View attachment Sound_Anchors_speaker_stands.jpg
View attachment Sound_Anchors_speaker_stands2.jpg
Recently I received my new speaker stands from Sound Anchors for my Reference 3A Reflector monitors (for speaker review, see here; for my system components, see here). It's the top Signature line,
http://soundanchors.com/products/2052/signature
and custom-made to specifications. I chose the height of the stands such that the tweeters of the speakers would be at ear height when the stands are positioned on single concrete blocks. These form a more stable platform than just the wood floor in my old house (to get the tweeter to ear height with my less tall old stands I had to use 2 stacked concrete blocks per side, which does not look as good). The depth of the stands is considerably greater than the one of the old stands, which lends more support for the deep Reflector monitors. On the other hand, the depth could have extended even more, but I chose it such that the stands would still fit nicely on the concrete platform; while the 16 x 16 inch version that I have is very common, larger platforms are hard to find. The speakers are positioned on the soft "blue dots" that come with the stands (see above link).
The old stands, though quite robust from sand-filled steel, did not have spikes, and thus did not stand as stably as they should have, which made an upgrade desirable. These new stands are incredibly well made, and very heavy, about 100 pounds each, much more than my already heavy previous stands. Thanks to JGlacken for informing me that he has Sound Anchors stands for his own Reflector speakers, and thanks to Peter A for reminding me to pursue a higher-quality stand! The result of the change is a major upgrade in sound, far more than I expected, frankly. I should have thought about this earlier. The Sound Anchors Signature stands reveal even more what tremendous speakers these Reference 3A Reflector monitors really are.
So how is the sound with the speakers on these stands? Tonal balance did not change. Yet there are other things that did:
1. Distortion:
Mostly I listen relatively loudly (depending on music, peaks usually between 90 and 95 dBa, rarely 97 dBa on some orchestral climaxes). Immediately obvious was a lowering of distortion at peaks. Groups of brass and fortissimo massed violins sound cleaner - which helps effortlessness of orchestral sound --, as do some fortissimo passages on string quartets that had been less clean before. There were two string passages where I had heard very obvious distortion before when played loudly, which bothered me. One is the last climax in the first mvmt. of the Penderecki string trio (Janaki Trio, CD from Yarlung Records), which develops in a long arch of about 30 seconds, the other an agitated passage in the Passacaglia of Bach's partita # 2 for solo violin with Gidon Kremer (another interpretation of the same music by Sigiswald Kuijken sounded clean on this passage). In both cases I had attributed the distortion to room overload, but I was wrong. With the new speaker stands the music sounds clean.
2. Timbral micro-resolution:
On string quartets the micro-detail of tone is commonly more subtle compared to solo violin, due to differences in the manner of playing. My previous speakers, the Reference 3A MM DeCapo monitors (the model below the Reflector) fell short in conveying the subtle detail of tone in string quartet playing, while they were rather good in conveying detail of string tone of solo violin (and in other instances where detail is more exposed, like on the modernistic trios on the aforementioned Janaki Trio CD). Yet inserting the Reflector speakers in my system yielded a breakthrough. The last few months with these speakers I had marveled how it was possible to hear such micro-detail of string quartet timbre from a system, and just this capability very much endeared the speakers to me. Yet with the new stands the performance is even more astonishing. The fine micro-vibrations of the string sounds in Bartok's string quartet # 6 (Emerson Quartet, DGG, 1988), impressive before, are now portrayed in a way that borders on the uncanny (this is one of the quartet recordings where I hear the most difference). In Bartok's string quartet # 5 from the same recording cycle, where micro-detail had been more obvious before, the timbral detail is now even more vibrant, fleshed out and refined.
Also the reproduction of transients is even more life-like. The pizzicato playing in the third movement of Bartok's string quartet # 6 sounds palpable and detailed as never before. The feathery, bouncy transients, really hard to reproduce convincingly, in the minuet of Beethoven's early string quartet op 18/2 ((Emerson Quartet, DGG, 1997) are even more subtle, with a faster yet more delicate leading edge, and more finely textured.
The Sound Anchors website states about the Signature Stands: "These stands will allow the listener to hear details and subtle differences that will be masked if the speakers are placed on any other stands." -- Given what I now hear, this may not be an exaggeration. The stands are a match made in heaven for the high-resolution Reference 3A Reflector monitors.
That I hear this incredible resolution of microscopic timbral detail and nuance on string quartets, a resolution that I had not thought possible in home reproduction, with a DAC as the source that cost just $ 2,300 (and which is fed plain Redbook CDs) is completely ridiculous to me. And it is not even the newer version of the Yggdrasil DAC, or the upgrade towards that version, that gives me this performance, but a first generation Yggy (the one with the allegedly "bad" measurements...but mostly met with stellar reviews). But that is what you can hear from great modern digital if your system is up to par transmitting this resolution -- and in my system the Sound Anchors Signature stands are now an integral part of this transmitting chain, by effectively blocking resonances that could blur the resolution through the speakers.
The resolution of micro-detail of course extends also to other music. For example the soft jazz brushes on Concerto for Aranjuez from Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, even though also on other systems not among the most articulate sounds that I have heard from brushes, are clearly more resolved. Saxophone sound is more believable as well due to more timbral detail, yet also due to greater depth of timbre with these new stands.
The finer distinction of sound detail also affects the expressive range. This is easily heard, for example, on the Janaki String Trio CD, where string tone is also even better resolved with the speakers on the new stands. The first phrase in the violin which begins the finale of Beethoven's string trio op. 9/3 now sounds considerably smoother and with softer timbre than before (CD track 6). On the opposite side of the spectrum, the rough shredding on the finale of the modernistic string trio by Barabba (CD track 10) is even more brutally incisive and energetic than before, and with sharp, fast transients. The sound, in line with the type of playing, is incredibly edgy, but clean and resolved, without the blunt hardness that would be heard upon lesser reproduction. The overall expressive palette from soft and subtle to edgy and incisive thus has widened, and I think is closer to the sonic truth.
(cont.)
View attachment Sound_Anchors_speaker_stands2.jpg
Recently I received my new speaker stands from Sound Anchors for my Reference 3A Reflector monitors (for speaker review, see here; for my system components, see here). It's the top Signature line,
http://soundanchors.com/products/2052/signature
and custom-made to specifications. I chose the height of the stands such that the tweeters of the speakers would be at ear height when the stands are positioned on single concrete blocks. These form a more stable platform than just the wood floor in my old house (to get the tweeter to ear height with my less tall old stands I had to use 2 stacked concrete blocks per side, which does not look as good). The depth of the stands is considerably greater than the one of the old stands, which lends more support for the deep Reflector monitors. On the other hand, the depth could have extended even more, but I chose it such that the stands would still fit nicely on the concrete platform; while the 16 x 16 inch version that I have is very common, larger platforms are hard to find. The speakers are positioned on the soft "blue dots" that come with the stands (see above link).
The old stands, though quite robust from sand-filled steel, did not have spikes, and thus did not stand as stably as they should have, which made an upgrade desirable. These new stands are incredibly well made, and very heavy, about 100 pounds each, much more than my already heavy previous stands. Thanks to JGlacken for informing me that he has Sound Anchors stands for his own Reflector speakers, and thanks to Peter A for reminding me to pursue a higher-quality stand! The result of the change is a major upgrade in sound, far more than I expected, frankly. I should have thought about this earlier. The Sound Anchors Signature stands reveal even more what tremendous speakers these Reference 3A Reflector monitors really are.
So how is the sound with the speakers on these stands? Tonal balance did not change. Yet there are other things that did:
1. Distortion:
Mostly I listen relatively loudly (depending on music, peaks usually between 90 and 95 dBa, rarely 97 dBa on some orchestral climaxes). Immediately obvious was a lowering of distortion at peaks. Groups of brass and fortissimo massed violins sound cleaner - which helps effortlessness of orchestral sound --, as do some fortissimo passages on string quartets that had been less clean before. There were two string passages where I had heard very obvious distortion before when played loudly, which bothered me. One is the last climax in the first mvmt. of the Penderecki string trio (Janaki Trio, CD from Yarlung Records), which develops in a long arch of about 30 seconds, the other an agitated passage in the Passacaglia of Bach's partita # 2 for solo violin with Gidon Kremer (another interpretation of the same music by Sigiswald Kuijken sounded clean on this passage). In both cases I had attributed the distortion to room overload, but I was wrong. With the new speaker stands the music sounds clean.
2. Timbral micro-resolution:
On string quartets the micro-detail of tone is commonly more subtle compared to solo violin, due to differences in the manner of playing. My previous speakers, the Reference 3A MM DeCapo monitors (the model below the Reflector) fell short in conveying the subtle detail of tone in string quartet playing, while they were rather good in conveying detail of string tone of solo violin (and in other instances where detail is more exposed, like on the modernistic trios on the aforementioned Janaki Trio CD). Yet inserting the Reflector speakers in my system yielded a breakthrough. The last few months with these speakers I had marveled how it was possible to hear such micro-detail of string quartet timbre from a system, and just this capability very much endeared the speakers to me. Yet with the new stands the performance is even more astonishing. The fine micro-vibrations of the string sounds in Bartok's string quartet # 6 (Emerson Quartet, DGG, 1988), impressive before, are now portrayed in a way that borders on the uncanny (this is one of the quartet recordings where I hear the most difference). In Bartok's string quartet # 5 from the same recording cycle, where micro-detail had been more obvious before, the timbral detail is now even more vibrant, fleshed out and refined.
Also the reproduction of transients is even more life-like. The pizzicato playing in the third movement of Bartok's string quartet # 6 sounds palpable and detailed as never before. The feathery, bouncy transients, really hard to reproduce convincingly, in the minuet of Beethoven's early string quartet op 18/2 ((Emerson Quartet, DGG, 1997) are even more subtle, with a faster yet more delicate leading edge, and more finely textured.
The Sound Anchors website states about the Signature Stands: "These stands will allow the listener to hear details and subtle differences that will be masked if the speakers are placed on any other stands." -- Given what I now hear, this may not be an exaggeration. The stands are a match made in heaven for the high-resolution Reference 3A Reflector monitors.
That I hear this incredible resolution of microscopic timbral detail and nuance on string quartets, a resolution that I had not thought possible in home reproduction, with a DAC as the source that cost just $ 2,300 (and which is fed plain Redbook CDs) is completely ridiculous to me. And it is not even the newer version of the Yggdrasil DAC, or the upgrade towards that version, that gives me this performance, but a first generation Yggy (the one with the allegedly "bad" measurements...but mostly met with stellar reviews). But that is what you can hear from great modern digital if your system is up to par transmitting this resolution -- and in my system the Sound Anchors Signature stands are now an integral part of this transmitting chain, by effectively blocking resonances that could blur the resolution through the speakers.
The resolution of micro-detail of course extends also to other music. For example the soft jazz brushes on Concerto for Aranjuez from Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain, even though also on other systems not among the most articulate sounds that I have heard from brushes, are clearly more resolved. Saxophone sound is more believable as well due to more timbral detail, yet also due to greater depth of timbre with these new stands.
The finer distinction of sound detail also affects the expressive range. This is easily heard, for example, on the Janaki String Trio CD, where string tone is also even better resolved with the speakers on the new stands. The first phrase in the violin which begins the finale of Beethoven's string trio op. 9/3 now sounds considerably smoother and with softer timbre than before (CD track 6). On the opposite side of the spectrum, the rough shredding on the finale of the modernistic string trio by Barabba (CD track 10) is even more brutally incisive and energetic than before, and with sharp, fast transients. The sound, in line with the type of playing, is incredibly edgy, but clean and resolved, without the blunt hardness that would be heard upon lesser reproduction. The overall expressive palette from soft and subtle to edgy and incisive thus has widened, and I think is closer to the sonic truth.
(cont.)
