Mass

[CN211276]

High or low?

I've found that cubes play well on very light stands (Torlyte) sitting on oak cones and also play well on on heavier wooden stands with isopucks between speaker and stand. I've never got on with heavy and hollow steel stands, but that may be due to 'ringing';and other colourations, rather than sheer mass.

My instinctive preference remains low mass and coupling, but experience tells me that high mass and decoupling can also be very effective. Each case on its own merits.

Replacing my sand filled blutac coupled heavy metal stands with oak ones and Isopucks was the only change to my main system last year. It was well worthwhile with an increase in clarity, especially bass definition. The upward firing Cubes were producing energy which was being fed into the stands and transmitted back. I seem to recall Richard using marble stands with Cubes. These would have been far,far heavier than my heavy metal stands and I think the reasoning was that they provided an effective earth because of the sheer amount of mass. I am not convinced that decoupling is the best option for conventional speakers because of the rocking motion. Coupling and mass might well be the best approach.