Speaker stands are incredibly important for getting the correct performance out of a stand mounted speaker. We tried, but we just couldn't find any stands in production that we liked, so we started the development process ourselves. In designing our stands we were of course chasing the holy grail, we wanted a speaker support that quite simply added as little as possible to the sound to let the speakers do their job. So with this in mind we concentrated on reducing the stands ability to resonate and colour the sound, whilst also reducing the ability for them to sympathetically radiate the energy from the loudspeaker into the room. This led us to using largely natural materials, solid real wood columns give us the strength and deadness that we required whilst also not presenting a large flat surface for the sound to resonate from. The base of the stand is made from real wood veneered plywood which we have always found has a low sonic signature due to its multi layered construction and on stands with appropriate proportions we remove material from the centre to reduce the radiating area as well as the mass (this is optional, but recommended particularly for larger speakers). Adjustable spikes are included to couple the stands to the floor (where hard wood floors are used spike shoes will be required and are not included). The top plate is made from similar but thinner plywood, this time with a stiffening and deadening phenolic upper surface, again with material cut from the centre where possible. The stands are fully assembled in our Aylesbury premises, they are not flat packed but bonded together to ensure consistency of performance. The result is a stand that met our requirements, simply put it adds really very little. Compared to many others on the market, on our stands the speaker sound less coloured, freer, cleaner and can often play louder before the sound becomes uncomfortable and fatiguing. Timing and dynamics are true to the speaker designers intents, and these essential traits are necessary for the sound to be convincing and engaging. As one size rarely fits all, the stands are being made to order and we can be reasonably flexible on their dimensions and even their appearance to some degree, with different colour options ranging from natural through to black (you can even mix colours between legs and top/base plates). To size the stands we require the width and depth of the speaker enclosure (we may have this on file already, but it's always wise to double check). The stand height should be one that gets the tweeter (or midway between the tweeter and mid range) to be level with your seated ear level - this will depend upon your physical proportions and your seat of course. To work out the total stand height measure the height from the floor to your ears when comfortably seated, then measure the height of the tweeter to the base of the speaker cabinet. Subtract the latter from the former and that gives us an approximate required stand height. This measurement is not absolutely critical in real life as the adjustable spikes do give some flexibility in terms of height and angle, and most speakers have good consistent dispersion over quite a wide vertical window. If you have particularly unusual requirements, such as the need for the speakers to be very close to the rear wall then do let us know as we may be able to adjust the dimensions accordingly, similarly if you have unusual concerns about stability due to pets/children etc then larger than normal bases can be made too. There may be an additional charge for anything much taller or larger than normal. We recommend the use of thin rings of blu-tack between speaker and the metal heads on the top plates, after a few hours this becomes a rigid bond that not only sounds great but also helps reduce the chances of the speakers being knocked off the stands. Please be aware that stands are made to order and therefore are non refundable once payment is made and the build process has started. Build time is approximately 4 weeks. The standard finish is a hard wearing satin which has good UV resistance to minimise fading, available with different tints and a clear option. Other finishes are available by request. We have listed some of the more common sizes and finishes in the menu, but if what you need is not shown then please contact us for a quote - we can make them for almost any speakers including brands such as ATC, Dali, Focal, Graham Audio, Harbeth, Neat, PMC, ProAc, Russell K, Spendor, Triangle - basically we can make them for anything that can be used on a square/oblong shaped top plate. The completed stands can be collected bubble wrapped from our premises in Aylesbury, we can ship them within the UK for an additional cost including carton and carriage. Exports are possible but due to the volumetric size of the box we would have to quote on an individual basis.
