Questions regarding 340/170 stands and setup

[sygyzy]

1. Do I need to weigh down the front stands? I read about putting sandbags in them? Is that right? Where do I get such sandbags. They would have to be small since I don't think the cavity is large enough for a regular sized sandbag. Or do I pour sand into the stands? Won't that leak into the floor? I have carpet.

1a. How do the 340m's stay on the stands? I don't like with pets or kids but still want some security.

2. What should I use for the rear stands? Originally I was going to put them on the end tables but depending on what couch I get, the arm rests would be around 10" higher than the height of the table, which means most if not all of the speakers would be hidden. More important than stand recommendations is the question of how stands are mounted? For the 340's, they have grooves in the base and it looks like the 340 just plops right in. After all, it was designed that way. But how do universal stands work? Is there some plated I connect in the back? I DO NOT want to drill holes into my speakers. And I don't think I've ever seen mounting plates on the bottom. So do the stands have something that attaches to the back?

3. What do I need to know regarding putting connectors on my wire? What is the attachment mechanism? Is it a crimp? Solder? Screw? Note: I will be using banana plugs for the receiver end and spades for the speakers.

[BradJudy]

1. You don't have to, but you can for added stability/weight. Sand can be poured in without leaking out.

1a. The 340s have a board that can screw into both the speakers and stands (existing screw holes) to keep them together. I think many owners also use something like blu-tack or quake putty between the speaker and stand.

2. Most stands don't have a mounting system like the 340 stands. There are existing mounting screw locations in the speakers if you want to create your own or use wall mounts.

3. Both bananas and spades are available in crimp, screw or solder types. It depends on what you buy.

[Zyzzyva100]

I would just like to add another method I was pointed to for holding speakers to stands. There is a very soft polyurethane made under the trade name of sorbothane. It is sold at a few places around the web, but McMaster-Carr has it for quite cheap (they list it as ultra soft polyurethane).

Anyway, the material absorbs any vibrations and helps cut down on resonance as well as being very tacky. Not that there is any adhesive on it, but its just such soft rubber that it sticks to things, especially clean smooth surfaces. I got 4 4" square pieces, and cut each into 4. I then put 1 square at each corner of the top and bottom surfaces of my stands.

Granted I had stands made, and am not using the 340 stands, but this stuff really works well. My speakers now have a good amount of give, and could really be knocked into without the speaker falling off the stand or the whole stand falling over. I really like this solution because its not permanent, and if you want to move it you just get a bit of leverage up and the speaker or stand will literally peel loose.

[sygyzy]

1. You don't have to, but you can for added stability/weight. Sand can be poured in without leaking out.

1a. The 340s have a board that can screw into both the speakers and stands (existing screw holes) to keep them together. I think many owners also use something like blu-tack or quake putty between the speaker and stand.

2. Most stands don't have a mounting system like the 340 stands. There are existing mounting screw locations in the speakers if you want to create your own or use wall mounts.

3. Both bananas and spades are available in crimp, screw or solder types. It depends on what you buy.

1. They use the screw PLUS the putty? Putty has thickness so how do you get it flush with the stand?

2. Is there some universal system? Like if I buy a stand from a major mfg, will the screw holes line up with the 170 speakers holes, if there are any?

[Lou-the-dog]

If you have the Ascend 340 stands you can use the bracket supplied to mount the speakers using the existing bolt holes. This attaches the speaker only in one point so it might be still be able to be knocked off the stand. If this is still a worry then some folks use small dabs of the putty to sort of glue the bottom of the speaker to the stands. This makes the speaker/stand attachment more secure than just using the supplied bracket. As far as other aftermarket floor stands, chances are there will not be a way to mechanically attach the speakers (short of drilling holes in the bottom) so using the putty is the popular method. Use small dabs of the putty placed inboard of the corners of the speaker and it won't be noticeable.

Randy

[Lou-the-dog]

2. Is there some universal system? Like if I buy a stand from a major mfg, will the screw holes line up with the 170 speakers holes, if there are any?

I have seen stands which physically clamp onto the base of the speaker without drilling holes. This would be as "universal" as I can think of. Downside is that the clamping part of the stand would cover up a couple inches of the lower part of the speaker.

Randy

[Nicholas Mosher]

I use bare wire for both my amp and my speakers. I'm just very careful about wrapping/tucking. I actually setup a pair with banana plugs, and a set with bare wire. The difference was undetectable to me.

[Lee Bailey]

1. Do I need to weigh down the front stands? I read about putting sandbags in them? Is that right? Where do I get such sandbags. They would have to be small since I don't think the cavity is large enough for a regular sized sandbag. Or do I pour sand into the stands? Won't that leak into the floor? I have carpet.

1a. How do the 340m's stay on the stands? I don't like with pets or kids but still want some security.

2. What should I use for the rear stands? Originally I was going to put them on the end tables but depending on what couch I get, the arm rests would be around 10" higher than the height of the table, which means most if not all of the speakers would be hidden. More important than stand recommendations is the question of how stands are mounted? For the 340's, they have grooves in the base and it looks like the 340 just plops right in. After all, it was designed that way. But how do universal stands work? Is there some plated I connect in the back? I DO NOT want to drill holes into my speakers. And I don't think I've ever seen mounting plates on the bottom. So do the stands have something that attaches to the back?

3. What do I need to know regarding putting connectors on my wire? What is the attachment mechanism? Is it a crimp? Solder? Screw? Note: I will be using banana plugs for the receiver end and spades for the speakers.

1. While you don't NEED to fill the stands with sand, doing so will make sure they don't have any effect on your sound. Rap on them when they are empty, they sound quite hollow. Which is not the case when you fill them up. They also ensure that the speaker spikes will get through your carpet, and allow you to level them properly. To fill them, you actually buy 2- 50lb bags of sterile play sand at a store like Home Depot. You will want the stands in their final resting place. I poured the sand first into a 1 gallon plastic milk container, then using a funnel, poured it into the stand. This for me provided the least amount of cleanup. It think put some packing tape over the hole on the top of the stand.

1a. The stands come with pads that will provide a good cushion between the speaker and the stand. If you want more than that, then the blue tac or sorbothane would provide a good surface. That and the wooden mount should keep it in place.

[Eddie]

My play sand from Home Depot was kind of damp, I didn't notice this until I had already started to fill up my stands and it was a huge pain in the butt because the sand stuck together.

Of course I was putting the sand into a very small space (long metal tubes) not the nice big space of the Ascend stands but dry sand would be better in the long run anyways.

So what I'd do is dump the sand into bucket or something and leave it to air out and dry for at least a week, taking care to come stir it up every day or else only the top layer will dry out.

[sygyzy]

So what is the correct sand to buy? And can anyone post a picture? You literally pour sand into the stand, and it does not fall out? Is it easy to remove once you move? I'll move in a year.