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Soundproofing my sub to quiet my neighbors complaints -mini review (1 Viewer)

TommyTwoTone

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
59
Hi,

For those of us with nearby neighbors that don't share the same love for HT and bass that we do I recommend the folks at www.soundproofing.org. Here's my experience with them and their products:

I live in a condo and share one wall with my neighbors. With them in mind I followed my order for a PB12 with an order for an Auralex Subdude (AKA Gramma Pad). I liked its look and construction but neither my neighbors nor I were impressed with its dampening qualities, its primary function. Since then I've found a more effective, although slightly more crude, approach.

I was referred to www.soundproofing.org. One of their salespeople recommended that I try their vibration isolation pads and soundproofing vinyl. The pads are 2"W x 2"D x 1"H and are made of a layer of cork sandwiched between two layers of neoprene. They come in packs of 4 pads. I bought 3 packs and placed a stack of 3 pads under each corner of my PB12.

Their soundproofing vinyl is sold by the foot and cut from a 4.5' wide roll. It weighs about 1 lb per square foot and has a 1/8" layer of vinyl over a 1/4" layer of foam. I bought a 4' length and put it beneath my carpet, centered below my sub.

Total cost with shipping ($15) was about $70.

I don't know if it's because of the greater surface area of the vinyl/foam or its inherent dampening characteristics or both but it does a superb job of decoupling my sub from the floor to reduce vibration and rattling in my room. The only negative is the vibration isolation pads looked like they were cut with a butter knife. Since they only raise my sub 3" off the ground they are barely visible. Nevertheless, I was able to get my hands on some 3" ID shrinkable neoprene to shrink over each stack of pads.

I tried a before and after experiment and my neighbors commented that it made a significant difference. I haven't heard from them since. My roommates in the upstairs bedrooms have noted less vibration as well.

PS - If you have neighbor concerns of your own try to position your sub as far away from them as possible. I forget what the relationship is between dampening and distance but its significant.

-Jason
 

mylan

Screenwriter
Joined
Jan 6, 2005
Messages
1,741
Hi, thanks for the info, I have been considering a Sub Dude
for awhile but not for the same reason. I have a basement
theater and do not have to worry about neighbors. My problem is that the sub, a Velodyne HGS 10, seems to overdrive too easily and vibrate a cabinent that is close by. My question is will the subdude correct this problem, in your opinion.
 

TommyTwoTone

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
59

Hi Mylan,

Without actually trying it I doubt anyone could say for sure whether a subdude would fix your vibrating cabinet. Increasing the distance between your sub and cabinet is an easy and free thing to try. Otherwise I'd try putting some dampening material (cork, foam, soft plastic, etc.) beneath your sub, beneath your cabinet, or both. The idea is to make the source of the vibration "float" over the surface it's in contact with.

BTW-I do know that wood is really good at translating vibration so don't bother with 2x4's.

Good luck.

Jason
 

EdwinK

Agent
Joined
Oct 29, 2004
Messages
38
Using a heavy slab of stone on several squashball halves covered by some carpetry has worked wonders for my PB12-Ultra/2. I used 14 squashball halves for the heavy (190lbs) sub. Solutions may vary depending on needs, but ideally you'd want a big mass to absorb the vibrations - isolated from the ground. It cost me between $10-$15, not bad for an experiment.

The improvement was almost as big as using absorbing tiles in my relatively hard concrete apartment did, against unwanted mid-bass reflections.

With good placement, a BFD, absorbing platform, absorbing tiles (if needed) and ultra-precise delay and level measurements made by a modern Amp there is little left to improve. :)
 

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