Which speaker stands should I get?

[animalchin]

THanks to everyone here...I decided to order the VT-12's today. I also got the

STF-2 sub's on the way.

Uhm...
I just wanted to ask the group here about speaker stands for the fronts.
Any recomendations?
Also..
For the people that have a plasma...are you mounting the center speaker above it? I guess you would have to in order to get it above 2.5 ft right?

[tdekany]

I ordered 2 pairs from parts express and were around $37.00 a pair. Sasha recommended them to us. Search fro speaker stands - I posted pictures as well.

Congrats on the set. You will love them.

Thomas

Here you go!

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-762

[Dudley]

If you don't go with the PE stands, I think Wal-mart has some reasonable stands that a few people have used. Might be worth a look - they can always be returned fairly easily.

[animalchin]

cool...thank you!

I'm placing my order today for the stands.

Any advice for the center speaker placement? If I have to place it below the plasma it would probably be under 2 ft....will that effect my sound?

[tdekany]

it will effect the sound. If the tv is close to the wall, you should put up a shelf above it.

[animalchin]

i will.

Thanks for the tip

[Sasha_G]

animalchin,

We like the PartsExpress stand, but Radioshack has a similar variant. Both of these are the kind of stand that we like the most for the Ventriloquist.

1) They are unobtrusive
2) The hight is adjustable so they can be set to sitting ear level
3) They look nice

Enjoy!
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-762

[Sasha_G]

Originally Posted by animalchin

For the people that have a plasma...are you mounting the center speaker above it? I guess you would have to in order to get it above 2.5 ft right?[/size]

Placing the center too close to the ground might result in the mid-bass being a little loud from the extra floor bounce to your ear. So, when deciding on a low or high position, we recommend the high position.

One solution is to use a small shelf right above the TV to place the center channel on.

[animalchin]

Sasha..thanks for the info.
I'm on the way to get the stands...so I sincerely appreciate your reply.

Are the back's recommended to be mounted on the wall?

[Sasha_G]

Originally Posted by animalchin

Are the back's recommended to be mounted on the wall?

The wall would be fine for the rears. We happen to use stands for the rears, and their telescoping feature make it easier to raise the rears above ear level and face them inwards.

One thing to consider when mounting them on the wall, is that you should consider mounting brackets for the real left and right speakers that let you face the satellites inwards.

These Panavise mounts should help. I just ordered two to see how they work. They should arrive next week.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-726

[Sasha_G]

Just got the Panavise mounts. They are very sturdy, come with the standard screws and also some excellent screws and expanding screw recepticles for delicate walls (although some material like acoustical panneling is not strong enough to support a speaker). The contstruction is excellent overall. They are small so the speaker doesn't sit too far from the wall. I don't think they are long enough so that you can turn satellites totally perpendicular to the wall, but otherwise they are highly recommended.

[wsmithjr]

Originally Posted by Sasha_G

Just got the Panavise mounts. They are very sturdy, come with the standard screws and also some excellent screws and expanding screw recepticles for delicate walls (although some material like acoustical panneling is not strong enough to support a speaker). The contstruction is excellent overall. They are small so the speaker doesn't sit too far from the wall. I don't think they are long enough so that you can turn satellites totally perpendicular to the wall, but otherwise they are highly recommended.

Sasha, I just got these mounts. When you tested them, did you use the safety cable? I can't figure out how this would be of any help the way they show to hook it up. I'd like to use it as a backup measure, but it seems pretty pointless.

Warren

[kryptonite]

Just received the speaker stands from partsexpress. The clamps are a wee bit too wide for the sats. Did I get the right ones? Do I need to pad them with something? There are some velcro pads that came with the stands, but do not seem to fit the bil for padding.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-762

Thanks in advance!

[tdekany]

here is my setup for you how I have it.

[wsmithjr]

I have the same stands set up the same way. They're perfect for the speakers. I also got a sheet of adhesive-backed black felt and cut it into strips to pad the tops of the stand so as not to scratch them. Cost an entire $.89 and took less than half a sheet.

Warren

[spytek]

Hi....you don't know of any silver colored speaker wall mounts that you'd recommend for these speakers, do you? I see the Panavise only come in white and black....

Originally Posted by Sasha_G

The wall would be fine for the rears. We happen to use stands for the rears, and their telescoping feature make it easier to raise the rears above ear level and face them inwards.

One thing to consider when mounting them on the wall, is that you should consider mounting brackets for the real left and right speakers that let you face the satellites inwards.

These Panavise mounts should help. I just ordered two to see how they work. They should arrive next week.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-726

[tdekany]

Originally Posted by wsmithjr

I have the same stands set up the same way. They're perfect for the speakers. I also got a sheet of adhesive-backed black felt and cut it into strips to pad the tops of the stand so as not to scratch them. Cost an entire $.89 and took less than half a sheet.

Warren

I have the velcro as well.

[tdekany]

Originally Posted by spytek

Hi....you don't know of any silver colored speaker wall mounts that you'd recommend for these speakers, do you? I see the Panavise only come in white and black....

You could spray paint it

[Ted]

Originally Posted by animalchin

I just wanted to ask the group here about speaker stands for the fronts.
Any recomendations?

Hi,

As a new owner of a VT-12 system, I thought I should provide a note of caution about speaker stands for the VT-12 satellites:

IF YOUR STANDS USE THE THREADED INSERT(S) ON THE BACK OF THE SATELLITES, MAKE SURE THE THREAD SIZE ON THE STANDS MATCHES THE THREAD SIZE ON THE SPEAKERS.

In my case they did not. I bought the VT-12 system to upgrade the Sony satellites that came with our Home Theatre In A Box system. (I hope to upgrade the other components in the future, depending on $$$). I had been using some nice Bose speaker stands (Model No. USF-20) with the Sony satellites. These stands are very sleek and mount to speakers using a bracket/screw into the threaded insert on the back of the speakers.

Unfortunately for me, the threaded inserts on the VT-12 satellites are a larger thread size than on the Sony speakers. (One would think there would be an industry standard for this.) I found the proper size screws at my local hardware store, but they would not fit through the holes on the mounting bracket on the Bose stands. :-(

Luckily I have a set of precision files and was able to enlarge the holes on the Bose mounting brackets to accomodate the larger screws required for the VT-12 satellites. It was a lot of extra work, but the speakers look awesome on the stands, with no visible wires or mounting hardware.

Thus, if you are buying stands that will attached to the threaded insert(s) on the VT-12 satellites, be sure to check to make sure the stands and the speakers are compatible.

-Ted

Sasha,
how about i place my 3 rear speakers 8 feet above the floor: the rt. and lt. facing each other; my other important question though is that right in front of the rear center is a thin piece of metal (accent light for picture). Can this thin piece of meter running in front and up and down the center rear affect the sound quatlity.

Originally Posted by Sasha_G

The wall would be fine for the rears. We happen to use stands for the rears, and their telescoping feature make it easier to raise the rears above ear level and face them inwards.

One thing to consider when mounting them on the wall, is that you should consider mounting brackets for the real left and right speakers that let you face the satellites inwards.

These Panavise mounts should help. I just ordered two to see how they work. They should arrive next week.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-726

[tdekany]

I'd say the answer to the 1st Qis yes and the the answer to the 2nd is no, iit will not.

FYI, I now have both systems' rear facing the listeners. Sounds better to me.

[jbug]

Just received the speaker stands from partsexpress. The clamps are a wee bit too wide for the sats. Did I get the right ones? Do I need to pad them with something? There are some velcro pads that came with the stands, but do not seem to fit the bil for padding.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/show...tnumber=240-762

Same here, the clamps don't come in far enough to firmly hold the little speaker. I bridged the gap on both sides by using a solid (round) vacum cleaner belt that I cut into 4 pieces. I'm sure if you look around the house, you will find even better material to fill in the gaps. I am surprised that no one else is mentioning this problem.

[DaveSmith]

Originally Posted by jbug

Just received the speaker stands from partsexpress. The clamps are a wee bit too wide for the sats. Did I get the right ones? Do I need to pad them with something? There are some velcro pads that came with the stands, but do not seem to fit the bil for padding.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/show...tnumber=240-762

Same here, the clamps don't come in far enough to firmly hold the little speaker. I bridged the gap on both sides by using a solid (round) vacum cleaner belt that I cut into 4 pieces. I'm sure if you look around the house, you will find even better material to fill in the gaps. I am surprised that no one else is mentioning this problem.

I got my Parts Express stands today. My Ventriloquist set may arrive tomorrow, but my stands seem to close down to 3 1/2 inches wide. You must be doing something non-standard. Make sure that the side pieces are inserted into their own square tube slot. Also ensure the short portion of the side faces to the right as it's inserted. Good luck.

[DaveSmith]

Originally Posted by jbug

Just received the speaker stands from partsexpress. The clamps are a wee bit too wide for the sats. Did I get the right ones? Do I need to pad them with something? There are some velcro pads that came with the stands, but do not seem to fit the bil for padding.
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/show...tnumber=240-762

Same here, the clamps don't come in far enough to firmly hold the little speaker. I bridged the gap on both sides by using a solid (round) vacum cleaner belt that I cut into 4 pieces. I'm sure if you look around the house, you will find even better material to fill in the gaps. I am surprised that no one else is mentioning this problem.

I just took a current surround off its Parts Express stand and measured the inside-to-inside side pieces gap. I'd say it's about 4 3/16 - a little wider than the 4 1/16 of the Ventriloquist satellite specification. With the pads, the gap might be reduced just enough without adding any more shim. It'll be close - maybe perfect - and only close because of the bottom resting pads and the beveled speaker edges. If it's too wide, it certainly won't be by very much.

[jbug]

Originally Posted by DaveSmith

I got my Parts Express stands today. My Ventriloquist set may arrive tomorrow, but my stands seem to close down to 3 1/2 inches wide. You must be doing something non-standard. Make sure that the side pieces are inserted into their own square tube slot. Also ensure the short portion of the side faces to the right as it's inserted. Good luck.

From what I could see, there is only one correct way to insert the clamps that hold the speaker. Doing it the correct way both pieces are an even square. Doing it the only other way would make the two pieces uneven in length. I don't think I can do anything else to make them come in any further. Does anyone know if Comp USA is a authorized dealer for the VTF-12? I see these speakers there for 130.00 on close out. Wow! what a nice price.

[SreenathM]

My first post here. I recently bought VS-12 and I am about to buy STF-2 sub .

I bought the Deluxe Atlantic stands for the front speakers from Wal-Mart which are more stylish than the $27 pair IMO. This pair cost me $39 in Wal-Mart and they sell for $30 in Buy.com. I couldn't find a good enough pic on the Net so I am posting the pics from the box.

I will post more about my setup after I am fully done with the calibration .

Thanks,
Sreenathm

[frankrizzo]

I bought some stands at best buy that imo are similar and more high tech looking than the ones from parts express. They cost $49.99 and are adjustable from 28" - 39". They are made by Sanus.

Rizzo

[SreenathM]

Since the rear sats must be above ear level I think speaker stands should go up to at least 48". It depends on your listening level though.

[bjurw]

Bought the Parts Express Stands and couldn't be happier. Yes, there is a "little" space around the ventriloquist speakers on the stands. The velcro which came with the stands works perfectly for mounting. You cannot see the velcro at all and the stands look great and offset the color or my silver Ventriloquist's perfectly. These stands are clearly well made. Thanks all for the recommendation on the stands.

[thegoldenhand]

I'm sure you guys will be happy with these stands from IKEA.

Choice A: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/store...ts=10104*13805

Choice B: http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/store...ts=10104*13805

[bjurw]

I think the looks of the parts espress stands are much better. I can tell you the parts express stands are well-made. Also, are the IKEA stands adjustable? It looks like you may have to screw the speaker onto the IKEA stands. Just my 2 cents. I am a very happy VTF-3, VT-12, and parts express owner.

[whmayfield]

Originally Posted by Sasha_G

The wall would be fine for the rears. We happen to use stands for the rears, and their telescoping feature make it easier to raise the rears above ear level and face them inwards.

One thing to consider when mounting them on the wall, is that you should consider mounting brackets for the real left and right speakers that let you face the satellites inwards.

These Panavise mounts should help. I just ordered two to see how they work. They should arrive next week.

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-726

Thanks Sasha_G. I was going to start a thread to look for wall mounting options. Any other lower cost wall mount options? I need to wall mount the rear and the side speakers. I am looking at needing 4 mounts (extra rear satellite).

[opetruzel]

I have a very odd-shaped 12' by 13' room configuration to work with. The arrangement of the furniture is fixed (wife wont budge). The space to the left behind the loveseat is open into my dining room, and to the left of the couch is a hallway. I live in a condo, so it's small...

I need suggestions/links for all of the mounts and stand that I need to buy!

1) I need 4 wall-mounts for the 2 front speakers and 2 sats.

2) I need 1 ceiling mount for the rear-center.

3) I need a single stand of some sort to mount the front center above my plasma TV which sits on a TV-stand. The front-center speaker stand needs to be 52" high, and it must support/hold the front center speaker. It must also have a small footprint on the floor to fit behind my TV-stand. (TV is angled in a corner).

I will be wall-mounting the front R/L and rear R/L sats at the same height of the center (52"); and I will be mounting the rear-center to the ceiling.

If anyone has any better ideas for speaker configuration (Dr Hsu?), please share!!

Proposed Setup:
Blue = Couch/Loveseat
Black = TV in corner, walls, doors, tables
Green = Proposed speaker placement (large green box in corner will be STF-2 sub)

[wkwok2001]

Anyone have much experience with the monoprice.com speaker stands?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...ormat=2&style=

Please let me know. Much appreciated. Happy holidays.

[delt31]

hello - just ordered the same set everyone here is talking about. Trying to decide on wall mounts and I wanted to see someone's layout of the total package. Anyone have a pic of their setup for some ideas of how it's going to look?

also i plan on getting a 52 inch lcd. I rather put the center speaker right below the tv (as opposed to having a shelf above it) - is it really much worse to have the center speaker below the tv?

[ericsf]

I'm looking for adjustable stands for my black ventriloquist satellites. Those ones from parts express are still around. Does anyone have any updated suggestions for cheap, sturdy, and 'attractive' stands? Most of the recommendations are from years ago. thanks!

[ericsf]

anyone? please share info if you have it. thanks!

[Dr_Hsu]

The Ventriloquist satellites are very small and light. They do not need very sturdy stands. Walmart carries an Atlantic brand speaker stand that I think works nicely with them. As for looks, one man's meat is another man's poison. Judge for yourself. I have not checked their pricing lately but used to sell for under $30 a pair.

[Nemo128]

I'd like to find some nice stands for the HB1s. A stand that can screw into the speaker would be nice since I have little ones running around and a slight jolt of the stand could send the speaker flying.

[Dr_Hsu]

The Sanus EF28 is what we use. For the front channels, 26 - 28" stands are usually best. Wood Technologies make some in this height range as well.

Regarding attaching the speakers to the stands, I would suggest using Blu Tak or similar. It should hold well enough against jolts. If the kids knock the whole stand/speaker over, the speaker will be damaged even if its screwed to the stand. Best to move them to a safe corner when not listening, and move them out when you are listening.

[Nemo128]

I am sold on the Enthusiast 3! Buying as soon as I find some stands I like.

[Pete_Hsu]

Great, thank you!

[mentatgom]

Will there be a significant difference between getting wood stands compared to a similar metal stand? Also any comments on 3 point versus 4 point bases on stands? I will soon be getting HB-1's.

Edit:
Based on the recommendation for the Sanus EF28 a few posts above by Dr. Hsu, I googled it.
Found this site: http://www.home-technology-store.com.../SA-EF28b.aspx
But when I clicked on the reviews, there was a comment by someone stating they have Hsu HB-1's and they disliked the quality of the stands... any comment? Or just take it with a grain of salt?

Edit:
Interesting, that bad review seems to be on multiple web sites almost word for word. I'll tend to believe it is rubbish and an angry spammer.

[kmitchell]

I'm using these:

http://www.racksandstands.com/VTI-BLE101-VI1051.html

I did end up cutting the front stands down a bit but that is not absolutely necessary.

Here's a couple of pics:

http://forum.hsuresearch.com/showthr...1684#post31684

Ken

[mentatgom]

Well I ordered the Sanus EF-28... hope all goes well. Can't go too wrong with a suggestion from Dr. Hsu himself.

[nparr]

I am looking for stands for the side and rear speakers. I have the Enthusiast 3 at home now, still in boxes, waiting for construction to be finished. After reading the preceding posts I have about decided on the Sanus EF 28 for the side and the BLE101-VI1051 for the rear. Is there a better choice out there? The front and center speakers will be in a cabinet unit so no need for front stands. Thanks for any information. NP

[mentatgom]

Well here is my commentary on the Sanus EF-28.
I am using them with the HB's in a room with regular height plush carpeting.
With the HB's on top they are a bit top heavy and wobbly. I would recommend against them if you have large pets or small children that would likely knock into them.
For me they were a relatively cheap option and I went off the recommendation. In the future I would probably spend a little more and get something with a more solid base.

If I can help answer any other questions, or send some pics I'll be more than happy to.

[nparr]

Thanks, while I do not have animals or children the stands will be on a hard floor (brick) and I have concerns about rattling. I will look more closely at the base and weight of the stand. Maybe I could cut a piece of carpet to go under the stands as I am planning to do for the sub. NP

[nparr]

I am going for a sturdier set of stands, VTI BLE 101B for the rears and VTI DF29B for the sides. Will post an update whenever I finally get to use them. More construction delays, the carpenter making the cabinet unit finally admitted he could not do a better--make that adequate--job so another whose work I saw today will start next week. NP

[RayK]

Originally Posted by tdekany

I ordered 2 pairs from parts express and were around $37.00 a pair. Sasha recommended them to us. Search fro speaker stands - I posted pictures as well.

Congrats on the set. You will love them.

Thomas

Here you go!

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=240-762

PE says these stands only hold mini speakers up to 7-1/2" wide!

[Dr_Hsu]

Originally Posted by RayK

PE says these stands only hold mini speakers up to 7-1/2" wide!

We use Sanus Euro Foundation EF28s for the HB-1s. They are currently $44.95 a pair from Wayfair, plus $9 shipping.