Speaker fiddling

JONNERS

pleased to hear you have solved the problem, sometimes it’s just the simplest tweaks that can make all the difference 

Jonners posted:

I moved to a new flat a couple of months ago and I've been struggling with the balance of my speakers

Heee. First thought you were seeking financial advice

gramophone posted:

Jonners posted:

I moved to a new flat a couple of months ago and I've been struggling with the balance of my speakers

Heee. First thought you were seeking financial advice

Well, if you're offering gramophone, £5k for a new streamer would come in dead handy ????

i.e. NDX2.

NDX 2?

I put down a deposit on one months ago, still waiting. But think it's gonna be soon. Perhaps by the time these consumer units start rolling out from Salisbury you'll be ready to splurge.

I heard one at my dealer. Awesome, simply awesone. 

I'm a massive fan of sorbothane feet.  They solved a lot of problems for me too and I'm surprised they're not more widely used.

It's funny...they absolutely killed the sound of my LP12

Japtimscarlet posted:

It's funny...they absolutely killed the sound of my LP12

As they should. The LP12 works best on a light rigid support, IMO.

Ha, I remember when the sorbothane came out as a running shoes inlay. My big Sister was so excited when it arrived in the post, to the point she placed her hand on the kitchen table with the inlays over it. She then proceeded to tell me to get the meat tenderiser and give it a good old smash. Well you didn’t have to ask me twice. She was so disappointed and I was happy ???? 

ursus262 posted:

I'm a massive fan of sorbothane feet.  They solved a lot of problems for me too and I'm surprised they're not more widely used.

 

I only decided on giving these a go after I got some for my PS4 which was very noisy and now runs virtually silently. 

Monster posted:

Japtimscarlet posted:

It's funny...they absolutely killed the sound of my LP12

As they should. The LP12 works best on a light rigid support, IMO.

I have another post running aboit isolation platforms for my LP12 which sits atop a Quadraspire rack and is suffering from jumping due to the bouncy floor. I tried sorbothane feet on the LP12 as well, they didn't work and affected the sound as commented. I am getting a Project wallmount for it installed on Friday instead. 

Jonners posted:

Monster posted:

Japtimscarlet posted:

It's funny...they absolutely killed the sound of my LP12

As they should. The LP12 works best on a light rigid support, IMO.

I have another post running aboit isolation platforms for my LP12 which sits atop a Quadraspire rack and is suffering from jumping due to the bouncy floor. I tried sorbothane feet on the LP12 as well, they didn't work and affected the sound as commented. I am getting a Project wallmount for it installed on Friday instead. 

The project wall mount may work well

I have been using the tiger paw one since it first came out a couple of years ago... highly recommend for the LP12

Monster.....the LP 12 was on a light rigid shelf ...the sorbothane was used as feet between the deck and the shelf ( obviously ??)  It still killed the sound....as I also believe Linn's base and feet do as well ...they only make it for people who still have AC inside the deck or have put it on the wrong surface ( IMHO)

To understand why Sorbathane works relatively well in some circumstances but is disastrous in others, you need to understand how it works and what it does.  You also need to be aware that it's almost always going to be more compromised than a non-viscoelastic mounting system, although with correct distribution of mass and a low enough resonance point the degree of additional compromise from Sorbathane can be fairly small.  In all cases there will be a better mounting system possible, but sometimes there may not be anything available commercially that's less compromised.

The same applies to all of the commercially available vibration isolation platforms and feet.  The product selection criteria for these are very complex, as these criteria rely on knowing all the acoustic (i.e. vibrational: mechanical and electronic) and structural properties of all the components involved (room, floor, stands, audio components, possibly cables...).  With all this information it may be possible to set up a finite element analysis to get a good indication as to what is the best mounting in the circumstances.  The other way is...

Guesswork... You just have to try it and listen to the resulting effect!

(incidentally, I have my sub mounted on a decoupled mass with a resonant frequency of 3Hz, suspended on Sorbathane; however, a more precise elastic suspension with much less damping would be slightly preferable, but I'd have to design and build it myself).

Huge posted:

To understand why Sorbathane works relatively well in some circumstances but is disastrous in others, you need to understand how it works and what it does.  You also need to be aware that it's almost always going to be more compromised than a non-viscoelastic mounting system, although with correct distribution of mass and a low enough resonance point the degree of additional compromise from Sorbathane can be fairly small.  In all cases there will be a better mounting system possible, but sometimes there may not be anything available commercially that's less compromised.

The same applies to all of the commercially available vibration isolation platforms and feet.  The product selection criteria for these are very complex, as these criteria rely on knowing all the acoustic (i.e. vibrational: mechanical and electronic) and structural properties of all the components involved (room, floor, stands, audio components, possibly cables...).  With all this information it may be possible to set up a finite element analysis to get a good indication as to what is the best mounting in the circumstances.  The other way is...

Guesswork... You just have to try it and listen to the resulting effect!

(incidentally, I have my sub mounted on a decoupled mass with a resonant frequency of 3Hz, suspended on Sorbathane; however, a more precise elastic suspension with much less damping would be slightly preferable, but I'd have to design and build it myself).

I can't comment on a scientific selection process but I can on "guesswork"! The danger for me lies in "locking in" on a perceived issue or characteristic to the point I forget about the music and become obsessed with problem-solving and in the realms of "isolation" there's a huge choice of products and solutions. Having arrived at a solution through chance which seems pleasing to my ears I am going to draw a line under it and direct my attention to enjoying my music. At one point I was considering isolation platforms under the speaker stands, changing the stands themselves and even the speaker cable. I said in my original post this problem had only arisen when I'd moved - I didn't have it in my last place so room dynamics must have played a part in altering the way my system serves up music.

Indeed acoustic interactions between the room and speakers can dramatically alter the balance of sound.

One way to get a good handle on this is to use an application called REW (Room Equalisation Wizard).  Initially just use the room simulation to see the effect on frequency response when changing the position of speakers and the listening position or of putting absorbing panels on the walls.  If this proves interesting, it's worth getting a microphone and investigating what's really happening to the sound in your room - you may be shocked as to how uneven the actual performance is despite having high quality speakers rated at +/-2.5dB!