Speaker mounting/stands,or do I really need to buy monitors?

[Doogle]

I was speaking today to a friend about how gear lust is starting to take hold, and he said I should probably get my sound as good as possible before spending money on other gear. I'm currently using a PC with a ESI WaveTerminal 192L hooked up to a Rotel amp and B&W speakers (which are just sitting on my desk).

The problem is that the sound is a bit tinny and theres a bit too much reverb which isn't too good for low end stuff. It tends to get feel quite muddy, and the bass never has enough oomph (was different when I had my speakers on the floor in my last room).

My bedroom is quite big, with a high ceiling. But I'm moving this weekend to a smaller room, so that should sort out a bit of the problem.

I do like my speakers as I've heard them do a lot better than they currently do, and I'd rather not have to buy some expensive monitors.
Will it really help if I mount the speakers properly, or am I better off giving up with those and shelling out on some monitors? If so, can anyone recommend some good ways of mounting the speakers, or some good budget (probably active) monitors. (I realise that if I get monitors I'd still need to mount them well).

Also, is the WaveTerminal a decent enough card or should I just bin it and get a new soundcard?

Hmm... or should I just give up altogether and take up needlecraft???

[.jon]

Your soundcard is really decent enough by the specs, shouldn't worry about that. You didn't tell what B&Ws you have, but all the models I've heard are pretty nice.

Soundstaging/imaging suffers when speakers are placed on the desk, as you'll get plenty of reflected sound to your ears almost at the same time as direct sound from the elements.

Placing them on stands and away from walls does help with muddiness, but will not get you more bass. I believe the extra bass you had before was a result of low-freq reinforcement from the floor/walls. While you may be used to that, it's generally not the kind of thing that improves your mixes, as it's sort of fake bass boost.

Speaker stands should be sturdy, but the proper stands they sell in hifi shops tend to cost a lot and be quite ugly IMO. I decided to build my own from sand-filled steel pipe, 30mm gluewood and granite foot plates. They are still "under construction", mind you, but will be nicer than any sub 100 EUR- stands I've found

Maybe you should go & listen some active monitors, I'm myself a little sceptical about getting any improvements by updating from my hifi setup to low-end actives, so I'll save up for something in the 500-800 EUR price range. Blue Sky Mediadesk 2.1 system is on the top of short list FWIW.

.jontu

[Doogle]

Thanks for the advice pakana!
Yeah I thought that if I get some monitors without saving up for a while, they might not be that much of an improvement.

Hmm.. true. The extra bass was definately cos they were on the floor, but I've got a good feeling about them anyway. Then again, the speakers I grew up with were absolutely rubbish Sony ones. But when I first plugged the B&Ws and Rotel in, it was as if I had a completely new music collection!

I was looking on the GAK website today (Brighton based music shop/warehouse) and they've got some speaker stands for about £35. Don't know what that works out to in euros, but it doesn't seem too bad. Planning to buy new furniture for my new room, so some stands are definately on my list.

I suppose if I really want some extra bass (probably more for listening than composing), I could get a sub-woofer. Hmmm.

Ok, well now the question is... what outboard equipment do I get first (well, apart from a mixer)?

[.jon]

You'll need to build a shelf on those Stagg speaker stands, unless you wish to drill a hole in the bottom of the cabinets those stands are meant for PA-speakers, and I think they lack something very important - rigidity. The stands should not give way when the woofer moves, that results in sloppier bass and wavering imaging... ok, might not be so obviously evident in everyday easy listening (and I'm dangerously close to the grey zone of Hi Fi now), but why not get proper stands, if any.

Here are some models that I think would fill the purpose.

Mine will look smthng like these, but with fatter pipes and red granite feet:

Ok, well now the question is... what outboard equipment do I get first (well, apart from a mixer)

I buy something (soft/realgear) only when I've "needed" it for a long time... after several months of serious thinking I declare it a true need, not just momentary gear lust It's really a good idea to first learn the stuff you have and then outgrow it. This goes to free softsynths as well grab a handful, keep the best and delete the ones you don't like.