discussion My journey to The Fives by Klipsch

[GeezerGamer]

Talk about procrastination, almost five months. Yes I finally got around to building proper stands for my Fives. The materials used were 3/4" pine, carpenters glue, dowels, silicone, semi-gloss black spray paint and sand. Yes my speaker stands are filled with sand for vibration dampening I used the silicone to caulk the interior joints just to be doubly sure no sand will ever leak . I'll post the final photo or two once the paint has fully dried and I have the speakers sitting on them.

 

[sswilson]

Looks like there's some heft to them even without the sand. Is there a fixture of some form for filling them with sand or did you just pour the sand in and then caulk / secure the last piece?

They look great.

 

[Valkyrie]

Best place for a bookshelf speaker is on a high mass stand.

Edit: Are you going to stickum tack them to the stands and all that stuff? I have found it to be worth the effort.

 

[GeezerGamer]

Looks like there's some heft to them even without the sand. Is there a fixture of some form for filling them with sand or did you just pour the sand in and then caulk / secure the last piece?

They look great.

Thanks sswilson.
I like to think they're heavier than they look which is a good thing. When I secured the last piece(top) I was liberal with the Carpenters glue. All other interior corners I caulked with the silicone. For full disclosure most of the sand is contained within a sealed Ziploc bag with loose sand filling in all the remaining space. I did thoroughly dry out the sand before insertion.
Each stand is 7 1/4" tall at almost 8lbs.

 

[Izerous]

I think I would have likely resorted to concrete instead of sand so it would be a solid cured weight (though would have added curing time).

Or is the ability of the sand to move/shift a little actually a benefit for this application?

 

[GeezerGamer]

I think I would have likely resorted to concrete instead of sand so it would be a solid cured weight (though would have added curing time).

Or is the ability of the sand to move/shift a little actually a benefit for this application?

I've read of concrete in its loose form being an alternative but not as a mixed and set option. I believe the put-off there is it's messy and with humidity will set in time. I believe loose sand is best at dampening residences and vibrations?

 

[Lysrin]

Pretty sure concrete wouldn't have helped for sound dampening. Air space tends to have more of a damping effect on sound so if that's the goal I would think sand, non-solid substance, would serve that purpose better while still providing weight. Hypothesis anyway, I can be corrected

I've never heard of doing that for speakers (not an audiophile for sure) but I am intrigued!

 

[Valkyrie]

#9 lead shot works well. Sand is a lot better than a hollow stand. A hollow stand is better than a bookshelf.

 

[Lysrin]

#9 lead shot works well. Sand is a lot better than a hollow stand.

So that supports my air space thinking. Interesting.

To follow this through in my mind @GeezerGamer are these stands going to sit on a desk, or on the floor? The Fives appear to be bookshelf size speakers. So if the stands are on a desk, empty space under there, what is the effect of the stand expected to be? I'm just trying to understand what's going on here. Not a criticism of any kind.

 

[Izerous]

Interesting that a loose material would work better than a solid mass. My experience with sound deadening has more to do with tearing cars apart and applying mass inside the doors etc. Usually in the form of a butal/rubber matting with tinfoil like product on the one side and pre-applied glue on the other.

Even the side panels of my server rack have been coated with it to help with the vibrations etc.

From a little bit of reading heavy mass like cured concrete does look like it would have been a mistake and shot/sand is a better option. Interesting to learn these kinds of things.