Any benefits to spiking sub??

[T r o y]

I've just finished my ht room about 3 weeks ago. Now that I've had a chance to hear the accoustics of the room etc, I was wondering if I should spike my sub ?? Are there any benefits and or problems associated with spiking a sub ??

My HT room is on a second floor bonus room above the garage.
My sub is a Velodyne F1800-XR 18".

If I spike it , I was going to have a piece of MDF cut to the exact footprint of the sub then screw 4 lag screws long enough to come out at the bottom about 1". then place the sub on top of the board.

If you have spiked your sub, explain any difference in bass output you have gained or not.

And whether or not it is a slab or wooden floor.

thanks for any help,
Troy

 

[Max Baker]

Troy,

I was thinking of spiking my Polk Audio PSW650 as it was moving on my carpeted floor and the bass seemed "muddy". I had read in other forums that people were either spiking the subs or they were putting granite or marble under them to couple them to the floor. Well, one of those friend of a friend of a friend ordeals landed me access to the scrap pile of a local marble and granite company. I was a little hesitant at first and figured that I would still have to spike my 650, but WOW what a difference the granite has made. I have a 24" by 24" square under it and the bass has really tightened up. The sub no longer moves around either. My room is on a single level home with no basement, but it has a wood floor (crawlspace). Anyway, I would definately spike the sub or do as I have done. You won't regret it.

Good luck,
Max

 

[T r o y]

Max,

So all you did was place your sub directly on top of the granite piece? so there isn't any spikes , per se, that are coming out at the bottom of the granite and going into the carpet?

I will try to do the MDF thing with 4 lag screws and then sit my sub on top of that and listen to see if my sub's bass can be tighter etc.

thanks for the tip.

troy

 

[Max Baker]

Troy,

There are no spikes on either my sub or the granite. The granite is heavy enough though that it will probably couple itself to the floor by itself. My sub does have rubber feet on the bottom of it, so I'm sure that's why it doesn't move on the granite.

Regards,

Max

 

[RichardHOS]

And what's with some people using "decouplers" on speakers? I've even seem some cases where people used spikes on top of decouplers.

Which of the two is more expensive? Everyone knows that's the most reliable way to tell what will yield the greatest sonic improvements...

I'd personally spike a sub if it was moving around a lot on a carpeted floor. Rubber pads for hardwood, tile, or concrete. If it's not moving, I'd leave it be.