[Foamybrian]

So for the past year and a half, I've been using the Auralex mopads to support a pair of Swan M200MKIII speakers on my computer desk. The profile was perfect, just enough added height to bring the tweeters to ear level and the base was large enough to accommodate the Swans.
 
So why would I need new speaker stands? Well, I have a cat, two cats in fact. If there's something that cat owners can relate to, its the sheer amount of cat fur that gets thrown around overtime. The mopads are literally magnets for the fur and in just a few days of owning them, they began to resemble shaggy carpets more so than foam pads. No amount of lint rollers or cleaning could fully remove the fur from the pads due to their porous nature and its been driving me nuts. After all, the Swan are fantastic looking speakers and the furred up mopads detract from their aesthetics. 
 
I'm wondering if any of you guys happen to know of any 6 inch high~ non-foam designs for roughly around $50-60. I'd build a wooden stand myself as a weekend project but I don't have access to a workshop to do so (Apartment).
 
I've taken a look at rubberized stands like the Adam A5 and the Audioengine D2 but they are a bit too small for the Swans. The swans have 4 rubberized circular legs on the bottom of each speaker that are about an inch off each corner. Both the A5 and the D2 would have their edges in the middle of each leg, generating some concerns about stability.
 
The speakers measure 6.5 x 9 inches. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

 

[kookoo]

I use (no joke) the phone directory. I also use it to elevate my computer tower because it has fans at the bottom. 6" high is doable enough width and you can always stack more on top of each other without fear of it falling over because it is heavy enough

 

[Foamybrian]

That's one way to do it I'm sure but unless you have some good looking books, there's still the problem with aesthetics. 

 

[Byrnie]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=755795&Q=&is=REG&A=details
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/isoacoustics-iso-l8r155-studio-monitor-stands--pair?src=3WWRWXGP
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=40188
 
My Google skills amaze all (j/k)!  I just searched "desktop speaker stands" in Google.  Here's a link to my results:
 
https://www.google.com/search?q=speaker+stands&rlz=1C1CHKZ_enUS440US441&aq=f&oq=speaker+stands&aqs=chrome.0.57j5j0l2j60j62.2145j0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&sugexp=eappsweb&gs_rn=9&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=hDqBJuO881C2ohlRCfPVGQ&pq=speaker%20stands&cp=2&gs_id=9&xhr=t&q=desktop+speaker+stands&es_nrs=true&pf=p&rlz=1C1CHKZ_enUS440US441&sclient=psy-ab&oq=despeaker+stands&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45512109,d.dmQ&fp=d78f862414922e23&biw=1600&bih=799

 

[Foamybrian]

Thanks for the assist. I actually did do a bit of extensive googling prior to making this thread. Finding short stands that can fit the Swans at a decent price range was still a pita though. The ones you listed are nice but quite a bit above my price range. I ended up visiting my local furniture store and couldn't find anything suitable. Ebay has given me some pretty good hits but the stands are well above 6 inches, ranging between 8-12.
 
Anywhoo, I think I may just end up selling my M200MKIIIs in the end. I have a set of T200bs on my main rig and figured that I don't spend enough time with the M200MKIIIs to justify getting them new stands and keeping them for too long. The whole cat fur thing was a long term nuisance and I think I'd rather just sidestep the issue altogether and sell the speakers.

 

[kookoo]

If you are in australia, i may be interested in buying the swans off you

 

[Foamybrian]

Unfortunately I'm located in the United States, California to be specific. I'd imagine shipping full bookshelf speakers internationally would end up costing a pretty penny.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

So why would I need new speaker stands? Well, I have a cat, two cats in fact. If there's something that cat owners can relate to, its the sheer amount of cat fur that gets thrown around overtime. The mopads are literally magnets for the fur and in just a few days of owning them, they began to resemble shaggy carpets more so than foam pads. No amount of lint rollers or cleaning could fully remove the fur from the pads due to their porous nature and its been driving me nuts. After all, the Swan are fantastic looking speakers and the furred up mopads detract from their aesthetics. 
 

 
Can anyone enlighten me why pets seem to be a problem for a lot of people here? I have five indoor cats and an outdoor dog (who goes into the garage when storms come in), and I just close the door to seal off the rooms where the expensive equipment are, the same way I close bathroom doors to prevent them from shredding my toilet paper.

 

[Foamybrian]

Quote:

 
Can anyone enlighten me why pets seem to be a problem for a lot of people here? I have five indoor cats and an outdoor dog (who goes into the garage when storms come in), and I just close the door to seal off the rooms where the expensive equipment are, the same way I close bathroom doors to prevent them from shredding my toilet paper.

I don't have any issues with my other gear, its just the mopads. They're basically two giant foam pads and they attract an awful lot of hair. I keep the swans out in the living room where the cats have access and while they don't misbehave (no toilet paper shredding), just being in their presence causes the mopad to build up a fur collection. The speakers themselves are pristine since I vacuum and clean quite frequently, its just the material of the mopads that cause problems.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

I don't have any issues with my other gear, its just the mopads. They're basically two giant foam pads and they attract an awful lot of hair. I keep the swans out in the living room where the cats have access and while they don't misbehave (no toilet paper shredding), just being in their presence causes the mopad to build up a fur collection. The speakers themselves are pristine since I vacuum and clean quite frequently, its just the material of the mopads that cause problems.

 
Must have some kind of static or something for them to pull in the fur, but that probably helps to keep the speakers on the Mopads, right? If that's the case then maybe you can just wrap some kind of material around all sides other than the top which has contact with the speakers, just make it neat. Like vinyl that looks like wood or marble, and wrap them around the exposed sides. If you're using spikes on the speakers in addition to the Mopads (I'd envy you that your cats don't knock them over) cover the top also but cut holes big enough for the spikes to get through, or if you're using spike shoes, cut holes for them and if possible (depending on the design) you could overlap the vinyl over the base to help keep fur out.

I'd still caution against using anything that aren't specifically speaker stands, ie, not heavy/sturdy enough and more importantly, if they have too much space between the legs/posts, as cats might try to get in that space, then move suddenly and knock the whole thing over.

 

[Foamybrian]

Quote:

 
Must have some kind of static or something for them to pull in the fur, but that probably helps to keep the speakers on the Mopads, right? If that's the case then maybe you can just wrap some kind of material around all sides other than the top which has contact with the speakers, just make it neat. Like vinyl that looks like wood or marble, and wrap them around the exposed sides. If you're using spikes on the speakers in addition to the Mopads (I'd envy you that your cats don't knock them over) cover the top also but cut holes big enough for the spikes to get through, or if you're using spike shoes, cut holes for them and if possible (depending on the design) you could overlap the vinyl over the base to help keep fur out.

I'd still caution against using anything that aren't specifically speaker stands, ie, not heavy/sturdy enough and more importantly, if they have too much space between the legs/posts, as cats might try to get in that space, then move suddenly and knock the whole thing over.

I appreciate the input, I'll keep it mind if I decide to reuse the mopads for another set of speakers. I've managed to sell the M200MKIII's relatively quickly so that dilemma is over. That HE-400 looks quite tempting with the extra cash I've gotten from the speakers 

 

[TexasBuck]

I set my M200MKIII's on bricks to raise them up about 3 inches to ear level.  The bricks are just extra's they used to build my house.  The price is certainly right.