Conrad Johnson Owners.com

I wanted to get people's opinion on what kind of speaker feet/spikes they use with their setups. Are you using stock spikes, or did you replace them with custom feet?

I use Mapleshade Threaded Heavyfeet (x8), brass anti-vibration replacement spiked speaker feet on my Martin Logan Vantages. I actually had these included when I bought the speaker so I can't say that I went out and spent the money myself (I think they would have cost something like $350 if I bought them new myself). I have heard people putting hockey pucks under the feet to improve sound.

Interested in hearing people's experience with upgrade.

As with everything audio YMMV....

I like the Black Diamond Carbon fiber cones for use on a hardwood floor. They sound very even and have slightly rounded bottoms making it very friendly to wood floors. For carpeting I like the Simply Physics plastic and aluminum cones: cheap and they were once supposed to have been the second generation Mod Squad Tip Toes. While I have tried various brass cones, in MY system ( and remember all such devices are sensitive to equipment choices and room acoustics), I find that they impart a sight upper midrange oomph to the sound I get.

Incidentally, I once owned ML Sequels and still have a pair of the larger Quests ( I'm an old guy). On those speaker designs, ML had deliberately inverted the woofers in polarity to the panels. Are yours inverted also? Supposedly they inverted the woofers to make them blend in better with the panels, but since mine are so old, I am curious about the newer designs. Being biwired it was easy to invert the woofers and to my ears they sound significantly better.


Stu

unclestu52,
I completely agree with you that each speaker is going to respond quite differently to individual feet. This makes sense as each speaker has a unique mass, weight distribution, and acoustics. I find these brass feet give slightly more clarity to the soundstage, but in all honesty, it's a very minor change. They were included when I bought the speakers, and probably would not have spent $350 for them new. I think they look nice and the modest improvement doesn't justify the expenditure (better to spend that elsewhere on the system).

I'll have to look into the inversion of the woofer. I'm not sure if it's in phase or not.

I set my speakers on Danner Combat Hikers military boots that I bought from soldiers returning from their Afghanistan deployments. They were issued two pairs of Danner Combat Hikers if they were in special forces upon deployment, and many just wore one pair of boots and sold the unused pair on eBay after deployment. It gives the speakers as somewhat forward, jackboot-in-your-face sound, and since the Gov paid $320 per pair of boots then I feel that even audio snobs cannot deny my choice on a pricepoint below their attention level.

I use sorbothane pucks between the boots and the speakers, so we are still totally high end audio related as far as this tweek goes........

I am looking for speaker plinth ( for isolation) for my Focal Electra 1027 BE on suspended wooden floor.

I was considering "Mapshade heavy feet" with 12x15 Speaker Plinth with 4" thick base.
It is pretty expensive ( ~ $600) so I am trying Auralex propad first ( ~ $150) in a week or so.

I write my feedback in a week or so.

After using Auralex propad for two days under 1027 BE, here are my impressions
The base has reduced but more refined now.
Transients have improved quite a lot. Separation between instruments have increase greatly and vocals sound better.
I also plan to try primacoustic recoil next week and will have side by side comparison.
In the mean time, I am also looking to add vibrapods/vibracones to my electronics.

madisound has some small cheapo ones online, complete with inserts!

i use a butcher block type wood table top that i took apart and cut in half