monitor stands, any preferences?

[pk_hat]

So I'm about to buy a new pair of 36" stands and sell the 42". Until recently, the most common model I've seen is the generic black/plywood kind with a 1'X 1' platform on each end, fitted with a hollow beam for a sand landfill.

But, I recently saw a pair that had these little spikes at the base, and if my memory serves me right, the top and bottom platforms (or 1 of them) were triangular shape (?), with a more metallic finish? It also had grooves that held the speaker cable snug behind the stands. I can't recall the brand, but I was wondering if there's one you prefer over the other and why?

I would normally think a stand is just a stand but then again, this is pro audio and there must be a reason for all the different types of stands, just like any other gear... images/icons/wink.gif

thanks for your thoughts.

pk

p.s. anyone in the NY area interested in these 42" Raxxess stands?

[STUDIO-DE-ARIEL]

pk

i have 2 pairs on the ceiling and 2 on the floor

[Mr_Seven]

Pk,

I have the triangle type, silver, with the ridge in the back for cables. I believe they have sand in them for weight (kiln dried). Mine came with a pair of Event 20/20s purchased from a friend. I really like em alot. Very sturdy, and strong. I use a little square of no slip rubber stuff that one uses under a rug in between the speaker and stand. The spikes on the bottom keep the stand firmly in place on my carpet.

[pk_hat]

thanks guys, I think the latter ones are made by Ultimate, who are known for their nice KB stands.
I'll look into those more closely.

s-d-a, wow, you've taken the whole 'surround sound' mixing a bit too far I see... images/icons/wink.gif

pk

[STUDIO-DE-ARIEL]

yes about 10k too far

[pk_hat]

while on the subject of stands, let me ask you guys this...

every article I've read on monitor positioning suggests the 'triangle' method, which is easy to grasp, but also to have the monitors at ear level, so that the mid-point between tweeter and woofer is exactly at ear-level.

Now, is it me or does every pictire I see of those high-end studios (you know, like the ones on the front page of Mix mag) or even semi-pro seem to indicate that the monitors are placed quite a bit higher than 'ear level'! Why so?

Most of the time, they're resting on the bridge of an expensive console desk, or pehaps in an Omnirax configuration, but you can absolutely see that the woofer of those Genelecs or Mackies ar at least 1 or 2 feet above the engineer's ear level.

Just trying to understand...

pk

[N-G-NEER]

The Stands are made by a company called Sanus

[8mmOverdose]

pk-

i shopped for stands for quite some time and never found what i wanted. my solution was to build my own. home depot sells shelving in many different sizes. i simply bought a few different sizes of the shelving, had them cut it (at home depot) to my specs, then i used wood glue and brackets to put it togeteher. the shelving is laminated particle board, available in a few different color and finishes. my stands are "t" shaped with a large base and the top of the stand fits exactly to the size of my monitors. i now have stands that are exactly what i need, and it cost me less than $35.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Originally posted by pk_hat:
while on the subject of stands, let me ask you guys this...

every article I've read on monitor positioning suggests the 'triangle' method, which is easy to grasp, but also to have the monitors at ear level, so that the mid-point between tweeter and woofer is exactly at ear-level.

Now, is it me or does every pictire I see of those high-end studios (you know, like the ones on the front page of Mix mag) or even semi-pro seem to indicate that the monitors are placed quite a bit higher than 'ear level'! Why so?

Most of the time, they're resting on the bridge of an expensive console desk, or pehaps in an Omnirax configuration, but you can absolutely see that the woofer of those Genelecs or Mackies ar at least 1 or 2 feet above the engineer's ear level.

Just trying to understand...

pk<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Hmmm.... nope, they're usually at ear level.

Having worked in some of those studios you "see on the cover of Mix", I can tell you that a Neve 80 series or SSL sits at such a height that the speakers are at ear level, or just a BIT higher, when sitting behind the board. Certainly not a foot or two higher than ear level. Of course this can depend on your chair and personal height, but if you're sitting in such a way as to be able to comfortably reach the board, the monitors are about right.

And of course, the type of monitor can make a difference in this respect. NS10's normally sit on their "sides", IOW, with the long side of the monitor on the overbridge. Gennies sit on their bottoms (long side vertical), ADAM's - it depends - they can work both ways.

Another thing to take into account - a lot of people like to sit, and a lot of people like to stand a good portion of the time. I set up our custom console pretty high because I tend to do both. I have to use drafting chairs to sit at a comfortable height, but everything works well standing OR sitting. Just a personal preference thing, but since it's MY studio, I could take things like that into account when designing / building it. images/icons/wink.gif

[Sixpence]

here's an old Sound On Sound article that 8MM inspired me to look up... it's a shame it's only the text cos the picture of the stands in the original magazine are really nice..

I have the original issue believe it or not....

http://www.sospubs.co.uk /sos/1995_articles/nov95/diyspeakerstands.html (http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/1995_articles/nov95/diyspeakerstands.html)

[pk_hat]

thanks for that link Sean!
Come to think of it, I probably have that issue as well somewhere, but it's much easier to read the article online.

Phil, thanks for clearing that up as well, I guess it's difficult to judge the height of the speakers from the picture alone, I was just guessing they were higher than they should be.

Until I get my 36" stands to replace these 42", would it be wise to place my Mackies on the stand horizontally, with woofers towards each other. I ask because it seems as though that may help me in getting a better reference, as right now all I hear is low end when sitting, so like you, I've had to stand up and mix for the crucial stuff like hats, kicks and snares.

I'd appreciate your feedback!

pk

[STUDIO-DE-ARIEL]

yo hat

I suggest ears being on axis with the tweeters what i mean is at the point of the highest peak spot* "sweet spot" tweeter 40 in above the floor was a standard at one time. I think Its important for them to fire at your ears. tweeters especially. But ultimatly its personal preference. If you want to hear the full mix you need to be on axis. I have some custom made stuff in the back mainly made for stereo but perfect for mixing flat.

*I guess it depends alot on the polar coordinate dispersion pattern of the tweeter.

1.I have 604 g altec, If you can find one of these it is excellent Early studio monitor2.. a jbl slot radiator that i really love and the 044 jbl thrown in the mix of the custom 4 way with a d208 excellent for guitar isolation.and a le 14 jbl thats my custom box that i made.3. the bullet jbl is the best theoretically its in a perkins style jbl cabnet with the titanium driver horn serious horn. When listning to horns i like a compression driver style horn setup. This has a custom hand built crossover with hand wound coil and a ev 1100 watt max 15in. All these are driven by seperate crown dc 300s he if its good enough for peter frampton its good enough for me. 4.Got an old advent klh design walnut cabnets found on the side of the road ... that somone else is using in here and a modified sony. 5.the old bose 901 mk2 A few other nick nacks

7. pair in all not including the car jbl system.

**Did you conclude your unit was too high pk?

[Stone Knife]

Since the Mackies are designed to sit vertically, mabie you're better off for dispersion to turn them upside down rather than horizontally- at least the tweets would be closer to on-axis with your ears.

I have the Sanus stands and they are good units. They come with adjustable spike feet and your choice of little spikes or rubber pads for the speaker/stand interface; plus they look good, too-got Mahogany-looking ones- ...a feature I didn't care about in the store but appreciate a lot -now! (About $99 at GC) images/icons/cool.gif

[pk_hat]

I just now turned my Mackies to the horizontal position and oh my, what a difference! Of course, I prefer the vertical setup but in the meantime, this is a great workaround, I'm not getting that immediate bass and rumble now that the woofers are higher and tweeters lower, cool...

[Phil O'Keefe]

Again, some speakers are designed for a horizontalposture, and some for vertical. The Mackies are definitely vertical designs... going horizontal with them can cause some time smear between bass and treble. If it works for you, that's okay. It's the results that matter. But definitely agree that the tweaters should usually be at ear level or positioned (angled) so they are pointed directly at ear level.

One more suggestion: Maybe get a pair of $30 Auralex MoPads. They are foam "blocks" that your nearfields can sit on (on top of stand or whatever). They help decouple the speakers from whatever they're sitting on and they have little foam wedge inserts that allow you to angle the speakers downwards, thus pointing the tweaters towards your ears even though the speaker is still sitting in a vertical position. Of course, they can be adjusted (depending on which way you put the wedges) for flat or angled less, etc. and you can also use them with the speakers either vertical or horizontal.

http://www.auralex.com

[pk_hat]

Yup, they're called MoPads and I've had mine for a few months. At $30/pair you can't go wrong, particularily for those who have their speakers sitting directly on a desk. Works great on stands too.

Phil, I appreciate your comments on the phasing issues that I may encounter with my Mackies laying on their side, I've had that happen before while they were resting vertically, as the angles were off by merely inches. All the lows and mids were just incohesive and warped between left and right ear, yikes!

Somehow I guess I have them sitting just perfectly right now, as there is also nothing interfering between the woofers and my head, the PC screen has been pushed back about a foot to open the way.

pk