DIY Subwoofer Risers

[Bluray_ne1]

Hey Big Daddy,

With respect to purchased risers (Auralex Gramma, SubDude, etc.), is there any one that is considered better than another for specific uses? In other words, would one version be better for subwoofers than for guitar amps or monitors or vice-versa? Would the SubDude HD be preferred over the Gramma strictly for home theater sub use, that kind of thing. Thanks!

[scweb13]

Anyone fimiliar with Bright Star Audio? They make isolation platforms that are or can be filled with sand.
I've seen some of the platforms for sale on Audiogon and was just wanting to know if there is any benefit with sand over foam?

[ZIPPO]

Originally Posted by Bluray_ne1

Hey Big Daddy,

With respect to purchased risers (Auralex Gramma, SubDude, etc.), is there any one that is considered better than another for specific uses? In other words, would one version be better for subwoofers than for guitar amps or monitors or vice-versa? Would the SubDude HD be preferred over the Gramma strictly for home theater sub use, that kind of thing. Thanks!

The differences are size, color & cover fabric. The SubDude HD( 15" x 15" x 2.5" ) is black with a velour fabric. It was designed to blend into a home setting decor. The SubDude ( 15" x 15" x 2.5" ) is gray with a ozite carpet coating. The GRAMMA( 23" x 15" x 2.75" ) & Great GRAMMA( 30" x 19" x 2.75" ) weren't designed for home theater use, but can be used. I use a Great GRAMMA with an ED A2-300 sub.

[Bluray_ne1]

Originally Posted by ZIPPO

The differences are size, color & cover fabric. The SubDude HD( 15" x 15" x 2.5" ) is black with a velour fabric. It was designed to blend into a home setting decor. The SubDude ( 15" x 15" x 2.5" ) is gray with a ozite carpet coating. The GRAMMA( 23" x 15" x 2.75" ) & Great GRAMMA( 30" x 19" x 2.75" ) weren't designed for home theater use, but can be used. I use a Great GRAMMA with an ED A2-300 sub.

I ended up buying the Gramma (23" x 15") since the 15" x 15" sizes were too small. I was pretty much forced to get that size and I wasn't sure if that was optimal for use with my sub, hence, the reason I asked.

After installing it and re-calibrating the setup, I found it performs admirably. I still need a little more acoustical treatment for my fronts, but the sub definitely performs more crisply now. I'm glad I got it.

[Animo]

Hey BD,

If i build a riser for my eD Dual 13 DIY, can I use eDead for my insulation or is foam better?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Animo

Hey BD,

If i build a riser for my eD Dual 13 DIY, can I use eDead for my insulation or is foam better?

Use dense foam. The idea is to fill all the hollow areas so that the riser does not become part of the subwoofer enclosure. eDead is too thin and is more appropriate to cover the inside walls of a box.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by scweb13

Anyone fimiliar with Bright Star Audio? They make isolation platforms that are or can be filled with sand.
I've seen some of the platforms for sale on Audiogon and was just wanting to know if there is any benefit with sand over foam?

Funny you mentioned that. I have lately been experimenting with those. I didn't buy any from Bright Star Audio and didn't even know they existed until you posted the link. However, I have already disassembled my old DIY Titanic 1200 Subwoofer box to remove the sand filled riser section. It's not very tall, only 3.5 in. and was filled completely with sand. I recall that before the driver blew, the bass was much cleaner and tighter than my current subwoofers. However, the PA 120s go a bit deeper in the low bass. I figured that they actually need a sand filled riser more than the Titanic 1200 did.

Just for starters I placed it under one of my PA 120 subwoofers after refilling it with sand. I was floored by the improvement in the bass response. Much tighter and cleaner. Before that I had the subs sitting on 1" thick neoprene foam pads which did an ok job eliminating the boominess by isolating the subs from the ceramic tile on concrete floor at grade. But I noticed that when I watched The War of the Worlds when the pods were emerging or breaking through the streets, the subwoofer enclosures were actually recoiling or vibrating furiously. I thought that can't be good. And it wasn't. The bass was muddy. I didn't know just how muddy until I put the sub on a sand filled riser. It eliminated most of the recoil and vibration.

So, no more foam risers for me. I don't know if the Auralex Gramma risers eliminate recoil and vibration, but I am absolutely sold on using sand to both isolate the sub from the floor and eliminate the recoil or vibration in the sub.

Now, after reading the BSA articles provided by your link, I think I can completely eliminate the vibration in the sub enclosure by adding weight on top of the box, perhaps by making a shallow but decorative nice looking box to put on top and fill it with sand. I may experiment first by filling small bags with sand and keep adding mass to the top of the sub until the vibration is completely gone or as much that can be achieved. I don't want to overload the top with unnecessary or dead weight.

Note: I have been away from the forum for a good while for personal reasons. I don't intend on coming back just yet. I broke the silence by way of another link while doing research on using sand filled boxes or risers to isolate speakers and subwoofers from the floor that brought me here to scweb's post. I felt obliged to respond, and share what I have with scweb. Scweb, I will respond to any PM. I am not posting here in this thread however.

[crazyBLUE]

Well the hard part is over with Now the easy part will begin . This is the riser I have made for the Big Daddy/crazyBLUE Dayton 15" sub .

I think it looks Better on top Myself

[Animo]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Use dense foam. The idea is to fill all the hollow areas so that the riser does not become part of the subwoofer enclosure. eDead is too thin and is more appropriate to cover the inside walls of a box.

Should I use the 1/2 inch or the 1 inch foam from PE?
Also, with a 16 x 16 foot print, should I make the riser 18 x 18 or bigger?
I don't have much flexibility in room placement right now.

[Hammie]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Well the hard part is over with Now the easy part will begin . This is the riser I have made for the Big Daddy/crazyBLUE Dayton 15" sub .

I think it looks Better on top Myself

You've taken the riser concept to a new level.

[red_5ive]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Well the hard part is over with Now the easy part will begin . This is the riser I have made for the Big Daddy/crazyBLUE Dayton 15" sub .

I think it looks Better on top Myself

Now I'm confused. I thought it was supposed to make the subwoofer sit higher. So does this mean that a riser actually rises above the sub?



j/k Great job as always, cB! That's a pro job for sure!

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by louhamilton

You've taken the riser concept to a new level.

Thanks lou . Just wanted to create something Unique .

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by red_5ive

Now I'm confused. I thought it was supposed to make the subwoofer sit higher. So does this mean that a riser actually rises above the sub?



j/k Great job as always, cB! That's a pro job for sure!

Leave it to CrazyBlue to discover a new theory.

CrazyBlue,

It looks great. Are you going to put carpet on the riser?

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by red_5ive

Now I'm confused. I thought it was supposed to make the subwoofer sit higher. So does this mean that a riser actually rises above the sub?



j/k Great job as always, cB! That's a pro job for sure!

Thanks red . I appreciate that .

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Animo

Should I use the 1/2 inch or the 1 inch foam from PE?
Also, with a 16 x 16 foot print, should I make the riser 18 x 18 or bigger?
I don't have much flexibility in room placement right now.

Make it 17 x 17 or 18 x 18.

The foam from PE is good for covering the inner surface of a subwoofer box to dampen it. The thicker foam is better. You still need to fill the inside of riser's hollow area with denser foam. You can buy harder foam from Wal-Mart, Michaels, or JoAnn. They are used for pillows, mattresses, and arts & crafts.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Leave it to CrazyBlue to discover a new theory.

CrazyBlue,

It looks great. Are you going to put carpet on the riser?

Nope Of course I am Carpet on top , & I might cover that with material , I will have the inside filled with foam & will have material covering the slots on all 4 sides from the inside to hide the foam . I will stain & lacquer it tomorrow Hoping the stain will be close to what is on the Mozambique , The molding on the riser is White Oak ~ Fingers Crossed ,

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by crazyBLUE

Nope Of course I am Carpet on top , & I might cover that with material , I will have the inside filled with foam & will have material covering the slots on all 4 sides from the inside to hide the foam . I will stain & lacquer it tomorrow Hoping the stain will be close to what is on the Mozambique, The molding on the riser is White Oak ~ Fingers Crossed.

Brent, OUTSTANDING Job on that Riser!! I can't wait to see how it looks stained, with the material over the slots & carpeted & ready to rock. Excellent (as Usual!) Craftsmanship my friend.

[crazyBLUE]

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Brent, OUTSTANDING Job on that Riser!! I can't wait to see how it looks stained, with the material over the slots & carpeted & ready to rock. Excellent (as Usual!) Craftsmanship my friend.

Happy B-Day again Aero Thank you vary much . Saturday it should be done for Testing

[vsidhu]

After some experimenting with different heights. I am going to build a riser that is .75 the height in the picture. I want to add something for easier movement with the sub on top of it. Wheels would look awkward and would be hard to attach. Any ideas?

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by vsidhu

After some experimenting with different heights. I am going to build a riser that is .75 the height in the picture. I want to add something for easier movement with the sub on top of it. Wheels would look awkward and would be hard to attach. Any ideas?

I used casters for the riser of my 15" DIY subwoofer. The cabinet is huge and the subwoofer is too heavy. I used the riser as a dolly to move the sub around. See details in post #836 of this thread.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...&postcount=836