sony sub?

ohskigod · December 2003

was at an estate auction one day and found a sony wm-500 sub, what seemed new i box for (i talked them down to 40.00) for kicks and giggles, i bought it. have been playing with it, and using it just for a bass boost below 60 hz (via crossover knob) i have had this thing throw out power, and it is pretty impressive. did some research, and this thing can be had new for between 130.00 and 200.00 dollars. i tried to get this thing to distort by blasting it, and it just keeps throwing out some pretty clean bass? anyone ever use one of these subs before? im very impressed with this thing for the price, am i nuts here?

gatemplin · December 2003

Yes you got a very good deal on that sub. It is the newer version of the sawm40 which was very popular for its price/performance ratio. I have one but no longer use it because I found it "one notey" but YMMV. It does go loud and can be improved by doing the mods which are also very popular.

ohskigod · December 2003

do you mean bracing the inside, sound insulation and such. are there any other mods i dont know about?

ohskigod · December 2003

i was thinking of putting spiked feet on it as well.

gatemplin · December 2003

The mods are stuffing the box with polyfill to reduce the boom-iness and adding "modge podge?" to the cone. I sealed the box, removed the grill (huge improvement) and filled it completely with polyfill. Do a search for sawm500 and sawm40 to see if there are more mods. You have a good HT sub for the money.

dorokusai · December 2003

Ski - I tweaked my Polk 202 with spikes, granite and polyfill....and it certainly helped.

I picked up the spikes from: www.oregondv.com

ohskigod · December 2003

do i just put in the polyfill loose, or do i glue it to the sidewalls, the bag of polyfill i have is not a mat, its a bag of loose fill and glueing it to the walls might be impossible, i just want to make sure stuffing it in the open space is kosher (?)

PolkThug · December 2003

don't glue it!!

walk · December 2003

Interesting granite stuff. Very pricey though.

I'm in the granite countertop business. That is I just got into it. I was thinking I could get a little side business going by finishing the scraps and selling them for $80-100. Certainly a lot cheaper than that place!

I'm making myself a little granite "landing pad" for my subwoofer. When that's done I'll put up some pics

Heptarchone · December 2003

Our granite stands or racks seem expensive when compared to wood or simple metal construction. There is more to these stands than just taking a scrap piece of stone and polishing however. The prices listed on my page are very competitive when compared to others on the market. I saw the outrageous prices for granite stands on Audiogon, that's why I started the granite stuff.

A few things to consider when manufacturing & selling that I originally did not:

Each stand, or pair for mono's, is custom cut per the customer's needs. This includes color, thickness, size, corner type, and cone mounting. If you offer just the colors and thickness of scrap pieces from counter top jobs you limit the customers choices. Hence, you can't sell them for more than $70.00 to $100.00 each. Consider minimum granite purchases and the storing of remnants from each job.

Standard counter top granite is usually .75" thick or less. Most of our orders require 1.25" thick stone.

Cone mounting is a secondary operation that involves drilling and installing inserts using an epoxy resin. The insert must be mounted to give the customer the option of changing floor cones.

The granite pieces must be absolutely flat without any flaws after completion. If they are not, figure out how to repair or toss them aside and start over.

Each piece needs to be packaged individually for shipment. The stands we sell on average weigh around 50 lbs each. There are boxes, crates, and packaging foam available that fit nicely with the shipping of granite pieces across the country... but it does cost money.

There are many other things to consider that do not add direct value to the product, but have to be included in the total cost of ownership. Shipping damage, returns, rework, customer service overhead (big one), etc. Then after everything is said and done give Uncle Sam his chunk.

Audiophiles are generally meticulous buyers and are not just looking for cheaper products, but quality products. If someone is in search of granite blocks, "landing pads", or scraps they can simply go to any counter top maker or granite remnant yard and buy them for very little. Many folks do just that, but others want perfection and that is our market.

Just wanted to make the distinction.

Thanks,

Paul
http://www.oregondv.com

dorokusai · December 2003

Paul - It is real nice to see you around here

I have picked up many spikes thru Paul, and they are outstanding. I can also attest to the high quality of his granite creations, as my friend owns two amplifier stands from www.oregondv.com

To mention that they are modestly priced, and exceptional, would be an understatement.

If you are able to find scraps, then certainly do so. I have a friend that runs a commercial business, and he ground and finished these pieces for me, for free. If you want to invest in something more professional, then please talk to Paul, hes really in the know.

ohskigod · December 2003

how do you get into the cabinet to stuff it. tried to take the driver off, removed the screws, but the driver, despite my attempts, does not come out. tried to remove the amp, and found that the amp is mounted outside the box and there is no way intot e cabinet from the back. is taking out the driver the right route, or am i missing something here?

walk · December 2003

Oh don't get me wrong, your stuff is very nice, and not expensive at all if you make it custom order out of slabs. It's exactly the right price for that.

I was just trying to figure out if I could do something with all the scraps we have. We do have quite a stack already of sink and cooktop cutouts and we've only been at this 2 months.. We use only 3cm (1-1/4") granite.

I especially loved your granite speakers!

I was thinking of building myself a granite subwoofer.

gatemplin · December 2003

Ohskigod,
To remove the driver, remove all 8 screws and pry it up with a slotted screwdriver. Dont worry if you break the paper spacers. The only thing holding it in is a foam gasket which is attached to the driver. Try tipping it over to get the driver out.

Heptarchone · December 2003

Thanks for the comments on our work. I tried not to sound too defensive and I hope I didn't . Just wanted to give some backdrop to our price structure.

You guys must do really high end stuff using 1.25".

I'd like to see a sub from granite please post if you complete. Maybe you could list them on Oregondv

walk · January 2004

Actually we don't do a lot of high-end houses (around here that means $2-3 million homes) we use some tricks to keep the costs down (like we don't have to laminate the edges on 3cm granite to get a nice bullnose/etc) so we can offer granite kitchens for not much more than people might pay for tile and sometimes even less than they might pay for Corian or other "fake granites" as I call them

Sorry to hijack your thread btw

ohskigod · January 2004

had a feeling some mile prying might be involved. i just wanted to make sure i wasnt doing something very wrong by removing the driver. thanks to all for your help. ill keep you posted as to my success (or lack thereof):rolleyes:

ohskigod · January 2004

i stuffed the box with polyfill. sounds tighter, but i am wondering if i put too much in, i packed quite a bit in. bass is tighter but seems muted, maybe its me. to complicate things, i am moving into a new house, so even if i get it set up right, will have to do it all over again.

bozzchops · January 2004

Would you guys suggest putting spikes on a sub in every situation (carpet) as a general mod upgrade? What does it do to improve sound/performance?

PolkThug · January 2004

"The Subterfuge is finished in real oak veneer. Sorry, vinyl isn't an option. It also has a feature that I've never seen on any subwoofer at any price: a sand-filled base. Why? The trick with any speaker, and subwoofers in particular, is to allow the cabinet some ability to "breathe", i.e. transmit some energy to the listening area, but not enough to color the sound. A subwoofer generates a lot of energy, and the sand helps bleed some of that off without killing the sound quality the way so-called inert cabinets do. Then, as the coup de grace, robust spikes further drain excess energy into the floor. Personally, I cringe when I see some of the cheesy plastic and rubber feet that many of the currently available subwoofers have. That automatically disqualifies it as an audiophile product."

I imagine the sand achieves a similar outcome to polyfil.

PolkThug · January 2004

per Crutchfield:

"Spikes often "tighten up" bass response by reducing sound-muddying vibrations. Spikes also provide greater stability on carpeted floors. "

bozzchops · January 2004

Any suggestions on where I could find some spike options online, or any specific recommendations? Also, the polyfill solution is puzzling to me, can someone explain (sorry, I'm sure you've all explained it a hundred times before) the benifit of that?
Thanks for you help!

dorokusai · January 2004

www.oregondv.com

Very well made, and great service.

ohskigod · January 2004

well, i did the the polyfill stuff and the mod podge modification on the sony swm-500. and as you guys said, big difference. all that is left is the spikes and granite. actually, if i have a piece of marble to use, would that suffice for the granite?

sony sub?

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