Soundproofing your subs?

[bigsam1]

Hey,

I live in apartment building and the nieghbors above me are saying that they are hearing a low humming noise coing from my apartment. I am assuming it is from my subwoofer. Is there any why to cut down on the vibration they give off while not comprimising too much of the audio?

Thanks

 

[bobsaget]

I don't know about saving the quality of audio, but you could move your sub off of the floor...

Like maybe put it on a shelf.


What system is it?

 

[FanZ]

I doubt it, thats what subwoofers are for: low rumble bass sounds. Maybe cover your entire room with thick layers of toilet paper or that thingy that people use to soundproof their car audios?

i think it may be best to adjust the crossover frequency, or lower the sub's bass/tremble volume.

 

[mpK1337]

Maybe cover your entire room with thick layers of toilet paper

LOL try explaining that to your girlfriend. What you could do is somehow rig the sub so its hanging from either your desk or the ceiling. You wouldnt get as much "oomph" in your ear, but thats life.

 

[hooting_monkey]

Place bubble wrap beneith your sub.

 

[mustang_steve]

That's the nature of a sub.

I guess adding a high pass filter would suffice...but at that point, why not jsut get speakers that hit solid down to 45-50hz and get rid of the sub?

 

[unhappy_mage]

45-50?

45-50?

i don't know what you're listening to, but it doesn't have a bass guitar in it. a 5-string tuned down a whole step (taproot tuning) goes down to about 28 hz. granted, that's about the lowest it gets, but that's an additional fourth that you're missing out on. so now you're thinking "oh i don't listen to taproot"... well how about 311 or audioslave or aaf? all 5 string...

</rant>

you might want to check if it is really your sub and not say your air conditioning unit or something.

 

[mustang_steve]

45-50 is the range you can easily get in a bookshelf speaker. Some of the ones I made had a nice +3Db hump at 45, and actually I can barely tell the difference in bass when I use my Yamaha YST-215 sub on them, it just shows up as a slight tightening of the bass.

I know some instruments hit lower, but it's also far harder to hear those differences, few folks hear below 30hz anyways, and those frequencies will vibrate the heck out of everything, so if your worried about neighbors, it's just a compromise, like everything else.

...If you want full range anyways, splurge on some in-ear phones...far better sound quality, and it won't piss off your neighbors

 

[heatsinker]

I don't know how much these'll help, but it sure sounds like they could be what you're looking for:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=240-715

 

[bigsam1]

Hey mustang steve,

What are some good headphones to splurge on. Are there any that can simulate 5.1 surround?

Thanks

 

[bobsaget]

Hey mustang steve,

What are some good headphones to splurge on. Are there any that can simulate 5.1 surround?

Thanks

i have heard that 5.1 headphones are a joke... but personely, I have never used em...

 

[BO(V)BZ]

5.1 headphones are a sham, plain and simple. First, the very definition requires 6 speakers, which no headphones have. Second, you only have two ears, and with the right processing, it's easy enough to fool your brain into hearing things that come from behind, overhead, etc. Hearing is heavily influenced by mood and visuals, so they play a prominent role in determining how you perceive sound.

As for good headphones, how much do you want to spend? That's really the biggest factor: your own budget.

 

[mustang_steve]

Hey mustang steve,

What are some good headphones to splurge on. Are there any that can simulate 5.1 surround?

Thanks

Only good headphones are stereo headphones. Best bet is to try them out, almost every maker has made duds from time to time. to me, the starting point for the really nice stuff is $80, however, for $20 you can get reasonable sound, on par with many of the computer sound systems at least.

Sony has a $20 headset fomr wal-mart of all places that gives solid bass, but the fit of the unit is horrible...it's way too tight on the head, and makes your ears hurt. I say the bet price rnage for bargain is about $40-50. There you can get the Koss portapro (a favorite entry level headphone for audiophiles), or if canalphones are your thing, the Sony EX-71. Despite the typical Sony treble, it's a best buy for it's price range.

If your willing to splurge, Shure E2C. They are expensive, but the sound will make even the best of the PC speakers look pretty sad. If canalphones are not your thing, go check out the Grado SR-80, it's another best buy in headphones.

As far as surround, see if your soundcard has a virtual surround mode...most suck, but you might find something that's decent.

Oh, also set your soundcard speaker type to "headphone", this enables a special processing effect that should make the sound of a headphone more "speaker like". Headphones have always suffered from lack of spatial cues since the drivers are right on top of or inside your ears., and on units that have it, the processing effect will make a satisfying improvement in soundstage.