Pics first, impressions second...

 

 

 

Pros -

  - Similar build quality to the i29 stands for the 5Bs.

  - Extension allows them to go high enough to clear couches, and get them to recommended heights without requiring wall mounting.

  - Ability to lock the speaker down to the stand

  - Cable management

 

Cons - 

  - Holy crap...these things are top-heavy.  With a high quality (and high-density) speaker like these 4Bs are, there's just no way to make these balance well.  And if you have kids, avoid these.  They're just too wobbly.

  - Cable management only works if you're installing from the get-go, or are interested in taking off your banana plugs to run the cabling.  I wasn't.  I'm sure you can see the jury-rigged way I got around it, but the tubing is just too small to accommodate.

 

Verdict - 

  - Gonna live with these for a bit and see, and am tempted to experiment with the height extensions.  Still need to re-tune the speakers, too.  I will likely keep these, but not because I'm amazed by them.  I have a tough time disagreeing with the reviews you've seen on these.  BUT...that being said...I just can't imagine that there are a whole lot of great alternatives out there.  Short of a shorter stand, or a ridiculously large base, I just think that the quality of these speakers is what hinders them in this case.  They're heavy for their size, and that makes finding great stands for them difficult.

 

Oh, and another high-five for great, fast service from Aperion on this purchase.

 

Cool, well that's a fair assessment, thanks for posting!

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Happy to. 

 

All the arguments against them make sense, I guess. But, for those of us who don't have a wall-mount option, and have little risk of knocking them over, for $60, it's pretty tough to not give these a shake. 

I am in a similar situation where I don't have a wall mount option (renting) for my 4Bs.  I almost got the i31s but at the last minute after reading some of the poor reviews decided to go with Omnimount Gemini 1s.  Should be here in a few days, I'll let you all know how they perform.

Looks super clean.

I love that massive picture you have there.

Yeah.  I like the way it looks.  Nice job there.

With my recent  5T/s-10 additions, my setup has been modified.  It looks pretty cool now. I'm planning on posting some pics but am waiting for a shelf and a couple nick naks to complete the setup before i post em.

Just wanted to update.  Now that I've lived with these for a few days, I'm definitely glad I bought them.  Re-tuned everything, and the imaging is much better.  Really makes a difference compared to having them couch-blocked.  I was afraid they were going to be too high, but they feel like they envelope the user better.  Guess that's why Dolby and THX recommend that kind of placement.    LOL

 

Anyway...won't be sending these back.  They're not perfect, but I have no real complaints to speak of in my situation.  They're definitely not for everyone, though.

 

 

Ok so my omnimount gemini 1s came today and I set them up.  I think my assessment is much like PJ's of the i31s: these are definitely too flimsy to be any sort of end-all solution to stand-mounting the 4Bs.  Yes, I guess they are satisfactory, they seem to hold the speaker in place firmly enough, but they lean ever so slightly, mainly the screw-in connection between the square base and the mounting pole does not seem 100% flush and tight. 

I am thinking about sending these back and upgrading to some i29 stands from Aperion.  I know the i29s are not going to get to the mounting height neccessary for the 4Bs, but I would rather have peace of mind with a stand that is built for a much heavier speaker than the 4B, than have a stand where the 4B is pushing the absolute limit in terms of weight it can support.  Omnimount claims the gemini 1 will support up to 8 pounds, this is a laughably liberal estimate, I would say the "safe" number is closer to 3-4 pounds, and the 4Bs weigh either 6.5 or 8lbs (website cites a different weight than the owner's manual). If the i29s are too short I can always prop them up on something i guess.

 

Marco_Esquandolas:

Ok so my omnimount gemini 1s came today and I set them up.  I think my assessment is much like PJ's of the i31s: these are definitely too flimsy to be any sort of end-all solution to stand-mounting the 4Bs.  Yes, I guess they are satisfactory, they seem to hold the speaker in place firmly enough, but they lean ever so slightly, mainly the screw-in connection between the square base and the mounting pole does not seem 100% flush and tight. 

I am thinking about sending these back and upgrading to some i29 stands from Aperion.  I know the i29s are not going to get to the mounting height neccessary for the 4Bs, but I would rather have peace of mind with a stand that is built for a much heavier speaker than the 4B, than have a stand where the 4B is pushing the absolute limit in terms of weight it can support.  Omnimount claims the gemini 1 will support up to 8 pounds, this is a laughably liberal estimate, I would say the "safe" number is closer to 3-4 pounds, and the 4Bs weigh either 6.5 or 8lbs (website cites a different weight than the owner's manual). If the i29s are too short I can always prop them up on something i guess.

 

 

Thanks for the feedback on the Gemini 1, that is helpful.  Does it have a security screw that attaches to the bottom of the speaker?

8 lbs is the ship weight for the 4B by the way, the speaker itself is 6.5 lbs.
 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

I'm not sure about a "security screw" per se, although I did use the 4B's threaded insert to attach it to the gemini with a screw, so maybe that is the security screw.  Although I don't feel very secure looking at it lean ever so slightly.

yeah...that's what he meant by "security screw"

I'm thinking the manufacturers of the stands never thought that a speaker company would actually make a small 4" satellite/surround out of 3/4" HDF.  They were probably thinking little orbs or small plastic stuff.

Marco_Esquandolas:

I'm not sure about a "security screw" per se, although I did use the 4B's threaded insert to attach it to the gemini with a screw, so maybe that is the security screw.  Although I don't feel very secure looking at it lean ever so slightly.

Yep, that's a security screw.  Thanks again for the info. 
 

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Dan:

I'm thinking the manufacturers of the stands never thought that a speaker company would actually make a small 4" satellite/surround out of 3/4" HDF.  They were probably thinking little orbs or small plastic stuff.

This is definitely the case, no chance these were designed for a speaker such as the 4B, which is imo substantially "overbuilt."  Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a single stand on the market that is both sturdy enough to support the 6.5lb weight while simultaneously elevating the speaker above couch levels (my couch is at least 42" tall).  Any solution suggestions would be appreciated. 

Marco_Esquandolas:

Dan:

I'm thinking the manufacturers of the stands never thought that a speaker company would actually make a small 4" satellite/surround out of 3/4" HDF.  They were probably thinking little orbs or small plastic stuff.

This is definitely the case, no chance these were designed for a speaker such as the 4B, which is imo substantially "overbuilt."  Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a single stand on the market that is both sturdy enough to support the 6.5lb weight while simultaneously elevating the speaker above couch levels (my couch is at least 42" tall).  Any solution suggestions would be appreciated. 

 

I think we're stuck, bro.  Short of a massive base or similar, all options will suffer from the same issues.  Trick would be to wall mount if possible.  But it's not an option for me.  Still pretty satisfied with my choice.  Sounds great, but will look to improve the situation when I move or if something substantially better comes along.