Basically, beyond what I can find in the Amazon and GS reviews, what are the hazards of going with just the cheapest set of studio monitor stands? Alternatively, at what price point am I paying a premium for stuff I don't need? etc.

Seems like a pretty straightforward purchase but I don't like going into anything music related without getting some input re: stuff I might not have thought of

I know what height I need. how heavy my monitors are, I have stuff to isolate the monitors, they are going to be placed between a table and a wall that's just barely enough space to walk behind, so I'm not too worried about tipping since there's no reason for anyone but me to go back there. Just want to make sure I've got everything covered.

Thanks in advance

 

I just made my own...
These are the ones I built:

What's good about these is that they are filled with sand to both, provide stability and cancel low frequencies too (helpful if you're in an apartment!)...

 

Looks cool. Craftsmanship doesn't run in my blood though, writing does. By the time I manage to build those things it would have been worth it to spend the $50-$65... twice.

 

I have the cheapest thing I could find:
https://www.thomann.de/intl/millenium_bs_1100.htm
plus
https://www.thomann.de/intl/the_takustik_isopad.htm
Yes, I am sure expensive ones are better and I will pony up the cash at some point but right now I have not the best monitors ergo those stands will do the job.

 

For monitor stands you want mass and isolation, it seems you have the isolation covered already.

If you dont care what it looks like, then concrete building blocks and bricks can make great speaker stands.

 

Pro HiFi geeks often have (hollow, fancy looking) stands that are filled with a certain type of sand. Acoustically, a stand will be part of the overall frequency response. The heavier, stiffer the stand is, the less it's influence will be. Some like to build stands of concrete for the same reason. Main Studio monitors are often flush mounted (=built inside the wall), another way to achieve the same principle.

Some time ago, I managed to throw one of my monitors from it's stand, which destroyed a tweeter. So now I'm using ratchet straps to fixate the speakers to the stands.

 

Last edited: Apr 9, 2017

I bought these second hand for about 25 Euros and they´re doing the job.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/millenium_bs500_set.htm

Height-Adjustable Monitor Stand which is importent!

 

I have the same set, they came with the speakers themselves in a bundle, from Thomann as well.
They do their job, but they are a little bit too lightweight and am always scared around them lol. They come with the straps of isolation pads as well, don't know how effective they are. One day in a distant future I'll make my own pair I hope

 

it's just a temporary solution because I have set my sound studio up in my living room. I was tired of sitting in my dark cellar.

About the stands:
they can carry around 50 kg each, and I have two monitors on each of them weighing about 20 kg together and it works fine.

 

Acoustically I don't think the material etc. makes any measurable difference, no matter what the hifists say, if you put reasonably thick rubber / foam feet between the monitor and the stands. You just want them to be the right height. You also want them to be sturdy and (bottom) heavy with big tripod / feet so they don't tip over easily (unless of course you need portability).

 

Cool. Thanks y'all. Overall consensus seems to be: it's not that big a deal. I just need them to hold my monitors a little further away from me. With them sitting on my desk, they're too close for me to properly hear the bass. Beyond that, if they end up being a bit top heavy, I'll slide some weight training plates onto the shaft like I did with my mic stand.

 

you can use anything, idea is no vibration passed through. so between rubber and sharp points of contact you got it covered if you experiment and want to go cheap. I used to use sliced old tennis balls as a kid for my first hi-fi without stands, did the job for the system. I have stands now with sharp feet and rubber carpet underlay for putting the speakers on but the stands I got for height and positioning more than because I needed them specifically for vibration reduction.

 

Yeah I bought some special little rubber... let's call them plugs. They're kind of a sticky/tacky rubber designed for this purpose and suspend the monitors above the table. From what I've read they're as good or better than foam, but that's not even my concern so much as just wanting my monitors to be farther away from me so I don't have to move away from my computer to hear the bass correctly.

Before I realized what the issue was I'd put on headphones and be like "WHOA where'd all this bass come from?". Prob cuz my distance from the speaker is too short to let the bass wavelength develop

 

Don't waste your money on expensive stands. Use cinder blocks if you're that worried about hollow stands being resonate... Seriously!! Don't fall for the audiophile snake oil.

 

Tweeters at ear height is very important. And monitor isolation pads is very important.
And also very important, don't buy the cheapest stands on the market.