not like they can be easily lifted off the ground and plunked down somewhere else.
So this morning I went trolling through the local shops and came home with a pair of Turkish travertine tiles, 16"x14"x1 1/8" for $40. The speakers already have a round metal foot on the bottom, which works great for getting them off the ground, and easily skidded on carpet for placement adjustment. It was a simple matter to walk them away from the wall
and place tile, walk the speakers back up onto the slabs. I'll get around to bevelling the edges and corners for appearance.
With the paver/tile underneath they now sit on a "dead zone". Hard to say if I'm not just deluding myself, but it's sounding better, more detailed and discrete.
Cheers!
SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work
Comments
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Plinth Placement, say that 3 times fast. {:o)SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
Your speakers are still decoupled from the floor, which is exactly the opposite of what you want and the reason to use spikes.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
Your speakers are still decoupled from the floor, which is exactly the opposite of what you want and the reason to use spikes.
agreed here....when in doubt, spike it baby.
They make little saucers to put under the spikes if your worried about hard wood floors.HT SYSTEM-
Sony 850c 4k
Pioneer elite vhx 21
Sony 4k BRP
SVS SB-2000
Polk Sig. 20's
Polk FX500 surrounds
Cables-
Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable
Kitchen
Sonos zp90
Grant Fidelity tube dac
B&k 1420
lsi 9's -
Ohhh, I thought the idea was to seperate it from the floor, not tie the speaker to it.
I'll stand corrected.SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
Spikes couple.
Little saucers de-couple. -
Sealed speakers prefer decoupling2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
Let me clarify---
I do not consider a speaker with a passive radiator a sealed speaker
One more clarification, sealed speaker that's not on slab
While building sealed speaker design, sitting on slab the speaker produced great bass.
When the speakers were placed on a 2nd floor or a sub-floor foundation, "coupled" the bass energy and sound was driven into the foundation2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Somehow the popcorn isn't tasting as good anymore!
Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
Somehow the popcorn isn't tasting as good anymore!
Is Russ there? That might not be butter.....just sayin -
2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Lawdy! Different opinions,,,,,,,,,,, who'd a guessed?
"Sealed speakers prefer decoupling " txcoastal1
Well I got 'em sealed alright, H-nuts and a good (thin) bed of a mortite equivalent.
"Spikes couple. Little saucers decouple." Shurkey
My thoughts exactly.
Which brings us to why I would want to tie into my floor? With each channel having it's own sub (another contentious issue I'm sure), I'm not lacking for bass. I'm looking for just the speakers producing the music, not the house.
@verb, When your Tnuts arrive I might have to try spikes vs the slab. Perhaps spikes on slab? Slab on wooden floor? (currently on carpet). Spikes through carpet?
With so much of this "audio experience" being subjective, and the host of variables involved, the only path I can see is to try it all and see what I hear. {;o)
Certainly with Bonnie Rait running, the bass is beautifully articulate. I did tweak the EQ, more bass and high end treble, mids dialed down a bit, ie. flatter overall.
SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
@Rrusse11 that is weird. I dropped em off on Saturday. Just checked the tracking number and they have not left the UPS store! Hmmm. Let me give those guys a call tomorrow.Basement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
Lawdy! Different opinions,,,,,,,,,,, who'd a guessed?
Spikes through carpet?
With so much of this "audio experience" being subjective, and the host of variables involved, the only path I can see is to try it all and see what I hear. {;o)
Bingo, nothing set in stone, to many variables especially rooms and room treatments. Moving a coffee table or a couch etc can change a room. Slide down in your listening position, or sit up.
All different
2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
@txcoastal1,
Ok, definitions in order. It's a piece of travertine, semi-amporphous limestone I believe. Not what I would define as resonant, mebbe 25#s worth under 2 speaker.
Not a foundation slab as in 4-6" of reinforced concrete.
On the PR, my understanding is that essentially the Polks are a sealed acoustic suspension system. The action of the drivers, through air pressure, drive the PR.
@verb, You need butter AND a sprinkling of some of my 8yr old cheddar to bring that popcorn alive my man!SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
"All different"
Vive la difference! Let alone aging ears,,,,,,,,SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
@audioluvr, yeah,,,,,,,,,,, getting the shield up to deflect the rain of arrows.SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
A speaker with a passive radiator is NOT an acoustic suspension speaker.
Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
A speaker with a passive radiator is NOT an acoustic suspension speaker.
Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response.
So mini-saucer/floor protectors (under spikes) do not reverse the affect? They still bond with floor?AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampi Baltic 4
Pre Cary SLP-05
Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
Mains Salk HT2-TL
Rythmik F12 -
"Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response. " F1nut
Thank you sir for the detail as to spike purpose. So it dampens extraneous cabinet
movement or resonances?SDA SRS 2.3s
Pair of Carver TFM 35s
Carver C-1 Preamp
CAL Icon MkII CD
RTA 12s, need major work -
A speaker with a passive radiator is NOT an acoustic suspension speaker.
Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response.
So mini-saucer/floor protectors (under spikes) do not reverse the affect? They still bond with floor?
The spikes are like an energy transfer conduit, so with the discs the energy is transfered to them and then the floor. Some discs have a thin felt pad on the bottom, which is fine. I've seen others with a thick carpet like pad, which somewhat defeats the purpose of using spikes, so I'd avoid those.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
"Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response. " F1nut
Thank you sir for the detail as to spike purpose. So it dampens extraneous cabinet
movement or resonances?
Yes.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
What are some spike model recommendations for a pair of SDA 1Cs?Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
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A speaker with a passive radiator is NOT an acoustic suspension speaker.
Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response.
So mini-saucer/floor protectors (under spikes) do not reverse the affect? They still bond with floor?
The spikes are like an energy transfer conduit, so with the discs the energy is transfered to them and then the floor. Some discs have a thin felt pad on the bottom, which is fine. I've seen others with a thick carpet like pad, which somewhat defeats the purpose of using spikes, so I'd avoid those.
What about miniaturized rubberized pads? -
DarqueKnight wrote: »What are some spike model recommendations for a pair of SDA 1Cs?
I'm using these from PartsExpress:
1.25" Diameter at the base and 1.5" tallBasement: Polk SDA SRS 1.2tl's, Cary SLP-05 Pre with ultimate upgrade,McIntosh MCD301 CD/SACD player, Northstar Designs Excelsio DAC, Cambridge 851N streamer, McIntosh MC300 Amp, Silnote Morpheus Ref2, Series2 Digital Cables, Silnote Morpheus Ref2 Series2 XLR's, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Pangea Power Cables, MIT Shotgun S3 IC's, MIT Shotgun S1 Bi-Wire speaker cables
Office: PC, EAR Acute CD Player, EAR 834L Pre, Northstar Designs Intenso DAC, Antique Sound Labs AV8 Monoblocks, Denon UDR-F10 Cassette, Acoustic Technologies Classic FR Speakers, SVS SB12 Plus sub, MIT AVt2 speaker cables, IFI Purifier2, AQ Cinnamon USB cable, Groneberg Quatro Reference IC's
Spare Room: Dayens Ampino Integrated Amp, Tjoeb 99 tube CD player (modified Marantz CD-38), Analysis Plus Oval 9's, Zu Jumpers, AudioEngine B1 Streamer, Klipsch RB-61 v2, SVS PB1000 sub, Blue Jeans RCA IC's, Shunyata Hydra 8 Power Conditioner
Living Room: Peachtree Nova Integrated, Cambridge CXN v2 Streamer, Rotel RCD-1072 CD player, Furman 15PFi Power Conditioner, Polk RT265 In Wall Speakers, Polk DSW Pro 660wi sub
Garage #1: Cambridge Audio 640A Integrated Amp, Project Box-E BT Streamer, Polk Tsi200 Bookies, Douglas Speaker Cables, Shunyata Power Conditioner
Garage #2: Cambridge Audio EVO150 Integrated Amplifier, Polk L200's, Analysis Plus Silver Oval 2 Speaker Cables, IC's TBD. -
DarqueKnight wrote: »What are some spike model recommendations for a pair of SDA 1Cs?
Ray, if not on carpet Track Audio spikes at Music Direct are very high quality as are the matching floor discs. However, they are not long enough for most carpet and therefore will not pierce through to the underlying surface. For larger spikes I like the Adona Multi-Element cones. Adona also has a number of other spikes available.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
afterburnt wrote: »A speaker with a passive radiator is NOT an acoustic suspension speaker.
Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response.
So mini-saucer/floor protectors (under spikes) do not reverse the affect? They still bond with floor?
The spikes are like an energy transfer conduit, so with the discs the energy is transfered to them and then the floor. Some discs have a thin felt pad on the bottom, which is fine. I've seen others with a thick carpet like pad, which somewhat defeats the purpose of using spikes, so I'd avoid those.
What about miniaturized rubberized pads?
Those would decouple instead of couple.Political Correctness'.........defined
"A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."
President of Club Polk -
afterburnt wrote: »A speaker with a passive radiator is NOT an acoustic suspension speaker.
Spikes are used to transfer cabinet vibrations to the floor in turn cleaning up the mid-range and tightening the bass response.
So mini-saucer/floor protectors (under spikes) do not reverse the affect? They still bond with floor?
The spikes are like an energy transfer conduit, so with the discs the energy is transfered to them and then the floor. Some discs have a thin felt pad on the bottom, which is fine. I've seen others with a thick carpet like pad, which somewhat defeats the purpose of using spikes, so I'd avoid those.
What about miniaturized rubberized pads?
Those would decouple instead of couple.
Well I'll be damned, that's all I had to set the disk on the wood floor. I was sweating like a slave wrestling with the speakers to place those damn disk without messing up the floor! Where would one find little felt pads?
Maybe this is why they don't sound so good?
