My stand-mount speakers were always too low to have them at an ideal height to maximise the quality of the sound delivered - they were on a set of old 30 cm or less height stands I bought years ago. Having read that ideally the speakers should have the midpoint of the line of drivers at ear height, I looked around and found a set of studio monitor stands for much less than $100 that would enable me to lift them to a much better height.
My new stands are basically the same as the picture below.
The sonic improvement was immediate - I wish I had done this years ago. The only downside is that they are much more visually intrusive now as the cabinets are much higher up. If you shop around you can get them over the well-known auction site for about $60 or for $70 from Kosmic Sounds in Perth.
My speakers were screwed to the old stands for stability. I drilled the new mounts to the same hole pattern and again screwed them down so that they don't get accidentally knocked over after a glass or two of red...
The new stands came with adjustable spikes that pierce the carpet nicely and unobtrusively, and couple the stands to the cement below..
I might even get adventurous with the drill, and route the cables up inside the columns.
