Dynamating My Baskets

Hermitism

Getting ready to Dynamat everything...speakers, AVR and power conditioner. I already did my Blu-ray player last summer, but I'm going to add it to a few more spots on the 51FD. I'm hoping the Dynamat arrives later today or tomorrow, I'll have plenty.

I've read on here that it is recommended to do the spokes, which I outlined in red. I also know to stay away from the part that seals against the cabinet. I was also going to do the parts I marked in orange. Are there any other places that I need to apply the Dynamat?

Thanks for the help!

pitdogg2

yep you got it. if the cap on magnet assembly rings a little wouldn't hurt either. I'd also put a red dot where it belongs on the dynamat...just so you know:)

Hermitism

The cap does ring on the sides a lot, but not on the back.

Would a one inch strip every couple of inches be enough, you think? I guess I'll know once I do it.

Thank for the help, by the way.

pitdogg2

then a couple of strips won't hurt.

westmassguy

I'd cover the whole thing, and be sure to keep the vent hole open.

Hermitism

I've got four square feet, so I should have plenty. I was going to do my fronts and center, and the covers on the AVR and conditioner (frames if there is room to do so). Then do the surrounds if I have enough. Haven't had the SC-05 or Monster conditioner open yet, so I don't know how much room is inside to apply it yet. The AVR looks pretty packed from looking through the vents. The lid is 50% vented, so I should have enough clearance to do the solid un-vented parts of the lid, at least.

Once I'm inside the SC-05, I'll look to see if there is room to install an AC socket so I can upgrade the power cord. It's not removable on that model.

Hermitism

This is my first one. Is this good, or do you think it's overkill? I didn't cover up the model number sticker. I'll check back in a few minutes.

F1nut

Overkill. A little goes a long way.

Hermitism

So just do strips on the caps? One inch strips maybe?

westmassguy

I disagree Jesse. You want to add mass to the light gauge steel wherever possible. The Dynamat is cheap enough, that a few extra square inches isn't going to break the bank. Test it, tap on it. Exposed metal will ring or clink. The Dynamatted areas won't. Who knows what's under that magnet cover.

zane77

Put a strip on and strike it, if it doesn't ring your good, if it does add a little more.

westmassguy

This is the way I do drivers and PRs. It's professional looking, not Hodgepodge, and I never have to 2nd guess myself whether I put enough on.

Hermitism

Well, no matter what, I'm going to do the matching driver on the opposite speaker the same. They have to match. YES, I'm that obsessive compulsive! The next problem will be tightening down the four screw to hold each one in place. I always want to go back and tighten each one a little more...then I end up stripping them. I should probably be on medication!

F1nut

There's nothing wrong with covering everything, but it's certainly not needed, IMO.

westmassguy

F1nut wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with covering everything, but it's certainly not needed, IMO.

Jesse, you're a stickler, in a good way, about anything wood related, but not so with something like this. Do it once and do it right. That's how I was taught. To the OP, do it whichever way you feel comfortable. If they were mine, there'd be no question, because every time I looked at the speaker, there'd be that little hesitation...did I put enough on, do I hear a ring. That's just the way I am.

westmassguy

Hermitism wrote: »

Well, no matter what, I'm going to do the matching driver on the opposite speaker the same. They have to match. YES, I'm that obsessive compulsive! The next problem will be tightening down the four screw to hold each one in place. I always want to go back and tighten each one a little more...then I end up stripping them. I should probably be on medication!

I'm the same way, and was medicated, I'm much better now.

Hermitism

I feel like we've all bonded over Dynamat. It was a good day.

ken brydson

westmassguy wrote: »

I'm the same way, and was medicated, I'm much better now.

Sig material right there. We're all sick to some degree...

westmassguy

Hermitism wrote: »

I feel like we've all bonded over Dynamat. It was a good day.

Whodda thunk it?

westmassguy

ken brydson wrote: »

Sig material right there. We're all sick to some degree...

Very true

leftwinger57

Your job looks just fine. I don't about all the other components but it's nice and neat. This is the way mine came out.

leftwinger57

Hey Dave if your out there I just noticed something. My passives have a piece of styrofoam in the center of their rears. Mine are according to a list I had and looked up on the Handbook as SW 121. I see yours does not have the styrofoam are they the same passive ? If the same why no sf and if different for which model speaker your 2As or CRS+. Also when I was instructed to do mine the backs according to concensous was not needed. I still have some Dynamat and if and when I do the x-overs I can if instructed to finish the backs of my passives. Found this on E-bay to best show what mine looked like.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/POLK-SDA-2-SW-121-PASSIVE-RADIATOR-/181309932954?pt=US_Speaker_Parts_Components&hash=item2a36ea059a#ht_699wt_670

westmassguy

Lew, the photo I posted was for a Monitor 10. My 2As use the same PR as your 2Bs. The PRs for my 2As were done the same as the Monitor 10 PRs, full coverage.

leftwinger57

Gotch ya , thanks...

Hermitism

They need to put a warning label on the Dynamat packaging.

***May Cause Back Pain***

Holy hell my back hurts! I'm taking a Palladia break tonight. Why apply Dynamat tonight, when you can apply Dynamat tomorrow! I'm just saying'.

mikemokr

[never mind, reread the thread and my question was answered already]

Inspector 24

In for listening results.

Hermitism

When I used to post multiple pics, they would show up as thumbnails. Now if I post one pic, it shows up as full size, but if I post multiple pics they show up as links without thumbnails. To make this thread easier to follow, I'm just going to post one pic per post and make multiple posts. Otherwise known as being a post ****.

Dynamat/RTi8's

With Dynamating my Blu-ray player, upgrading it's power cord, upgrading speaker cables and building acoustic panels, each time I had that Ah-Ha moment when I said, "Oh yeah, I undoubtedly can hear a difference." I'm going to be honest here, I didn't have that moment after doing the baskets in the RTi8's. I'm not really sure I can hear a difference. I have two theories as to why and I welcome thoughts and opinions.

Theory #1
The larger the driver, the larger the basket. The larger the basket, the longer the spokes. The longer the spokes, the more ringing it will have and the more you will notice a difference after applying Dynamat. My speaker have small drivers/baskets which make it less noticeable.

Theory #2
Volume/loudness level. I don't play music at loud levels (small room/sitting about eight feet away from front speakers). After buying Doug's speaker cables (excellent upgrade for me), I immediately noticed how much better the music sounded at lower levels and have since been playing music at lower volume at about -30. That number is deceiving because after calibrating my AVR, the MCACC set my front speakers to around -6 in the speaker level settings. So that -30 is actually not as loud as you might think. My thinking is the louder you play the music, the more you will notice the difference after applying Dynamat. I play movies around -23. So I'm betting that I will benefit more during HT use.

This is how I look at it. I may do one tweak and it may not result in a noticeable difference, but if I do five tweaks that individually result in a little difference, once you combine all of them, it might show a sizable difference once combined. I'll say this, every speaker and electronic component I buy in the future will get the Dynamat treatment. It doesn't cost a lot. It just takes time. And to anyone thinking about doing this, it is time consuming! And it doesn't do your back and knees any favors if you do it on the floor as I did.

Pioneer SC-05

After finishing the RTi8's, I disconnected my SC-05 and pulled it out. The lid actually seems really solid due to the ample amount of screws on the top, sides and back. I didn't hear any ringing, but wanted to apply Dynamat where I could. After removing the top, I saw that there really wasn't much room for it. Some of the boards come within a couple millimeter from the lid, and it has a lot of bracing that contacts the lid. I was able to to apply three pieces. One strip to each of the lid's sides and one square piece to the top portion.

Didn't notice any difference in sound, but like I said, I didn't hear a ringing before applying it.

Hermitism

Hermitism

Pioneer BDP-51FD

Next I took apart my Blu-ray player. I started a thread last summer after I got it and applied some Dynamat to it. I know there are members here with that same player so here is the thread with pictures:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?151519-My-Dynamat-Blu-ray-Player-Art-Project

I strongly recommend doing this. Applying Dynamat to my source yielded the most drastic results of all my Dynamating. This time I removed the power supply board and was able to apply a good amount below it and was also able to get underneath the optical drive from the opposite side from last time. It doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but it is very difficult to find areas to apply it on the frame, so this really helped. I also applied a few more small pieces to the lips that come up one the sides of the frame that the lid screws to. This really is a great player. Blu-rays look and sound amazing. I know DVDs aren't known for picture quality compared to Blu-rays, but it does an amazing job with DVDs also. I have a Sony upscaling DVD player and there is no comparison between the two. And music CDs are crystal clear and detailed.

Hermitism

Monster PowerCenter HTS 5000

Next was the power conditioner. I'm almost afraid to mention the name "Monster" because it conjures such jealousy and envy among the members here. :eek:

F1nut, if you are reading this, I remember you saying that Monster conditioners are known to make equipment sound worse. Can you explain... Do they restrict current, or does it have to do with the way it filters?

When I pulled it out, and flicked the top, it rang like a bell. It literally rang for about four full seconds. The frame/chassis seemed solid, but I still applied three small pieces towards the front on the frame. Forgot to take a picture of the inside. There is no doubt that Dynamat does EXACTLY what it is supposed to do. There is now no ringing and it sounds very solid, not hollow then you flick it. I haven't got it hooked back up yet. Still need to do my CSi3 this weekend, and then my surrounds later...I want to give my knees and back a rest first.