Questions regarding to speaker stands... do they matter?

[Beethovenite]

Hi, I'm a newbie who just set up his first ever sound system...

I hooked up a pair of Bose 301 Series IV speakers to Harman Kardon 3390 but now I want to put the speakers up on speaker stands. Right now the speakers are on the ground with desks and dressers getting in the way. I found the Bose 301 stands, but they're pretty expensive. I also found much cheaper stands on amazon such as these:

http://www.amazon.com/SANUS-SYSTEMS-BF-31B-Speaker-Stands/dp/B00006JQ5O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283546896&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/SANUS-SYSTEMS-BF-24B-Speaker-Stands/dp/B00006JQ5N/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283547811&sr=8-2

My question is, does it matter what speaker stands I buy? I just want them to be on my ear level without anything getting in the way. Do I need to drill holes into my speakers? Because I don't see anything that will hold the speakers on the stand...

How does this work?

 

[XEagleDriver]

Some Thoughts

Hi, I'm a newbie who just set up his first ever sound system...

I hooked up a pair of Bose 301 Series IV speakers to Harman Kardon 3390 but now I want to put the speakers up on speaker stands. Right now the speakers are on the ground with desks and dressers getting in the way. I found the Bose 301 stands, but they're pretty expensive. I also found much cheaper stands on amazon such as these:

http://www.amazon.com/SANUS-SYSTEMS-BF-31B-Speaker-Stands/dp/B00006JQ5O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283546896&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/SANUS-SYSTEMS-BF-24B-Speaker-Stands/dp/B00006JQ5N/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1283547811&sr=8-2

My question is,
1) Does it matter what speaker stands I buy?
2) I just want them to be on my ear level without anything getting in the way.
3) Do I need to drill holes into my speakers?

Because I don't see anything that will hold the speakers on the stand...

How does this work?

Beethoven,

Welcome to the forum, the HK 3390 is a good stereo receiver.
Concerning your questions:

1) Yes and no, having stands and the speakers at the correct height is way better than not having stands, and the speakers being on the floor (excluding floor standers of course).
The other considerations are will the stands "safely" hold the 301's with very little to no potential of tipping over and either injuring a child, pet, or the speakers. Lastly, do they look decent enough for you to live with over time.

2) Speaker tweeters near seated ear level is the height to shoot for.

3) Yes, you may need to drill some small holes; drill deep enough for the screws, but not into the speaker cavity if you can avoid it and secure with some small, short screws.
- I find wrapping a piece of masking tape completely around the drill bit at the desired drill depth is a good way to avoid drilling too deep.

As to the specific stands you indicated, I can not accurately tell you if they are good for 301's or not, since I only have a vague idea about the size and weight of a 301.

Ebay or CList could be an option to find original Bose stands at a reasonable cost. If you are handy with wood working, stands are not a difficult project, and would be customized to your needs.


Best of Luck,
XEagleDriver

P.S. you may get some buffoonerous comments about Bose, ignore them if they arise; you already own the speakers and are correct to seek to enjoy their full potential by adding stands.

 

[Beethovenite]

XEagleDriver, thank you for a thorough reply. Very helpful!

I understand about the whole Bose issue. And I understand why. In fact, I can hear it myself. But for $150 at mint condition, I'm not sure I can find a better pair of speakers! I'm looking into upgrading to Paradigm atomic speakers down the road. At the moment though, I am very happy.

So I totally don't trust myself to drill holes in my speakers. So I'm gonna hold off on getting stands. I'll just deal with the speakers being on the ground. It's fine for now.

Thanks again for your thorough reply!

 

[jostenmeat]

I understand about the whole Bose issue. And I understand why. In fact, I can hear it myself. But for $150 at mint condition, I'm not sure I can find a better pair of speakers! I'm looking into upgrading to Paradigm atomic speakers down the road. At the moment though, I am very happy.

Of course you can find better. Easily!!

So I totally don't trust myself to drill holes in my speakers. So I'm gonna hold off on getting stands. I'll just deal with the speakers being on the ground. It's fine for now.

Just contact the manufacturer by email, and they will give you simple instructions. Or just open it up by using screwdriver to take off a driver and take a peek inside. For instance, this is what PSB told me about some bookshelves I had (wish I kept them and drilled into them instead of downgrading just to have lighter weight with keyholes):

Thank you for your recent request via the PSB Speakers website.

The Crossover is mounted on the Terminal Cup with those speakers. The
only thing we recommend is removing the woofer before drilling, so it
does not get damaged. Also you can then clean out the saw dust from
drilling.

The best place if attaching to the back of the speaker would be just
above the terminal cup.

Best regards,

PSB Speakers

If you do get stands, I like the heftiness of metal stands. What would then narrow it down big time for me is how good the wire mgmt is. It's ugly having wire exposed on the outside, and it would be cool if there was some channel it could be run through. Do not use the ones with plastic clips by way of double sided tape, and do not ask me how I know. Check out these sites:

http://www.standsandmounts.com/

http://www.racksandstands.com/

 

[ChrisFox]

Thanks to ikeahacker I went with stands that cost me less the a 20.

Don't look half bad and they soothe my cheap side.

 

[bpape]

Besides getting the speakers in a proper vertical position, stands also perform one other critical function. They need to be sturdy enough and massive enough to not allow the speaker to move.

If they are not, then simple 'equal and opposite reaction' theory takes over. When the woofer tries to move forward, the cabinet (and stand it's on) will try to move backward to compensate. This results in a loss of definition and also reduction of sheer output of the driver.

Bryan