Will speakers stands make a difference ?

[nunnc01]

Hi all.

I've attached a picture of my current setup which consists of:

Panasonic TH-42PX80B
Yamaha RX-V361 Amp
Wharfedale 9.1's Front Right and Left (my new purchase)
Yamaha NSP-110 Rears, Centre and Sub

What I would like to know is would I notice any improvement in the sound quality if I was to put the Wharfedale's on stands at either end of the entertainment unit - I was thinking of buying Soundstyle Z2's. The current unit is only slightly higher than the stands.

PS. please ignore the cables - they are usually hidden

Thanks

 

[tudj]

Yes, I put my 9.1's on some Atacama Nexus stands after they had been sitting on my PC desk and the difference was immediately noticeable, the bass tightened up quite a bit and there was slightly more clarity.

 

[Member 639844]

Yes, I put my 9.1's on some Atacama Nexus stands after they had been sitting on my PC desk and the difference was immediately noticeable, the bass tightened up quite a bit and there was slightly more clarity.

This likely because on your desktop the bass was vibrating through the top of the desk distorting it. This would then cloud and muddy up the higher frequencies. Now they are on stands the true clarity of the speaker is allowed to shine through and the bass distortion caused by the desktop is gone making everything clearer tighter and more controlled.

In short, I agree with tudj, they are a fair bit better off on stands as opposed to being sat on a veneered chip board or even an unbraced MDF cabinet

 

[mcbunny]

i have the z2 stands but no speakers atop them waiting for my xtz's to turn up

so thats not much help lol my stands are sat in audio serenity spike shoes and they are on granite sound isolation plinths (tesco chopping boards )

if it all makes a difference i dont know yet but it looks nice

 

[Jamie]

Personally I think the stands would make a significant difference. They certainly did for my old Kef Q15s

As a bonus I think where you have them at the moment is actually a bit too close together. So its a no brainer IMO

 

[nunnc01]

Thanks for the advice so far.

Would the speaker stands go directly on the flooring that I have or would I need to put something between the spikes and the floor ?

Also, can anybody recommend which version of the Soundstyle Z2 speakers would be better - the Z2 or the Z2ii (improved version). There is about £10-£15 difference between them. I do have a slight concern about the stability of the speakers on the stand so will probably put some blu-tac on there to try and secure them. The newer version has spikes on the plate which I'm guessing would stop me from securing them in this way ??

Any other suggestions on how I could improve on what I have would be greatly appreciated. Ideally, I would like a new centre speaker and probably a new amp too. I was looking at buying the matching Wharfedale 9.cs centre but it is just a little bit too tall and would cover a small section at the bottom of my tv. I think the 9.cc is smaller so might have to go with that....

Again, thanks for the advice so far.

 

[IWC Dopplel]

You will get a 'bloom' and incorrect low to mid lift typically from the desk. The sound will be woolly and soft with a roundness and softness to the lower registers.

To be honest with cheaper kit this is not always a bad thing. What annoys you about the sound is a ket question at this level ?

 

[mcbunny]

Thanks for the advice so far.

Also, can anybody recommend which version of the Soundstyle Z2 speakers would be better - the Z2 or the Z2ii (improved version). There is about £10-£15 difference between them. I do have a slight concern about the stability of the speakers on the stand so will probably put some blu-tac on there to try and secure them. The newer version has spikes on the plate which I'm guessing would stop me from securing them in this way ??

regarding this the improved ones are well improved you dont need to use the top spikes as they can just be screwed out they also supply some rubber dots to mount the speakers on if you would rather

the stands are fairly heavy without any mass loading but i have also filled them with sand

regarding mounting the stands directly on the floor i have read its better to try your self rather than taking some one else's word for it as it all depends on the speakers/stands/floor etc etc but for £20 i bought 2 granite chopping boards to try it out with as mine are sitting on laminate so it may help who knows