Raising sub off the floor

[Early B.]

Has anyone ever tried raising their sub off floor? I don't mean one or two inches -- I mean one or two or five feet. If so, what were the results?

Just asking 'cause I've read a thread or two elsewhere of folks doing that.

Thanks.

[MikeC78]

Curious, what would be the purpose of that? Is it a space issue?

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

It would definitely put it to the test...

With SVS subs, I dont imagine it would make a bit of difference except for them coupling effect of having it on the floor. With those base plates - they pretty much act as a floor.

Would be the same as putting them on a slab floor I imagine...

[Early B.]

I don't believe it when "experts" say a sub is not directional. If it makes a sound, you can often pinpoint where it's coming from. Yeah, I know, proper setup, calibration, blah, blah, but most rooms won't accomodate a perfect setup, and most people don't have the time, inclination, or money to do it right.

Anyway, lots of huge "high end" speaker manufacturers place woofers on the top and bottom of the cabinet. I'm just wondering what effect it has on the sound if you've got bass coming from over your head, too.

I raised my speakers two inches and heard a difference in the bass. Just wondering what the effect would be to raise the woofers much higher.

Hmmmm...

[dorokusai]

I have my subwoofer mounted to a homeless man, which made finding the right spot a cinch.

[Gaara]

I personally didn't perceive or measure much of a difference having the sub about 1.5-2ft up as compared to 3in up. I had it higher up for about a year and a half, and now have had it lower down for around a year.

http://inlinethumb46.webshots.com/4973/2889038710069106632S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2889038710069106632bzhHnm)
http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/3593/2257627610069106632S600x600Q85.jpg (http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2257627610069106632ZsGQbh)

[MikeC78]

I believe someone here had a sub mounted on top of their HT stand close to the ceiling. Hopefully he can chime in...

I raised my PCU's about 2 1/2" from my hardwood floors using an Aurelex "subdude", talk about a HUGE difference it made. I would never place my sub directly on the floor ever again.

Mike

[Early B.]

I believe someone here had a sub mounted on top of their HT stand close to the ceiling. Hopefully he can chime in...

Oh, I'd love to hear from this guy!:eek: :D

[Early B.]

I raised my PCU's about 2 1/2" from my hardwood floors using an Aurelex "subdude", talk about a HUGE difference it made. I would never place my sub directly on the floor ever again.

I've heard great things about the subdude. I may have to give it a try.

[MikeC78]

I've heard great things about the subdude. I may have to give it a try.

It's fairly inexpensive, and I believe it's a must have for every sub owner.

Check out http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SubDude/, an awesome company to deal with also.

[Gaara]

I'll second the subdude, I use a Gramma which is exactly the same just different colors. It is hard to tell but it is in both pics just really squished because of the 100lbs+ of granite on the sub.

[Face]

What would putting 100lbs on top of the sub do? :eek:
My sub is already over 100lbs, I'd probably break it's feet. :D

[Gaara]

Stop it from moving and vibrating. It doesn't have any internal bracing so during certain scenes the cabinet would vibrate and make a annoying sound. I put the weight on top and it got rid of this and also stopped it from moving. I have had it shake itself off the 2ft platform to fall flat on its face.

[fatchowmein]

I raised my speakers two inches and heard a difference in the bass.

Early,
Would you describe the "difference"? How does it affect music? How does it affect movies?

[Early B.]

Early,
Would you describe the "difference"? How does it affect music? How does it affect movies?

I had a slightly different issue -- my fireplace flue would rattle with deep bass notes. So when I lifted my front speakers off the floor, it really tamed that annoying rattling. It also tightened up the bass a bit.

[Vr3MxStyler2k3]

Bass is definitely directional. I hate it. Its why I want stereo subs ---

Having one sub is such an unbalanced sound unless you can put it slap in the middle of your room. Which is hardly ever the case.

I think raising the sub off the floor will just remove all add on except loading ------------

But you would totally decouple it from floors. But other than that, I dont see much difference unless your sub NEEDs the floor/walls/surroundings for volume.

Yours is down-firing though right?

[PolkThug]

Bass doesn't have to be 'directional'. My friend has a setup where you can't tell which direction the bass is coming from and the SVS is hidden from view. However, he went through great pains to kill all resonances near where the sub is located. I'm not so lucky with my current room. 'Non-directional bass' is a cool thing once you've experienced it, but it is very room dependent.

[jm1]

"Loudspeakers located at a null point of a given mode will not
couple to that mode, resulting in no excitation of that mode."

In this case, raising the sub off the floor will place the enclosure closer to a ceiling dimension null room mode. This can also be applied to room width and length modes.

[schwarcw]

I have my SVS PB-12 NSD sitting on my fireplace hearth, which is about 15" off the floor. The sub is sitting in the corner of the room about 10" from the rear wall, 2" from the side wall. I did it mainly for more room on the floor. The floor is carpet and insulation pad over concrete. The raised hearth of my fireplace is 15 ft wide (room width), 18" high and made from brick and concrete. The surface of the hearth is slate. This room is not a finished basement, it is the family room with the main entrance to my raised ranch. Because the floor, hearth and the walls are concrete, I get a solid low frequency response with essentially no rattle at moderate volume. At very high volume levels, I can make the windows rattle.

By raising the sub off the floor onto the hearth, I definitely noticed more bass. I had to recalibrate the HT settings to accomodate several more dBs in the 35 Hz range. I also measured higher dB measurements in the 20 - 24 Hz range. My situation may be unique because even though the sub is elevated, it is still well anchored to a solid foundation.

[flr057]

Did I miss something or did anyone address the difference in a 'front firing'. It seems that most comments are directed to using a 'down firing' sub.

[VXR8]

Early, I too have my sub off of the floor (about 16 inches off of the floor on a stand) and have done for years - IMO it tightens the bass up to where you can feel it, not just hear it. A friend of mine was astounded at the difference the tight bass it was producing, and although the sub isn't in the most ideal location, you cannot pinpoint the bass is coming from the sub.

[ilikesound]

i have my ML Dynamo on two cutout 2x4's layered in carpet, down-firing inside my closet. i can't tell where the bass is coming from, but ill tell you if you can't feel it, you'd be dead! it really tightens things up. i suppose its something you need to hear for yourself. try it though.

[bsoko2]

I have my 3.3 Turbo sitting up 18 inches (off the fireplace hearth) in my far right corner and "MOMMA" that baby rumbles clean.:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

[raneil]

Mark Fleischmann recommended several years ago, to raise subwoofers off the floor as a means of reducing standing waves; bloating. He also recommended areas along the walls where subwoofers would benefit most. You may choose to purchase his book or google for articles. Mark is currently a reviewer for Home Theater magazine. I currently have my two RT3000p PSW sections on speaker stands at the 4 and 10 o'clock positions in my main system. For ideas on speaker placement see Widescreen Review Magazine.