Buy book speaker stands or floor stand speakers?

[DamienS]

So a few months ago I bought a pair of Q Acoustics 3030i which I had anticipated using as part of a 5.1.2 system in my living room (house I moved into in last October). Due to room acoustics things don’t sound great there. Little to be done with that room as the remedies would require solutions beyond what I want to do aesthetically in the living room (it’s open to dining area, has windows, not very good dimensions …). Things don’t sound awful, just doesn’t have any ‘magic’ to it. And that’s fine for its usage.

That all being the case I decided to change out the 3030i L& R for 3020i speakers (that I already had) as given the acoustic issues mentioned above I didn’t find a benefit acoustically to the 3030i and the 3020i speakers I had worked better aesthetically.
So I’ve had the 3030i just sitting idle for a few months. I am considering utilizing them now in another room.

To work in the new room I would have to purchase the compatible stands (€200). When I had anticapted using them in the living room they were going to be placed on cabinets hence I didn’t/don’t have the stands already. Not the end of the world to have to buy stands for the 3030i but just before I do that I’m wondering if I’d be better off selling them and buying a pair of floor standers instead.

The dimensions of the new room are 3300mm x 3900mm (approx 10’-10” x 12’-10”) with the ceiling at 2500mm (approx 8’-3”). I won’t be looking to blow the roof off the room volume wise, but wondering what opinions would be on - with that size room would I be better going for floor strangers or the 3030i on stands?

It would be a bit cheaper to go with just getting the stands for the existing 3030i speakers and it would be nice to not have to deal with the hassle of selling the 3030i, but don’t want to go ahead with buying the stands only to be underwhelmed.

I’m based in Ireland and due to Covid restrictions I won’t get much of a chance to audition speakers. In the previous house I had been very happy with my 3020i speakers (that are now being used in the living room), so if I was moving to floor standers I’d probably be looking at the 3050i.

Thoughts would be greatly appreciated as I’m pretty new to this.

 

[MalVeauX]

Hi,

So it really comes down to how sensitive your bookshelf speakers are, so that you can achieve whatever volume you want in the room. And in reality few bookshelf speakers will have bass extension, so if you're looking for the full range in the room without a sub added, then floorstanding larger cabinet speakers can do that. Bookshelves on stands really have the same (or larger!) foot print as floor standing speakers. The convenience of a bookshelf is only realized when placed on existing furniture or shelves without a foot print addition. Otherwise, a floor standing speaker will be (A) more sensitive (so more volume for the power you have to supply it which is good in a large room) and (B) more bass extension to get the full range with the speakers without a sub (reducing foot print again if you don't need a sub).

Very best,

 

[DamienS]

Thank you very much for your reply MalVeauX!

I was near ready to commit to getting the stands for the 3030i but after reading your response I think I'll have a go at selling the 3030is and see if I get any takers fairly quickly. If they don't sell quickly at a reasonable price then that will probably make the decision for me.

I may have to hold off on purchasing the floor standers until the covid restrictive have eased here so that I can go listen to a few different speakers. I was originally (yesterday) thinking of going with the Q Acoustics 3050i if going with floor standers but I see they have a range of 44Hz – 30 Hz which is not much more range than the 46Hz - 30kHz that the 3030i state to have.

I will most likely be purchasing from Hifi Hut
https://www.hifihut.ie/

If looking for full range speakers it would seem I would have to be open to options other than the 3050i. Interesting, I see that Q Acoustics Concept 40 which is a floor stander and considered higher end speaker than the 3050i (€849 vs €599), only has a range of 53Hz - 22kHz. In sure it sounds better in that range but seems strange to charge more while considerably reducing the range on the low end.

Anyways all that to say, I’ll try sell the 3030i and do a bit research on the floor standers.
Thanks again for your insight!

 

[-Jim-]

Hi, my take is a little different. If you were happy before with your listening tests when you bought the 3030is, then look for ways to make them work before moving to buy something else. As you say, there's very little to be gained in the bottom end (unless you move to a completely different brand of floor stander); and the top end differences are only where Dogs can hear!

You can spend a lot of $, or € in your case for Speaker Stands but you may want to check out this link in that regard, if cost is a significant factor. Speaker Stands

If you decide to try the 3030is, make sure to have them at or near Ear level, and experiment with putting them near the room boundaries (close to walls, nearer to corners, etc.) to improve bottom end. even though the Sensitivity of the 3030i is 88dB, you should not have a problem driving them to serious listening levels in the room you describe. If you really want to dig down in bass response, consider adding a Sub to the mix later. There are some incredible values out there that can blend very well with your 3030is and take you into the 20Hz level.

Good luck with whatever you do. I hope this was helpful.

 

[Eppie]

That's a relatively small room. Will it be for home theatre as well or music only? At that seating distance you should be able to get high SPL levels with relatively efficient speakers. As mentioned above, aim for tweeters at ear level for the main seating position. I would look at the cost of stands vs upgrading to the towers. As you mentioned, you only gain 2 Hz bass extension according to the specs. Maybe time to consider a different brand or model or add a subwoofer that will get you down to 20Hz.

 

[DamienS]

Thank you Jim and Eppie for your insight. My mind is beginning to feel like a ping pong ball going back and forth on the options .

I think if I was to change to floor standers then it would likely mean changing brand to get something with range on the lower end. And likely means spending more money than I was originally thinking of (but then not needing a sub).

I have listed the 3030i for sale and there hasn't been any enquiries yet, but it's only been a few hours. If there hasn't been any bites tomorrow then I may pull the ad and go with the stand option. I have a sub in the living room that I could put in the new room to play around with for a while to decide whether or not to get another sub for the new room.

Appreciate the link to the thread about the speaker stands Jim and it would be nice to not be spending 66% of the value of the speakers on the official stands. However I have done a bit of browsing on 3rd party stands and since the 3030i are such a large bookshelf speaker it limits the options. The few that I have seen so far that would be a suitable size seem very low so I might have to bite the bullet and go for the official ones to get the speakers at the right height. Even going for the official stands I'd still be spending less money than changing to floor standers (since I'd be selling the 3030i at a loss).

Eppie, the new room is primarily for music rather than home theater. There'll be a tv but it will be just for casual viewing rather than movie night type viewing.

Again, thank you all very much for your insight! Think I'm getting closer to a decision (so long as I don't get any takers on my ad for the 3030is ).

 

[-Jim-]

Hi DamienS,

The weight & size of your 3030i speakers are only:

• Weight (per speaker):6.4 kg (14.1 lbs.)
• Overall dimensions (HxWxD): 325x200x329 (~13x8x13 inches)

Those would not be considered a terribly large bookshelf speaker IMHO (See CCB-8 ) as the Rockville stands will handle 60 Pounds each.

Trying them with, and without, a Sub won't cost you anything and would be a good idea.

 

[DamienS]

Hi Jim.

Thanks again for the further reply!

Unfortunately the postage (to Ireland) for the Rockville speakers costs more than the stands themselves .

While the 3030i aren't the biggest speaker in the world I don't seem to be able to find any suitable sized ones for less than official. The problem I'm finding with sizing is two fold. (a) getting one with a big enough top plate for the speaker to sit on and (b) the correct height.

TBH, I think I'd be a bit nervous of using the CCB-8 speakers on the Rockville stands. Maybe it's just the way is done with speaker stands (don't know, haven't had them before), but with the top plate of the Rockville stands being 9.25" x 11.8" the top plate is smaller than the speaker itself. Is that considered kosher? I would have thought (perhaps mistakenly) that the top plate should be bigger than the speaker footprint so that the feet on the speaker are resting on the speaker stand. I also thought that one would have wanted the top plate to be a bit larger than the speaker so if someone brushed against it that the speaker wouldn't be likely to fall off the stand.

Thoughts on this would be appreciated as if I'm thinking incorrectly on this it may open up some other options on 3rd party speakers that I've seen but dismissed due to this concept.

I do feel there would be a certain sense of security with the official stands as the speakers would be able to bolt to those, so would have to bump into them pretty hard to knock those over...

Again, thoughts would be appreciated as I I've only had speakers on shelves/cabinets in the past.

 

[lovinthehd]

All the top plates of my speaker stands are smaller than the speaker's footprint. I use museum putty/blutac between speaker and stand to keep them firmly in place and generally have no "feet" on my speakers except the floor standers. If worried about knocking the whole thing over a stand that you can fill with sand/metal shot would be a consideration.

 

[DamienS]

Hi lovinthehd. Hope you are keeping well. You helped me out in past thread as well so good to hear from you again!

That is interesting that your speakers are larger than the stand tops. I'll have to reload my options here with that in mind.

With that set up though, even with the stands filled with sand (which would satisfy concern of the stand toppling over) are you not nervous about the speaker getting bumped and falling off the stand? You have that kind of faith in bluetac?

I guess the fact that you're doing it must mean that you don't find it a problem...

Thanks for the insight. Back to researching stand options with that in mind

 

[DamienS]

Question, for my speakers (footprint 13"x8"), what size top plate would you think is minimum advised?

 

[lovinthehd]

Hi lovinthehd. Hope you are keeping well. You helped me out in past thread as well so good to hear from you again!

That is interesting that your speakers are larger than the stand tops. I'll have to reload my options here with that in mind.

With that set up though, even with the stands filled with sand (which would satisfy concern of the stand toppling over) are you not nervous about the speaker getting bumped and falling off the stand? You have that kind of faith in bluetac?

I guess the fact that you're doing it must mean that you don't find it a problem...

Thanks for the insight. Back to researching stand options with that in mind

Welcome back yourself!

I think it is very typical to have the stand smaller than the speaker footprint, desired even (to eliminate unneeded reflections). Let's just say pulling the speaker off the stand when you've got the putty in place is quite hard, it ain't accidentally being knocked off, the whole stand would fall over first. That's where if you're plowing into your speakers/stand the filling thing might be an idea.

Been doing this for quite a few years with several different stands, speakers and finishes.....

 

[lovinthehd]

Question, for my speakers (footprint 13"x8"), what size top plate would you think is minimum advised?

Wouldn't want tiny, but think the stand tops I have are generally in the area of 80% of speaker footprint?

 

[DamienS]

That is reassuring lovintgehd. Thank you!

Should open up some options for me without spending 66%the value of the speaker (which just doesn't seem right to me ).

 

[Eppie]

My plates are also smaller than my bookshelves. I like that because the top plate is not visible at all. I have VTI stands and the plate is 8" x 6.5" and speakers are 11.5" x 9" (but not rectangular; they have curved sides and back). Like lovinthehd I also use a tacky adhesive pad to keep the speaker in place. The stands are cast iron with spikes and quite heavy so no movement. Have you looked on Amazon?

 

[-Jim-]

Damian,

I too was a bit concerned initially but my back up plan for the CCB-8s was going to be a couple of strips of 1 inch wide 2 Sided Tape on the bottom of the speaker. But mine are just placed into position and have been fine.

It would take considerable lateral effort (shear) to move a 2 sided taped speaker off the stand. IMHO you probably couldn't do it by knocking the whole assembly down. That stuff sticks, but in a pinch can be carefully removed.

Which Double-Sided Mounting Tape is Best?

Of course the obvious thing would be to screw them together without fully penetrating the inside of the speaker. After all we are talking about the bottom of the speaker here that no one ever sees.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Eppie]

Damian,

I too was a bit concerned initially but my back up plan for the CCB-8s was going to be a couple of strips of 1 inch wide 2 Sided Tape on the bottom of the speaker. But mine are just placed into position and have been fine.

It would take considerable lateral effort (shear) to move a 2 sided taped speaker off the stand. IMHO you probably couldn't do it by knocking the whole assembly down. That stuff sticks, but in a pinch can be carefully removed.

Which Double-Sided Mounting Tape is Best?

Of course the obvious thing would be to screw them together without fully penetrating the inside of the speaker. After all we are talking about the bottom of the speaker here that no one ever sees.

I hope this is helpful.

Emphasis on carefully removed. I would not use the standard two-sided tape found in a hardware store. Most speakers are MDF with either a wood veneer or vinyl covering and some of the stronger adhesives will peel the veneer right off. The museum putty lovinthehd mentions is safe on all surfaces.

 

[DamienS]

Thank you lovinthehd, Eppie and Jim for your continued information. I have learnt a several important aspects via this thread so really, very much appreciated. (a) fill stands with stand and (b) okay (preferred) for the top plate to be smaller than the speaker & (c) bluetac/museum putty is your friend .

I haven't had any enquiries on my ad for the 3030i so I think I'm going to pull it and proceed with getting the stands, etc.

Yes Eppie I have had a good look on Amazon. I have been on the UK and German sites which are the options that would be feasible here in Ireland. The options on here can vary from what is available on the US version, so it’s possible your seeing things on there that aren’t available for me.

As well as the two Amazons mentioned above I have been looking on eBay (eBay.ie) and while the Rockville stands are on there the delivery is excessive to Ireland (and would likely get hit with customs charges on top). I have also looked on Richer Sounds, HiFi Hut and Thomann. With all that being said/done the ones I’m leaning towards are these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mission-Stancette-Speaker-Stand-Black/dp/B01MYU1YH3/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1ILCQDEGBCWP4&dchild=1&keywords=mission+stancette+speaker+stands&qid=1619450875&sprefix=Mission+Stancette,aps,154&sr=8-2&th=1

They seem to be very well reviewed. The size of platform seems suitable (230mm x 165mm - . The height is a couple of inches lower than the official ones (which would have put the tweeter pretty much exactly at my ear height), but I can live with/get over than. I will purchase from HiFi Hut as they have them also (same price), but have included the Amazon link as it provides the reviews.

They seem to have a good size top plate for my usage, can be ‘sand loaded’ and would be working out about half the price of the official stands.

I had been considering these: https://www.ebay.ie/itm/313034410405

https://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B07N5ZCKVV/ref=cm_cr_unknown?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews&filterByStar=four_star&pageNumber=1

as my 3030i speakers are Artic White and are about 1 ½ “ taller (in the right direction). But there seems to be concern in some of the reviews regarding the packaging and quality control. At the end of the day the room these are going to be used in is not a ‘show room’ so the black stands with the white speakers isn’t really going to bother me, and I would prefer not to have to deal with QC issues or coming up with workarounds. And if down the road these were to be repurposed for future set of speakers then the black stands would probably work better anyway.

Funny, when looking for ‘museum putty’, the options on Amazon.uk were near nonexistent for getting delivered to Ireland. Brexit becoming a reality. I’ll have a look around in local stores to see if I can find something suitable that might be along the lines of bluetac but a bit stronger.

Again all, thank you very much for all your input. Have saved me some money (unless you come back and talk me out of this plan ). If you see any glaring issues with the stands above, please let me know. Otherwise I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on this.

Thanks again!

 

[-Jim-]

Hi Damien,

The only downside I see (other than a bit short) is potentially the Hardened spiked feet digging in, if you have hardwood or vinyl flooring (or something similar). If it's carpeted, then no problem.

If you can live with them, then we can too!

Glad we could be of assistance.

 

[Eppie]

The white stands sound questionable from the comments. The two small tubes are of thin material and plastic feet. The Mission stands look to be better quality. You want something fairly rigid that will not vibrate. I like when the tubes have holes top and bottom so that you can hide the wires inside, but then you can't fill them with sand (one or the other). Mine are so heavy I don't think I'll gain anything with sand. For low tack tape or putty you could try a picture framing store or an arts supply store. The Missions come with rubber pads which may be ok on their own.

What I have is similar to this from Fisual:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fisual-Dynami-Speaker-Stands-600mm-Matt-Black/dp/B01FG0AKDA/ref=psdc_2850888031_t1_B01G91VP5C?th=1
Not sure if the top plate is big enough, but they hold 20kg, made of steel and come in black or white. Doesn't say they are sand fillable but do have holes in the tube for cable management. Floor spikes and floor protectors and option for using inverted spikes on the top plate. Maybe worth a look? They're nice in white.