Speaker footers – Ugh

To spike or not to spike… that answer is going to be all your own.

A multitude of threads here have so many varied themes and practices there’s legitimately no one particular solution. No ‘one size fits all’ remedy.

The only general aspects to speaker integration I’ve found that continues to materialize regardless the brand or model is….

Spikes are better than no spikes.
Bigger spikes are better than little spikes.
With really thick carpeting, a platform between the carpet and the spikes works better than trying to get thru the thick carpeting…. Looks better too.
The type of platform (if one is used) does matter/alter the sound…. Somewhat.
Different woods have different audible characteristics…. Rosewood, zebrawood, Teak, Ebony, Mahogany, etc.

Once any of these are set beneath the spikes the tone can be changed or altered.

Hard = hard sounding
Sofft = softer sounding

Placing speakers on hollow wooden floors (upstairs etc) is tuffer a thing to do right, than those placed onto immediately and better supported likewise floors usually a plinth or platform will work best then.

What you need to do is just try different things. I tried as many inexpensive things as I possibly could. I’m satisfied for the moment with the sound I’m receiving.

Is there a better way still? Probably. It comes down to you though. Another thing to bare in mind is this… after trying out a good many methods and you still aren’t happy it might well be the speakers…. or you instead of how you are integrating them into the system… or a simple lack of synergy between the speakers and the balance of the audio outfit…. And/or their integration into the room itself.

Don’t go crazy here… but ya gotta see for yourself nearly explicitly here.

Good luck.

I have used Herbies big fat dots between speaker and stand and Symposium Rollerblock juniors. Thev latter were slightly better but clearly more expensive.
If you are looking for heavy brass footers, I would look at EdenSound Bearpaws, much cheaper than Mapleshade and they can be made of different heights. I used them to rake back my Daedalus Da-R Ma speakers slightly, very succesful

As stated, I had the Mapleshade platforms and brass with my Dynaudios.Didnt really care for it,sound was smeared and the added height threw everything off.I went to a company that cuts markers for grave yards and they cut me from scrap 2 24" square /1" thick pieces of granite(cost me under $75)..I use the spike that came with the speakers and small felt pads 1" squares under the granite to pretect the floors.The sounded stage improved,the bass became more defined.Plus I sold the maple which paid for a power cable.

I recently installed Auralex SubDudes under my KEF Reference 104.2s to replace spiked hardwood planks, the spikes of which penetrated fairly thick carpet covering a second story floor. The bass seems tighter and extended a bit, and for some reason, the depth of sound stage is increased. The SubDude under the Velodyne HGS-15 is very effective in eliminating the boom and extending the bass, so I thought I'd give a pair a try under the mains even though they had no boom. I'm pleased with the result.

The SubDude under my sub is larger and industrial looking whereas the units under the mains are 15" square and covered with a black material so they look attractive.

db

I recently went from four cones to three under my speaker bases. The bases have three threaded inserts in the back for this reason. I use rounded cones instead of spikes, both of which came with the speakers, because I have soft pine floors and the sharp spike would go right through the wood.

The three cones couple the base to the floor much more effectively by increasing the load on each point, but also because three support points are always self-leveling whereas four points could rock slightly. It is less stable with three than with four because the overall footprint or contact area is smaller, but that does not worry me because the speakers are very heavy. The result is that the bass became more focused and articulate. Extension also increased slightly. I found it to be a very worthwhile improvement which did not cost me anything.