I wouldn't have believed it, but...

[Halon451]

Under no circumstances could any speakers wired by me be out of phase. That is a noobie mistake, and stereo has been my hobby for decades.

Nobody is immune from making mistakes even as noob-ish as wiring out of phase. If you're that infallible, hats off to ya. I know I've done some bone-headed things that I ended up slapping myself for later, and I'm sure you do too.

I would have to say that my instinct would tell me that the better stand has absolutely no audible effect, even with a cheap-o stand the energy lost due to vibration would most likely be imperceptible to the human ear, and maybe even most measuring devices. IF there is audible difference I would think that the better stand might have better de-coupling characteristics than the cheaper ones. But even that's a stretch, IMO.

 

[fmw]

Joe, it's time to get involved in some bias controlled listening tests. Test each stand along with each sand with a folded towel or some other type of vibration damper in a level matched blind test.

 

[Joe Schmoe]

Joe, it's time to get involved in some bias controlled listening tests. Test each stand along with each sand with a folded towel or some other type of vibration damper in a level matched blind test.

If we were discussing a situation in which a wrong decision would be costly, that might be worthwhile. It is too much effort merely to confirm or deny a simple observation about something I already own.

 

[Pyrrho]

The Plateaus (the better sounding ones) are about an inch shorter. This places the tweeters slightly below ear level, while the Omnimounts place them exacly at ear level.
Both the risers and the bases are about 4 or 5 times heavier on the Plateaus.

A difference in height means that the speakers are in a different position, even if you carefully aimed and positioned the stands in exactly the same place, and were careful to exactly line up the speakers on top of the stands. It is no mystery that speakers in different positions may sound different, with one position sounding "better" than another.

 

[ParkerAudio]

I could see getting the speaker off the floor, but swapping out stands of similar height?

 

[Joe Schmoe]

I could see getting the speaker off the floor, but swapping out stands of similar height?

Like I said in the opening post, I only believe it based on direct experience.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I do have to side with joe on this one, I've heard significant differences in the sound of speakers between placement on shelves, and different speaker stands even when the speakers where at the same level. ....

Yes, they may have been at the same level, but were they at the exact same location in the room? If not, there is your sound differences.

 

[Scryer_360]

Will say this, a speaker stand that rattles ruins your audio. Even if its just a little bit it makes a difference. And if its hollow that can lead to problems to: sound is just vibrations going through air. Those vibrations carry into the what the speakers are mounted on, hence the reason that a speaker in a better cabinet can sound better.

In the same way, I'd bet a speaker stand can make some difference. Not as much as good speakers make, but a stand thats solid, produces no vibrations and doesn't (therefor) allow the sound to run through it could make some difference. Again, as much difference as better speakers? No, but if you already have good speakers, it's not a bad idea to have some good stands. And if we are to assume that the stands making a difference is akin to the speaker wire making a difference, then I have to say: why does the room make a difference then? Why spend all that money on the walls being treated?

But we know the room makes a difference in the listening space. The stands are part of the room and incredibly prevalent to the speakers. I'd give the speaker stands then much more leverage than the wire.

Of course all this is assuming that you are playing at a high enough volume level that it'd actually affect the stands in the first place.

 

[Halon451]

Of course all this is assuming that you are playing at a high enough volume level that it'd actually affect the stands in the first place.

Enough said...

 

[TLS Guy]

The Plateaus (the better sounding ones) are about an inch shorter. This places the tweeters slightly below ear level, while the Omnimounts place them exacly at ear level.
Both the risers and the bases are about 4 or 5 times heavier on the Plateaus.

Put an inch thick board under the Plateaus and see if they then sound the same.

Even though it is only an inch, when you get back to the listening position the sound field can change. This is especially true for speakers with first oder crossovers, where there is a lot of driver overlap and a pronounced lobing pattern. The other thing is may be the stands have slightly different levels on the platform. Put a level on the two stands and see of the speaker would be facing a little more towards the floor or ceiling on either stand.