Conference hips::uk_audioo

    re.0...
    
    Just so long as they're rigid you're OK. Test for rigidity by rocking
    on the diagonals with a flat hand on the speaker top. If they wobble
    and the spikes aren't adjustable, you can put Philips/Posidrive
    screws through the carpet (the holes should be nicely marked out
    by now :-)) and adjust that way.
    
    Give the whole lot a sharp thump downwards with your fist afterwards,
    this should give enough bite top and bottom.
    
    Dave    
    

    
    Mine don't  stick very far into the floorboards either - I just
    adjusted them so that the speakers didn't wobble, and gave them a good
    hard push to make sure that the spikes were through to the wood. I
    think the main thing is that the stands don't rest significantly on the
    carpet.
    
    Trevor 

   I'm just about to buy some Celestion stands for my DL6's but my floor is
 cement, so should I retract the spikes or just rest then on the cement?


Steve.

    Use the spikes. Make sure they "bite" a little into the cement by
    giving them a thump on top with your fist - after you've ensured
    that the stands have no wobbles. Do the same again to the speakers
    when first putting them on the stands.
    
    Dave

    Funnily enough I am in the same situation.
    
    My floor is Marley Tiles, as I'm not rich enough to afford carpets
    yet!!! I was a bit worried about using the spikes on my Linn Index
    stands, as I thought I could damage them, and maybe also damage
    the floor. However, I think using the spikes would result in an
    improvement, as the stands should be less likely to rock.
    
    Cheers.
    
    Mark.

    I am after some wall brackets for my AR 8Ls's.  I have a pair of
    small target stands but they are not tall enough.  The speakers
    are placed either side of my bed and the sound bounces off the sides
    of the bed.
    
    Can anyone recomend a place (walking distance from Queens House)
    to get some wall brackets.  What sort of price are wall brackets?
    
    Grant

    
    When I was looking for speaker stands, I think target made some.
    
    Try Reading HiFi, near to the Hexagon.
    
    Mark.

    Grant,
    
    	    There are some listed in the current Target brochure, 
    models S7 or S8. They are, like all the Target products, solidly 
    made, black square section steel tube, with spikes for locating 
    the speakers (Obviously you need sturdy walls to mount them on!). 
    Price is around �25-30 per pair. 
    The drawback with them in your bedroom could be that you do not 
    have much scope for swiveling/adjusting the speaker direction.
    
    What size/model are your old stands? I need a pair for my other 
    speakers, and might be interested at the right price.
    
    Regards,
    
    Mike B in Warrington.
    
    P.S. Couldn't you combine two of your interests and hold your 
    speakers at arms length while listening. It would work wonders for 
    the chest and tri's. :-)

    re-1
    
    Thanks Mike
    
    My current stands are Target T? (not sure of model) on wheels.
    They are small in height but are adjustable in width to fit different
    width speakers.  they cost me �23 I will sell them to you for �10 if you
    want.
    
    Grant

    If they are on castors, they'd probably move a few feet at the 
    volumes I like to listen at!. Seriously, I prefer spikes for 
    maximum rigidity and coupling, and castors leave big dents in the 
    carpets. 
    
    Thanks anyway,
    
    Mike.

    Does anyone out there have a Target equipment rack?  I just got a TT4,
    and it makes my turntable sound better defined, tho perhaps I los a
    little 'oomph'.
    
    Question - the table comes with some small rubber 'blisters', are these
    to put on the shelves, in the corners to stop them moving about? 
    Anyone have any ideas whether they affect the sound or not (with
    reference to CD players, the turntable has a top isolated shelf).
    
    curious...
    
    Mikef

    
    
    To add to this note.I have a 'sound organization' turntable table.
    Has anyone filled thier table with lead/sand to add mass?
    
    p.s. The improvement to my system because of this table has to be
    one of audio's bargains.
    
    Mike

    re .11.... Extra compliance in a support leads to a deterioration in
    sound, in my experience; I expect it depends on your turntable, wall
    materials, etc. You can always take them off if you don't like what
    they do.
    
    re .12
    
    "Has anyone filled thier table with lead/sand to add mass?"
    
    No. Have you tried it? I use an SO table; the concept is that it should
    be light and rigid, adding sand or lead may make the turntable sound
    slow tempo-wise and flat tune-wise. Again it depends on your TT; I use
    a Linn for which the SOT was designed as it is, thus I'm tempted to
    leave well alone.
    
    Dave
    

    re -1 extra compliance - does this mean rubbery bits?  
    My turnatble is on the top shelf, which is isolated with spikes.  I'm
    more concerned about the lower shelves, upon one of which sits my CD
    player.   I don't know how critical the placing/environment is for a CD
    player - should it also have spikes?  Or does that make no difference
    on CDs?
    
    I got the new Fall CD yesterday, and the  opening track sound
    'cluttered', but sounded great through headphones (taken directly from the
    CD player line out).  I played around with the rubbery bits on the
    shelf corners, but I couldn't convince myself that they made a
    difference.  Maybe if I got decent interconnects for the CD/amp, it
    could open the sound out?
    
    Hmmm...I'm still new to the world of CDs, and I can't listen to one
    without listening more to the sound quality than the actual music.  I
    hope this wears off after a while.
    
    Mikef

    re .14..yes, rubbery bits. I was trying to be technical ;-)
    
    Your CD player will also benefit from being on a spiked support of some
    kind, but to a lesser extent than your turntable. Don't expect spikes 
    to fix the "listening to the sound quality instead of the
    music"-with-CDs syndrome, especially if you listen to records on a 
    respectable player. I don't know which CD player you are using, but
    many low to mid models, because of budget constraints on their
    component topolgy, inject all sorts of rf trash into signal grounds
    whic affects the sound. Better interconnects can help this, but often
    the only answer is to go upmarket, where more care is taken - usual
    caveats about cost not indicating quality apply here! Finding a CD
    player that draws me in to the music in the same way as my record
    player is a Holy Grail I've been chasing for the last 5 years or so
    without much luck. When I hear a CD Player I could live with, I then
    think of how many records I could buy with the money, and cop out. 
    
    Dave

    yeah, i know what you mean about CDs.  I have only just given in.  I
    started off listening to the lower end players (about �250ish), but
    ended up with a new Sony CDPX33ES (�400 list price).  Like I think I
    said somewhere else, it was one of two CD players I have heard that
    had me tempted.
    
    I may get a packet of small spikes, and some soft wood, and modify my
    stand slightly for the CD player. hmmm.
    
    ta
    
    Mikef 

    
    I have a slight problem with my CD player (a Sony from about four years
    back) in that it 'jumps' fairly badly when I drop something on the
    floor in my room!  What's the most effective solution (apart from
    buying a cabinet/rack/stand/whatever that costs a fortune which I don't
    have!)...?
    
    (just in case you're wondering (!!), it's my juggling clubs that I keep
    dropping that cause the CD to jump, they aren't heavy, but they do land
    quite hard! =:*)))))))  )
    
    Chris.
          

    Sorbothane is a rubber with fairly good isolation properties. You can
    pay a fortune for some lumps from Audioquest or via the Hi-Fi News club
    or :...
    
    Cheap ways to buy sorbothane are
    
    1) Write to the makers/distributors who used to be the Birmingham and
    layland rubber Co (no sniggers) , Birmingham. try directory enquiries,
    they sent my a brochure about rubber 9interesting) and a sorbothane
    sample, about the size and shape of an ice hockey puck. I cut this up
    to make feet. Simple ?
    
    2) I believe you can buy sorbothane sportshoe inserts which probably
    are cheaper than hi-fi silly money.
    
    3) Squash balls cut in half make reasonable de-coupling feet, I'm told.

the sports shop upstairs in the Butts in Reading sells sorbothane 
'hand exercisers' - these are just great lumps of the stuff - quite cheap too -
�2ish

...art

ps. wouln't something like blu-tak suffice?

    
    Thanks everybody!
    
    Think I'll try the squash ball (ouch) things first, haven't played
    squash in ages...either that or I'll have to stop juggling. =;*)
    
    Chris.  

    
    I could do, but I've temporarily mislaid them!
    
    (for those that aren't based at SBP; I've got some penguin shaped
    beanbags that I use to teach people to juggle with down here!)
    
    Chris.

    Apparently squash balls come in different grades of bounciness (can't
    remember the intelligent term), depending on the speed of game you
    want. But I'm a couch potato anyway, so what would I know ;-). So you
    may get different effects on your system depending on which ball type
    you use and where. If you want to experiment we could get into real
    Peter Belt territory here!
    
    Dave

    Leyland and Birmingham Rubber Company became BTR (British 
    Thermoplastics and Rubber) with a subsidiary called Butec. They 
    are located mainly in Leyland, Lancs and Birmingham and should be 
    in the yellow pages.
    
    The title refers to an incident when I used to live in Leyland. A 
    friend wanted a rubber mat about a foot square, so thought of 
    ringing BTR for a sample of conveyor belt. No problem said the 
    Salesdroid, I'll get some samples dropped off. What arrived were 
    some samples of various thicknesses and grades - End of production 
    runs, 1-2 metres wide and 10-30 metres long!! Only guy I know with 
    a rubber garage floor and rubber footpaths in his garden.
    
    Mike.

    re: .11
    >Question - the table comes with some small rubber 'blisters', are these
    >to put on the shelves, in the corners to stop them moving about? 
    
    Sorry if I'm way out here, but don't these 'blisters' cover the holes 
    for the mounting screws?

    Re-1 - no, they are rubber bumps with sticky pads, and are put on the
    corners of shelves.  The only screws are the adjustable feet.
    
    ta anyway - mike.