Speaker stands / top hats

[fullcontact68]

Hi guys.

I've never mounted my speakers on before, but after advice, I'm going to.

However, I've one question.

When mounting my speakers (hisys 2xt'2) on a stand, when the post is mounted inside the top hat, the speaker does not feel firm.
The speaker has a little looseness. It's not a massive amount, but feels too much to me.

Should the speaker be firm when attached to thepost? If so, I'll look at putting some gaffa tape or something around the post to firm it up a bit.


Many thanks
Edward.

[Pe7e]

Top hats and stands are usually made to a 35mm standard diameter so their shouldn't be a problem, different manufacturers do have different tolerances however and some fit more snugly than others. Personally I would not let it worry me, but a bit of gaffa tape would be a solution if you felt the need. The problem with using gaffa tape is, it may make de rigging a bit more difficult if the speakers don't lift of the stands easily.

[fullcontact68]

Cheers,

I would like them a little tighter, I'll just gaffer one layer at a time until it's a little firmer. Not going to the extent that it's difficult to fit / remove.


Second question regarding posts.

I've a gig coming up shortly which involves a stage. (25th wedding anniversary at a WMC)

I've never done a stage before. Due to the additional height from the stage, would you still mount speakers on posts? (The horns will just be above head height without posts).

Many thanks
Edward.

[SamV]

I have never come across a tripod and speaker that mate perfectly. It's always slightly to tight, or slightly loose. Shouldn't be a problem though. The main this is that it won't fall over.

[DazzyD]

...


Second question regarding posts.

I've a gig coming up shortly which involves a stage. (25th wedding anniversary at a WMC)

I've never done a stage before. Due to the additional height from the stage, would you still mount speakers on posts? (The horns will just be above head height without posts).

Many thanks
Edward.

I always mount my speakers on stands. I don't like putting speakers directly on to the stage as I feel this creates extra vibration from the bass when the speakers and floor touch. I think the tripods, with their rubber feet, as an insulator so don't don't carry the vibrations so much. It's also an aesthetic thing, too, as I can get the speakers to the same height as the lighting bar so everything looks flush straight. I'm not sure if the crowd are as picky as me, though!

[Excalibur]

I have never come across a tripod and speaker that mate perfectly. It's always slightly to tight,
My QTX always weld themselves to the stands, and are a pain to remove, even though they slide on easily.


or slightly loose.
Try using Class D cabs. Their top hats have what might be described as " Generous tolerances ". Very generous.


I always mount my speakers on stands. I don't like putting speakers directly on to the stage as I feel this creates extra vibration from the bass when the speakers and floor touch. I think the tripods, with their rubber feet, as an insulator so don't don't carry the vibrations so much.

Indeed true. However, sometimes this can be a desired effect. Placing cabs on the floor can increase the perceived bass response. On Saturday night I had a pair of 15" full range on the floor of the stage, to give bass to the music, and 12" cabs high up on tripods to give details for the speech part of the event. It actually worked very well, better than using subs and tops.

[ukpartydj]

I like them loose personally - means you can adjust the speaker direction easily when doing your sound checks.
Also if somebody is doing a speech nearby the booth I can easily turn the speaker away from there head so they aren't blasting their own voice at themselves and possibly getting feedback.

[fullcontact68]

I like them loose personally - means you can adjust the speaker direction easily when doing your sound checks.
Also if somebody is doing a speech nearby the booth I can easily turn the speaker away from there head so they aren't blasting their own voice at themselves and possibly getting feedback.

That sort of makes sense, in being able to rotate out of the way when needed.

I would have thought that they would have needed to be fairly snug to give a better coupling to the floor, help bass response etc. Is this not the case?

Many thanks.
Edward.

[Shaun]

I like them loose personally - means you can adjust the speaker direction easily when doing your sound checks.
Also if somebody is doing a speech nearby the booth I can easily turn the speaker away from there head so they aren't blasting their own voice at themselves and possibly getting feedback.

Yep, I do the same. My K&M speaker poles can be tightened to offer a snug fit, but I always leave the tops loose for the above reasons. Also for when guests come up to make requests, I turn the speaker away from them slightly as a courtesy so they aren't getting blasted whilst standing so close to them.

[ukpartydj]

That sort of makes sense, in being able to rotate out of the way when needed.

I would have thought that they would have needed to be fairly snug to give a better coupling to the floor, help bass response etc. Is this not the case?

Many thanks.
Edward.

I'm not sure the difference would be noticeable between a snug fit and slightly loose.
For example if you wanted to create a more efficient speaker you'd probably be looking at a nice heavy thick speaker casing before you considered how snug you're tripod is - well I assume anyway!
I wouldn't worry about it :)

[COOL HAND LUKE]

Hi guys.

I've never mounted my speakers on before, but after advice, I'm going to.

However, I've one question.

When mounting my speakers (hisys 2xt'2) on a stand, when the post is mounted inside the top hat, the speaker does not feel firm.
The speaker has a little looseness. It's not a massive amount, but feels too much to me.

Should the speaker be firm when attached to thepost? If so, I'll look at putting some gaffa tape or something around the post to firm it up a bit.


Many thanks
Edward.

Pretty certain you can get stands 35mm and 38mm diameter. sounds like you want the 38mm. measure the hole in the speaker

[fullcontact68]

Pretty certain you can get stands 35mm and 38mm diameter. sounds like you want the 38mm. measure the hole in the speaker

Your probably right there, it does seem a little looser than I would have expected.

Since I've already got the stands, I'm going to look at filling the gaps a little with gaffa tape. Not going to make so tight that I cannot lift the speakers straight of, or allow them to be turned when needed.

[Pe7e]

Pretty certain you can get stands 35mm and 38mm diameter. sounds like you want the 38mm. measure the hole in the speaker

I've never heard of any 38mm stands, but 'Powerdrive' do make 28mm tripod stands as standard.