To Dampen or not to Dampen

Ricardo

I am installing the rings in mt RTA 15 TL's; also Dynamating the PR and MW baskets.

While having the cabinets empty (removed drivers and stuffing), if I knock on the walls it sounds hollow and resonant.

Would dampening the inside walls help or hurt the sound? I've read somewhere that vented designs benefit from dampening, but sealed design benefit from stuffing. These have their stuff...
Any thoughts?

zingo

I know some Polkies have had good success with the Sonic Barrier type products.

The material features our exclusive embossed surface finish that helps to trap acoustic energy and improve high frequency performance. This finish is applied to an acoustic-grade open-cell polyether foam, which absorbs and converts the acoustic energy into low-level heat. A very aggressive pressure sensitive adhesive provides easy and permanent installation onto any surface. The Sonic Barrier 1/2" foam is excellent for use in small loudspeaker projects, where bulky damping materials are not feasible. The foam will help absorb unwanted sound from within the cabinet without disrupting airflow between the driver and port. This can reduce unwanted sound reflections and prevent them from exiting through the cone or port. In small enclosures, the foam can add a valuable increase in apparent volume, which can help to offset the space taken up by the driver itself or the port.

Ricardo

Thanks Jake. I see it specifically talks about the benefits for ported speakers. I want to know if it adds anything for sealed speakers.

F1nut

Larry found that it helped his 1C's and made his 1.2TL's sound worse.

Ricardo

Ok. I'll leave them alone. There's enough stuffing in there.

Toolfan66

I would bet on the 15's if you just did the back walls it would make your tweeters shine..

In both my speakers 1C's and 1.2tl's the high's are fantastic, Crisp and Clear.. But on the lower end of my 1.2tl's it made it boomy (so I took it out) but on the 1C's no issues at all,I still have it in them.

My 1C's I think sound better on the highs then my 1.2tl's and keep in mind the RDO 194 198 factor between the two..

I will put this to the test on my CRS+'s as well..

dorokusai

A couple pieces of Black Hole or Sonic Barrier....not the entire interior.

VR3

I found putting No Rez in my cabinet helped alot with my speakers. But I did not cover everything like Larry did...

Ricardo

Thanks guys. I'm going to leave it alone for now. There's really a lot of that white stuff in there. Three "sheets" that cover back and side walls. Only the bottom section where the two PR's are is left open. I know that if I add something else I will be wondering if I added too much, if I should've removed some of the white stuff......
Also leaving it alone might give me a reason for a new project down the road.