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Speaker Support - Three Feet or Four

I'm thinking of going to a three-point foot system for my Gershman Acoustics Sonogram floor standing speakers.

Reason for doing this is that the hardwood floor shifts with the seasons and a four-point system can require adjustment throughout the year.

Each speaker weighs 63lbs, has a baseplate footprint of 10.75" wide and 16" deep. The basplate is 0.5" larger all around than the actual speaker cabinet

I believe the centre of gravity to be just below mid height and relatively centred from a footprint perspective.

I plan on mounting the two feet that levels the sideways attitude on an outrigger.

Are there any advantages to placing the outigger feet at the back or the front?

or is this just a matter of using the best config for stability based on centre of gravity?

Is there any advantage to having the feet equally spaced or use the maximum distance possible within the confines of cabinet footprint + outrigger dimensions ?

Or should I just stick with four feet?

Note: I don't have to worry about kids or pets bumping speakers :-O

Thanks in advance
williewonka
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
One possible solution to the instability is to have three feet, and added on the two unsupported corners, have supports with are just below the speaker base. So if it starts to be tipped, it cannot. and the center rear point is the only support when steady, the extra two a paper then gap under the speaker base?
Kind of like a bicycle with training wheels?
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
That's weird. Nobody mentioned which sounds better, three feet or four feet. Oh, well.
williewonka OP
1,826 posts
 
When I first got these particular speakers I had them on some temporary spike protectors that were not as hard as the brass that I now use.

Switching to the brass made an audible difference - so for these speakers at least, eliminating all movement is best.

When I tried the three point with two point at the front or rear the speaker was very easily rocked. So much so that I did not even try listening to music.

One last config was to try placing the two feet on one side and placing the third foot directly under the CoG line on the opposite side. This was more stable than the other config, but the 4 point solution is still the best.

Other speakers might benefit from three feet if their centre of gravity is more toward the front or back, but these just proved too unstable.

A friend has a pair of Reference 3A Veena's and their CoG is very nearly over the back feet, making their 3 point system very stable.

A good outrigger design will allow for easy adjustment when necessary

Soundocity an Galen Carol look to have some pretty robust products - if anyone knows of any others I'd really appreciate knowing about them.

Thanks
mitch2
1,911 posts
 
"Nobody mentioned which sounds better, three feet or four feet."
With 40# Sound Anchor Stands and Bearpaws, there is plenty of mass and low COG so that, in my system, either 3 or 4 footers sound the same, as long as the speaker is stable at all listenable volumes. I suspect perceived differences could be greater on a suspended wood floor but other things may be going on in that case, such as a greater potential for resonances than on concrete. It is still my belief that 4 footers is best as long as you can properly adjust the footers for equal contact.
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