I received my new Sound Anchor subwoofer stand this afternoon, all 70+ pounds of it. It was packed well, bolted to a plywood base in a heavy cardboard shipping box. After unpacking the stand, I installed the four spikes on the bottom of the stand, placed it where my Fathom had been sitting, and proceeded to wrestle the Fathom up and onto the stand. The Fathom f113 is an awkward monster when trying to move it by yourself. I managed to get it on the stand without any damage to the finish, but it was not easy. (Advil tonight).
After reconnecting the left and right line inputs and power cable, plus a thorough cleaning of hand prints on the subwoofer, and a wipe down of the stand to remove dust, I was now ready for an audition. First up, Brian Bromberg, "Never Give Up". Brian's electric bass on this track is a nice test of bass tone, attack, and extension. My immediate impression of the Fathom being elevated seven inches above the carpet was a new sense of depth and width from the lowest octaves in the sound stage, a more three dimensional image to the bass. My second impression was the volume level of the bass from the Fathom was lower in the new elevated position than at floor level. This was quickly resolved with a slight increase of the Fathom's Master Level control. The Sound Anchor subwoofer stand has made a very nice improvement in the dimensional quality of the lowest octaves, and for this alone it is worth the price.
The quality of construction of the Sound Anchor subwoofer stand is impressive. Every piece has been accurately measured, cut and welded with a high degree of mechanical craftsmanship. The fit and finish is impressive, and the solidity of the finished product is in the Sherman Tank category. No light weight materials were employed in this design. Do not, I repeat, do not stub your toe on this stand. Your toe will lose! A vacuum cleaner will be no match for this serious subwoofer stand, either.
The stand is actually larger than I had anticipated in its front to back measurements. The manner in which the front and rear crossbars were attached leaves these steel members jutting forward and rearward past the actual front to rear dimensions of the subwoofer. This certainly creates a solid foundation, but will take some time for my eyes to adjust to the visual impression. One thing I like about the spikes is they pierce the carpet and embed themselves in the sub-floor creating a vibration free stand. A plus is the spikes keep the stand just at the carpet pile height so no deep carpet impressions will form from its placement.
I can recommend the Sound Anchor subwoofer stand. Ivan and Robert have managed to design and produce an attractive, and highly functional subwoofer stand that compliments the visual beauty of the Fathom subwoofers, and improves the three dimensional quality of the lowest octaves in the sound stage. In my opinion, this stand is a winner for anyone with a JL Audio Fathom subwoofer.