Subwoofer Two Feet Off The Floor : Discuss!

[WriteSimply]

Anybody ever tried raising the sub off the floor onto a rack, pedestal or mount? How does that change the sound?

I'm toying with the idea of getting less boom and gaining air pulse.


fuad

[MacDaddyOJack]

I don't think that raising it up off the floor will change much unless it is a down-firing sub.

Moving it away from a wall will probably give you more variation in the sound than raising it up in the air will. Corners are especially good at boosting bass output so even if its two feet in the air, it will still be boomy in a corner.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

Anybody ever tried raising the sub off the floor onto a rack, pedestal or mount? How does that change the sound?

I'm toying with the idea of getting less boom and gaining air pulse.

fuad

That is not a crazy idea. If you raise the subwoofer, you will be doing a better job of eliminating some of the standing waves. It would help to have more than one subwoofer. If you have four subwoofers and put each one at a corner and raise them, you will get incredible bass. This solution is suggested by Todd Welti at Harmon International:

“You shrink the whole room by 25% and put the subwoofers at the corners of that virtual room. Of course you get incredible performance, but that is not practical for most people. But if you use two or four subwoofers in the corners or the wall midpoints, you can get pretty good performance.”

Read A Guide to Subwoofers (Part II): Standing Waves and Room Modes.

[ricerd]

Mac's information is spot on, but since each person is at a different point with subwoofer satisfaction, I would suggest that you place your sub on a sturdy, solid, step stool, move the sub and stool to different positions (as I presume you have already done with the sub on the floor) and compare the sound from each location. However, be prepared for a lower bass impact. As soon as you can, I recommend adding another sub (maybe 15" or 18", or good quality 12") to your system because then you will have the sound quality that you are looking for without sacrificing the bass impact. Place the 1st sub behind your seating position and the 2nd sub to the left, facing in, half way between the left tower spkr and your seating position if primarily for home theater (more feeling from explosions) or follow bigdaddy's suggestion when used primarily for music. Good Luck.

[Devildog151]

I raised my SVS off the ground about 4 inches with a really thick piece of packing foam. It eliminated all the standing waves and vibrations through the floor board. It kinda gave it more punchy bass. I really noticed differences when I played around with distances from the corner of the wall.

[Oddiophile]

ASC makes a product called the SubTrap.

http://www.asc-home-theater.com/subtrap.htm




"Unleash the Rumble . . . With Tons of Detail
Once you hear the difference, you’ll never go back. The SubTrap is more than a simple isolation stand. In addition to isolation, it absorbs excess bass and decouples your sub-woofer from room mode. The end result is a unique product available only from ASC. Raise your subwoofer up to its full performance potential. Just slip the ASC-SubTrap underneath your subwoofer and you’ll create the powerful “SubStack.” Instantly improve bass detail, changing “muddy” low frequency playback into a richly detailed picture. Not only does the SubTrap increase bass extension and punch, it also gets rid of "one note bass".

Works with virtually any sub-woofer, the ASC-SubTrap lets your subwoofer finally play and be heard to its fullest potential."

[WriteSimply]

The Subtrap just looks like a box. Any idea what its innards are?


fuad

[Pelican170]

Sounds like a gimmick

[Chocolatejas]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

The Subtrap just looks like a box. Any idea what its innards are?


fuad

Monster Cables

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by Chocolatejas

Monster Cables

LOL!!!!

[Oddiophile]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

The Subtrap just looks like a box. Any idea what its innards are?


fuad

It helps if you click on the link.

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by Oddiophile

It helps if you click on the link.

Ah, thanks. I went looking for reviews and some say it improved their system and others, not much. Regardless, it is pricy.


fuad

[Oddiophile]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

Ah, thanks. I went looking for reviews and some say it improved their system and others, not much. Regardless, it is pricy.


fuad

That's ASC for you, there acoustic treatments are very good but not cheap.