Did my subwoofer crack the tile? (1 Viewer)

Well, (sits back) my parents are accusing me of cracking one of the tiles in our kitchen. I've got the PB2+ close to the wall next to my bed in a 16x16 room. IT's 3ft away from the other wall but there's a closet there...so it's not exactly in a corner. My room is directly over the kitchen and the subwoofer is over the kitchen table. The crack is 15ft away from the kitchen table. I told them that i didnt think it was possible and that if it was i dont think i was ever playing it loud enough for it to do that.

So i was wondering if the subsonic destruction crew could fill me in if i probably did this or not and if the PB2+ is capable of doing it if it wanted to.


Being on the floor under the subwoofer is worse then being on the floor with the subwoofer!

Hmmm...even with all the hyperbole surrounding SVS subs, I would think this is highly unlikely.

I actually think it could happen. Something similar happed to me (I think). I have a mirror in my bathroom that is sort of clipped to the wall. One morning I walked in there and it had a big crack in one corner. I can't think what else could have caused it. I have an SVS 2039PC+ and listen at about -10 or -15 or so most times. My bathroom is within 20 feet or so from where the SVS is. I'm blaming it on the subwoofer but I suppose it could have been thunder that caused it to happen or maybe one of the clips that hold it to the wall was too tight. It's more fun for me to blame it on the woofer because mine was only about a $30 fix. When I hear thing in my living room rattle during certain base heavy scenes, it's not that much of a stretch to get to causing other minor damage in the house. Who knows through?

Wouldnt something closer even easier to crack or break do so before that thing cracked straight down the middle? The bathroom is on the other side of the wall from my tv, im sure i had a glass or two sittin around somewhere in here on a desk. Hundred something tiles, half of them virtually closer to the subwoofer.

I was always curious about how certain things shake with one bass sound, then on another other things will shake, or make noise, or farther away things will shake etc etc.

What's with that.

Allen, you'll probably never know if your subwoofer really broke the tile. All's I'm saying is that it could be possible. And, if your parents think you caused it, you'll likely get blamed regardless!! I'd probably tell them that the tile was weak anyway and that the first loud crack of thunder or a big truck passing on the sreet could have just as easily caused it to happen. I don't know that much about the physics of sound, but I do know that different frequencies will "excite" certain object more than others.

To many possible variables to be certain that it did the damge. I'd bet it did not cause it and even at Ref it would not cause it.

How old is the house, is the tile new, it the tile older or very old, air pocket ever since it was first installed behind it, hairline crack in that tile to begin with but never noticed, do you have allot of traffic/heavy trucks passing outside, possible house setteling-->be it a new house or older one, and why just the one tile, etc, etc.

A sine played "extremly" loud at the proper freq possibly..

Given your description of your playing volume, sub placement, different floor, etc, most likely the sub is/was NOT the cause of house tile destruction!

But the blame appears to be stuck/forced on you, (so do what you have to do). Try and break more to prove the point "it's not the sub"...!


Oops:
I mean pay to have it fixed or fix it yourself if you have the skills, assuming thats what they want..

Regards
Geoff

Being that you have an SVS, just assume the sub is entirely responsible for the cracked tile......and be proud, man

It's not the cracked tile or replacing it that's the problem it's just them losing faith in what i told them about how it's ok and safe if things are shaking in a way that makes them uncombfortable.

If it was my subwoofer, it was Star Wars Episode 1 lightsaber fight at -8 reference. Which is what i watched a day or two before the crack was discovered, and the only thing i watched. Sooooooo just how many decibels does it take to get a lightsaber smack to crack a tile

Geoff behind the houses across the street, they've started construction on putting some houses up. Do you think that could of done it?

The house is 12 years old, the tile has never been replaced or anything like that.

My mom's quote was "tiles dont just break, not these kind, they've never broken before". I dont think she really knows, i think she's just belittling me.

any chance that someone dropped something in the kitchen? a dropped bottle of ketchup (or whatever) could easily crack a tile.

a chair leg could do it, too.

Hang on to your faith...:wink:

Any number of things could have caused it.

Depending on whats going on across the way with the new sub division, yes something could have caused it especialy if their doing packing with a big vibra roller, or hydra hoe compactor. I do heavy equipment construction and we have broke things well across the way when compacting for roads, building pads, etc.

The sub may possibly indeed have caused it, but more than likely "if so", another tile breaking at least with the same movie at the same setup volume (you should'nt have a probem now)...
Right...

I wouldn't worry and maybe run the same thing again the same way, but come down and listen and "feel the wall" in the tile break area to see if you have heavy vibration to be safe. I'd also walk around and see how much vibration your getting in different areas of the house. Check out the nic nacks, dishes, glass, anything that could fall easily and break to see how it's handling the possible bass vibration.

Obviously doing this spl when mom & dads not home...

Happy subben
Geoff

No way could it break a decent floor tile. Unless it was not put down properly or already had an imperfection, the subwoofer would not crack the tile. I have put down several rooms of tile while building my house and find it highly unlikely.

i think it's neat heavy machines like that make such noises. I uh, gonna try that bass object interaction thing tomorrow when everyone is at work.

It's called "harmonics". Everey thing resonantes at certain frequency,and when an outside source like a subwoofer exites those harmonics, then it becomes "audible".

Sympathetic resonance? Years ago they had a female opera singer breaking a wine glass with her singing for a TV advert. I understand it took a lot of amplification and exactly the right note to break the glass for the camera.

I'm always amazed at the LF vibrations set up in the house. Even right through it and beyond. But you don't read hoards of excited claims that someone broke the neighbours' windows right across the street. Though it's true that walls and windows do vibrate crazily to LF from a decent sub.

I actually feared for the lives of innocent pedestrians passing my AV dealers. When I had a small B&W sub audition the huge shop windows were making a hell of a racket! Everything in the huge showroom was shaking and rattling when he turned off the speakers and let the sub play alone!

My own 16-46 can easily make it seem as if the wooden boarded floor is melting under my chair. My glass and steel computer table often vibrates like a diesel motor when I'm browsing. Even on gentle background pop music!:b

If tiles were fixed with rigid cement (rather than flexible tile adhesive) to a wall that vibrates readily. Then I would imagine a ceramic tile or two might crack. As might rigid-adhesive-fixed mirror tiles.

Yet despite everything it all seems like completely harmless fun. Our homes seem able to flex without structural damage or total destruction. Even when they sound as if they are falling around our ears. Quite an accurate expression in this particular context.

Regards
ChrisBee

I would turn my basement into the hometheater but the damn thing floods when it rains. I went around and interigated everybody to make sure nobody dropped anything right there and that was a no. In about 3 hours i can do my little test.

I forgot other then the movie i was also listening to E.S. Posthumus. So either the song Pompeii, Ebla or Nara could of done it. I probably was listening to it louder then star wars now that i think about it.

Oh look, this site lets you listen to the songs. If yah havent heard of it, check it out.

http://www.esposthumus.com/downloads.html

http://esposthumus.com/buy.html

Full version of Pompeii and Ebla on first link. Most of Nara and the rest of the songs on the cd on second link. Anyone want to take a listen and see if that would of done it?

Okie doke, i tried a bunch of things and the floor right there hardly shakes. Just to feel it shaking it's gotta be so loud it sound like the handle on every door downstairs is gonna rumble right off.

But now who do i blame it on when the door detaches, Hurricane Jeanne?

Hi Allen

As most thought/figured.

I've blown allot light bulbs, litterly blown pictures off the wall in the next room, vibrated nic nacks to their doom, hairline cracked the drywall, but no broken floor or wall tile. Most of this damage was done running sines, warbles, and tone burts at (crazy spls).
Doing just pipe music/movies, only then not tied down/velcro'ed nic nacks got broke from dancing around and only on the same floor I'm on. Not to say that it's anyoing as hell down stars...:b

Your Question:
I belive you already answered your own question as to if you broke that tile "with" your sub. More than likely theres another reason/answer for it's dimise..

Interesting:
Their was a very "small" earthquake, around or near 2.something, somewhere in the center of the country a week or so ago. Who knows, maybe Mother Natures work, maybe not. The news here said it was felt as far north as Central Michigan so I'd assume your area could have felt it. I didn't notice crap, but others said they did...

Your Test:
If you checked the house while cranking some serious spl doing variable Hz'ed low end & ~{things seem to be staying where they belong}~, I wouldn't sweat it, just watch/listen and enjoy.

Cheers
Geoff ¥

i SERIOUSLY doubt it. i have gotten 116dB out of one of my velodyne subs. at the listening position, i have measured close to 120dB. i have NEVER broken anything beyond lightbulbs. in the kitchen, the plates and silverware rattle in the drawers and cabinets, but it takes a LOT more force than that.

lightbulbs eh. When my subwoofer was downstairs in the bigger room i got an over 120db c-weighted unfixed reading on the matrix revolutions, i guess im lucky nothing broke. If something broke, even a lightbulb, my parents would be skeptic and i'd never get away with extreme passages again.

I dont blame them, being right under the subwoofer during a movie just plane sucks. Windows vibrate like they're gonna pop off, the lights hanging down from the ceiling make a terrible noise, vents, door handles, the walls moving like an earthquake.

Geoff i didnt know about that earthquake or felt it. But not to long ago, a couple of months, we had that 4.2 earthquake at 1 in the morning so naturally nobody believed me until it was in the newspaper cause nobody i knew was up at the time on that day. That was my first earthquake. When it started up i thought it was my computer sub playing something on a site i was on but the speakers were turned off. Freaked me out, i thought the world was comming to an end. An earthquake in illinois was way farther down my possibilities list. It only woke my brother up though but he didnt know what it was, he just remembered something woke him up. After it went away i came out of my room after like 2 minutes of sitting there going "man those sleeping pills are turning me insane" because i have a sleep problems.

I checked every window downstairs looking for something that would of done that, meteor, explosion, bomb, tornado, freakishly long lasting thunder, the world's heaviest and deepest truck etc. So i thought it was the sleeping pills, since i was so tired and out of it, i couldnt really think very cleary or else i definetly would of turned down the "it was my imagination and loss of balance" theory. The next day i completely and utterly forgot about it so i didnt bring it up. Then the day after that i suddenly remember when me and my dad were sitting outside..probably talking about getting an SVS. I go "did you feel the house shaking last night? i mean two nights ago....monday?" and he goes "yea did you know, we had an earthquake" and he said it in a suttle voice so i thought he was just mocking me and i kinda yelled "would you just be serious for 2 seconds, yes or no" and he goes "no, we really had an earthquake". He was acting like i saw the news talking about an earthquake so i was testing him to see if he felt it.

So basically i thought he was joking and we dropped it until we went back inside. He goes "Are you sleeping any better" and i said "no, these sleeping pills are making me nuts" and he goes "why?" and i said "like i said, i could of swore the entire house was shaking monday night" and he goes "what?" and i go "what do you mean what" and he goes "wait a minute, we had an earthquake monday night" and i go "would you shut up with that already" and he went upstairs and brought down the newspaper and he goes "you didnt know that?" and i go "nooooooooo" and he goes "you actually felt it?" and we went on for alittle while.

I still dont htink my parents believe me, i try to tell them when they're not really listening and they're like "yea...uh uh.....wow....".

The reason i brought that up is cause that was a 4.2 or 4.5 or 4 something, but nobody noticed a crack there before. I mean the crack goes straight down the middle from one side to the other but it's pretty thin but i still dont think anybody would of missed it over that length of time.

Yup being young and at home certainly has it draw backs. But once you move to your own house/condo/apt etc, you'll find they have a whole new set of draw backs.

It's a no real total win situation, just puts the (this sucks part) most times in different places for sure...

Yup, read about the larger E-quake a few months ago also. Made TV and paper front page news up here also. Wooo, OMG big (for us) E-quake hits the Central US...If people do their research, there are very small quakes quite often in the Central US. Theres a fault line running threw this part of the country, but we do not see as much activity nor the usual power that the West Coast dose is all..

And that nasty insomnia, don't feel alone my man, I and many others suffer the same. Exausted and still can't go to sleep, drives you nuts, just wacko to be more precise. Oh, man can I relate with the no/non sleep thing..

Hang in their with both the new sub, your sometimes non hearing/listning parents, and the (no sleep I'm going to go insane/crazy/nutso)..!

Hard as it is to belive for us sometimes, ones life can "always be worse", I'm sure your very aware..
Now go break some stuff to release some of that stress, I'm kidding of course!

Regards
Geoff ¥