Other audio accessories
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Target wall tables
Got hardwood Want the ultimate shockproofing for your turntable or your CD player? We don't know of any floorstanding furniture that can come close to doing the trick. But bolt one of these Target tables to a solid wall, and it will seem as though your gear is disconnected from the planet. We first installed one of these a couple of decades ago, and we actually own three of them. The shelves are MDF, sitting on spikes in the black frame. There are two rows of three-mounting holes, at 4-inch (10.2 cm) spacing. Available in one or two-shelf format, as shown. Available in Canada and US only.
Order VW-1: Single-shelf wall stand, $199 
Order VW-2: Dual-shelf wall stand, $259
Target four-pillar loudspeaker stands
Remember when these famous Target four-pillar stands, then made in England and called the R-4, were selling for perhaps $800 a pair? Their rigid structure made them far superior to thinner, lesser stands. They're back with the same superb design, but at a much lower price. These are the stands you need to get the most from nearly any "bookshelf" speaker meant for more than casual listening. They're available in two versions. The MR24 (24 inches, or 61 cm high) stansd are suitable for nearly all loudspeakers. For very small models, we also have the taller MR28 (28 inch, or 71 cm, high). Supplied in a flat pack, but easy to assemble. Of course they come with Target's famous spikes. Once you have the stands home, add the necessary mass and damping by filling the pillars with kiln dried sand (available from hardware stores, in bags clearly marked as "kiln dried").
Order MR24: One pair 24-inch stands, $299
Order MR28: One pair 28-inch stands, $320
Foundation stands
Good as those Target stands are, they are not what we use when we review bookshelf speakers for UHF Magazine. The Foundation stands are built in Canada by Focus Audio. There are no holes in the top, because these astonishing stands come already filled with...Foundation's secret formula. We don't know what's inside, but striking it is like hitting an SUV loaded with tombstones.
The finish is a matte black that leaves the spotlight on the speakers themselves. The included spikes are adjustable from the top. The speaker can be secured to the stand with a material such as our own Audio-Tak (shown on this page).
The stands are 61 cm (24 inches) high. For first-rate compact speakers, this is the stand to get. Suggested list C$1350/pair. For delivery in Canada and the US only, and drop-shipped from the factory via UPS.
ORDER: FFA, one pair Foundation stands, $1295
Soundcare Superspikes
Got hardwood floors, and you don't want to puncture them with spikes or cones? The answer is the Superspike, shown above:, a sealed unit containing both a spike and a dish to receive it. (the one at right is disassembled for illustration only). Not suitable for carpets, but superb on hard surfaces. Four different shanks to fit virtually any stand or speaker. The supplied locking nut keeps them tight.
Order SSKQ: kit of 4 Superspikes with 1/4" shank, $75
Order SSKT: kit of 4 Superspikes with 5/16" shank, $75
Order SSKS: kit of 4 Superspikes with 6mm" shank, $75
Order SSKH: kit of 4 Superspikes with 8mm shank, $75
WHICH SIZE TO ORDER?
The Superspike with a 1/4-inch shank has 20 threads per inch
The Superspike with a 5/16-inch shank has 18 threads per inch
The Superspike with a 6 mm shank has 10 threads per centimetre
The Superspike with an 8 mm shank has 8 threads per centimetre
STICK IT ON
Don't have anything to screw the shank into?
Get a set of three adhesive Superspikes, like the one at left. Just lift off the paper to uncover the adhesive pad, and push it firmly against the underside of the speaker, stand, amplifier, etc. It's $50 for a set of three. Order SSKA.
Want to isolate an amplifier or CD player equipped with those wide but useless feet? Unscrew the existing foot, and use the same retaining screw to fasten a Superspike replacement feet (shown here, upside down). Slightly taller than most feet, but unobtrusive. The exterior part is matte black but is easy to spray paint. A set of four feet is $80. Order SSKF
Spikes for your loudspeakers
Respectable floor-standing speakers come with spikes nowadays. If yours didn't, you can add these Target spikes, of the same quality as the ones supplied with the company's world-famous stands. You drill a hole in the speaker base with Target's supplied drill bit, and force fit the socket (the part at right in the illustration above) into the hole. The spike then screws into the socket. You then tighten the nut to keep the spike from wobbling. The S4W kit includes eight spikes, the drill bit and the wrench for the nut. It costs $39
The S4WS kit includes the eight spikes and sockets but no tools, $30
Tenderfeet cones
- What's even better than spikes? The machined aluminum Tenderfeet give superior isolation from the floor, useful with speakers that deliver high bass energy to the house structure, and very good with electronic equipment as well. Unlike some other cones, Tenderfeet are anodized to protect them from tarnishing, and they have a threaded hole to allow screwing them to the equipment.
The TFG (natural aluminum color) costs $15 each
The TFGN (black) costs $16.50
To screw either cone into a speaker, order the THB hanger bolt, at 80 cents each. It is half machine screw, to go into the cone, and half wood screw, to go into the speaker.
- If you have carpets, the point of a cone or spike will tend to go between the fibers, and do much less damage than an ordinary foot would. But if you have hardwood floors you don't want to mar, add the Tendercup, shown above. It is an inverted cone with a small depression to receive the point of either a cone or a spike. The TCP (aluminum) costs $10
- Tenderfeet are also available in a short version (aluminum-colored only), which looks like a pointy version of the Tendercup. It is not quite as effective, but it is useful under equipment that can't be raised off the floor more than a small amount. The TFP is $10
- If you have carpets, the point of a cone or spike will tend to go between the fibers, and do much less damage than an ordinary foot would. But if you have hardwood floors you don't want to mar, add the Tendercup, shown above. It is an inverted cone with a small depression to receive the point of either a cone or a spike. The TCP (aluminum) costs $10
Smarter Speaker Support
Need to fasten a speaker on a wall? Flush against the wall isn't good, and straight on isn't good either. What you need is brackets that hold the speaker just off the wall (they work even with speakers that have rear ports), and can be aimed where you want. The solution is the Smarter Speaker Support.
How easy can it get? You just screw one part of the support to the wall using the supplied screws and anchors. Screw the other part to the rear of the speaker. It then takes five seconds to put the two halves together. The speaker now swivels left or right, and it can be tilted up or down at the angle you want. It will stay that way too. The support is made up of unbreakable glass-filled polycarbonate. It's been tested to 25 kg (55 lbs!), which is a ridiculously heavy speaker for wall mounting...but it will work. There's just nothing else this good or this easy to use. Available in black or white.
ORDER: SSPS, pair of black speaker supports, $29.95
ORDER: SSPS-W, pair of white speaker supports, $29.95
Audio-Tak
We often talk about this blue stuff that looks like modelling clay, but never hardens. We use it under cones, between speakers and stands, and many other places. We tame resonances with it, and we hold cables down with it. Nothing in the audio world is as useful as Audio-Tak. Because many audiophiles have trouble finding it, we've added our own version to The Audiophile Store. It comes with full instructions, though chances are you'll discover uses we haven't mentioned. The AT-2 is a set of three sections of Audio-Tak, just $10
The Super Antenna, MkIII
You'd think it shouldn't be that hard to build a desktop antenna for FM. But the people who make "rabbit ears" work to make the outside look fine, and then pinch pennies on the inside, where they figure you won't see it. Besides, they don't know what they're doing. The rotary phase switch found on most antennas actually generates FM multipath distortion...and TV ghosts.
So we decided to design our own. It has only enough metal parts to make it work, and no dumb "phase" switch...those actually manufacture multipath. We then add a quality transformer, put in a plump shielded cable with a 24K gold plated F connector (an instant-connect plug that fits all modern TV sets). The result is the FM-S Super Antenna, now in its third incarnartion.
We tried it first on a TV set, and we were stunned. Without the phase switch, without a twin lead to act as a second antenna, and with minimum loss and interference thanks to the special cable, off-air broadcasts looked better than ever (yes, much better than on cable). The result on FM is dynamite. The Super Antenna covers all broadcast TV stations, channels 2 to 69, plus the FM band. We even have customers who tell us they're using a Super Antenna to pull in off-the-air high-definition signals.
The antenna is available with 21-day refund, less only our shipping cost
ORDER FM-S Super Antenna, $55
ALL PRICES SHOWN IN CANADIAN DOLLARS. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, QUERY VIA E-MAIL.
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