Bases on carpet w/concrete floor

So..., I've finally got a dedicated room for 2 channel, kind of a hurrah but it's smaller than I would like. Anyway, enough about that. I know that many here have "man caves" in a basement room. I plan on spiking my last two pairs of Polks which don't have them so here's my question. I don't think anyone has actually pressed the spikes through the carpet to the concrete floor, could be wrong though. After spiking what do you guys use to put the speakers on? A large piece of wood or something? Do any actually go right to the concrete floor? Any ideas would really help me out and be appreciated.

I am in the process of "decorating", for lack of a better word, right now and have stuff set up but this is getting to be a priority now.

Sounds like any home south, carpet over concrete floor. Most houses in Florida don't have a basement so it on a slap concrete. I have used spikes on my speakers and feel it helps, no issues.

Typically, the purpose of spiking is to couple the speaker to the subfloor under the carpet. In this case, your concrete.

When you see speakers on platforms or "isolation" pedestals, it is to de-couple them from the flooring. This is usually done when the floor is very flexible or tends to transmit a large amount of vibration. That can effect the speakers just as much negatively as spiking can positively.

In your case, spiking and coupling to the concrete is going to give you the best results.

My family room is on concrete, and the spikes I use on my speakers go through the carpet and pad. The combination of brass spikes directly on concrete is very solid physically, and helps minimize interactions between the speakers and any structure of the house.

Yes push them through the carpet and padding.

Thanks for the info gents, I will try that, once I get the backordered spikes.

Have you tried something (that used to be) called "Tip Toes"? They're good for all sorts of audio components (not just speakers), and are a less permanent mod. I've used them for years on my (4) main speakers and they really tighten up the bass.

On a related note, my current spikes do not go all the way through the carpet. While the spikes definitely leave "dimples" in the carpet, it's fairly thick and the speakers can still be rocked back and forth fairly easily with the spikes installed.

I'm wondering if I need to get longer and/or sharper spikes to pierce the carpet all the way to the floor if I want to actually realize the benefits of spiking?

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Originally Posted by dbaldus

I'm wondering if I need to get longer and/or sharper spikes to pierce the carpet all the way to the floor if I want to actually realize the benefits of spiking?

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Yes, you do.

You could just grind points on four lengths of "all thread" threaded rod. The steel rod might fare better than brass against the hard concrete surface while still offering the desired coupling effect. Whole lot less $$$$ too.

Attachment 81389

The spikes I uses are slender, 1.4" long, and black chrome over brass. They SEEMED too long when I purchased them, but they spike through the carpet well providing a little height above the pile, and make the speakers extremely solid.

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Originally Posted by ZLTFUL

Typically, the purpose of spiking is to couple the speaker to the subfloor under the carpet. In this case, your concrete.

When you see speakers on platforms or "isolation" pedestals, it is to de-couple them from the flooring. This is usually done when the floor is very flexible or tends to transmit a large amount of vibration. That can effect the speakers just as much negatively as spiking can positively.

In your case, spiking and coupling to the concrete is going to give you the best results.

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As true as this can be , it's not always the case. I have tried spikes and no spikes in countless rooms and really didn't notice any negative effects when not using them. Reason I even started with this was a few arguments I had with some Audiophiles who thought they knew everything , I proved that it isn't Audible most of the time. Actually I can't remember any time where it made any difference.
I also proved that proper placement and angle of the speaker made a way more noticeable difference then spiking or putting Granite underneath the speaker.
I have tweaked and set up so many high end speakers it's not even funny. And I really dig in , learn everything the manufacture recommends and then listen and tweak.
I do however like to decouple when rattles are a huge problem and there isn't a solution for all of them. This is something that one will notice when the floor is shaking the hell out of everything or there is just excellent pressure in the room which in most cases still rattles many things that I gotta spend time fixing.

Spikes are really to give a speaker a more stable footing , not to couple or decouple. This IMO is over thinking it. Some guys spend a lot of money on better spikes and believe it made a difference in ones system.

You've certainly stepped in it now laddie ! :lol: A brand new debate ! Yay !

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Originally Posted by mantis

As true as this can be , it's not always the case. I have tried spikes and no spikes in countless rooms and really didn't notice any negative effects when not using them. Reason I even started with this was a few arguments I had with some Audiophiles who thought they knew everything , I proved that it isn't Audible most of the time. Actually I can't remember any time where it made any difference.
I also proved that proper placement and angle of the speaker made a way more noticeable difference then spiking or putting Granite underneath the speaker.
I have tweaked and set up so many high end speakers it's not even funny. And I really dig in , learn everything the manufacture recommends and then listen and tweak.
I do however like to decouple when rattles are a huge problem and there isn't a solution for all of them. This is something that one will notice when the floor is shaking the hell out of everything or there is just excellent pressure in the room which in most cases still rattles many things that I gotta spend time fixing.

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Another reason one has to take what you say with a grain of salt.

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Spikes are really to give a speaker a more stable footing , not to couple or decouple. This IMO is over thinking it. Some guys spend a lot of money on better spikes and believe it made a difference in ones system

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Spikes are used to couple the speakers, period.

So in light of this discussion, what would be better for a sub, spikes or something to isolate like a SubDude?

Ok, got the spikes today and installed all 16 of them. I will have time this weekend to experiment and such. I got mine from Madisound. 8 of the 1 3/8" tall black chrome and 8 of the 2.15" tall black chrome. The smaller ones are on the bottom of the stands my 7's are attached to and the big, they sure are big, spikes are attached to my 2A's. On my 8's the spikes are nice, but way too fat to push through most carpets, they just aren't thin enough at the tip, and they wobble, hence I have big wood pieces under them. So..., that's why I went with thinner, more "direct" spikes this time. They push right through, straight to the floor with no issues. The reason I got the big spikes for the 2A's was because the bases, which are now removed, were 2" tall. I tried to keep with the original heighth Polk intended. They are a tad higher now but I have a slightly taller listening chair as well so hopefully it will all work out. Overall I'm pretty pleased with them, installation was ok except for the big spikes. While it's nice that they can adjust easily with the bottom part you need to drill a small hole almost through the cabinet for the long threaded "bolt" to fit so the base of the spike will sit flush with the cabinet. I had to use two different drill bits, with two different depths to make these work. But, work they did and with a little clear automotive sealer, which doesn't harden, to seal the threads up when screwing them in, they're good to go.

Oh yes, as a side note there are no directions with these at all but since I've done them before it was like riding a bike...