Three is the magic number, four legs requires leveling capability to get close to perfection.
Have anyone ever have a three legged chair wobble?
Same principle as a industrial weight has 3 load cells not 4, balance, stability, repeatability, and ut will not wobble due to uneven suraces the same way.
But yeah can be easier to get out of balance with motion from the top.
I was intrigued by this thread and the findings.
At the time reading this thread I was awaiting delivery of speaker spikes for my diy full range floor standers (TABAQs with 4FE32). Hoping that these nice-looking shiny Dayton Audio spikes will really add a touch of class and maybe even improve the sound.
My living room has ceramic tiled floors, but they are uneven, and it annoyed me every time trying to find the perfect spot where the speakers don’t wobble. They don’t always stand on the same spot. For serious listening I pull them closer, and wider, and play around with toe in, but every time it drives me crazy to try and stabilize them. Their small footprint makes matters worse. Spikes will solve this! That is what I thought. But, sorry to report back – spikes did NOT solve my wobbling problem. Neither did they bring improvement in sound, but maybe I did not notice this due to my disappointed angered state.
I remembered Mr. Bateman’s speaker treatment. For less than 20 bucks I can possibly make my speakers disappear, improve imaging and soundstage - which is great value for money. But will this even work for floor standers? And what about my biggest issue – the wobbling? But for less than 20 bucks – why not, let’s give this a try.
Now I realize that there are many factors at play here – baffle diffraction, floor decoupling, space around the speakers, room dynamics, and even amps – all mentioned in this thread, but no conclusive answers yet. I am a noob around these factors, but I get the feeling that the XPS foam pucks used in this case, has more to do with floor decoupling. Well, it certainly opened my eyes to something I never paid much attention to before. Also, looks like my newly installed shiny speaker spikes are not the best way to implement floor decoupling. I found this video on floor decoupling very interesting and backed by some measurements:
Decoupling a speaker from the floor. The Credo Audio "isolation base" [isolation vs. spikes] - YouTube
So, I also want to try foam pucks. But I don’t like XPS foam (and it’s probably low on the WAF scale too). I thought of another possible material to use – EVA foam. It has great properties, like vibration and acoustic absorption. It has been used for speaker building too. See this thread:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...rmance-speaker-enclosures.277446/post-4397399
Slightly more expensive than XPS foam, I managed to get a sheet (1000 x 500 x 30 millimeter) for around 20 bucks. I cut some rectangular blocks to fit under both my speakers and the subwoofer. Now all my speakers are floor decoupled! Does it sound different / better? Yes, but not as dramatic as Patrick experienced. Slightly better bass definition and a little more clarity in the mids. I cannot say that the soundstage and imaging has changed much, but overall, I am convinced that it does make a positive difference to the sound quality. The best part is – my speakers do not wobble anymore! No matter where I place them on the floor now. The foam blocks are dense enough to keep the speakers firm and steady. The EVA foam cuts nice and clean with sharp blades and looks a little classier than XPS, I think.
So, for 20 bucks – this was excellent bang for my buck compared to the cost of Townshend Seismic Isolation Podiums. I am very happy with my diy EVA foam speaker feet! Thank you, Patrick.
At the time reading this thread I was awaiting delivery of speaker spikes for my diy full range floor standers (TABAQs with 4FE32). Hoping that these nice-looking shiny Dayton Audio spikes will really add a touch of class and maybe even improve the sound.
My living room has ceramic tiled floors, but they are uneven, and it annoyed me every time trying to find the perfect spot where the speakers don’t wobble. They don’t always stand on the same spot. For serious listening I pull them closer, and wider, and play around with toe in, but every time it drives me crazy to try and stabilize them. Their small footprint makes matters worse. Spikes will solve this! That is what I thought. But, sorry to report back – spikes did NOT solve my wobbling problem. Neither did they bring improvement in sound, but maybe I did not notice this due to my disappointed angered state.
I remembered Mr. Bateman’s speaker treatment. For less than 20 bucks I can possibly make my speakers disappear, improve imaging and soundstage - which is great value for money. But will this even work for floor standers? And what about my biggest issue – the wobbling? But for less than 20 bucks – why not, let’s give this a try.
Now I realize that there are many factors at play here – baffle diffraction, floor decoupling, space around the speakers, room dynamics, and even amps – all mentioned in this thread, but no conclusive answers yet. I am a noob around these factors, but I get the feeling that the XPS foam pucks used in this case, has more to do with floor decoupling. Well, it certainly opened my eyes to something I never paid much attention to before. Also, looks like my newly installed shiny speaker spikes are not the best way to implement floor decoupling. I found this video on floor decoupling very interesting and backed by some measurements:
Decoupling a speaker from the floor. The Credo Audio "isolation base" [isolation vs. spikes] - YouTube
So, I also want to try foam pucks. But I don’t like XPS foam (and it’s probably low on the WAF scale too). I thought of another possible material to use – EVA foam. It has great properties, like vibration and acoustic absorption. It has been used for speaker building too. See this thread:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...rmance-speaker-enclosures.277446/post-4397399
Slightly more expensive than XPS foam, I managed to get a sheet (1000 x 500 x 30 millimeter) for around 20 bucks. I cut some rectangular blocks to fit under both my speakers and the subwoofer. Now all my speakers are floor decoupled! Does it sound different / better? Yes, but not as dramatic as Patrick experienced. Slightly better bass definition and a little more clarity in the mids. I cannot say that the soundstage and imaging has changed much, but overall, I am convinced that it does make a positive difference to the sound quality. The best part is – my speakers do not wobble anymore! No matter where I place them on the floor now. The foam blocks are dense enough to keep the speakers firm and steady. The EVA foam cuts nice and clean with sharp blades and looks a little classier than XPS, I think.
So, for 20 bucks – this was excellent bang for my buck compared to the cost of Townshend Seismic Isolation Podiums. I am very happy with my diy EVA foam speaker feet! Thank you, Patrick.
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I actually use the Pyle foam risers off of Amazon. I have 2 side by side under my custom 12" subs in old 70's Infinity speaker rectangular boxes and then 1 each under my X-LS Encores on top of the subs which is at the exact listening height. The subs used to be too pronounced and now they are extremely balanced and blend in with the X-LS Encores much better. It surprised me because it opened up a soundstage that was wider and more 3D in my odd room. These are $28 from Amazon in the U.S. for 4 of them. Found out that this is the same low tech stuff they use at concerts to separate the speakers when they stack them. I have them in my office now and have done the same thing. What's nice about these is you can adjust the wedges with cloth in between in front or back so the speaker is level with your ears.
I've used expensive Sorbothane pads before with good results, but these do the same without the cost. Also you don't have to deal with the Sorbothane sticking to the speaker possibly destroying the finish when separating them. Who would have thought, Pyle? Haha
Pyle Sound Dampening Riser
I've used expensive Sorbothane pads before with good results, but these do the same without the cost. Also you don't have to deal with the Sorbothane sticking to the speaker possibly destroying the finish when separating them. Who would have thought, Pyle? Haha
Pyle Sound Dampening Riser
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I remain sceptical of fanciful devices.
In a long story to do with snagging cables and a radiator I had to temporarily raise my speakers off the desk. I stood them on 2" masking tape centres. They sound totally different. There is less bass but it is better defined.
Now I'm stuck. I prefer the improved sound but cardboard centres are not a good look.
In a long story to do with snagging cables and a radiator I had to temporarily raise my speakers off the desk. I stood them on 2" masking tape centres. They sound totally different. There is less bass but it is better defined.
Now I'm stuck. I prefer the improved sound but cardboard centres are not a good look.
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BTW, as you can see in the pic. I used sheer black cloth to cover the subs. Made it look a lot more elegant (my wife's words). Even though I haven't straightened the cloth out after moving them recently, it still looks acceptable. So many creative things we can do for very little $.
You could also use colored duct tape on those to make them look good. But I like the black matte paint, or you favorite color twocents suggested. I have a hard time not crinkling vinyl or tape covering sometimes.