[babu]

Hello everybody... At the beginning I would like to say that  I am new in all hifi audiophile stuff. I mean ive always love and collected music, but now im geting my first hifi system. Well only beginers entry level stuf. Ill get Monitor Audio Bronze BX2 speakers and Denon PMA-520AE integrated amplifier. I will conect them whith silverChord cables.
 
Ok, to my problems. Ive got two of them.
 
1. Im buying "hifi table" and I dont know what to get. I mean, does it have to be firm, solif or soft? Im thinking on something from Ikea ... like http://www.ikea.com/at/de/catalog/products/00176297/#/60176299 orhttp://www.ikea.com/at/de/catalog/products/80218458/#/00218457 . I think there is a lot of different opinions on which or what kind of surface to use for putting hifi components on. Is that kind ok? Im thinking to underneath the components with some stronger material, so - component - stronger block - ikea table? I saw some litlle circes or smth. to pud under components...is that necessary? What do you use?
 
2. Speakers. At the moment I dont yet have speaker standers to put speakers on (by the way - which one do you prefer?).
So the question is where to put my bookshelf speakers, for the best sound. Near the wall, 1m or so before the wall, ...
For now im thinking to put them on hifi table at sides, but i dont know if i have to underneath it with something...I mean solid plate or something. Also I saw some spikes or sometnig to put under them (mostly with floorstanders) - is this necessary with bookshelfs.
 
Anyway, sorry for my broken english...its been a while and most sincerelly thank to anyone who will try to help.

 

[babu]

Well, Ive decidet that I will go with MONITOR AUDIO BRONZE BX2 and MARANTZ 6004...HAve someone got the same system...hows it threating you?

 

[cel4145]

I don't own those, but Monitor Audio makes good speaker. And you can't go wrong with Marantz.

Skip the spikes. They don't do much if anything at all. More important would be to get the speakers at the right height level and toed in toward the listening position. Generally the idea is to have the tweeters aimed at your ears.

 

[babu]

Thanks cel41445. Ive heard that spikes and stuff may not do much for whole picture of listening. I will do as you said, and report...

 

[cantsleep]

i had monitor audio silver and i liked it although it didnt go that low on the bass.

 

[yage]

Quote:

Thanks cel41445. Ive heard that spikes and stuff may not do much for whole picture of listening. I will do as you said, and report...

 


I have to disagree with you there. I'd get spikes for the stands if you're placing them on carpet. If not, don't worry about them too much but consider getting something that can help you level the stands. There are two reasons - much easier to level the speakers and stands on the uneven surface and the stands are more stable. You have to make sure the spikes pierce the carpet and padding to couple the stand to the floor underneath. I've also heard slight improvements in bass response (i.e., the bass is a bit tighter and has more clarity) but not as much as you're going to get with proper placement.
 
EDIT: As for what type of material to choose for your hi-fi rack... well, it's up to you and your budget. If it's between the IKEA HEMNES or the BESTA, I'd rather go with the HEMNES because that's made out of solid wood pieces (I believe), rather than the veneered particle board in the BESTA. It will be a bit more durable and hopefully last longer. I've used a Salamander Archetype 3.0 rack for over a decade now and it's been stable all through the years. The main benefit is that the middle shelf is adjustable, so it can change according to your needs.

 

[yage]

One other thing I forgot to mention, you might also want to buy some small (~8mm is probably fine) adhesive silicone / plastic dots and place them on the bottom of the speaker at the corners to couple it to the stand. The speaker bottom and the stand mount is probably not perfectly flat, so this might help stabilize the speaker on the stand. (The Axiom M3Ti's I bought a long time ago came with these dots for that very purpose.)
 
A bubble level will also come in handy.
 
Have fun!
 

 

[cel4145]

I have to disagree with you there. I'd get spikes for the stands if you're placing them on carpet. If not, don't worry about them too much but consider getting something that can help you level the stands. There are two reasons - much easier to level the speakers and stands on the uneven surface and the stands are more stable. You have to make sure the spikes pierce the carpet and padding to couple the stand to the floor underneath. I've also heard slight improvements in bass response (i.e., the bass is a bit tighter and has more clarity) but not as much as you're going to get with proper placement.

Good point. But I would opt for stands that can be filled with sand/gravel if stability is going to be an issue. Spikes can only help so much.

 

[yage]

Quote:

Good point. But I would opt for stands that can be filled with sand/gravel if stability is going to be an issue. Spikes can only help so much.

 
Yes, but it might not be level. Not much point when your tweeters are at ear level but tilted towards the ceiling.

 

[cel4145]

Yes, but it might not be level. Not much point when your tweeters are at ear level but tilted towards the ceiling.

If they are angled that much toward the ceiling that it's a problem, the OP has worse problems with his house to worry about.

Anyway, the OP already said he was thinking of putting the speakers on his hifi console. No need to worry about spikes for that.

 

[babu]

Thank you for helping me...well Ive got the system operating and Im verry pleased with it. I put the speakers on an Atacama stands, which i filled with cat sand . Yes, Ive got that direction from a forum member who owned the same speakers and he saia, after experimenting with sand etc. that cat sand works the best. Well, the sound is much better than it was before, when I had speakers on an night stands .
 
As far the hi-fi rack - I used ikea Lack tables under which i putted some kind of audio spikes. I will post some pics...
 
So anyway, the system is outstanding so far...still waiting for my TT to arrive...