2.0 Speakers Compilation: Best for <$500 - Page 10

Quote:

Originally Posted by thuantran 

I know about the equilateral triangle stuff, it is mentioned in the manual, these speakers are actually nearly creating that setup from their perspective, at the moment the tweeters are around 5cm to around 10cm lower than exactly at my ear level. So I think I only need to move it off my desk, is putting something higher under these speakers good enough as that as far as I can go with my desk space?
 

I would say yes. And if you don't need them to go all that high, you could use bricks. They are inexpensive. I bought 4 bricks for like a dollar and some change, and spray painted them black. 

hard things like bricks are pretty terrible for isolation, and glass is really really bad surface to set a speaker on. It's extremely resonant. A brick is a cheap way to raise them, but the sound will travel right though it like it was not there at all. It's to dense and hard. I was refraining from saying anything as I did read your last qoute, but I had to say it since everyone else was putting in there cents. Tmar's it looks like you've actually put some time and effort into creating a bass trap, and room dampening, you should get some real isolation under that speaker instead of a brick. Thick rubber, neoprene, or foam is ideal, like the Auralex pads, there are some far better solutions as well that are quite abit more expensive, via foam and steel but I don't think they are worth it until your using 800$+ ea. monitors. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeW 

hard things like bricks are pretty terrible for isolation, and glass is really really bad surface to set a speaker on. It's extremely resonant. A brick is a cheap way to raise them, but the sound will travel right though it like it was not there at all. It's to dense and hard. I was refraining from saying anything as I did read your last qoute, but I had to say it since everyone else was putting in there cents. Tmar's it looks like you've actually put some time and effort into creating a bass trap, and room dampening, you should get some real isolation under that speaker instead of a brick. Thick rubber, neoprene, or foam is ideal, like the Auralex pads, there are some far better solutions as well that are quite abit more expensive, via foam and steel but I don't think they are worth it until your using 800$+ ea. monitors. 

Believe it or not, they aren't sitting directly on the bricks. There are 1/4" foam pads between the monitor and the brick. 

Now I use two small plastic chairs that is  around 10cm tall to lift my speakers up, between them and the speakers I put some isolation rubber (took at my work place, isolation for use with cluster rack and cluster node) that is also around 1/4" thick. Working nicely.

Costs money but these work well on a desk.

http://www.gale.co.uk/1268.html

I sold my Mackie MR5 and got myself the Focal CMS40 stuidio monitor. A big jump from 3xx dollars range speakers. Sounds fantastic is the only thing i can describe the CMS40

To prop my bx5a deluxe's off my wooden desk I used the foam packaging material that came with the speakers.  I think it's helped clear up some base resonance from the desk, but acoustically I'm not sure if it is really helping any?

why do you guys prop up your speakers?

. 

Second the Bowers & Wilkins. Not heard myself but I've heard great things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PurpleCow 

why do you guys prop up your speakers?

 

1) stop sound from transferring energy directly from the speaker into the surface it's sitting on - to stop my desk/cupboard turning into a resonator

2) lift speakers so tweeters are at ear height

3) reduce the amount of sound coming from the speakers and bouncing off the surface of the desk in front of me ('desk reflections')

I've basically copied the Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizer stands, which are around £80 each here in the UK, for a DIY pair that cost less than half of that, plus extras:

a) some concrete bricks, wrapped in a thick fabric to protect the surface of the desk and look less ugly

b) Auralex Mopads (I could have bought high density foam but the Mopads are easily accessible and have the angle adjustment stuff

c) 10mm steel plate, painted black - this helps set the speaker into the foam and stops the cabinet vibration from moving the speaker about when it's in use

d) rubber mat (comes with speakers)

e) speaker

I'm still buying the parts and saving for the speakers (Focal CMS 50s), but this should raise them to a nice height and isolate pretty well.

Cool stuff, will check this thread out later when I get a chance.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PurpleCow 

why do you guys prop up your speakers?

 

The reason is not to isolate the speaker from the desktop nor to couple it per se, but rather to get rid of the horrible frequency response abnormality that occurs when you have a speaker on or close to a flat surface like your desktop.  Nearly all small bookshelf speakers with the exception of some pro audio or other powered speakers with shelf controls for the bass, need to be at least 6 inches off the desk to get rid of the muddy unnatural coupling that occurs and to preserve the clean open response in the lower mids and bass.  

WE spend all this money worrying about which dac to buy and what chip it has in it and then we just throw the speakers on some 2 inch foam or right on the desk and think we are doing it right..............NOT!

BTW-  I love the brick idea but I would get it much higher if you really want clean response.

eg.  http://www.head-fi.org/gallery/image/view/id/5540

The Focals have shelf controls but I'll be using a 2x2 arrangement of bricks, plus whatever the Mopads are in thickness (an inch or two) plus 1cm of steel, plus the mat, although I can't imagine that being thick, so it won't be too far off that image, although it should look a little prettier!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Somnambulist 

The Focals have shelf controls but I'll be using a 2x2 arrangement of bricks, plus whatever the Mopads are in thickness (an inch or two) plus 1cm of steel, plus the mat, although I can't imagine that being thick, so it won't be too far off that image, although it should look a little prettier!

I love the Focal CMS sound.  I heard the CMS 65s and they smoke everything that the guitar shop sells as monitors.  Fantastically good monitor that I might put up against my main system if I had the chance.