Monitor stands design?

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Monitor stands design?

Postby tweakeasy » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:34 pm

I'm building some stands for my monitors (HS80M's) tomorrow based on a friends' design:

http://pretensionmusic.blogspot.com/200 ... chive.html

Just wanted to get opinions on whether anyone can see any potential issues with this design and what could be improved before I go ahead and build them.

Perhaps this should have been posted in the D.I.Y section but as a noobie I just had to give the new forum some love!

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Postby TimS » Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:42 pm

What a great simple concept - I need to get my monitors off my workstation and onto stands - that looks like a simple and effective idea. Cheers for that..
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Postby 13thbeach » Wed Jul 01, 2009 4:31 pm

So we'll pop that in the oven....and now........here's one we made earlier!

Looks great I might try that myself.
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another way...

Postby mylesgm » Wed Jul 01, 2009 5:07 pm

I too recently built monitor stands and did it in two different ways.

1st one was to go to a local recycled wood dealer and purchased two lengths of square posts 20cm each side. Also purchased a 5cm thick 25cm wide plank at around 1.5 metres in length. I also grabbed some offcuts out of their bin.
I also went to bunnings and bought two lengths of 10cm square posts.

After bringing it all home I made two "h" bases out of the offcuts and screwed the 10cm square posts to them. Then screwed the thick plank to the top and now I have a sturdy and reasonably rigid stand for my front monitors (a pair of JBL LSR4328 which are really heavy and a pair of auratones which arent). The size of the shelf will also let me place things like a pair of VU's or similar in good visual sight and allow me to slide the speakers around if I want to change the setero width with out moving the stands.

The two 20cm square posts are at the rear of the room with another piece of flimsier plank between them. That holds up my rear speakers (I'm currenty working in 6.0 for a specific theatre project) and whilst not as stable because of the lack of base needed no other effort than simply putting them in the right spot.

Lots of good ways to make speaker stands. This all up inc screws/glue/wood etc costs me around 150.

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Postby heathen » Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:10 pm

Looks pretty good, but with the sand I'd make sure it was very dry washed river sand, you don't want salt leaching out and damp sand could build up some nasty bacteria inside.

My 2c.
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Postby wez » Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:42 pm

i had some very expensive sand fillable monsterously heavy spiked steel stands custom made for my AB2s.... but now i'm in a smaller room, they are just a tad too tall. so i'm using them to lean things against.

my new stands? two massive concrete pavers sitting on 4 besser blocks (each side). carpet squares wedged between each layer, covered in thick fabric.

weight: approx 50 kgs each

movement, stability... rock solid

looks - great.

cost... about $30 each

easy to move... umm, ok no.
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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby simmosonic » Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:52 pm

tweakeasy wrote:Just wanted to get opinions on whether anyone can see any potential issues with this design and what could be improved before I go ahead and build them.


1) How heavy are your speakers? That system looks as though the PVC pipe could wobble if there was a lot of weight on top. But if the diameter is wide enough, should be okay.

2) You'll get better stability using three spikes/bolts on the bottom instead of four. Think camera tripods, mic stands, etc. Always three...

3) Use kiln-dried sand to fill the tubes.

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Postby Mark Bassett » Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:56 pm

Welcome Greg.
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Postby tweakeasy » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:12 pm

heathen wrote:Looks pretty good, but with the sand I'd make sure it was very dry washed river sand, you don't want salt leaching out and damp sand could build up some nasty bacteria inside.

My 2c.


Yeah I was concerned about that too, was thinking I'd buy some clean sand rather than visit the beach for mine.

Or harvest a thousand hour glasses.
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Postby mylesgm » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:16 pm

and add some washers to the bolts on the bottom....
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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby tweakeasy » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:17 pm

simmosonic wrote:
1) How heavy are your speakers? That system looks as though the PVC pipe could wobble if there was a lot of weight on top. But if the diameter is wide enough, should be okay.

2) You'll get better stability using three spikes/bolts on the bottom instead of four. Think camera tripods, mic stands, etc. Always three...

3) Use kiln-dried sand to fill the tubes.


The same stands that my friend built have proven to be stable enough, and we have the same monitors.

The three spikes makes sense. Good suggestion.

Is that kind of sand available from Bunnings etc?

Thanks for your replies guys!
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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby Gian » Wed Jul 01, 2009 7:28 pm

simmosonic wrote:
tweakeasy wrote:Just wanted to get opinions on whether anyone can see any potential issues with this design and what could be improved before I go ahead and build them.


1) How heavy are your speakers? That system looks as though the PVC pipe could wobble if there was a lot of weight on top. But if the diameter is wide enough, should be okay.

2) You'll get better stability using three spikes/bolts on the bottom instead of four. Think camera tripods, mic stands, etc. Always three...

3) Use kiln-dried sand to fill the tubes.

- Greg Simmons


Hi Greg, good to see you here. Welcome.
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Postby TimS » Wed Jul 01, 2009 8:06 pm

Looking forward to your sessions at INTEGRATE Greg..
Welcome to the forum :)
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Postby no-fi » Wed Jul 01, 2009 11:10 pm

I've been looking at that design for a few weeks... thinking I'll do it eventually (at the moment I have an MDF shelf hanging off the back of my meter bridge, with 2 ikea table legs on the back, to hold it up.... not too bad- actually was very good at my old place where I had so much room i could afford 1m clearance between my mixing desk and the back wall! but I'm short of space at the back of my mixing desk at my new place, and could do with the monitors a bit out to the side.)

tell you what though - in the last 2 weeks I've also been looking at commercial alternatives, and they're not very impressive. Quik-lok do a pair of monitor stands you can get for around $300 - and these things wobble like all hell. I thought the idea was to hold the monitors steady?!?!? for almost $400 you can get the ultimate stands ones... they looked a lot better online, but when i finally met a pair of them in person last weekend, i was really underwhelmed. - yeah they'll be more solid with sand in them - but yeah - those DIY ones look better and better the more I see of commercial ones (well, at least commercial ones in my price range!)
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Postby tweakeasy » Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:55 am

Yep, all the commercial ones even ranging into the few hundred dollars are flimsy as slinkies.
For me building is the only option with my very limited budget. Reckon the effort will be worth it though.
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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby simmosonic » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:05 am

tweakeasy wrote:The same stands that my friend built have proven to be stable enough, and we have the same monitors.


If they don't wobble back and forth in use, no problem. What monitors are you using, by the way?

tweakeasy wrote:Is that kind of sand available from Bunnings etc?


Dunno, but I'm sure you'll be able to Google it. The following formula will let you estimate how much you need:

V = pi x r2 x h

Where V is the volume of sand required in cubic metres, pi is 3.1416, r2 is the radius of pipe (in metres) squared, and h is the height of the pipe in metres. It's the formula for calculating the volume of a cylinder, and can be found here:

http://www.mathsteacher.com.au/year9/ch ... linder.htm

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Postby simmosonic » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:07 am

tweakeasy wrote:Yep, all the commercial ones even ranging into the few hundred dollars are flimsy as slinkies.
For me building is the only option with my very limited budget. Reckon the effort will be worth it though.


Personally, I'm fond of using masonry blocks. The rectangular type, with two large hollows passing through them.
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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby rumblemania » Thu Jul 02, 2009 3:26 pm

[quote="tweakeasy"]

Is that kind of sand available from Bunnings etc?[/quote]

maybe, but there'd be places in your area which would sell sand, gravel, etc by the sq metre which are usually reasonably priced, and the quality would be alright too
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Postby Text_Edifice » Thu Jul 02, 2009 4:04 pm

Hi Michael,

quick suggestion - if you think you'll be moving the location of your bedrüm studio in the next little while you might want to consider how portable these stands will be. From memory the stands are supposed to be completely filled to function 'properly' and they're not the type of thing you want to have to move regularly (e.g. if you're sharehousing).
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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby tweakeasy » Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:43 pm

simmosonic wrote:
If they don't wobble back and forth in use, no problem. What monitors are you using, by the way?

The following formula will let you estimate how much you need:

V = pi x r2 x h


My mate's don't wobble so should be right. Yamaha HS80M's. Not everybody's favourite, but great for the price until I'm ready to step up one day.
For me, these are a huge step up in quality as it is.

Will look at applying that magic little formula but at the moment going with the principle that if it's steady, it's got enough sand in it.

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Re: Monitor stands design?

Postby tweakeasy » Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:48 pm

rumblemania wrote:
tweakeasy wrote:
Is that kind of sand available from Bunnings etc?


maybe, but there'd be places in your area which would sell sand, gravel, etc by the sq metre which are usually reasonably priced, and the quality would be alright too


Bunnings had 20kg bags for about 7 bucks each. Bought two to be on the safe side and am putting trays through the oven to make sure it's fully dry.

Considered landscape suppliers but as they have their sand etc. in outside pits, more likely to have contaminants.
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Postby tweakeasy » Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:00 pm

Text_Edifice wrote:Hi Michael,

quick suggestion - if you think you'll be moving the location of your bedrüm studio in the next little while you might want to consider how portable these stands will be. From memory the stands are supposed to be completely filled to function 'properly' and they're not the type of thing you want to have to move regularly (e.g. if you're sharehousing).


I appreciate that thought very much, but as I can foresee that I will be renting for some years to come, it's either set myself up with what I need and what I can afford now, or hold off and have nothing. I have the same concern for setting myself up with acoustic treatment which may not compliment the next place, but what can I do? So I'm just buying/building what I can and trying to make it as transferable as possible. The stands are heavy, but not so heavy that they can't be moved by one or two able-bodied chaps. I'm glad that I sold off my digital baby grand though, THAT was a pain to move!

P.S - They are already more than 90% built after today's effort. Didn't take long at all! Just got to sand down the putty, pour in the sand and paint.
Clark Rubber even cut the acoustic foam to size. Bonza!
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Postby tweakeasy » Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:20 pm

Filled sand to the top as recommended, and they're nice and stable! One more coat of paint and I'll post some pics.

This was a really easy build, even for someone like me who has had very little experience in anything D.I.Y. other than breakfast.


Would mods be so kind as to move this thread to the D.I.Y. section? It'll probably be of more use there. Apologies for jumping the gun and posting in the new forum.

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Postby no-fi » Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:51 am

Text_Edifice wrote:Hi Michael,

quick suggestion - if you think you'll be moving the location of your bedrüm studio in the next little while you might want to consider how portable these stands will be. From memory the stands are supposed to be completely filled to function 'properly' and they're not the type of thing you want to have to move regularly (e.g. if you're sharehousing).


Surely if you pour a bag of sand into them, you can pour that sand out of them before you move them too far... (well, at least that's my plan of what to do with them when I eventually build some and then have to move.... actually planning on a slight mod of the design, and having a hole at the top for that very purpose.)
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Postby tweakeasy » Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:49 pm

no-fi wrote:
Text_Edifice wrote:Hi Michael,

quick suggestion - if you think you'll be moving the location of your bedrüm studio in the next little while you might want to consider how portable these stands will be. From memory the stands are supposed to be completely filled to function 'properly' and they're not the type of thing you want to have to move regularly (e.g. if you're sharehousing).


Surely if you pour a bag of sand into them, you can pour that sand out of them before you move them too far... (well, at least that's my plan of what to do with them when I eventually build some and then have to move.... actually planning on a slight mod of the design, and having a hole at the top for that very purpose.)


They really just aren't THAT heavy.

I would find it may more annoying to have to empty the sand into something, move the stand and the seperate container of sand, then put the sand back in again. But that's just me!

But seriously, to reiterate; they aren't THAT heavy. Try one first before you go putting holes in it. And remember that the sand will compact and be hard to get out.
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Postby rick » Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:45 pm

and for those wondering speaker stands a one of the BEST things you can do for the sound in your room.
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Postby simmosonic » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:15 am

rick wrote:and for those wondering speaker stands a one of the BEST things you can do for the sound in your room.


Absolutely... They're one of the things I'll be discussing at Integrate tomorrow (Monday), in my seminar about monitors. These things are so poorly understood, but so influential on the sound you hear. Anyone who thinks a speaker will produce the same sound no matter where it's put or what it's put on will never get the best from their monitors.

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