Speaker stands fact or fiction?

[jayswizz]

Hello again everyone,
I have some questions about speaker stands. I wanted to know if it is true that good speaker stands can actually improve the sound of your speakers? I have a pair of Paradigm mini monitors V.4 that I am using in a 5.1 setup. They will be used on each side of the listener. If a higher quality speaker stand can improve sound does anyone have any suggestions on what brands to look at? And lastly, how far from the wall should the minis be placed when used on either side of the listener? Thanks

 

[j_garcia]

Minis should be at least a foot from the wall, a bit more might be better, but it kind of depends on the room, how picky you are and how much room you have. Expensive stands don't actually improve sound, but good stands that are solid and stable are definitely worth your time. Check out the medium mass stands here. I've owned them and they are quite solid for the price. They don't look that impressive in the pictures, but they are better than anything else I've seen for $60/pr. I also have the High Mass versions, which would be a bit of overkill for the Minis, but they are also very good for the price.

 

[jayswizz]

j garcia, thank you very much for the info.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hello again everyone,
I have some questions about speaker stands. I wanted to know if it is true that good speaker stands can actually improve the sound of your speakers? I have a pair of Paradigm mini monitors V.4 that I am using in a 5.1 setup. They will be used on each side of the listener. If a higher quality speaker stand can improve sound does anyone have any suggestions on what brands to look at? And lastly, how far from the wall should the minis be placed when used on either side of the listener? Thanks

What are the speakers on now? If they are stable, hold the speaker at the right height, you like its appearance, stay with it. If you need one, J 's link seems like a solid one You could even repaint it.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker positioning

Speaker position and height relative to the listening position can make a difference in how your speakers sound. In general, the tweeter should be level with your ear. In this respect, the stands can effect the performance of your speakers so make sure you buy the correct height.

 

[jayswizz]

Thanks guys, you have been more than helpful. My speaker stands would have to be 30 inches high in order to clear my sectional sofa. I would like to use a 24 in stand but the driver would be blocked a bit by the couch. Would this effect the sound much?

 

[mtrycrafts]

I would like to use a 24 in stand but the driver would be blocked a bit by the couch. Would this effect the sound much?

Yes, it would. Muffled.

 

[j_garcia]

They are actually a little taller than that with the included spikes, but only about an inch. The High mass stands are 26" with the spikes and I believe there is free shpping going on now, which is a good thing because the set of two is 52lbs. Onyx has some 30" ones on sale right now here. Blocking the tweeter would be a problem, but blocking only a small portion of the midbass probably wouldn't destroy the sound; it would still be better not to block it IMO.

 

[jayswizz]

I will probably have to go with a 30 in stand. How far on either side should they be positioned from me?(speaker)

 

[edwelly]

jayswizz - check out this thread - raising the speaker height made a HUGE difference in my sound - http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16500&highlight=holy+speaker

 

[jayswizz]

I am going to play around with my Monitor 7 fronts by raising them off of the floor. Thanks for the tip edwelly.