Noisey floors

edited July 2019 in Systems
I recently chucked a couple of big concrete slabs under my speakers.
I’d tried this in the past in homes in which my listening room’s floor was a  suspended one, and noticed a difference. May even have done it here in the past, but for some reason, not in recent years with recent incarnations of the system.
I had to use pretty large slabs (600mm square) to accommodate the large speakers. Must weigh over 30 kilos each, so big buggers to haul about.
Made a significant difference to what the bass does to my ears and liver.
First of all there’s a bit less of it overall, but what there is of it is better. I assume this is due to the inert mass of the slabs hindering vibrations from the speaker from exciting the wooden suspended floorboards and air in the cavity under the wooden floor.
I’m guessing that the size of the slabs means that they are sitting over at least two floor joists. The speakers certainly feel pretty rigid.
Regarding how much overall bass energy is absent, I’ve trimmed back the squaker and tweeter by around 3dB to bring things back into balance. Things sound really good. As I say, the quality of the bass is significantly improved, as is the overall cleanliness of the system’s sound.
Really happy for a fiver per slab.
And, I managed to remember safe lifting and handling techniques. So for once my back isn’t in tatters.

Comments

  • Cool.

    I've wondered about doing that in my place as the floors are pretty bouncy.
  • I remember using a different method in my daze of tweakery.
    It consisted of hard wood batons, 2" I think, laid perpendicular to the floor boards a minimum of four per speaker, held down by both glue and screws.
    A quartet of cross head screws would be laid out in said batons to recieve the spikes of the speakers. If carpet was present lay it back over the batons.

    I did this for some SBLs and was pleased with the results. I've never tried the concrete block thang.
    Let's give the methods names;
    Concrete = The Bob method (Bob the builder)
    Wood = the Jesus method ( Yeah, Him)
  • Sounds a bit Advanced DIY for me. I think I'd go for the Bob Method (I follow someone on Instagram who revels in the moniker of BobTheBalder. Fantastic! IMHO)
  • cj66 said:
    I remember using a different method in my daze of tweakery.
    It consisted of hard wood batons, 2" I think, laid perpendicular to the floor boards a minimum of four per speaker, held down by both glue and screws.
    A quartet of cross head screws would be laid out in said batons to recieve the spikes of the speakers. If carpet was present lay it back over the batons.

    I did this for some SBLs and was pleased with the results. I've never tried the concrete block thang.
    Let's give the methods names;
    Concrete = The Bob method (Bob the builder)
    Wood = the Jesus method ( Yeah, Him)
    I think I read something somewhere else similar to the Jesus method. Screwing down some board... Your hardwood sounds like a good idea. And running them perpendicular is obviously good from a strength / rigidity pov (could mean you screw them on to the joists too. Which would be even better).
    So the spikes sat in the crosshairs of the screw quartet? (Maybe nails would’ve been more “Jesus”.)
  • uglymusic said:
    Sounds a bit Advanced DIY for me. I think I'd go for the Bob Method
    “Yes you can” Dave!
  • Docfoster said:
    uglymusic said:
    Sounds a bit Advanced DIY for me. I think I'd go for the Bob Method
    “Yes you can” Dave!
    You reckon?
  • Bob is certain of it.
  • That's kinda methodical of the guy...
  • Yes Ben, spikes in the "cross hairs", aim and then throw the speakers from the other side of the room. They land perfectly every time, honest!
  • cj66 said:
    Yes Ben, spikes in the "cross hairs", aim and then throw the speakers from the other side of the room. They land perfectly every time, honest!
    :smiley:

    I've just made the mistake of trying it out before properly practising...I Missed...


  • For a moment there, I thought you'd bought a new subwoofer :-0


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