hellllpppp

[otisredding]

As I live on a suspended wooden floor (yes, i KNOW!!) Can anyone suggest a way i can more sucessfully decouple my floorstanders (and my equipment rack for that matter!) from the floor?? I've thought about some really heavy pavers or somesuch but wondered if it is actually worth doing in my circumstances? or shall i just wait 'til I move to a basement apartment??

[acd_Freeman]

Try doing a search on www.audioasylum.com. (Sorry AudioEnz). I seem to recall this being discussed there some time ago. One suggestion that will come up is inner tubes, squash balls or tennis balls under the pavers. Other options are strengthening the floor, if it's your house, by adding piles under the speakers and rack.

David

[michael w]

The mass of the pavers would tend to couple rather than de-couple unless you put spikes or inner tubes etc. under the pavers.

Are the speakers/equipment rack spiked ?

An old trick with wooden floors was to screw philips head screws into the floor and put your spikes in the "X" of the screwhead.

Just make sure the screws go into the floor exactly where you want your equipment.

[markvetnz]

Townshend make a "Seismic Sink" specifically for speakers. It is basically a variation on the iner tube theme. However, it has a really good aesthetic appeal. Not cheap though. I have occasionally seen them on Trade Me.

[Callum]

My speakers are currently spiked through carpet into phillips head screws set in a springy wooden floor - basically solidly coupled to the floor so that vibrations generated by the speaker can dissipate energy easily to the floor, which in turn sings like crazy. I don't really think its the best solution.

The idea that spikes somehow decouple two objects from each other is a total myth. They are the most effective way of coupling and allowing transfer of vibrational energy between said objects short of glueing and bolting. Effective decoupling is achieved by placing objects on compounds or structures that turn vibration into heat - like squash balls, inner tubes and seismic sinks.

I reckon a good solution, if you can get under there, would be to brace the floor with some sort of piles underneath your speakers as David mentioned, mass load the top of the floor with pavers and separate your speakers from the pavers using some sort of viscoelastic compound - but not so much that they wobble around.

Callum

[Craig F]

Originally posted by Callum
The idea that spikes somehow decouple two objects from each other is a total myth. They are the most effective way of coupling and allowing transfer of vibrational energy between said objects short of glueing and bolting.

Amen.

Cheers,

Craig.

[Boris]

There are these Symposium clone things on Trademe:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Electronics/Stereo-home-theatre/Other/auction-25712472.htm

Ugly as all hell and designed as a shelf. May be able to do something with them though if you have a few handyman skills.

Cheers, B.

[Ayn Marx]

Originally posted by acd_Freeman
Try doing a search on www.audioasylum.com. (Sorry AudioEnz). I seem to recall this being discussed there some time ago. One suggestion that will come up is inner tubes, squash balls or tennis balls under the pavers. Other options are strengthening the floor, if it's your house, by adding piles under the speakers and rack.


Those inner tubes need to be partially inflated motor bike inner tubes placed between two concrete paving slabs, the air pressure in the tubes varied until the best isolation is obtained. However, if the fundamental wobble of the floor is really bad and at a low enough frequency this will not be an effective solution. Another method is to place a large single piece of heavy hardwood under both speakers and extending across the floor between both & screwd into the floor board, preferably at the stumps. the plank method often benefits from re-stumping the floor a metre or so (more or less) in front of its edge. The plank method has nil WAF & in fact is worth installing if you really are looking to get divorced.
However, some floors present an impossible situation unless the floor itself is re-built or solidly reinforced from underneath. A third solution is possible in ground floor rooms (forgetting for now such minor problems as landlords & bonds). Cut a hole in the floor under the speakers approx twice the area of their base. Pour solid concrete foundations up to the level of the existing boards then re-install the carpet or whatever on them.
This has maximum WAF if the W is away on holidays when it's done.
This last suggestion presumes that you will be keeping your existing speakers for some time and if changing them going over to something that will work well in the same position, not always the case. This last solution also has the added benefit of convincing all other audiophools that you really are maniacally dedicated to obtaining maximum performance from your gear come hell or high water.

[grawillie]

The concrete idea works. I heard of a guy that set a concrete pipe through the floor and filled it with concrete to get a stable base for his turntable. Real audio nut, but hey whatever works for you.
I have constructed piles insitue under the house, not for audio mind you, it was eliminate floor flex prior to tiling and it is not the most enjoyable way to spend a few hours. If you can do it from above, ie, move the floor, it would be a heck of a lot easier on the back, head and general mind set.
Cheers
Grawillie