Answered Q acoustic concept 20 stands - what difference do they make?

bradzin

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I have a pair of Q acoustic concept 20 speakers, they currently sit on a set of Atacama stands (unfilled) that I got for a tenner from ebay.

Q acoustic do a set of stands specifically for the concept 20, but they are quite expensive and I couldn't afford them when I bought the speakers.

However, I now have a bit of cash and have been thinking if the concept 20 stand would be a worthwhile investment.

Does anyone have any experience of listening to the concept 20's with their stands and without and is able to say what kind of difference/improvement the stands make and if the stands would be worth getting in terms of how much they improve the sound of what are already pretty good speakers??

Thanks.
 
The genuine Q Acoustic Concept Stands are pretty nice, heavy steel with rock hard coating. But whether they are better than you existing stands is unclear.

Q Acoustics Concept 20 Speaker Stands (Pair) - Superfi

They are expensive, but not outrageously expensive, at £169/pr, they are pretty reasonable.

Notice that they don't have a square base, rather they have a heavy steel column with a stabilizing Glass "T" attached to the back.

They are nice stands, but whether they will make a difference is unclear.

What specifically are you existing stands and do you have them filled (with sand or whatever)?

Steve/bluewizard
 
If you had said I've no stands will stands make a difference in sound I'd have said my mission stands that cost 70 euros made a massive difference.

I wouldn't believe that one pair of well made stands would make a difference over another pair of well made stands. The astetic improvement is another matter though
 
I have a pair of Q Acoustics Concept 20s with dedicated stands although they are not in use at present. Unfortunately I have never used them with other stands and I am not sure swapping stands will improve the sound that much. I originally used the speakers on a heavy wood cabinet and yes they sounded much clearer and distinct on the stands. The stands are certainly well made and look really good with the concepts sitting on them. The glass triangle is almost invisible so they look like they are standing on two shiny pillars. I considered buying the outgoing KEF R300s recently and the dedicated stands for them were £400, so the Concept stands are not that expensive.
 
From past experience I can tell you that stands of varying quality, weight, material etc can indeed result in varying sound quality.

I haven't tried my Concept 20s on anything but the dedicated stands, so can not answer your question, however I can say they sound very good.
 
The stands I'm using at the moment are Atacama SE24 - see photo.

They are not filled but can be.
I use blu-tack to stick the speakers on them.

They made a fair difference, I had the speakers on wooden tables before so thought upgrading to the dedicated stands for the concept 20 might be a good improvement in sound quality over the Atacama stands.
 

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The stands I'm using at the moment are Atacama SE24 - see photo.

....

Those look like pretty heavy stands. Are they (the central column) made of wood or metal?

The Concept 20 Stands are nice. But very difficult to say if they will sound better than the existing stands.

Aside from adding mass to the stand, sand filling can stop the center column from resonating like a pipe organ pipe. If we assume the stands are 36" (3ft), just for easy math, then the stand would resonate, assuming they are able to resonate at about 375hz. If you fill them 2/3rd with sand, then the remaining open column will resonate at 1125hz. Given that the columns are reasonably ridge, it is unlikely that they can resonate at a higher frequency like 1125hz.

As an alternative to sand, you can fill with Aquarium Gravel. Though it will cost a bit more, but there is no dust from Aquarium Gravel like there is with sand. Though you can solve the Dust problem by filling Zip-Bags with sand and dropping them down the column.

If your existing stands are sealed completely, then fine dust isn't going to be a problem. You can buy Dry Sand CHEAP at most building supply stores, but make sure it is dry sand (kiln dried sand), and not general construction sand. You don't want moisture in your speaker stands. Again, common Play Sand is dry and cheap.

Given that you have reasonably heavy stands, it is very difficult to say if the Concept 20 stands will be an improvement.

I think it is too close to call.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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The whole stand, including central column is made of metal.
I might try filling those with sand or something first, see if that makes a difference.

I think the only way to find out for sure would be to try the concept 20 stands out and see if I could return them if they don't make that much difference.
 
The whole stand, including central column is made of metal.
I might try filling those with sand or something first, see if that makes a difference.
...

This thread might be helpful to give you an idea of the range of options for Stand Filler -

Quality Dry Speaker Stand FILLER - CHEAP

I think this is probably the best, though a bit more expensive, and you certainly do not want to ship this. Similar can be found where Pet Supplies or Aquarium Supplies are sold.--

Pettex Dorset Pea Medium Gravel

Pettex Roman Gravel Natural Mixed Gems

Steve/bluewizard
 
UPDATE:

Took the plunge and splashed out on the concept 20 dedicated stands.

I was prepared to be sceptical and for them not to make that much difference, but I have been genuinely surprised at the difference these stands have made to the sound quality of the Concept 20 speakers.

Right away I could hear a difference with the sound being clearer and hearing more details.
Overall the sound seems more spacious and expansive with individaul instruments being easier to pick out and the sound has more 'presence' especially with vocals and drums have a real weight to them.

The stands really have made a noticeable improvement and I can now see why the speakers have had such good reviews.

And they look good!
 
UPDATE:

Took the plunge and splashed out on the concept 20 dedicated stands.

I was prepared to be sceptical and for them not to make that much difference, but I have been genuinely surprised at the difference these stands have made to the sound quality of the Concept 20 speakers.

Right away I could hear a difference with the sound being clearer and hearing more details.
Overall the sound seems more spacious and expansive with individaul instruments being easier to pick out and the sound has more 'presence' especially with vocals and drums have a real weight to them.

The stands really have made a noticeable improvement and I can now see why the speakers have had such good reviews.

And they look good!

Hi I am looking to get at these stands. Do you know how it fixes to the speaker ? Is it the three rubber feet that comes with the speakers or do fixings come with the stands?
 
Hi I am looking to get at these stands. Do you know how it fixes to the speaker ? Is it the three rubber feet that comes with the speakers or do fixings come with the stands?

Here is a picture of the base of one of my Concept 20 stands. As you can see there are 3 holes which the 3 rubber feet of the speaker fits into meaning the speaker essentially becomes coupled with the stand.
 

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Here is a picture of the base of one of my Concept 20 stands. As you can see there are 3 holes which the 3 rubber feet of the speaker fits into meaning the speaker essentially becomes coupled with the stand.
I see. So the three rubber feet just sits in those holes? Cheers!
 
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When using the speakers with the stands you're supposed to replace the rubber feet with the supplied steel mounting feet, it's those that should sit in the 3 holes on the platform.
 
When using the speakers with the stands you're supposed to replace the rubber feet with the supplied steel mounting feet, it's those that should sit in the 3 holes on the platform.

Supplied steel mounting feet? Does that come with the stands?
 
Supplied steel mounting feet? Does that come with the stands?
I think they came with the speakers not the stands if I remember correctly. I'll try & see if I can find out.

My speakers & stands are boxed & currently in storage but I think I have the steel mounting feet in a bag somewhere at home.
 
From looking on the website I think they must have come with the stands, not the speakers.
 
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1593428169898.png
 
When using the speakers with the stands you're supposed to replace the rubber feet with the supplied steel mounting feet, it's those that should sit in the 3 holes on the platform.

Interesting. I never knew about the steel mounting feet as I got my stands second hand. I wonder how much of a difference they make to the sound. I guess I'll see how much Q Acoustics sell them for spare parts.
 
Interesting. I never knew about the steel mounting feet as I got my stands second hand. I wonder how much of a difference they make to the sound. I guess I'll see how much Q Acoustics sell them for spare parts.
Ditto. will email them.
 
Hi,

a bit late to this thread but I’m glad you took the plunge and bought the C 20 stands.
I bought a pair to go with my B&W 606s. They certainly made a big difference to the sound, introducing a greater sense of instrument spacing and taughtness to the sound.
 
Hi. I don't suppose any Concept 20 + dedicated stands owners here would be kind enough to tell me whether replacing the rubber feet with the steel mounting feet on the speakers makes much of an improvement to the sound? I've tried emailing and calling Armour House for a quote on the steel mounting feet as they were never supplied with my Concept 20 stands (2nd hand job) but no joy as yet. Just wondering if it's worth pursuing further if they actually make much of a difference to the sound. Cheers.
 
Hi. I don't suppose any Concept 20 + dedicated stands owners here would be kind enough to tell me whether replacing the rubber feet with the steel mounting feet on the speakers makes much of an improvement to the sound? I've tried emailing and calling Armour House for a quote on the steel mounting feet as they were never supplied with my Concept 20 stands (2nd hand job) but no joy as yet. Just wondering if it's worth pursuing further if they actually make much of a difference to the sound. Cheers.

Did you ever get a reply from q acoustics?
 
Hi. I don't suppose any Concept 20 + dedicated stands owners here would be kind enough to tell me whether replacing the rubber feet with the steel mounting feet on the speakers makes much of an improvement to the sound?

We are talking about Floor to Stand feet right? This will depend on the surface that the Stands are on. Spike, as an example, are meant to reach through the carpet to the solid floor below to keep the Stand steady and solidly mounted.

I've tried emailing and calling Armour House for a quote on the steel mounting feet as they were never supplied with my Concept 20 stands (2nd hand job) but no joy as yet. Just wondering if it's worth pursuing further if they actually make much of a difference to the sound. Cheers.

Those steel mounting feet don't look exceptionally big, but if they use standard Screw Threads, then there are many alternative choices. Again, which choice you make will depend on what surface the Stands are on and the Screw Size.

Likely the Screws are M6 or M8.

Speaker Spikes -

Amazon-UK - Search - Speaker Spikes

Notice several come with what are called Speaker Shoes, which are the flat discs that the Spikes fit into. This is to keep your fine wood floors from getting scratched.

These, are both a Speaker Spike/Foot, and a Cabinet Mounted Nut. These are 8mm -

Amazon product ASIN B08BL91N7P
They do not have very aggressive Spike Points.

Note, you can buy the Floor Protecting Disc separately if you need them -

Amazon product ASIN B077VB6YB1
Amazon product ASIN B083FRSK9L
Amazon product ASIN B08CZ73344
If you are on a hard surface - tile, wood, ... - then there are a range of Rubber Feet you can get, either fixed position or adjustable -


If you are considering this type attached by a Screw -


Make sure the screw hole size is compatible with the type of screws you need.

I'm simply offering alternatives. If you can get the correct feet from Q Acoustic that is best ... unless they want a fortune for them.

Here are some contact links for Q Acoustic -


Just exploring the possibilities.

Steve/bluewizard
 
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