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To fully-optimize or improve the overall sound quality of your recording studio, you will need to use the best studio monitor stands that are suitable for your recording setups. Having a pair of quality studio monitors added into your studio recording equipment list is a must for most singers and home studios. And a pair of good studio monitor stands is also essential to upgrade the existing studio monitors’ sound quality to the next level for more clear sound without distorted and vibrated noises.
Afterall, you will need one to optimize your monitoring system for more accurate sound monitoring results.
Sound Quality Differences of Studio Monitor Speakers With & Without Stands
Benefits Of Using Studio Monitor Stands
1) Flexible Positioning
You can place the monitor stands anywhere in your studio room to find your “sweet spot” position. It’s more convenient and easy to find the best studio monitor position using the adjustable stands. And it is also beneficial for better and tidy monitor speaker cable management.
2) Sound Optimization
A pair of stands will significantly improve and optimize the sound quality of your existing studio monitors. It will solve some serious sound issues such as sound distortion, speaker resonance, vibration and other problems caused by the bad speaker/monitor positioning.
3) Reduce Sound Reflections & Improve Sound Quality
It will lead to some comb filtering issues if you placed the studio monitors/speakers near a flat surface. The comb filtering will affect the overall colors of the sound where some frequencies were canceled, and other low frequencies will be exaggerated making the sound incorrect for proper sound monitoring. Thus, placing the monitors away from your desk/console using the stands will significantly eliminate these problems.
4) Adjustable Height
The optimal height of the monitor placements for different types of speaker/monitor might be varied. For optimal listening experience, your studio monitors should be placed at least 120cm / 47 inches from the floor. And the tweeters should be placed at the ear level height.
Check this guide on small studio monitors from Become Singers.
Factors To Consider When Buying Studio Monitor Stands
There are myriads of studio monitor stand’s brands and models on the market today. This makes shopping around for studio monitor stands a bit difficult. So, if it is your first time buying a studio monitor stand, you may want to consider the following essential factors to help you zero in on the right studio monitor stand:
1) Desk Stands vs. Floor Stands
The choice between floor and desk stands boils down to the elements of utility and your studio setup. If you don’t have enough room on your desk, you may as well opt for floor stands. You can do this if you have ample floor space around your clogged desk. On the other hand, if you don’t have enough space around your desk, but you still have enough space on your desk to position the monitors, then you should opt for desk stands.
The difference between floor stands and desk stands, of course, is pretty obvious. Floor stands are designed to be positioned on the floor. They usually appear like metal poles that elevate and support the speakers up to the desired elevation. This type of stands is generally used for PA systems because of their capability to secure the speakers at a higher position.
In a studio setup, the same mechanism is also used. Floor stands elevate the studio monitors to the desired elevation. They isolate the speakers and prevent vibrations of the speakers from traveling through reflective materials like desk and floor. However, floor stands usually eat up much floor space. Hence, if you have a cramped studio, you may as well not opt for floor stands.
Desk stands, on the other hand, are specifically used to isolate smaller monitor speakers on a tabletop or a desk. These stands are compact and can serve as a bottom base for supporting speakers. They usually lack the positioning capabilities of the floor-mounted stands.
Desk stands are designed for handling smaller speakers. Despite their limited capabilities, they can still isolate your desk from the speakers. In turn, this isolation leads to a clearer sound. You will need extra desk area, however, for supporting your desk stands. Moreover, your desk should be sturdy enough to support the additional weight of your desk stands and monitors.
2) Level of Stability Provided by Your Monitor Stands
To assess the level of stability provided by a monitor stand, you need to look at the lower and upper bases of the stands. Tripod-styled stands are usually lightweight and are very stable. However, they are not ideal for use in cramped studios. Low profile stands are also stable. They have triangular bases that are ideal for use in cramped spaces.
Additionally, stands often come with leveling carpet spikes and rubber glides or feet. These make them more stable for both hard floor and carpeted surfaces. Another great advantage of using stands is that they usually have a large inner cavity. This inner cavity enhances the monitors’ sound quality and renders greater sound stability.
3) Maneuverability
Recording music requires the flexibility of studio monitors. Sometimes, you need to reposition your speakers, alter their height, or realign their distance to get the best acoustic placement. For this reason, your studio monitor stands should be flexible and maneuverable enough so that you can easily reposition them.
With flexible stands, you can move your speakers away from the desk or walls. You can also elevate them or adjust their height and distance from the desk or floors. The position of the speakers, however, should be symmetrical as possible so that you can get a high level of audio reproduction. You can do this if your stands are maneuverable enough.
4) Height Adjustability
You will surely use your monitors while standing or seated. For this reason, your monitor stands should be highly adjustable. Most monitor stands that do not have adjustable height are usually designed with the view of the desk and chair, while those with highly adjustable height are engineered for those who want to listen from their bean bag or extra-low sofa. The reason for this is that if you are going to listen to the monitors from such a low location, you would need a monitor stand that you could readily adjust to that level, something that has a more flexible design.
On the other hand, if you intend to position your stand behind other studio furniture, you would surely need something that provides enough height to keep the view of the monitors unobstructed by the furniture. Any obstruction in the broadcast of sound by the monitors will inevitably impact the accuracy of the audio that comes out of the monitors.
5) Weight Capacity
Monitor stands are designed to support heavy monitors. Thus, you should significantly consider the supported weight capacity of the stands. You can’t put a monitor on a stand that can only support a limited weight. In such a case, the stand’s support may cave in, and it may tip over if the weight is beyond its capacity to support. Moreover, you should also consider potential incidences like earthquakes when buying a monitor stand. Your choice should also be able to keep the monitors in place even in instances of an earthquake.
6) Positioning
Another factor that you need to consider is the positioning of the speakers. The good thing is that most contemporary speakers come with larger sweet spots. So, it is not difficult to position speakers like these.
Yet, if you want to angle and position the speakers properly, you should choose a studio monitor stand that is flexible enough to be angled and positioned at the right place. It should be easy to tilt and adjust so that you can angle the speakers well.
The rule is—the tweeters should be at ear level and that both should be of the same distance relative to your ears. In this way, they naturally form an equilateral triangle relative to your listening position.
Speakers usually have that sweet spots wherein you would hear the sound perfectly and undistorted. The wider the sweet spots of the studio speaker, the better it would be. The good thing about contemporary speakers is that they have wider sweet spots. Hence, it becomes easy to position them inside the studio.
But if you are a meticulous one, you would surely want to position your monitors in a place that is the most appropriate for your listening position. You want them at the right angle and height. Hence, if you are going to buy monitor stands, you should choose something easy to tilt and whose height is easy to adjust.
7) Cabling
Everything is created twice: first, in mind, then, in reality. This means you should plan everything, first in mind, then, in actuality. In the same way, when you shop around for a studio monitor stand, you should first plan how the cables should be set up. For example, you can opt for speaker stands that feature a cable management system that comes as a built-in feature.
The cabling system within your studio is critical to the cleanness and safety within your studio. Hence, you should carefully plan your cabling system so that your cables will be well-positioned. To help you in the cabling process, you need to buy speaker stands that come with built-in cable management systems. It is also good to have back-up cables for future use.
8) Isolation
Speakers usually create vibrations that can transfer to the desk or the floor. This results in frequency issues and unwanted noise. To prevent these unwanted vibrations, rubber materials are usually used for absorbing the speakers’ vibrations. These rubber materials are positioned on the base of the speakers to cushion the base and prevent unwanted noise.
Isolation is most necessary if you are using desktop speakers because they are positioned near solid objects that could transfer vibrations and unwanted noise. So, when shopping around for speaker stands, you should ensure that the stands you are going to choose come with isolating or decoupling materials.
Best Floor Studio Monitor Stands
We have reviewed different types of studio monitor stands that are available on the market. And we have shortlisted the top 9 for the year 2020 that you should be able to find the one that is most suitable for your need.
Having known the different factors you need to consider when buying monitor stands, it behooves you to choose the best monitor stands. To further help you zero in on the ideal monitor stands, we have delineated here four of the top-rated studio monitor stands in the market today:
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1) Ultimate Support MS-90/45B MS Series Professional Column Studio Monitor Stand
The Ultimate Support MS-90/45B is a very high-end studio monitor stand that more suitable for the professional music and sound production studio. It’s weighted at 14.5 pounds. And it is extremely stable and sturdy compared to other models. The stand is made from the aluminum material, and the stand itself features three channels for better cable organization and weight management.
The best part of this Ultimate Support MS-90/45B monitor stand is the decoupling and sonic isolation features that will significantly eliminate the vibration and comb filtering issues for optimal sound monitoring quality. Like other stands, it also comes with the leveling floor spikes (for the carpeted floor) and additional rubber feets (for wooden and tile floor).
2) Definitive Technology ProStand 600/800 Floor Stands
The Definitive Technology Professional 600/800 is a perfect choice of a studio monitor stand. It is specifically designed for a smaller range of speakers like those of the Definitive Technology’s ProMonitor Speakers. These stands are engineered to easily position the tweeters at ear level. Thus, they ensure that you can get an accurate sound reproduction from your studio monitors.
The bases of these stands do not feature any height adjustment mechanism. The good thing about these stands, however, is that the central stand comes with an inner cable guide. This further enhances the appeal and look of this stand.
These stands come with sturdy construction, being made of high tensile and heavy-duty steel. These stands also have a maximum height of 35.88″ for the ProMonitor 60 while the ProMonitor 80 stands at 36.63.”
The stands’ upper plates are small, measuring around 2″ x 2.” The upper plates also come with screw mounting for fastening the monitor. Moreover, they come with leveling spikes if your studio floor is carpeted.
These monitor stands are designed for ProMonitor 60, 80, 800 speakers. Yet, they can work likewise with the Pro Cinema 60 speaker series. Moreover, they come in a quality finish of black or white. These stands are also light to carry, weighing only 9.3 pounds. Lastly, you will surely love to have these stands in your home studio.
3) Ultimate Support JS-MS70 JamStands Series Studio Monitor Stands
The JS-MS70 JamStands is quite robust and sturdy with the stable platform and thick non-stick straps. It does come with the security locking pin to ensure more safe and accurate height positions. The locking height positions are at 32.25”, 36.25, 40.25”, 44.25” (819mm, 1022mm, 1124mm). The platform size is at 9″ x 9″ dimension. And it features a low-profile base that is only at the size of 17.25” x 17.25” x 17.25”. Therefore, it very easy to fit into the smaller area. And it’s very suitable for the small home studio that has very limited spaces available in the room.
And the leveling floor spikes and rubber feet are included as well for more stable and sturdy standing on the carpeted, wooden and tile floor. I was quite surprised that It can easily support a piece of monitor that weighs at 26.5 (KRK Rockit 8 powered monitor) without any problem.
4) OnStage SMS6000 Adjustable Studio Monitor Stand
OnStage SMS600o is one of the best portable studio monitors that you can ever find on the market. It is only weighted at 2.2 pounds with the base dimension of 18″ wide, platform size of 9 1/2″ square and featured with a 1mm thick non-slip pad. Despite being so lightweight and made for the portable concept in mind, It is capable of supporting the weight capacity up to 90 pounds. And the whole monitor stand setup can be easily broken down into three portable pieces.
Its 3-point triangle base features the leveling floor spikes which is especially useful on the uneven carpeted floor surface. It’s adjustable from 36.5″ to 54″ in several height positions of every 4″ intervals with the security locking pin.
5) ZENY Set of 2 Studio Monitor Speaker Stands
This is another lightweight and compact studio monitor stand that has most the standard features like other models. It features a triangular base and anti-slip rubber pads on the 9″ x 9″ platform. And its stand is adjustable to 59″ high.
And it also uses the security locking pin for more accurate and sturdy height position setting. Overall, it is a quality stand that will fit for most general sound monitoring purposes.
6) VideoSecu 2 Heavy duty PA DJ Club Adjustable Height Satellite Speaker Stand Mount
It is an affordable studio monitor stand which is made of black finish steel. And it can support the weight up to 30 pounds. The stand can be adjustable from 26.5″ up to 47″ high.
Despite being a simple and affordable stand, it does pack with several unique features, such as side clamping top plate with adjustable width from 5.5″ to 11″ and the adjustable top plate (can pan 180 degrees, tiltable level adjustment +/-10 degrees).
It does come with the adjustable screw-in rubber feet for base stability adjustment so that you can use it on the carpeted, tile or wooden floors without any issue. The stand itself also features the concealed wire organization channel for more tidy cable arrangement and management.
Desktop/Tabletop Studio Monitor Stands
7) IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 Isolation Stand
The IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 Isolation Stand is an awesome low-profile stand that is specifically engineered using solid aluminum materials. This allows the IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 to support large speakers up to 75lbs. Aside from handling large speakers, it can also limit vibration with its vibration diffusion capabilities. Moreover, it comes with a built-in tilting mechanism with specific markings for easy angle adjustments.
This IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 Isolation Stands is only 3.5-inch thick. It is capable of up to 6 degrees tilt by simply adjusting 2 of its posts that come with gradation markings. Thus, you can easily position your monitor according to your preferred position and height. The IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 is undoubtedly a great option if you are looking for a good monitor stand.
8) On-Stage SMS4500-P Desktop Monitor Stands
The On-Stage SMS4500-P Desktop Monitor Stand is a perfect choice for home studio with larger monitor speakers. This stand comes with a black-powder-coated and all-steel construction that could provide great structural integrity and great design. Its 9″ x 12″ EVA-surfaced platform secures the speaker and readily absorbs vibration.
It does come with 0 to 15-degree adjustment of angle with 10 “x10″ stylish base. Its four rubber feet also help absorb vibration and shock and act as a non-slip mechanism. It also comes with secure pin adjustments as well as a sturdy plastic clutch that allows for easy height adjustments from 9″ to 12.5”.
On-Stage SMS4500-P Desktop Monitor Stands can hold up to 45lbs if it is appropriately used and if positioned on level ground with the weight of the monitor evenly distributed on its upper platform. Lastly, the SMS4500-P is usually sold in pairs.
9) IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R155 Medium Acoustic Isolation Stands (Pair)
The IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R155 will surely enhance your monitoring accuracy. With its use, you can enjoy more extended and tighter bass as well as solid stereo imaging. It comes with a well-engineered design based on the PIF Principles of acoustic design (Placement, Isolation, Focus). This highly specific design leads to dramatic accuracy and solid stereo imaging.
The ISO-LBR basically performs two purposes—that of being a desk stand and that of doing the job of decoupling from the desk the speakers. It does this because this monitor stand is both an insulator pad and a desk stand.
One noteworthy aspect of this product lies in its configuration options. In its specs, you’ll see two heights. This is so because you will receive two sets of columns for configuring the stand to your preferred height.
Another useful feature of this stand is its tilting capability. This stand is capable of tilting up to a maximum of 6.5 degrees. This allows you to configure the position of the monitors accordingly, even if you don’t get the exact height that you prefer. Moreover, the products come in different sizes and versions. The middle size, for example, is the 155, while the smaller ones are in 133. The larger ones, on the other hand, come in 200. You can also buy versions that are designed for horizontal monitors.
10) Soundrise PRO Studio Monitor Stands
The Soundrise PRO Studio Monitor Stands comes with a unique C-shaped design that frees more space while it elevates the monitor speakers and isolates them from the desk. This will surely increase bass accuracy and the clarity of the mid-range.
It features a laser-cut design from industrial-grade aluminum. The top plate carries a high level of flexibility and readily absorb vibrations from the desk. This monitor stand can work with most 5″-7″ speakers, and surely you can maximize the use of your speakers without necessarily compromising desk space.
Furthermore, It combines simplicity and reliability, and for this reason, it is easy to use. This is the main reason why most users rate this stand highly. Its sleek and nice design and external appearance also get a lot of commendations. The only drawback in choosing the Soundrise PRO Studio Monitor Stands is its price, which holds back many possible buyers of this monitor stand. But aside from that, users are fully satisfied with the use of this monitor stand.
Conclusion
The consideration of which type of studio monitor stands you should buy for your home studio should be an integral part of your setup plan. Remember that the positions of your monitors play a critical role in the success and failure of your recording and mixing. Its angle will either make it easy for you to record and mix. So, you should carefully consider your choice of monitor stands before zeroing in on a particular model or brand of monitor stands.
