sub woofer insulation

Hey everyone,

I've a home theater set up in the bedroom (I know; lucky me!). As part of it, I have a Definitive Cube III (10" by 10") on the floor. Now I know that we shouldn't have bare flooring due to sound concerns, but my wife wanted cork flooring, not carpeting, and that's what we have. I've been thinking of cutting a piece of really thick bathroom mat to put under the cube to give it some insulation.

Is this a sufficient solution, or is there something more creative necessary?

David

Re: sub woofer insulation

As a bass player, I use a similar product to float my bass amp - I would suspect it would work for a sub as well

The Auralex SubDude(HD) is a 15" x 15" x 2.5" platform wrapped with a cleanable black velour to fit any room setting. Its purpose is to prevent sound from transmitting through your subwoofer to surrounding surfaces.

These are $60.00

http://truesoundcontrol.com/products/SUBDHD.html


They also have an earlier version that is a little cheaper - at $49.95


http://truesoundcontrol.com/products/SUBDUDE.html



Might be a little overkill for your bedroom...but they will work...

Re: sub woofer insulation

If your sub has a resonant free enclosure then the Subdude or anything else is a waste of time and money. Also the type of floor covering does very little with low frequency acoustics.

-Robert

Re: sub woofer insulation

I've heard good things about the SubDudes. I'm going to give them a try soon (I'll need 2 to fit my SVS Ultra/2). I have problems with rattling windows and doors that I've been told this can be helped with these devices. For $100, I'm willing to give it a try.

Here is a review I found - http://www.stereophile.com/musicinth...itr/index.html

Re: sub woofer insulation

When you are having room rattles, touch your sub cabinet. Is it vibrating? With an SVS it is probably not. They make very sturdy cabinets.

This type of product is the exact opposite of speak spikes that have been around for years. The spikes couple the enclosure to the floor and keep it from rocking on a soft surface like carpet or a SubDude.

I can make my windows, lights, sconces and even door rattle like crazy but it has nothing to do with the enclosure or floor. I have a very sturdy box and a concrete slab. All of my vibration issues are resonant frequency issues with each item. For some things I've added weather stripping (door), felt pads (sconces) and other vibration reducing material.

-Robert

Re: sub woofer insulation

Robert would be correct. The side effect of a good sub. I spent months with foam tape finding and eliminating as many rattles as I could. Light fixtures, air vents, teeth, etc.

Re: sub woofer insulation

Oh well, I was hoping for a simple solution. And no, the nearly 200 pound SVS does not move. I would really be scared if it did



Guess I'll have to find the rest of the rattles. I eliminated most by replacing some old glass bookshelves. The rest are coming from the 3 doors in the back of the room. Guess I need some foam tape....

Re: sub woofer insulation

When I was playing around with four 15" subs and test tones, I thought my wife was beating on the theater room door. I paused the CD player and opened the door. No one was there. I repeated the test and the same result. My door has a resonant frequency around 14hz. My SPL meter was pegged at 120db but I could hear very little from the actual sub.

-Robert

Re: sub woofer insulation

Just an update....

I eliminated some of the rattles with foam and other material in the doors. I could not do much about the floor and could not keep the clocks and pictures safe. So this weekend I finally purchased 2 GRAMMAs to put under my SVS PB12 Ultra/2. The difference is amazing. My windows and doors no longer rattle and he floor is no longer part of the movie. The bass also seems tighter.

BTW - the GRAMMA is the same as the SubDude only bigger and without the pretty covering. I'm all about the sound, I don't do pretty.

Re: sub woofer insulation

I might have to check into that for my Ultra. Weekends should not be just to re-attach everything.......