My RSIIb's sit directly on a bamboo floor which is not exactly level, and tend to rock back and forth a bit when touched. They are tall and heavy speakers, so I don't want to put them on stands or most of the sound will go over my head.

Since I have them apart for renovation, I'm thinking of putting threaded inserts in the bottom with short spikes of some sort, maybe the black chrome adjustable ones that Parts Express sells (link below) - has anyone done something similar, and if so, what has worked best for you? Alternatives to spikes?

Just trying to get it right the first time...

P-E Black Chrome Spikes:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=240-715

I have considered the spikes as well, keep us updated on what you do. The only problem I could see is moving them with spikes and not ruining the floor.

You can check the flat metal screw-on feet from Home Depot, and blue sliders over them for easy movement. My Sigmas have something similar. The spikes are better suited for lite speakers

I been thinking about trying a set of speaker outriggers from Soundocity (http://www.soundocity.com/index.html) on either my RS-IIb's or RS-IIIb's (or maybe both :yes:). They come in different sizes, appear to be easy to install, and look pretty darn nice. Here's a pic of a pair installed on some Quad speakers:

http://www.soundocity.com/Quad2022loutriggers.jpg

Got to your building supply store and get a pack of wooden shims. Slide them under the bottom rear of each speaker until it stops rocking. Spikes are overkill unless your speakers are really heavy and they poke holes in your nice floor.

Spikes are overkill unless your speakers are really heavy and they poke holes in your nice floor.
Actually, it is a well-known fact that spikes are an EXCELLENT way to audibly improve the bass performance of any speaker, especially on carpeted floors.

To see what's best to use as speaker feet, check what drummers use under their drum set stands.

as usual! I've done spikes before (my Druids and sub had them) so that was my first thought, but I like the outrigger idea, if I can get them to fit the odd shape of the RSIIb. Guess I have more thinking to do.

I been thinking about trying a set of speaker outriggers from Soundocity (http://www.soundocity.com/index.html) on either my RS-IIb's or RS-IIIb's (or maybe both :yes:). They come in different sizes, appear to be easy to install, and look pretty darn nice.

Here is one of my RS 2.5's with the Soundocity outriggers installed. I mounted them front to back to provide stability to an otherwise very unstable speaker cabinet. The spikes at each end are adjustable by turning a rubber covered knob. Pricey but very classy.

Tedrick, I know that coupling the speaker to the floor is a good thing. I was trying to suggest a way to stop his speakers from rocking without damaging his bamboo floor. Maybe I misunderstood his question.

For hard cement floors spikes are good because they couple the speakers to the floor which is immune from vibrations. For wooden floors rubber feet are better because they de-couple the speakers from a surface that can vibrate for various reasons.

Max,

Have you considered cutting RS-1B-style bases out of MDF for your speakers? This is something I have on my to-do-list for the RS-II's. They'll probably be about an inch thick, and will be finished in high gloss black. I plan on attaching them into the diffraction wings with small wood dowels, and I'll devise some way to attach them to the woofer enclosure later.

If you made them thick enough (doing a double- or triple- layer), you could attach leveling cones under the bases in various spots (or folded up pieces of paper for that matter). I would trust that much more than cone inserts going right into the diffraction wings.

I am no expert on this but my speakers are also on a wood floor that was somewhat uneven. I also noticed that when playing them loud the speaker would actually slide a tad on the smooth surface. I used a thin piece of dense foam rubber under the base. The weight of the speaker compressed the foam even more so it became very thin under the wooden pedestal. It protects the floor and keeps the speaker firmly in place almost as if it were stuck on with double sided tape. I think it even improved the bass somewhat, but like I said I am no expert on sound quality and different speaker anchoring techniques. Augy

My RSIIb's sit directly on a bamboo floor which is not exactly level, and tend to rock back and forth a bit when touched. They are tall and heavy speakers, so I don't want to put them on stands or most of the sound will go over my head.

Since I have them apart for renovation, I'm thinking of putting threaded inserts in the bottom with short spikes of some sort, maybe the black chrome adjustable ones that Parts Express sells (link below) - has anyone done something similar, and if so, what has worked best for you? Alternatives to spikes?

Just trying to get it right the first time...

P-E Black Chrome Spikes:
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=240-715

Well... many ideas and opinions, and here is my:

Get some spikes:) I am using (since 5 years back) Souncare SuperSpike (http://www.superspikes.com/) and they made The Biggest improvement to speakers, bigger even that tweaking with some very expencive cables. I consider those spikes to be very crucial part of my setup and they are here to stay forever:-))
BTW here is an US site
http://www.taylorsales.com/SuperSpikes.htm