DIY Subwoofer Risers

[Lush23]

Here's the updated look with different foam...

[ultraman352]

Can you guys help me please , I am attempting to build one of these things and I have gone through all 98 pages, I bought 4'' table legs a piece of wood cut to 14*14 for my pioneer subwoofer I bought some carpet, some spray glue, and some foam from walmart,

my questions are
1. will this be effective,
or
should I build one of those 2ft things, (if so easy instructions please)


Some of the things about placement, it is going on a 3rd floor 4 bedroom apartment on carpet.

Somethings about me I am 20, have aspergers so I may not understand everything so please try to make it simple,

[Billy13]

Originally Posted by ultraman352

Can you guys help me please , I am attempting to build one of these things and I have gone through all 98 pages, I bought 4'' table legs a piece of wood cut to 14*14 for my pioneer subwoofer I bought some carpet, some spray glue, and some foam from walmart,

my questions are
1. will this be effective,
or
should I build one of those 2ft things, (if so easy instructions please)


Some of the things about placement, it is going on a 3rd floor 4 bedroom apartment on carpet.

Somethings about me I am 20, have aspergers so I may not understand everything so please try to make it simple,

All your materials are fine except the Styrofoam.
Just use some type of polyfill or insulating material. In fact, you can use what Lush23 used.
It will be easy for you to build, and your neighbors will appreciate it too

[Lush23]

Yeah, don't use the styrofoam lol.. I made that mistake already.. Anyways, my WalMart didn't have any of the other foam these guys were talking about so I improvised and found the AC foam panels..

[ultraman352]

so will the subwoofer sound better with the materials I have? + Air condtioning foam, I will return the walmart foam, I was reading that it is not worth it for me to get a second Pioneer SW 8MK2, and that it would be smarter to save up for a better primary subwoofer,

so right now main goal is to make the most out of the Pioneer Sub

[Lush23]

Originally Posted by ultraman352

so will the subwoofer sound better with the materials I have? + Air condtioning foam, I will return the walmart foam, I was reading that it is not worth it for me to get a second Pioneer SW 8MK2, and that it would be smarter to save up for a better primary subwoofer,

so right now main goal is to make the most out of the Pioneer Sub

For my two subs in my basement, the sound is definitely better. I tested them out again just a few mins ago with the Oz the Great and Powerful movie and I was very impressed. My subs have always filled the room but now they are less boomy and the bass is a lot tighter. Also, I actually feel the bass now.

I don't know anything about your sub though. But test out the riser on your subwoofer to see if there is a difference. If not, then I would always suggest having a 2 sub setup, I don't think I can ever go back to one sub.

[pm_hx29j]

My DIY riser is in my gallery, under "Enhancing a B&W ASW610 Subwoofer"

[SIMA66]

Just before finding this thread I started to build my risers. I had to stop building, because I had to READ!!!
This was another prove to make me realize today, how stupid I was yesterday!
Excellent thread Big Daddy!

At this moment my subs are on two plastic boxes (each), 23" high, just for experiment and they will NEVER go down!

The sub-trap it's a good idea. Did anyone tried to compare just a riser with the sub-trap? I wonder how much will be the benefit of the sub-trap?!

I don't understand why the sub-trap have to be a CLOSED box?

What is the purpose of tube in the middle of the ASC Sub-trap? Will there be a difference if the the box it's COMPLETELY filled with the rigid Fiberglas?

[Shpongle DMT]

Here are some pics of my build.

Material
Old Army exercise mat
3/4" MDF
4x4 wood legs 6" long
Spray glue
Foam stuffing
3" long construction screws
Square rubber pads for furniture
Black fabric from wal mart



I had cut the exercise mat into squares and glued them together so they would be thicker.



I put the padded pieces between the legs and the rest of the structure to minimize vibration. The leg is held to the top plate by two construction screws.



All legs and inside pads completed



How I used the exercise mat pieces to pad the top of the structure.



I put a piece of the exercise mat in the rubber feet and then mounted them to the bottom of each leg with glue.



covered with the fabric



stuffed



ready to go



The riser with a SVS PB12-NSD on it.

[rpatt]

Originally Posted by Shpongle DMT

Here are some pics of my build.

Material
Old Army exercise mat
3/4" MDF
4x4 wood legs 6" long
Spray glue
Foam stuffing
3" long construction screws
Square rubber pads for furniture
Black fabric from wal mart



I had cut the exercise mat into squares and glued them together so they would be thicker.



I put the padded pieces between the legs and the rest of the structure to minimize vibration. The leg is held to the top plate by two construction screws.



All legs and inside pads completed



How I used the exercise mat pieces to pad the top of the structure.



I put a piece of the exercise mat in the rubber feet and then mounted them to the bottom of each leg with glue.



covered with the fabric



stuffed



ready to go



The riser with a SVS PB12-NSD on it.

Good job.

[StalkerVette]

I did something a little different, I'll see how this compares to the risers I built for the HT sub's (first attached pics). I made these for my front L&R speakers in the Great Room, but it will work for a sub too. I built the isolation riser out of 18x11x1.25 Brazilian granite with Dayton spikes.

I'll upload the construction instructions to my gallery.

[sackexchange]

Got a couple questions for some help. Is it recommended that I purchase a couple of Subdudes at 1.75 inches high or Ampdudes at 2.75 inches high? Also can I place them on end tables to get my 2 feet and still have the same effect as building 2 foot boxes and full of foam?

[AJCxZ0]

Originally Posted by sackexchange

Is it recommended that I purchase a couple of Subdudes at 1.75 inches high or Ampdudes at 2.75 inches high?

Since this is the "DIY Subwoofer Risers" thread, it would be safe to say no.

can I place them on end tables to get my 2 feet and still have the same effect as building 2 foot boxes and full of foam?

Don't fixate on either the two foot or the foam details. If your end tables are the basis for your risers, then you can start by putting your subs on the tables. This alone will address the two major advantages of a riser (isolation and vertical modes), so start with that, re-calibrate and re-test with your reference material.

The next fine tweak may be getting some rubber feet, mat or something to increase the isolation (i.e. the only job the expensive 'dudes would perform there), depending on what's in between your sub chassis, the table and the hard floor; that is if you don't already have good enough isolation.

After that, you might consider some foam or other absorbent materials, but be aware that this will likely have negligible effect on bass frequencies. Treating the rest will have much more significant effect.

As always with risers, we presume you have already addressed the more important factors of sub location and receiver settings and calibration.

[sackexchange]

Originally Posted by AJCxZ0

Since this is the "DIY Subwoofer Risers" thread, it would be safe to say no.

You may have read my question wrong. If I was to buy one or the other, which one would be more effective? Or does it matter? Also would it make a difference if I put them directly on the floor or on tables? My Def Techs have screw on rubber feet.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by sackexchange

You may have read my question wrong. If I was to buy one or the other, which one would be more effective? Or does it matter? Also would it make a difference if I put them directly on the floor or on tables? My Def Techs have screw on rubber feet.

Try them in both positions I have had mine Stacked ~ Raised & on the floor & I prefer them raised up off the floor. That is just my opinion in my HT.

[AJCxZ0]

Originally Posted by sackexchange

You may have read my question wrong.

I understood the intent of your question, but gave the best answer in this context.

If I was to buy one or the other, which one would be more effective? Or does it matter?

I don't know, but the right answer would probably be "it depends". A quick search on AVS Forum suggests that you might want to start a thread concerning Ampdude vs. Subdude since there is almost no discussion of using the Ampdude with a sub.

Also would it make a difference if I put them directly on the floor or on tables?

Yes, but purchasing a 'dude then using it as a component of a D.I.Y. riser based on a table would be rather silly.

My Def Techs have screw on rubber feet.

Then you probably have little need of the dampening which would be offered by the 'dude on the table. If additional damping is needed, then almost any practical option would be cheaper and easier. You should also look at what's between the solid legs of the table and the hard floor for isolation.

[crazyBLUE]

Everyone's room is different ~ Size / shape all plays into it. Hardwood floors / carpets ~ All this factors into how the room will sound. Even the difference between vaulted ceilings & non vaulted ceilings.

Best thing to do is experiment with what you are working with & see what sounds best to you

[sackexchange]

Originally Posted by AJCxZ0

I don't know, but the right answer would probably be "it depends". A quick search on AVS Forum suggests that you might want to start a thread concerning Ampdude vs. Subdude since there is almost no discussion of using the Ampdude with a sub.



Yes, but purchasing a 'dude then using it as a component of a D.I.Y. riser based on a table would be rather silly.

I ask because the ampdude looks more like what a lot of people have made for themselves, with space between the foam and the floor and the Subdudes look like they are laying directly on the floor.

I need to choose one or the other and try them on the floor and with my end tables before I buy some dedicated tables for the subs.

If anyone has information on the amp/subdude differences it would be great to know.

I'm not opposed to making my own, I just prefer a more clean store bought look.

[bhampton]

Hi,

I'm new to the subwoofer stand idea. I recently built absorption panels and loved what they did to tame reflections... So I started trying to learn about these sub stands.

I picked up a piece of foam from Walmart and it's pretty rigid I guess. Seems a bit like the subdude product. The bass does sound different but its hard for me to say if it is different in the right direction...also I suppose I need to redo the calibration, bass seemed to be reduced.

The foam I got could just be the stand.... Its white though... I should have really kept scraps of the speaker fabric I had from making the panels... I wonder if I could paint the foam or just hit it up with sharpie...

[onyxbfly]

Originally Posted by bhampton

Hi,

I'm new to the subwoofer stand idea. I recently built absorption panels and loved what they did to tame reflections... So I started trying to learn about these sub stands.

I picked up a piece of foam from Walmart and it's pretty rigid I guess. Seems a bit like the subdude product. The bass does sound different but its hard for me to say if it is different in the right direction...also I suppose I need to redo the calibration, bass seemed to be reduced.

The foam I got could just be the stand.... Its white though... I should have really kept scraps of the speaker fabric I had from making the panels... I wonder if I could paint the foam or just hit it up with sharpie...

Essentially you have decoupled your subwoofer from the floor. You are hearing/ feeling bass sans the vibration. A sharpie will take forever, unless you one of those fat old skool pilot markers. A cheap can of black spray paint should set you straight. Styrofoam can be porous so you might need two coats.

You are right. When ever you make changes to your speakers you should recalibrate them.