Speaker stands for Monitor 7s

Sumbrada69

Lets bring up an old topic with some new twists. Long read but lots of interesting variables.
It seems here that the polk stands (~9" tall) are the stands of choice for monitor 10s and 7s. Why? I understand the 10s as this height puts the tweeter at about shoulder height (5'9") sitting but due to angle and distance about ear level?? The tens are 28" tall. Now the 7s are 24" tall thus 4" shorter. In my mind I say the 7s stand need to be at least 12" tall for the same sitting position sound. Yes I understand vertical dispersion and room acoustics.
But look at all the new tall cabinet speakers and older SDA speakers they are taller (floor standing not stands and yet many put on stands)
Design? wood or steel? Steel rings supposedly.
Wood base and plate? Hardwood (ridgid, dense, may get effected by climate, expensive) MDL (quite ridgid, dense, less effect to climate, relatively cheap, harder to work with, messy, and must be covered for visual.) High grade plywood (Very ridgid, easier to work with, less climate effect, needs edge finishing)
Risers: Multiple, more stable, strength, more work, typically harder to fill in do to smaller diameter. Single: less stable unless large size, less work, build must be centered. Easier to fill, as strongly suggested here and other forums.
Wood: pretty, strong, more complicated to build Steel: ring??, probably more expensive, harder to work with. PVC: cheap, easy to work with, but less strong, no ring
Filler: Sand MUST be dry!, but cheap, packs well, available Lead shot health issue? Cost! great weight to volume. Kitty Litter, relatively cheap, packs ok, Very hydroscopic (water!) and mixes.
Back brace: to me not good, high chance of vibrations, more building, I prefer polymer disks or sheet. Yea can decouple.
Spikes or feet: Floor construction and covering. Couple or decouple?
For me, I am thinking for my 7s. ~12"x12" base, ~8"x8" top, 13" height at front (+4"), 6 degree pitch. 3/4" base and top, probably hardwood urethane finished, 4" PVC (cheap, available, no ring, easy to work with, easy to fill) indented in base and top, silicone bead, 3/8" threaded rod, thread lock, sand? filled, polymer top pads, feet decoupled to floor (unlevel OLD wood floor). Open to all comments.
Sorry for length but lots of variables to mull over.

F1nut

You gave me a headache.

odcics2

These original Polkstands point the tweeters at your ears from a seated position about 11 feet away.

mhardy6647

I think you may be overthinking things a bit, @Sumbrada69
Find or build a pair of the original "Polkstands" and keep the loudspeakers away from the back wall and away from room corners, and the Monitor 7s will sound as they should.

Now, off to find some Advil.

Gardenstater

My stands put the base of my 7Bs 23-3/8" from my suspended wood floors. Base is concrete blocks. Platform is formica covered particle board with backstop. Support between base and platform is steel pipe filled with sand/shot and with a "beauty" wrap of black material to conceal the pipe and floor flanges.

Vibration isolation underneath the concrete base in the form of ball bearing isolators and 2 minimally inflated bicycle inner tubes and a counterweight can be placed where needed to level and plumb the speakers.

Don't do this if you have rambunctious kids or pets or need WAF LOL.

Only thing I'm planning on changing in the immediate future is to use xschop's ball bearing seismic isolators in place of my DIY ones from soup spoons

In the further future will use some DIY version of Towshend Isolator Pods and toe in/toe out adjustment adapter for upper platforms.

Sumbrada69

Thanks Gardenstater for the ideas. 7s sound better higher ey. Your stands sound interesting. What are ball bearing isolators? How big is base and tops and what diameter pipe?

As for headaches Well sorry. As for Polk stands I have a set of the originals (black wrap) under my 10As. If your hot for these did you fill them? Couple or decouple them? Same questions same topic.

For me as my listening triangle is ~8 ft center to center speakers and about 9 ft away (Odd shaped smallish room). At that distance I have to sit up to get that at the ear sound. With the unmodded 7s I had to slouch. To me need to be higher thus 1 size does not fit all.

Gardenstater

This kind of gives you some insight into how high you want to make your stands. It will depend upon your listening distance and listening height. If you want to have time alignment you would go by the bottom picture. For listening as much as possible on vertical axis you would go with the top picture. The bottom picture is the reason for the 6deg tilt back on the factory Polk stands which are very short.



My stands are not tilted. I used to use a DIY version of the factory Polk stands but I much prefer to have the speakers higher because it is a more natural image for me, being more like a live event.

odcics2

Correct step response of a phase and time aligned speaker.

F1nut

Regular stands that put the tweeter at ear height are the way to go.

Polk realized the Monitor series needed to be on stands, but also considered the WAF. The result was the low tilted stands. That's it, no other reason.

Sumbrada69

thanks all