# Spikes...aren't they awesome : )



## hearingspecialist (Mar 15, 2010)

Just thinking about how much of a improvement spikes make to towers. Imaging, staging, depth, tonal qualities, and the list goes on... wish I could find a white paper on the difference spikes make.

Just thought i'd share my current thought:nerd:


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Any time you can isolate a speaker from its surroundings, you will improve the sound. I agree with you. Thanks for the tip. Dennis


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

The only thing they are bad for is wood floors, oops!:devil:


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## schmutziger (Jan 5, 2010)

I just had to, after someone wrote that spikes isolates....
its the other way around 


> ...
> The traditional approach has been to try to make the suspension so stiff that the resonance might be placed above the audible range. This is one of the basic ideas behind the use of "spikes". However, this approach does not work. The resonance between the cabinet and the floor will not be any higher than the upper bass range. Not even a concrete floor will do, as anyone who has drilled a hole in a concrete wall will be aware of after having experienced the resonances and sound transmission in this material.
> 
> The spokespersons for spikes also bring forward two more incompatible theories:
> ...


http://www.sonicdesign.se/sdfeet.html


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## yourgrandma (Oct 29, 2007)

Definitely dont isolate, but i like the stability they afford. The speakers arent going anywhere unless I put them there.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

Isolation is best acheieved by a device designed for it(subdude). Still spikes are useful in stabilizing a speaker and can reduce transmission when made of the right material. rubber spikes are probably your best bet for this.


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## yourgrandma (Oct 29, 2007)

One other thought on this: Would it not be beneficial to couple the speakers to something solid (ie the floor) to keep the cabinet itself more stationary. In a sense this is reducing resonance of a sort, specifically in low frequencies. Is this logic making any sense?

Ive seen subs literally crawl across the floor. The energy being put into moving the cabinec could be captured by spiking it to the floor and turned into sound rather than moving things around.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

yourgrandma said:


> One other thought on this: Would it not be beneficial to couple the speakers to something solid (ie the floor) to keep the cabinet itself more stationary. In a sense this is reducing resonance of a sort, specifically in low frequencies. Is this logic making any sense?
> 
> Ive seen subs literally crawl across the floor. The energy being put into moving the cabinec could be captured by spiking it to the floor and turned into sound rather than moving things around.


Except that the floor would be excited by your speaker. And since the floor is much larger the resonances are more noticeable. Isolation helps tighten the bass this is obvious in many situations. 

Cabinet resonances are easily reduced with a bracing matrix.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

I totally agree with dr.brian! :T

Many years ago I bought my first L&R front speakers and they were small Boston Acoustic bookshelf speakers..
I initially placed them on sand filled pedestals and they sounded muddied in the bass and lower mid range..I was very disappointed with the sound quality and had decided to scrap them..

Then a friend of mine in the home theatre industry suggested I try some spikes under them.. 
I did this and the overall improvement in tightness and clarity was quite incredible..So much so that I used those speakers in two separate home theatre set ups for about 15 years!


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

lsiberian said:


> Except that the floor would be excited by your speaker. And since the floor is much larger the resonances are more noticeable. Isolation helps tighten the bass this is obvious in many situations.


I have (now) a floor consisting of a concrete slab topped with 12mm H3 treated ply and 13mm grey Ironbark floorboards. 

In my situation it is unlikely that I will need spikes.  :bigsmile:


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## JoeESP9 (Jun 29, 2009)

robbo266317 said:


> I have (now) a floor consisting of a concrete slab topped with 12mm H3 treated ply and 13mm grey Ironbark floorboards.
> 
> In my situation it is unlikely that I will need spikes.  :bigsmile:


Wanna' bet! Try some arrow points under your speakers. They are cheap enough that even Scrooge would try them.:devil:


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

JoeESP9 said:


> Wanna' bet! Try some arrow points under your speakers. They are cheap enough that even Scrooge would try them.:devil:


Ok, since I haven't tried them I cannot claim they won't make a difference, so when the floors have all their coats and have dried enough to move the equipment back into the media room I will give them try.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

robbo266317 said:


> I have (now) a floor consisting of a concrete slab topped with 12mm H3 treated ply and 13mm grey Ironbark floorboards.
> 
> In my situation it is unlikely that I will need spikes.  :bigsmile:


I'd not use spikes on a wood floor. You'd likely harm the floor, but you'd still probably benefit from isolation. The same way we can get benefits from pulling the speakers off the wall.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

Like i said on my earlier posts on this thread. "Spikes are awesome but bad for wood floors". If you can get the ones that have a rubber cover for them, they work for awhile untill the spikes poke through them.:T


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

They do make those small discs to put under spikes or would that take away the benefit?


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## daniel (Dec 31, 2006)

There are little disc that you can put under the spikes to protect your wooden floor. That's what I recently did with no noticeable impact on sound quality.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Is there an echo in here.......:bigsmile::bigsmile:


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## daniel (Dec 31, 2006)

tcarcio said:


> Is there an echo in here.......:bigsmile::bigsmile:


The first part is an echo. The second is an answer.


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## JoeESP9 (Jun 29, 2009)

If your spikes don't have those little disks a penny works just as well. That's a US penny. I don't know about foreign equivalents. I suppose any coin will do.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

JoeESP9 said:


> If your spikes don't have those little disks a penny works just as well. That's a US penny. I don't know about foreign equivalents. I suppose any coin will do.


Just be sure to soak them in viniger first to shine them up! (i forgot all about that trick).:sn:


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

JoeESP9 said:


> If your spikes don't have those little disks a penny works just as well. That's a US penny. I don't know about foreign equivalents. I suppose any coin will do.


Ok, I have a bucketfull of au$ pennies, although I think I will get some discs instead as I don't know how much 5kg of pennies are worth? :scratch:


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## JoeESP9 (Jun 29, 2009)

You only need one or two under each spike. You must have a boatload of speakers to need 5kg.


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## Prof. (Oct 20, 2006)

robbo266317 said:


> Ok, I have a bucketfull of au$ pennies, although I think I will get some discs instead as I don't know how much 5kg of pennies are worth? :scratch:


I don't think it will work with Aus pennies!! :rofl:


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## daniel (Dec 31, 2006)

There is one aspect that we don't know (maybe someone does). How much load can you put one penny before the spike pierces it.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

daniel said:


> There is one aspect that we don't know (maybe someone does). How much load can you put one penny before the spike pierces it.


I'm gonna try that one tomorrow at work, just don't tell Obama! LOL!:scratch:


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## JoeESP9 (Jun 29, 2009)

I have a friend who has to put two pennies under each spike on his Janis W-1 sub. It could be the spikes and the material they're made from. I know his spikes aren't brass. They may be stainless steel.

Edit: I did say "one or two" in an earlier post.


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## schmutziger (Jan 5, 2010)

Why not use dollar bills instead.








Must be better :jump:


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## robbo266317 (Sep 22, 2008)

schmutziger said:


> Why not use dollar bills instead.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No, you wouldn't get enough coupling with the floor. 
Send me the roll and I will send you the pennies which will make the sound richer.

:devil:


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

I always wondered if the little cups for hardwood floors ruined the effect of the spikes... how do they still show improvement? Wouldn't you be just as well off using regular feet with some rubber underneath, or do they actually still manage to accomplish their main goal using these:


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## Jason1976 (Aug 13, 2009)

I was at a guys house and he has all his big box speakers hanging from the celling with cable away from the wall. 3 wires per box. had the all hanging up in the air and used the 3rd wire to aim them down a little to the lissing area. It really keeps things from vibrating from the speakers. only thing is i wouldnt want put holes to put eye lets into my speakers.


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## mjcmt (Aug 30, 2010)

bambino said:


> The only thing they are bad for is wood floors, oops!:devil:


That's a good one Bambino.
But if you do choose to use spikes on wood floors you can purchase floor skates from many speaker manufacturers to protect the floor from damage. On the diy side you can use coins, appliance skates sold at HD and Lowes, or just about anything. I am currently using 2" square Corian samples, but have used pennies in the past.


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