My floor-standing speakers, which I’ve just replaced won’t accept the rubber feet from my old speakers due to the size of the thread, so have gone back to the old practice of using spikes (I’ve never noticed any difference in performance between the two types of standing tbh).
I have a concrete floor and it’s difficult to stop them from wobbling. Once you get them firmly bedded in, the wobble some more. It’s extremely exasperating. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I overcome this?
Have you properly tightened up the spikes after levelling? Be sure to hold the spikes in position (pliers can be handy here) as sometimes when you do the last tightening the spike can turn and the spike length change as consequence.
If the concrete floor has a thin screed layer then sometimes this can crumble easily. If you have concrete under carpet, it can be hard to see this.
It may seem an obvious question but you are (carefully) rocking the speakers back and forth to make sure the spikes penetrate all the way through the carpet and underlay after each adjustment?
One more tip - cut slits in the carpet to allow the spikes through. otherwise they can couple to the carpet and “float”. It also prevents hammering away at the screed (see my post above for what can happen then) trying to get the spikes through the carpet.
Adjustment - the problem with concrete is a spike chips away at the concrete & spoils what was good stable adjustment.
Setting spikes on metal pads like Fraim chips, Linn Sleets, or similar really helps, but not ideal with carpet.
However the best answer is 3 spikes as that will never wobble - the milkmaids stool. I’ve always fitted 3 mounts on all the speakers I’ve built. 2 at the front, 1 at the back.
The other alternative is rubber type pads, again 3 per speaker, big choice on the market. They don’t need to be screwed into the speakers, self adhesive, bluetac or newtons law all help. Howz-a-bout 2 of the existing spikes on the front & a single rubber pad on the back.
Hi Richard. Thanks for these tips. I’ll get the spanners and pliers out. It’s a right old pain I must say. I had this problem before with a concrete floor. Our last house was an eco-house and it had a suspended floor, which was not ideal. However, what we did there was to mount the speakers on sorbothane feet and they sounded amazing, even though the speakers did, actually, wobble!
Can you not get spike cups under the carpet? Well, not cups as precise location of the pit can be difficult or impossible to achieve. Years ago when I had a similar situation I used 2p pieces.
But that was non-fitted carpet that I could fold back and put the coins in carefully measured positions - if the carpet is fully fitted maybe the only way would be to push them through slits.
The positive thing is that you have something to look forward to .
Let me take an example:
A friend of mine had Linn’s Skeet during his Spike’s.
He wanted to try Naim Chips instead,.he lives 300km from me.
I had 8 chips that I wasn’t using,.so I sent them to him so he can test them.
He called me and said he heard no difference between Chips and Skeet’s. I know there is a difference…Chips are better.
So I asked him,.Are your loudspeakers rock-solid on your Naim chips.?
He would check and return.
He then called me and said that Naim Chips are much better than Linn Skeet.
The fault was,.that a spike on one speaker,just one,was a bit,.a little loose when he tested the first time.
And because of that he heard no difference.
When he found the error,.and the loudspeakers stood rock-solid,so he heard that Naim chips were much better than Linn Skeet.
So little can spoil so much.
So look through your system and your installation properly.
If you are lucky you can free,get better sound quality.
OK guys, I’ve adjusted the offending spikes and tightened the nut whilst holding the spike with pliers as per @Richard.Dane 's advice. It’s all settled down now and I’ll keep an eye on it and adjust again if I notice any change.
The spiking to which I referred in my previous post was a pair of IMF RSPM speakers, which were fitted with castors. I had stands just high enough to lift the castors off the floor, so almost no height difference, and it was those stands that were spiked. It made sense to me because the speakers were not rigidly located when on the castors, but when I first introduced I can’t say I noticed a difference, though it is such a hassle lifting 60+kg speakers on and off stands (lifting high enough for the castors to clear, that I never bothered A-B comparisons. After moving house I first positioned the speakers without the stands, being easy to move while finding the right spot, then installed the stands. Again I did not notice a difference. Maybe the weight of the speakers minimises the movement…
PMC 25:26 spike plates are isolated from the speakers by a layer of cork, so there is a bit of wobble at that point even when the spikes are solid in the n-chips they are sitting in.
DaveS,…Please take a picture,.for I don’t really understand.
.
I know there is a difference…Chips are better.
I guarantee,.that if I could demonstrate it to you,.then you would hear a difference.