Nice speakers!

VSA makes a dedicated stand, the imaginatively named "Stand-1" which retails for a couple of hundred dollars and which you may or may not have considered:

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Stand-1
Dedicated stand for VR-1, made from
maximum density fiberboard/resin and painted
with medium-gloss black polyester resin finish.
The heavy mass and ideal height enables the
VR-1 to reach its maximum potential for image
focus and deep bass response.
Dimensions: 26

A pair of A3 or A4 might be a better match than the A2 but Apollo advertize the A series as low-mass designs, whereas the Stand-1 is a high-mass desgn. It's a shame that neither Apollo nor Diva list the unfilled weights. Filling them with sand or shot (or a mixture) would of course increase the mass and lower the resonant frequency.

My gut says that a pair of Divas or AZ6s would be the best match, but it is impossible to quantify the difference they might make compared to, say, the A2/6s without actually listening.

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Guys,

I need your help. I am looking for a pair if stands for my Von Schweikert VR1 Monitors. I cannot decide between apollo A2 (http://www.apollohifi.co.uk/Speaker/Speaker.html) and Diva stand(http://www.swanspeaker.com/products/accessory.aspx?aid=1&type=homestereo). Or maybe you have one mind that you can recommend.

Thanks,

I reckon you should make some custom build stands out of marble, its cheap if you buy it trade and will have no vibrations what so ever....plus it looks very sexy.

I bought a new pair of B&W stands from a dealer in Minneapolis for around $100 (no Stereophile discount for this chump) so I could review the Klipsch Palladium P-17B's. They are made of metal and have two large pillars that can be filled with sand and/or shot. They are as well made as any metal stand I've seen and the price was great.

I would strongly suggest getting a stand that you can add mass to. If you like the sound without the shot or sand, you can always take it out.

Also, I really like the sound of stands when they are spiked. The B&W stands come with spikes and a couple other footing options that may work well with your floors.

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hi struts,

when you say mass designs, is it relative to weight. i called the dealer of diva stands, he told me that each stand weighs 9lbs where as A3 weighs 20 lbs each.

That's funny. The Stand-1, a "heavy mass" according to VSA weighs 14 lbs whereas the A3, a "stable low mass support" according to Apollo, weighs 20 lbs. I guess everything is relative.

Generally the higher the mass, the lower the resonant frequency (and contrary to the above post pretty much everything rigid has a resonant frequency). Lowering the resonant frequency can help clean up the imaging (although room reflections are probably a far more important factor).

Anyway, given that the "low mass" A3 is actually quite high in mass it is probably also a good match for the VR-1s and the Apollo stands have the advantage that you can experiment with filling them which it doesn't look like you can with the Diva.

At the end of the day there probably isn't a really bad choice here. I would expect any of the aforementioned to work reasonably well, although it really is impossible to predict which would actually sound best in your room just from reading the specifications. My advice would be to let price or aesthetics decide it.

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Would you let me know what model is the stand from B&W?

They are the ST 24 model and retail for $100. I bought them at Hi Fi Sound in Minneapolis. I tried doing internet searches on that model number and came up with nothing. Talk to your local B&W dealer or call Hi Fi Sound in Minneapolis because I know they have them there.

I thought these stands were a great value. They are a little utilitarian looking, but work great.

Take into account your listening position and optimum speaker height as it relates to your ear level. That would seem elementary, but some speakers sound better with the driver slightly above or below ear level, not to mention variations in chair height and distance from the speaker.

Use blu-tac to couple the speaker to the stand.

I'm using welded steel Target HR speaker stands

My dealer got me a 20 inch high version, though I think I'd be happier with 24 incher's. Not a bargain I guess, but they are sturdy at 90 lbs per, filled with fine sand.

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I'm using welded steel Target HR speaker stands

+1 for the Targets. As they are welded they can't be flat-packed like most stands of this type and are therefore a bit more expensive, however they are much more rigid. I had a pair of these years ago and they are very well built - a lot of stand for the money.

Way back I had the local blacksmith weld me a steel rack, wall/floor mounted with heavy wood shelves. Besides the trouble carrying it (!) it was heavy duty support for the equipment. Skipped it due to too little wall space. Cheap and effective.

Using a set of Atconna 24s for my rear 600s3 filled with silica sand and spiked , Nice black gun like finish match my Apollo rack , Fairly priced $150 a few years back mind you.

I have never heard any difference in my sound as a result of a stand change unless the height is different. Materials, build, aesthetics, etc...no change in sound.

I use VTI, a brand made of metal, well built, can be filled with sand if desired, and very cost effective.