$12 speaker tweak

[steveinaz]

I found a really nice set of 20" x 20" clay tiles at Home Depot this weekend. Using these when you have carpet gives your speakers a solid platform, tightens bass, and improves midrange. $5.46 ea.

[danger boy]

good tip.. i'm interested in giving it a try. :) I wonder if it would work for heavy SDA's ? :p

[Face]

good tip.. i'm interested in giving it a try. :) I wonder if it would work for heavy SDA's ? :p
Unless they're spiked, it should.

[Early B.]

Yep. I use a pair of cutting boards for the same purpose.

[DaveMuell]

Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?

[Deadof_knight]

Spike it . I used 3/8 bolts and t-nuts sharpened to a very nice point , and they are adjustable . I used these on my DIYer 10" 18" and my next 15" cabinet Works great and only cost about 3.00 at the hardware store.

[Early B.]

Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?

Yeah, that's what this tweak is usually used for. Another alternative is to go to the gardening section of your local HD or Lowes and buy a $5 18" x 18" cement tile and spray paint it black, then place it underneath your sub. Tightens up the bass a bit, especially if the sub is sitting on a raised wood floor.

[steveinaz]

Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?

Dave
When I had my SVS, it also sat on a tile--I like the tighter bass.

[steveinaz]

good tip.. i'm interested in giving it a try. :) I wonder if it would work for heavy SDA's ? :p

The tiles I bought were 1/4" thick (Marazzi I believe) and have no problem with my spiked C-9's.

[heiney9]

The tiles I bought were 1/4" thick (Merrazzi I believe) and have no problem with my spiked C-9's.

What department in Home Depot; kitchen, garden, outdoors; flooring? I have been looking for something like this for awhile. Home Depot is huge and I never seem to run across these types of things when I'm randomly looking.

[heiney9]

The largest our Home Depot had in stock was 16x16 which I thought was just too small. So I ran across the street to Lowes and they had a couple of 18x18 pieces on clearance so I grabbed (2) 18x18 tiles for $3.70 each = $7.40 total.

As soon as it stops pouring out I'll bring them in and put them in place. We are going to be having severe storms tonight and tomorrow and the rig will stay unplugged so I'm in no hurry to see how it sounds.

Great find Steve!!! ;)

H9

[edbert]

Has anyone tried this or something similar with a subwoofer? If so, was it good or bad?

I did. Mind you I just have a PSW10, but it was sitting on the carpet and I wasn't getting the best sound from it I thought. I happened to have a leftover piece of tile from when the house was built and slid it under there. It was a pretty dramatic improvement from my perspective considering I don't have the best sub placement, it meant I could turn down the sub a little so there wasn't distortion on more bass-intensive sections of music or movies without losing overall impact. This probably sounds a little more grandiose than what you would expect, and your probably right, but for free it seemed to make quite a difference.

[steveinaz]

What department in Home Depot; kitchen, garden, outdoors; flooring? I have been looking for something like this for awhile. Home Depot is huge and I never seem to run across these types of things when I'm randomly looking.

There's a couple of isles dedicated to tile, grout, tiling tools, etc.

[heiney9]

I found it but I ended up getting a couple pieces at Lowes since our Home Dept didn't have anything larger than 16x16.

They look nice and make my 1C's appear level since they aren't diggin in the carpet. I have noticed on some very muddy cd's the bass has improved slightly.

If nothing else they look nice and elegant under the speakers and I think it's a tweak worth doing since the cost is so low. I hear an improvement but not on every recording is it so noticeable.

H9

[janmike]

I use tiles under my five stands which are spiked for my LSi's (all 5 for HT).

[steveinaz]

Heinie
Leveling is another benefit, as is increasing height slightly. The tweak is subtle, but for 12bucks, what the heck. I had to go with 20" because my speakers are 18" deep, and 18" tiles are actually 17 3/4".

[heiney9]

Heinie
Leveling is another benefit, as is increasing height slightly. The tweak is subtle, but for 12bucks, what the heck. I had to go with 20" because my speakers are 18" deep, and 18" tiles are actually 17 3/4".

I agree, they look much better visually and I do hear some benefit in sound. A win-win situation and I got a great deal at <$8.00 out the door. :cool:

H9

[atxconnection]

Are you saying this mod is worth doing for spiked speakers? My RTi12 use the plastic spikes that came with them and sit on carpet, would this mod help out? Or should I just use it for my sub (Bic H100)

[steveinaz]

Both. My speakers are also spiked and sit on tiles.

[MillerLiteScott]

Are you saying this mod is worth doing for spiked speakers? My RTi12 use the plastic spikes that came with them and sit on carpet, would this mod help out? Or should I just use it for my sub (Bic H100)


Do it. It helped when I had my RTi10's.

[DaveMuell]

I did this with my HSU, down-firing sub and it helped alot. I was able to turn down the volume on it considerably.

Next I will try it with my LS-90s, but I would not expect as much benefit with those; but, I may be surprised.

[venomclan]

Are they THX Certified?

[heiney9]

Are they THX Certified?

My tiles are signed by George Lucas, does that count?

[scottnbnj]

Are you saying this mod is worth doing for spiked speakers? My RTi12 use the plastic spikes that came with them and sit on carpet, would this mod help out? Or should I just use it for my sub (Bic H100)

i think the idea is that you want your speaks on as solid a foundation as possible. if they can move back and forth in soft carpet or if they cause a more solid floor like wood or laminate to resonate, you're not getting the best performance possible out of them. so, you look to either couple the speakers with or decouple them from the floor depending on your situation.

most folks mention bass performance, but, if i remember right, i've read to the effect that if you consider the short length of high frequency sound waves and that if low frequencies can propel speakers back and forth even just a tiny bit, that some high frequencies might get cancelled or smeared.

)

[Face]

I can't find any 24" tiles at the depot or lowes. I'll have to check out some other places.

[heiney9]

I can't find any 24" tiles at the depot or lowes. I'll have to check out some other places.

I couldn't either, but I did find some 18x18 tiles and they work great. Obviously if you need it for a sub you'll need a larger single piece.

[Face]

Those would be for my mains. ;)

[heiney9]

Those would be for my mains. ;)

Measure and see. I have SDA 1C's and the 18x18 fit very well with about 2" in the front and back and about 3/4" on the right and left as hang over.

[steveinaz]

You'll probably need to go to a specialty tile store for 24 x 24 and bigger...

[Face]

My mains are 26" wide, 18" deep, and 36" tall. My spikes are about 1.5" in all around, so a 24x24 or 24x18 would work perfectly. 20x20 would work for my sub though.

There are pics in my system showcase.

[venomclan]

My tiles are signed by George Lucas, does that count?

You need a new floor...:)

[brabus420]

Great idea. Will be taking a trip to home depot this weekend.

[treitz3]

I do not have any intentions of hijacking this thread whatsoever but I would like to point out another cheap tweak. That said...

Please do not respond to this post on this thread. If you have additional comments, please start a new thread.

I have found that in conjunction with the tiles that additional weight on top of the speakers can also improve sound. I have used statues, glass jars filled with coins, plants in large pots and heavy decorative items throughout my audio journey. The heavier, the better. The most significant improvement that I have noticed through the years has been with a sub.