Hello Axiom posters, Once again I need some advice
I have M60's and VTF-2MKII sub powered by an RX-V1400 and will be adding QS4's and VP100 to the mix. The couch(listening position) is against the wall opposite the M60's(14ft wall) The room is 16x14x9. I really can't mount the QS4s on the wall right above the couch so I'm looking at the QSS surround stands to place at boths sides of couch. I've never had a surround HT setup before so my question is: Will the QS4's produce adequate sound on the 3ft stands or is it a MUST to mount them on the wall a few feet above the my ears? I know Axiom wouldn't sell these if they weren't suitable but I read about everyone saying that the sound is so much better when wall mounted. What's you take on this? Will they still provide a pleasing HT experience on the stands? Oh, and for the room size, would I be better off with QS8's? I listen to about 70% music and 30% HT. Thanks in advance.

Most folks choose the Qs8s, but the 4s are more than acceptable. I have a similar situation to yours and Joe at Axiom told me to hang the Qs on the side walls a little behind the listening position if possible. He went on to say that stands are acceptable, but should be viewed as the last alternative.

i have two 8's on stands. they're located in the rear corners of the room; compromise situation. they sound great to me. i believe the stands come in black only.
dan

I put QS8's on adjustable stands from GoodGuys. They go up to 48" inches - about 5" above my head seated. They sound awsome as far as I can tell - they are back mounted so the bottom firing woofer is not obstructed.

Since I haven't experimented with wall or ceiling placement (wife won't allow it) I don't know how much of an improvement it would be. From what I was told, these surrounds are very flexible. I am sure some residents here will give you the technical aspects of your placement and why they should be mounted.

Thanks a bunch guys

In reply to:

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...but I read about everyone saying that the sound is so much better when wall mounted.

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I don't think the issue is that they'll sound better wall mounted. It's simply easier and neater to have them wall mounted. The QS series come with a mounting bracket for mounting to the wall, and it really works well. Certainly very high on the S.A.F.

Using stands for them just seems cumbersome and ugly. I don't think they'd sound bad though.

If it were my choice alone, they would on the wall...BUT, it's not just my choice

Just another thought for you. These stands are narrow and tall, not necessarily built for stability. If you have tykes, dogs, cats, ferrets - whatever, there is a very good chance you will have the opportunity to pick them off the floor a few times.

What about an 18 month old little girl

I know, I might have to consider other options.

With regards to stands & children, I have a 22 month old but I have camoflaged the stands behind end tables and the stands have this faux grape vine stuff swirling up the stand(not by my choice). The stands seem to have a decent base that would anly allow for a tip-over if deliberately pushed down rather than bumped into. They seem to go unnoticed in the room. My little girl is more enthralled with trying to pull the logos off the M60's!!!

If the stands are focal points in your room, your baby will notice them. If you can blend them into your decor I'm betting you'd be alright.

If you have any shelves or bookcases flanking your seating position, you might want to make some of your own stands.

I made some temporary QS8 stands our of some scrap 1x6 pine boards that were prototypes of the door frames I made for my house (ok... they were mistakes - there, I said it. Are you happy NOW?). To tell you the truth, they were so stable, that I thought of possibly making a new set out of nice wood and giving them a nice finish job.

I'll warn you in advance, the pics are VERY poor quality. I took them in a hurry using a laptop and a quickcam. They are sitting on a white door on sawhorses in a primer white room. (And ironically, they are sitting on a box labeled QSS stands, which I do not have. A replacement M60 grill came in it.) Scroll right to see them all.

Construction notes:

I used a router with a homemade jig and a 3/4" straight cut bit to make the slot in the base board.

I used 2 screws up from the bottom to hold it together. I had to use a rubber mallet to get the vertical piece into the slot on the base, so it would have been strong enough without screws. I like to screw things. Ooops.. together, that is. Glue would work as well.

The slot is 3/8" deep.

The top of the QS8 is 15" off of the surface the stand sits on.

The bottom of the QS8 is 7 1/2" above the surface. (6 3/4" above the base board)

The base is 12" long (1 1/2" behind the vertical, 3/4" for the slot, and 9 1/4" in front of the vertical). I believe that I could have used less in the back, but some is needed back there to form the slot. The front, at 9 1/4 inches seems to be much more than necessary. I'de bet 6 or 7 inches would be OK. I just whipped them together in 5 minutes, and that was the arbitrary size that came out of the saw.

The vertical piece is just a 13 7/8" length of 1x6 pine.

The base is I mounted the QS bracket to the wood using only 3 screws. The top of the bracket is 1/8" below the top of the wood.
These were VERY stable both side to side and front to back.

Michael,

thanks for all the info and pix. Unfortunately there is no furniture around the seating position besides the center table. On the right side I have a wall and in between the wall and the couch is the VTF-2. On the left it opens into a dining area so not even a wall there. So I was thinking of placing one QS4/8 on the right bewteen the sub and the wall and one on the left right about 1ft. from the couch. I'll check out the adjustable ones suggested on this thread as well.

Thanks!