Bolt Spikes for SL3?

[Varun]

Hi everyone,
In my bid to save money wherever I can, I'm thinking of using bolts as spikes. How would you think using 1/4-20 bolts with stop nuts work? The contact surface area would definitely be more than conventional spikes, but do you feel there would be a considerable performance difference? Bolts ~ $5. Spikes ~150!

 

[Brad225]

I hear ya on the saving money.
If the bolts are set on carpet they will not be very stable and will wobble because of the nap of the carpet and the pad below. I tried it and didn't have any luck.

If you are on tile or wood floor you would may have some type of protection disc under the spike any way so that might work.

You can give it a try and see it's only 5 bucks. Though my guess is spikes will perform much better.

 

[Varun]

Hi Brad,
I've got the speakers on 18 x 18 travertine stone which is on top of carpet so scratches aren't a problem for me.I will try this out and post back here with the results. I figure even if the contact area isn't as small as it could be, the elevation of the woofer off the ground should help a lot with clarity.

 

[robertawillisjr]

Try here http://www.oregondv.com/ bolts are a distinctly bad idea (INMHO)

 

[JMAUSGP]

+1

Unless you can find a really, really strong pencil sharpener. stock bolts are a bad idea. They may give you some elevation control but they will not allow you to couple or de-couple the speakers to the floor.

If you have some patience and are willing to search, you can find used spikes for less than $150.00

 

[Gordon Gray]

Varun,

See my SL3 post in the tweaks section.

You definitely do not want to use bolts.

GG

 

[Varun]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Gordon, I saw your thread in the tweaks section. I am actually doing the weight and the tilt mods. They're working really great.

As for the spikes on oregondv, why are they so much cheaper than the ones on the ML site? They look to be pretty high quality. They seem to be made to work with the lifter unit on the site, but does anyone know if they'll go into the speakers directly?

Thanks!

 

[Gordon Gray]

Varun,

No idea regarding the price difference.

Verify the thread size that fits the existing insert on the bottom of the SL3. If I recall correctly, it's a very common size.

As I said in my tweaks thread, get as robust a spike assembly as you can afford. You will hear the difference.

Gordon

 

[eknuds01]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Gordon, I saw your thread in the tweaks section. I am actually doing the weight and the tilt mods. They're working really great.

As for the spikes on oregondv, why are they so much cheaper than the ones on the ML site? They look to be pretty high quality. They seem to be made to work with the lifter unit on the site, but does anyone know if they'll go into the speakers directly?

Thanks!

Not sure if the chassis on your speakers is the same as mine, but I have the aerius i and bought speakers from oregondv some time ago (didn't spend that much...maybe $40 or something).

Yes, in my case, the old feet are simply screwed in and the new spikes will have the same thread size. You may want to verify the thread size before ordering, but you should be in good shape. Or, contact ML support and ask what the thread size is for your speakers.

Erik

 

[Varun]

Hi guys,
Looks like I'll be ordering from oregondv. Thanks for the advice. As a temporary measure, I have placed the speakers on cinder blocks and they're sounding really good right now.

Just curious but is there an optimal seating height for logans? Since the entire thing is one driver, does it really matter how high or low I sit?

 

[Jeff Zaret]

Simply put I would try and have the middle of the panel at ear height.


Good Luck

Jeff

 

[Tosh]

I figure even if the contact area isn't as small as it could be, the elevation of the woofer off the ground should help a lot with clarity.

The wavelength of sound at 250Hz (SL3 XO) is 29 inches, if that means anything....
If anything I would expect creating a cavity underneath would not be a good thing, if only because it might let out more cabinet coloration from the bottom panel. I accidentally discovered this additional source of muddy cabinet noise while tipping my SL3's sideways to adjust the feet one day while playing loudly.

I've gone back and forth between glider feet and spikes several times now (carpet over plywood on wood beam construction w crawl space). For now I've settled on using some large rubber feet together with the stock spike insert halves on the front and stock spikes (both pieces) on rear. This makes the rake perfect for me. I'm using the rubber feet (4/$2) from here:
http://www.apexjr.com/new.htm

You can find the optimal seating height (and distance) by moving around in the listening position without the chair in place. I've found my normal chair to be too low, so I use a taller chair for critical listening....