$12 speaker tweak
steveinaz
Posts: 19,538
I found a really nice set of 20" x 20" clay tiles at Home Depot this weekend. Using these when you have carpet gives your speakers a solid platform, tightens bass, and improves midrange. $5.46 ea.
Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
Post edited by steveinaz on
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good tip.. i'm interested in giving it a try. I wonder if it would work for heavy SDA's ?PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin: -
danger boy wrote: »good tip.. i'm interested in giving it a try. I wonder if it would work for heavy SDA's ?"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Yep. I use a pair of cutting boards for the same purpose.HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50 LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub
"God grooves with tubes." -
Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?
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Spike it . I used 3/8 bolts and t-nuts sharpened to a very nice point , and they are adjustable . I used these on my DIYer 10" 18" and my next 15" cabinet Works great and only cost about 3.00 at the hardware store.:cool: " He who dies with the most equipment wins Right ? "
Denon 3300 Adcom 535 BBe w/sub out 1 pr 4.6s 2 pr of 4 jrs Recent additions Samsung Lns-4095D LCD, Samsung hd-960 DVD, Monster HT-5000 Power center,HPSA-1000 18" sealed DiY home sub.:D
Black Laquer 1.2tl's w/ upgraded x-overs and Tweets BI-Amped with 2 Carver tfm-35's Knukonceptz 10ga cables -
Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?
Yeah, that's what this tweak is usually used for. Another alternative is to go to the gardening section of your local HD or Lowes and buy a $5 18" x 18" cement tile and spray paint it black, then place it underneath your sub. Tightens up the bass a bit, especially if the sub is sitting on a raised wood floor.HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50 LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub
"God grooves with tubes." -
Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?
Dave
When I had my SVS, it also sat on a tile--I like the tighter bass.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
danger boy wrote: »good tip.. i'm interested in giving it a try. I wonder if it would work for heavy SDA's ?
The tiles I bought were 1/4" thick (Marazzi I believe) and have no problem with my spiked C-9's.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
The tiles I bought were 1/4" thick (Merrazzi I believe) and have no problem with my spiked C-9's.
What department in Home Depot; kitchen, garden, outdoors; flooring? I have been looking for something like this for awhile. Home Depot is huge and I never seem to run across these types of things when I'm randomly looking."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
The largest our Home Depot had in stock was 16x16 which I thought was just too small. So I ran across the street to Lowes and they had a couple of 18x18 pieces on clearance so I grabbed (2) 18x18 tiles for $3.70 each = $7.40 total.
As soon as it stops pouring out I'll bring them in and put them in place. We are going to be having severe storms tonight and tomorrow and the rig will stay unplugged so I'm in no hurry to see how it sounds.
Great find Steve!!!
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?
I did. Mind you I just have a PSW10, but it was sitting on the carpet and I wasn't getting the best sound from it I thought. I happened to have a leftover piece of tile from when the house was built and slid it under there. It was a pretty dramatic improvement from my perspective considering I don't have the best sub placement, it meant I could turn down the sub a little so there wasn't distortion on more bass-intensive sections of music or movies without losing overall impact. This probably sounds a little more grandiose than what you would expect, and your probably right, but for free it seemed to make quite a difference.I know just enough to be dangerous, but don't tell my wife, she thinks I'm a genius.
Pioneer VSX-816
Monitor 40's - fronts, bi-amped
Monitor 30's - surrounds
CS1 - center
PSW10 - I'll let you guess
Blue Jeans Cable - speaker cable
Daewoo 27 incher - one step up from a console
Sony Progressive scan DVD
XBOX
SOPA since 2008
Here's my stuff. -
What department in Home Depot; kitchen, garden, outdoors; flooring? I have been looking for something like this for awhile. Home Depot is huge and I never seem to run across these types of things when I'm randomly looking.
There's a couple of isles dedicated to tile, grout, tiling tools, etc.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
I found it but I ended up getting a couple pieces at Lowes since our Home Dept didn't have anything larger than 16x16.
They look nice and make my 1C's appear level since they aren't diggin in the carpet. I have noticed on some very muddy cd's the bass has improved slightly.
If nothing else they look nice and elegant under the speakers and I think it's a tweak worth doing since the cost is so low. I hear an improvement but not on every recording is it so noticeable.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I use tiles under my five stands which are spiked for my LSi's (all 5 for HT).Michael
In the beginning, all knowledge was new!
NORTH of 60° -
Heinie
Leveling is another benefit, as is increasing height slightly. The tweak is subtle, but for 12bucks, what the heck. I had to go with 20" because my speakers are 18" deep, and 18" tiles are actually 17 3/4".Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2 -
Heinie
Leveling is another benefit, as is increasing height slightly. The tweak is subtle, but for 12bucks, what the heck. I had to go with 20" because my speakers are 18" deep, and 18" tiles are actually 17 3/4".
I agree, they look much better visually and I do hear some benefit in sound. A win-win situation and I got a great deal at <$8.00 out the door. :cool:
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Are you saying this mod is worth doing for spiked speakers? My RTi12 use the plastic spikes that came with them and sit on carpet, would this mod help out? Or should I just use it for my sub (Bic H100)
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Both. My speakers are also spiked and sit on tiles.Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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atxconnection wrote: »Are you saying this mod is worth doing for spiked speakers? My RTi12 use the plastic spikes that came with them and sit on carpet, would this mod help out? Or should I just use it for my sub (Bic H100)
Do it. It helped when I had my RTi10's.I like speakers that are bigger than a small refrigerator but smaller than a big refrigerator:D -
I did this with my HSU, down-firing sub and it helped alot. I was able to turn down the volume on it considerably.
Next I will try it with my LS-90s, but I would not expect as much benefit with those; but, I may be surprised. -
Are they THX Certified?
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"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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atxconnection wrote: »Are you saying this mod is worth doing for spiked speakers? My RTi12 use the plastic spikes that came with them and sit on carpet, would this mod help out? Or should I just use it for my sub (Bic H100)
i think the idea is that you want your speaks on as solid a foundation as possible. if they can move back and forth in soft carpet or if they cause a more solid floor like wood or laminate to resonate, you're not getting the best performance possible out of them. so, you look to either couple the speakers with or decouple them from the floor depending on your situation.
most folks mention bass performance, but, if i remember right, i've read to the effect that if you consider the short length of high frequency sound waves and that if low frequencies can propel speakers back and forth even just a tiny bit, that some high frequencies might get cancelled or smeared.
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I can't find any 24" tiles at the depot or lowes. I'll have to check out some other places."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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I can't find any 24" tiles at the depot or lowes. I'll have to check out some other places.
I couldn't either, but I did find some 18x18 tiles and they work great. Obviously if you need it for a sub you'll need a larger single piece."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
Those would be for my mains."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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Those would be for my mains.
Measure and see. I have SDA 1C's and the 18x18 fit very well with about 2" in the front and back and about 3/4" on the right and left as hang over."Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
You'll probably need to go to a specialty tile store for 24 x 24 and bigger...Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
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My mains are 26" wide, 18" deep, and 36" tall. My spikes are about 1.5" in all around, so a 24x24 or 24x18 would work perfectly. 20x20 would work for my sub though.
There are pics in my system showcase."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -