Stand Research - Existing Designs

In an attempt to gain design inspiration and continue to gain familiarity with the speaker/speaker stand industry, I visited WorldWide Stereo, a dealer in high quality speaker and home theater systems and entertainment furniture. This visit provided invaluable knowledge regarding the design, materials, and properties of industry-standard stands.

Even though many speaker stand designs varied in their aesthetic qualities, they did have many similarities in various features. These included:

1. Similar height (stands stood 24 inches on average)
2. Rigidity - stiff structure, with bolts on the joints
3. Weight - gained through the choice of material (steel)
4. Stability - rubber stops or spikes ensured a firm connection with the floor
5. Isolation - rubber, foam, or cork was used on the surface on which the speaker stood

These factors will be heeded in the design of our custom speaker stand, which will begin this week.

Below are images of some speaker stands whose designs appeared both viable and effective, and could be used for inspiration in our project.