Subwoofer isolation pads

rrsjls@msn.com
rrsjls@msn.com Posts: 7
edited June 2010 in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
Is there any advantage or bass improvement in using some kind of isolation pad to isolate the subwoofer away from the floor
Post edited by rrsjls@msn.com on
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  • NotaSuv
    NotaSuv Posts: 3,851
    edited May 2010
    I have used both the Aurelex Gramma and Great Gramma with good results, both can be bought at any Guitar Center if they have them where you live...
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  • Huck344
    Huck344 Posts: 453
    edited May 2010
    I Use the Aurelex subdude http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SubDude/). Bass is much tighter, less boomy and WAY less vibration. They are about $50. If that is too expensive, there was a thread here about a month ago in which someone used one of those swimming pool noodles with great results.
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  • ibewbrother
    ibewbrother Posts: 186
    edited May 2010
    +1 auralex gramma....it made a difference

    ps...the THX sound..(deep note) still vibrates the floor
    "Making life enjoyable through expensive electronics." BillD

    Pioneer Elite SC-57
    M70 series 2 mains
    CS2 center
    M40 surround
    M30 front height
    SVS PB 12 NSD

    Carver TFM-45 (mains)
    Carver A753x (center, surround)

    320GB PS3, 42" Panasonic G10,

    M60's as a Zone 2 off of the Pioneer in the living room

    R.I.P. Onkyo TX-NR807
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  • Radridd
    Radridd Posts: 43
    edited May 2010
    I am using the gramma and it was well worth its price.
    Sony KDL-46XBR6, Onkyo 886, Emotiva XPA-5, Oppo BDP-83, HR22 HD-DVR, Polk RTi A9s, PolK CSi A6, Polk RTi A3s, SVS PB12-NSD, Monster HTS2500 Reference PowerCenter, Logitech Harmony 1.
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  • jhw59
    jhw59 Posts: 348
    edited May 2010
    ordered a gramma. I used bing shopping which saved me a few bucks
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  • jhw59
    jhw59 Posts: 348
    edited May 2010
    jhw59 wrote: »
    ordered a gramma. I used bing shopping which saved me a few bucks

    Wow, this made an immediate difference. Tight, non boomy bass. Thanks again for the rec folks.
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  • NotaSuv
    NotaSuv Posts: 3,851
    edited May 2010
    jhw59 wrote: »
    Wow, this made an immediate difference. Tight, non boomy bass. Thanks again for the rec folks.

    great to hear it worked for you AND you heard the improvement....you would be amazed at what a few simple room treatments can do.......I know I was...
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  • szhleppy
    szhleppy Posts: 320
    edited May 2010
    NotaSuv wrote: »
    great to hear it worked for you AND you heard the improvement....you would be amazed at what a few simple room treatments can do.......I know I was...

    Couldn't agree more....the Subdude made a huge difference in my room, and I will probably put some room treatments in before any other upgrades.
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  • yepimonfire
    yepimonfire Posts: 256
    edited May 2010
    NotaSuv wrote: »
    great to hear it worked for you AND you heard the improvement....you would be amazed at what a few simple room treatments can do.......I know I was...

    same here, acoustic treatments have done more for my system then i thought it would.
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  • geebolt
    geebolt Posts: 215
    edited May 2010
    I'd like to echo the above statements. I got the subdude for a PSW505 and not only does it do all those good things mentioned, but its a perfect fit for the 505. And that china cabinet in the corner has almost completey stopped vibrating and has ceased making its own sound!
    Fronts: Polk RTi A7's
    Center: Polk CSi A6
    Surrounds: Polk TSi500's
    Subwoofer:Polk DSW Pro 500, Emotiva Ultra 12
    Amplifier: Emotiva XPA-5
    Processor/AVR: Emotiva UMC-1
    DAC: Emotiva XDA-1
    CD player:Emotiva ERC-1
    Blu-Ray: Oppo BDP-93
    Turntable: Kenwood KD-500
    Tonearm: Polk-Mayware Formula 4
    Cartridge: Shure M97-XE
    Television: Sony KDL-55EX500
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  • chuckt62
    chuckt62 Posts: 33
    edited May 2010
    What kind of flooring do you guys have? My sub is on carpet/pad/concrete slab. I didn't think these would have any effect in my situation.
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  • SrRaV1981
    SrRaV1981 Posts: 8
    edited June 2010
    What is that pad made out of?
    Pioneer VSX-919AH 7.1
    Panasonic DMP-BD60
    Polk CSI3
    Polk PSW10
    Polk Monitor 70 Fronts
    Polk Monitor 30 Sides & Rears
    Monster Power HTS 3500
    Antec AV Cooler

    Vintage Setup:Yamaha CR-2020, Teac A-6300 RtR.
    WTB: Optimus Pro Lx-8's
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  • geebolt
    geebolt Posts: 215
    edited June 2010
    The platform itself is made of wood or more likely MDF. Its covered with ozite which is the carpeting material you see on automotive subwoofer boxes. Underneath the platform are the 2 foam "legs" that run from one end to the other. There is also some sound absorbing material on the underside between those 2 "legs". I have a PSW505 and the fit is like they were made for one another. The HD version is the same but instead of ozite, its covered with a black velour material.

    My floor is carpeted wood (second story) and the sub is placed near an outside wall. For me, there was a noticeable improvement.

    George
    Fronts: Polk RTi A7's
    Center: Polk CSi A6
    Surrounds: Polk TSi500's
    Subwoofer:Polk DSW Pro 500, Emotiva Ultra 12
    Amplifier: Emotiva XPA-5
    Processor/AVR: Emotiva UMC-1
    DAC: Emotiva XDA-1
    CD player:Emotiva ERC-1
    Blu-Ray: Oppo BDP-93
    Turntable: Kenwood KD-500
    Tonearm: Polk-Mayware Formula 4
    Cartridge: Shure M97-XE
    Television: Sony KDL-55EX500
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  • samnor
    samnor Posts: 155
    edited June 2010
    My subwoofer isolation experiment was setup in 2 phases. I have hardwood floors and the sub came with spikes. I just put a thin area rug under the sub and ran it with the spikes... that prevented a lot of unwanted resonance from the floors. Next I created my own mdf board setup with a 1.5 inch mdf board which I then wrapped with the same area rug (didnt want the spikes to go thru the board)... That tightened up my bass quite a bit and am happy with the setup. I've seen other folks replicate the auralex platform by going to the local hardware store and getting essentially the same material (mdf + some really thick foam plugs) and doing it for under 10$... heck if you have time I dont think it would sound much different from the 55$ solution but your time could be worth the 55$ so to each his own...
    Fronts: Wharfedale diamond 9.6
    Sub: Wharfedale sw250
    Rears: Wharfedale diamond 9.1
    Center: Paradigm cc-350
    Pre-amp: Oppo dv981hd
    Amp for fronts: Parasound hca-1500a
    Amp for rears: Adcom gfa-5400
    Amp for center: Marantz MA500 monoblock
    Polk multimedia speakers for PC setup
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  • SrRaV1981
    SrRaV1981 Posts: 8
    edited June 2010
    Maybe i will try and make my own. I also saw some people say they use Granite slabs ? Time to experiment..
    Pioneer VSX-919AH 7.1
    Panasonic DMP-BD60
    Polk CSI3
    Polk PSW10
    Polk Monitor 70 Fronts
    Polk Monitor 30 Sides & Rears
    Monster Power HTS 3500
    Antec AV Cooler

    Vintage Setup:Yamaha CR-2020, Teac A-6300 RtR.
    WTB: Optimus Pro Lx-8's
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  • yepimonfire
    yepimonfire Posts: 256
    edited June 2010
    i'll help you out on that, use no less then 1/2 inch thick plywood for the base, as this does not resonate lower frequencies, get OC 703 rigid fiberglass and use no less then 4' thickness of it, anyways those are some good "building blocks" to start with, you can figure out how to put it together to best work for you. or even simpler, set your sub on concrete blocks, this will stop all low frequency vibration to the floor as concrete does not vibrate at any low frequencies.
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  • Driver_King
    Driver_King Posts: 266
    edited June 2010
    Read this for some good ideas.;)
    Home Theater:

    Onkyo TX-SR805
    Behringer EP2500 for SDA's

    Polk SDA II fronts
    Polk Monitor 5Jr. surrounds
    Polk Monitor 4 back surrounds

    DIY A7-900 and DIY A3-300
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  • SrRaV1981
    SrRaV1981 Posts: 8
    edited June 2010
    Awesome, thanks for the link.
    Pioneer VSX-919AH 7.1
    Panasonic DMP-BD60
    Polk CSI3
    Polk PSW10
    Polk Monitor 70 Fronts
    Polk Monitor 30 Sides & Rears
    Monster Power HTS 3500
    Antec AV Cooler

    Vintage Setup:Yamaha CR-2020, Teac A-6300 RtR.
    WTB: Optimus Pro Lx-8's
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  • Gulfstrings
    Gulfstrings Posts: 313
    edited June 2010
    I would like to change out my two subs for a single DSW 600. How will this Subdude pad work with a down-firing sub with all sitting on carpet?

    Thanks,

    Dave
    Marantz AV7005
    Marantz MM7055
    Onkyo DX-755 CdP
    Oppo BDP-93
    Technics SL-1301/Shure M97xE
    Polk RTi A7s
    Polk CSi A6
    Polk FXi A6s
    Velodyne VDR10-BV
    Panamax M5100-PM
    Antec VERIS A/V Cooler x 2
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  • Tomasito
    Tomasito Posts: 142
    edited June 2010
    Driver_King wrote: »
    Read this for some good ideas.;)

    Thanks for the link.
    I went to home depot and Jo-anns made a custom stand to lift my sib about 2.5". Yeah! it was a big improvement. The bass is now sounds big and tight. Just cost me $20 and a couple of hours!
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  • rallyshark
    rallyshark Posts: 417
    edited June 2010
    I agree as well. Isolating the sub made a huge difference for me, and I have wood floors FWIW. I took the route that many here did and built my own variation of a subdude. I was VERY happy with the results. I believe the improvement is even better if your sub is down firing, or has a down firing PR. Here's the link the post I made about building my own. I use stuff I had laying around, so it only cost me time. It should at least give you a visual:)

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94172&highlight=rallyshark
    Sony 40" LCD
    Sony DVPCX995V
    Sony PS3(games/media server)
    Sony PS2
    WD TV Live with 3TB
    Sanyo VCR
    Marantz SR6003
    Polk 11T(xover/RDO)
    RM20 5 pack
    OWM 5
    DUAL Micro Pro 1000
    Combastard Cable
    Harmony One
    When rapture comes, can I have your car?
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  • scoobygt68
    scoobygt68 Posts: 19
    edited June 2010
    So if your sub weighs roughly 190lbs and is sitting on carpet, is a pad going to make much of a difference?
    Fronts: Paradigm Signature S8 v3
    Center: Paradigm Signature C5 v3
    Rears: Paradigm Studio 100 v2
    Surrounds: Paradigm Studio 100 v2
    Sub: Def Tech Trinity
    Display: Epson 8500 UB on 120" screen
    Processor: Yamaha rx-v3800
    Amp: Emotiva XPA-5
    Xbox 360
    PS3
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  • Huck344
    Huck344 Posts: 453
    edited June 2010
    scoobygt68 wrote: »
    So if your sub weighs roughly 190lbs and is sitting on carpet, is a pad going to make much of a difference?

    I don't see why not. You may have to get more than 1 isolation pad if your sub actually weights 190 lbs.
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