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Stands, to couple, or not to couple, contradicting products and positive reviews

There are many practices/products intended to "couple" a stand-mount speaker cabinet to the floor of a room (spikes, adding mass to the stands via sand/shot, specific bolt-on stands for certain models, etc.).  Conversely, there foam speaker pads by Auralex and others, which are intended to de-couple or isolate the speaker from the stand, with rave reviews of audible sound improvement.  

So which is right, should I try to "connect" my speakers to the mass of my house, or do I want to "float" the speakers so they are free to resonate on their own?
waxhawfive

Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
You want to avoid large surface to surface contact, but you want to minimize the movement of the speaker due to reaction to the driver forces. 

So, you want the largest point to point distances, highest mass. If you have carpets, spikes will ensure your speakers aren't riding on the carpet and padding. On bare floors however large feet will work as well. 

Turntables on the other hand need to float. 

erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
No, don't hang the speakers. <hahahahahaa>

Newton's third law would cause lots of doppler distortion. The woofer would act on the air and he cabinet, causing it to move back and forth, and altering the intended output. 

You can hear this with some monitors that are light and loosely coupled. Add mass to the top and they sound much better. This is why. 

Best,

E
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