Most do not realize the importance of buying the right stands for your studio monitors and some would say just as important as buying the monitor itself. It is imperative that your studio monitors are acoustically isolated from what they are resting on using audio isolating materials like rubber, etc.. Also, studio monitors must be placed at a level so that the high frequency device, the tweeter, is on axis with ear level. Not all studio monitor stands are the same and will not meet all your requirements. However, if you wish to fully utilize your investment you made make sure you’re getting the most out of your monitors with functional monitor desktop stands.
Some important things to look for before buying your studio monitor stands are:
Strength: This should be a no-brainer, but the stronger they are, the better they are and more likely to reliably support your monitor speakers (even if someone accidentally bumps into the desk). They should be small enough to fit your space, yet strong enough to handle the weight without any issues.
Size and Flexibility: Your stands should be able to work with varying speaker sizes, and easy to maneuver on a desk. It should be effortless to “toe them in” in order to make a triangle with your speakers and the listener, for the most effective sound response.
Acoustic isolation: The base (or feet) of the stands should be made of a soft rubber material. This is to dampen vibrations coming from the speaker and keep those vibrations (or slow them) from transmitting to the surface they are on. The speakers should be radiating all acoustic energy towards the listener. If it is not isolated with rubber feet, some of this energy gets lost as it transmits to the desk or surface it’s resting on. This can color the sound of your studio monitors.
Height positioning: Acoustic isolation is very important, but probably the most important for your monitors is just raising the height of them, so they are radiating directly at ear-level. This will ensure you’re hearing the sound of your monitor as they were designed. As high frequency waves are more directional, they should be at ear level, especially in the near field. (This is especially true with coaxial monitors, because the tweeter is lower than most speakers).
There are many monitor stands available on the market, but Fluid Audio has come up with a unique and very affordable solution – the DS5 and DS8 stands. They are stylish, but also robust in their construction. They use well damped polypropylene plastic for the posts, and MDF wood for the main stabilizers. MDF is the same wood material that the cabinet of your monitors are made from, so they are strong yet acoustically well damped. The Fluid Audio DS5 desktop monitor stand is designed for use with 4” and 6” size woofer loaded studio monitors and the Fluid Audio DS8 desktop monitor stand is designed for use with 6” and 8” woofer models. These sturdy desktop stands can be built one of 2 ways (given the post “legs” provided): 2.5” and 5” for DS5 stand and 3” and 6” for DS8. They use custom formulated rubberized silicone feet and provide critical acoustic isolation. These rubber feet can be assembled to provide 3 different angles of tilt, depending on how much is required.
As mentioned above, high frequencies coming from tweeters are more directional (or beam-like), so getting them up and closer to ear level means you hear a more full-frequency response. With the Fluid Audio DS5 and DS8 desktop monitor stands, the monitor tilt can be set to either Flat 3, and/or 6 degrees of tilt.
The top and the bottom of the DS5 and DS8 stands are capped with a high absorption, 40 durometers rubber feet using Fluid ‘vibreaker’ technology. This technology reduces the distortion you hear from your monitors, allowing them to “breath” and to produce pure tones, which is crucial for the midrange/vocal area.
Compared to just placing your monitors on a desk, these stands offer greater flexibility, making your job simpler. A seemingly insignificant detail such as the placement of your monitors may be an oversight that has great impact on the music you produce and the accuracy of your mixes.
