Speakers isolation from resonance and angry neighbours — Critical Mass Center, Revopods, EVP.

[DasguteOhr]

The easiest way to do this is with a wooden box 8-10cm high that you fill with quartz sand. Then you cut a wooden board that is a little smaller than the box (no contact with the box). Lay it on the sand and put your speakers on top. Very effective, no more vibrations on the floor. Second advantage: the bass is much better (more precise), you hear more gradations (tones in the bass).

P.S
Looks not pretty anyone i use over ten years for lot diffrent speakers works perfect.
Works for amps too

 

[Imperial]

The easiest way to do this is with a wooden box 8-10cm high that you fill with quartz sand. Then you cut a wooden board that is a little smaller than the box (no contact with the box). Lay it on the sand and put your speakers on top. Very effective, no more vibrations on the floor. Second advantage: the bass is much better (more precise), you hear more gradations (tones in the bass).View attachment 131923View attachment 131924

P.S
Looks not pretty anyone i use over ten years for lot diffrent speakers works perfect.
Works for amps too

Yes. That is also smart. What we Are all hoping is that the sound is transmitted via the floor. That is just so much easier to remedy,
And maybe combine that suggestion from @DasguteOhr with something from Townshend.
Townshend isolation sink

And this one. @Ricco275 I recommend you Watch both these videos because I believe it IS the issue you Are having and it can be fixed.

The Sandbox is cheapest. My (cheapo diy seismic sink) is more expensive but a better solition is Townshend. But They do cost a bit ( a lot..) more… But will be superb…

 

[DasguteOhr]

Yes. That is also smart. What we Are all hoping is that the sound is transmitted via the floor. That is just so much easier to remedy,
And maybe combine that suggestion from @DasguteOhr with something from Townshend.
Townshend isolation sink

And this one. @Ricco275 I recommend you Watch both these videos because I believe it IS the issue you Are having and it can be fixed.

The Sandbox is cheapest. My (cheapo diy seismic sink) is more expensive but a better solition is Townshend. But They do cost a bit ( a lot..) more… But will be superb…

I don't have seen a photo of the floor yet, but if it's a floorboard like that, then it'll be difficult because the boards will resonate. Then the only thing that helps is to cleverly distribute the mass (weight) in the room to change the resonance of the floor. e.g. heavy LP record shelves or slate plate base under hifi rack. add mass is important

 

[Alrainbow]

Maybe I missed something but have you gone into the person who is complaining?
if not this is a complete waist of time
if spikes don’t help it’s acoustic
The purpose of spikes is to decouple the speaker box by creating a tiny contact
it’s mostly used for subs in a home theater
if you have done this
try the cheap iso item I posted
and you must go to the apartment

 

[Tuckers]

You are sure to get many divergent opinions. If it is upstairs neighbors, it is unlikely to be solved by isolating the speakers from the floor. But if isolation from the floor is what you want, springs have worked the best for me. On the high end something like Towshend Isopods or more work excellent. I have even found inexpensive spring feet to improve the bass and overall sound of my speakers. If fact my contribution is to try some inexpensive spring feet that are returnable if you have access to Amazon. Very little cost and returnable. If they work, then you know to move into more 'audiophile' solutions in that direction.

Tertullus 4pcs Spring Speaker Feet Isolation Foot

The feet above are actually made from milled aluminum, no plastic, the springs fit snugly in their holes. They actually sounded quite good with my speakers, the bass was actually extremely good (which is counterintuitive).

 

[mtemur]

The easiest way to do this is with a wooden box 8-10cm high that you fill with quartz sand. Then you cut a wooden board that is a little smaller than the box (no contact with the box). Lay it on the sand and put your speakers on top. Very effective, no more vibrations on the floor. Second advantage: the bass is much better (more precise), you hear more gradations (tones in the bass).View attachment 131923View attachment 131924

P.S
Looks not pretty anyone i use over ten years for lot diffrent speakers works perfect.
Works for amps too

I don’t question your findings but sand pool is the worst thing I have ever tried. We (a couple of friends) used to try this under turntables and speakers and always hated the results. People running clubs were putting sand pools under Technics 1200 turntables. Not because it’s good but because it’s a cheap solution. They were using double kitchen sink (two turntables) full of sand and marble platforms.

 

[Imperial]

I don't have seen a photo of the floor yet, but if it's a floorboard like that, then it'll be difficult because the boards will resonate. Then the only thing that helps is to cleverly distribute the mass (weight) in the room to change the resonance of the floor. e.g. heavy LP record shelves or slate plate base under hifi rack. add mass is importantView attachment 131927

There is a picture of the floor in a previous post by OP. i will copy and crop it from his original post.. I hope you don’t mind @Ricco275


It is a full metal stand and spiked to the floor.
Seems wide and stable enough to supend on springs or similar concepts.
I think a sandbox might be too ‘solid’ of a device to isolate.
Narrow 60cm fish pattern short floor wood tiles.
He said They make noise when he walks on them.
In France say parquet about this type of floor.
That is a relatively thin layer some 6-12mm of wood.
Usually underneth is is standing boards on top of sheets of mdf like 1x2 meter a pierce platters.
Concrete slab at bottom.

How about this:
Get a hold of two butcher woof blocks
Example


Then you use what normalt is used to make silent floors with parquet.

Example …

HARO Underlay Silent Pro DS 3 mm​

You cut a piece of this to fit under the wood block
And put the speakers on top of that, with the spikes.
Worth a shot.

But if one wants to bust it wide open...
Now, ideally one would do this..

Speaker, on stand,
Spiked to a townhend corner isolators - you need 4 per stand. or the stand has 3 spikes??
example ( note the hole in the middle of the metal there,,,


will look like this...



As long as the speaker is stable and the weight matching gets close enough

Just brainstorming here... Anyone feel free to critique my rant....

 

[stehno]

Yes. That is also smart. What we Are all hoping is that the sound is transmitted via the floor. That is just so much easier to remedy,
And maybe combine that suggestion from @DasguteOhr with something from Townshend.
Townshend isolation sink

And this one. @Ricco275 I recommend you Watch both these videos because I believe it IS the issue you Are having and it can be fixed.

The Sandbox is cheapest. My (cheapo diy seismic sink) is more expensive but a better solition is Townshend. But They do cost a bit ( a lot..) more… But will be superb…

I had commented a few years ago in the first Townsend Youtube video and I see now that comments have been removed and disabled. Hmmmm.

IMO, their "science" is derived almost entirely from their popular preconceived narratives and their videos here only seek to further propagate their preconceived narratives.

Shoot, they aren't even able to discern the difference between unwanted resonant energy and unwanted shock-and-impact. Which for the most part are entirely unrelated problems requiring entirely unrelated remedies. But they sound so science-like.

 

[Imperial]

I had commented a few years ago in the first Townsend Youtube video and I see now that comments have been removed and disabled. Hmmmm.

IMO, their "science" is derived almost entirely from their popular preconceived narratives and their videos here only seek to further propagate their preconceived narratives.

Shoot, they aren't even able to discern the difference between unwanted resonant energy and unwanted shock-and-impact. Which for the most part are entirely unrelated problems requiring entirely unrelated remedies. But they sound so science-like.

Sweet. Then what do you suggest ? seeing as you know better than townshend how it really works.

Please don't be a troll... Make our day and help a music lover out, and do not brag that your know how is so kung Fu that the fear of science had them remove your youtube post... So, whiskey? Beer, what you drinking tonight @stehno ...

 

[stehno]

Sweet. Then what do you suggest ? seeing as you know better than townshend how it really works.

Please don't be a troll... Make our day and help a music lover out, and do not brag that your know how is so kung Fu that the fear of science had them remove your youtube post... So, whiskey? Beer, what you drinking tonight @stehno ...

Exactly what I suggested on page 1 post 13 think.

 

[Imperial]

Exactly what I suggested on page 1 post 13 think.

‘Turn down the volume or move.’
Would that be your solution that all the industry at large dont Get but you do, and that is your Great Kung Fu?

Let me Ask you this:
A washing machine doing a spincycle vibrates like crazy and will be Audible in other rooms.
Have you ever personally tried these .feet that you can isolate the washer with, or sometimes you Get a Platform with feet. And lo and behold…
It dont vibrato the floor so bad anymore. Some modells when Setup and levelled Are (eerily so)
So then My question is this: what happened to the sound of it in the other rooms? What KungFu was that…?

Have you by any chance also posted on washing machine companies YouTube channels and told them to turn down the spincycle speed or use handwash method instead?

You do understand My need to Ask this …
Yes?

After reading My post now.
Are you thinking:

‘Imperial, thank you for making My point for me?’

IF so. My pleasure.

And yes, a move is a bold one. But one could try other things first.

IF it works on washing machine. It might be a sound principle.
But again, what kung fu is it?
So, sorry about being a bit of an asshole now to you. And I admit it, I am being that.
But also, that is My bold move.

Now, a Washing machine spinning at 1200-1600 rpm equals a resonance of 20hz to 26.33 hz
So the feet Are targeted to dampen as a ‘pass’ filter of that frequency and I would put it to you that that kungfu is working…

That sound like what a loudspeaker does too yes?
Vibrates from about 20hz upwards …

 

[Ricco275]

Maybe I missed something but have you gone into the person who is complaining?
if not this is a complete waist of time
if spikes don’t help it’s acoustic
The purpose of spikes is to decouple the speaker box by creating a tiny contact
it’s mostly used for subs in a home theater
if you have done this
try the cheap iso item I posted
and you must go to the apartment

It’s a matter of building poor isolation. I need to deal with my wife for the aesthetic of the living room… so I need to find something looking good. The Townsend suspended platformr

There is a picture of the floor in a previous post by OP. i will copy and crop it from his original post.. I hope you don’t mind @Ricco275

View attachment 131984
It is a full metal stand and spiked to the floor.
Seems wide and stable enough to supend on springs or similar concepts.
I think a sandbox might be too ‘solid’ of a device to isolate.
Narrow 60cm fish pattern short floor wood tiles.
He said They make noise when he walks on them.
In France say parquet about this type of floor.
That is a relatively thin layer some 6-12mm of wood.
Usually underneth is is standing boards on top of sheets of mdf like 1x2 meter a pierce platters.
Concrete slab at bottom.

How about this:
Get a hold of two butcher woof blocks
Example

View attachment 131989
Then you use what normalt is used to make silent floors with parquet.

Example …

HARO Underlay Silent Pro DS 3 mm​

View attachment 131990
You cut a piece of this to fit under the wood block
And put the speakers on top of that, with the spikes.
Worth a shot.

But if one wants to bust it wide open...
Now, ideally one would do this..

Speaker, on stand,
Spiked to a townhend corner isolators - you need 4 per stand. or the stand has 3 spikes??
example ( note the hole in the middle of the metal there,,,
View attachment 131991

will look like this...

View attachment 131993

As long as the speaker is stable and the weight matching gets close enough

Just brainstorming here... Anyone feel free to critique my rant....

thank you @Imperial . The Townsend spring system could be my best solution.
There is also the attached speakers version. I just need to get the approval from my wife… tough WFA here. I do appreciate your pragmatic and positive support. Even though I think there will be still a lot of soundwaves travelling through the bloody building.

 

[Imperial]

Even though I think there will be still a lot of soundwaves travelling through the bloody building. View attachment 132003

There most likely is.
I noticed there is a fireplace, a cheminée to the left looking at the sofa.
That is an air filled cavity that connect to the floor above... A helmholz resonator or resonant tube.
No doubt that is transmitting some sound up also.
Now this is also something that can be a factor.

But for now, just be aware of it. There are solutions also for such an event.

I would like to tell you about what is called an acoustic visualizer.
Look at this on the GIK acoustics website

Room builder and acoustic visualizer by GIK Acoustics

Treating room acoustics is a much bigger field of expertice and is largely up to the owner understanding or knowing quite a lot to make a desicion. And there is a WAF factor element there also... indeed.

You basically need to invest in know how by reading about this before asking any of us any question. Because room acoustics is a hands on help situation. And simply is not easy to get right on a forum. But it is not magic, but who ever you get to help you with that needs to have experience.

And not online swag...

You send screen shots to your adversaire de joute
Of soundpressure…
Take a reading inside the fireplace tube also…
And IF that is highish or close to the listening positions measurements… then this is a factor to consider. And @stehno then has a Kungfu you should not disregard. But this also is just a matter of brainstorming…
Now we move in to the realm of room modes of resonance. And as I suggested: you need advice from someone that has experience and you need to know what is the frequency of said node…
Simulate your room first. find that hertz range.
There Are nodes in your room.
And IF They Are corresponding to any resonance in the pipe tube… that is a factor to consider.

 

[Ricco275]

There most likely is.
I noticed there is a fireplace, a cheminée to the left looking at the sofa.
That is an air filled cavity that connect to the floor above... A helmholz resonator or resonant tube.
No doubt that is transmitting some sound up also.
Now this is also something that can be a factor.

But for now, just be aware of it. There are solutions also for such an event.

I would like to tell you about what is called an acoustic visualizer.
Look at this on the GIK acoustics website

Room builder and acoustic visualizer by GIK Acoustics

Treating room acoustics is a much bigger field of expertice and is largely up to the owner understanding or knowing quite a lot to make a desicion. And there is a WAF factor element there also... indeed.

You basically need to invest in know how by reading about this before asking any of us any question. Because room acoustics is a hands on help situation. And simply is not easy to get right on a forum. But it is not magic, but who ever you get to help you with that needs to have experience.

And not online swag...

You send screen shots to your adversaire de joute
Of soundpressure…
Take a reading inside the fireplace tube also…
And IF that is highish or close to the listening positions measurements… then this is a factor to consider. And @stehno then has a Kungfu you should not disregard. But this also is just a matter of brainstorming…
Now we move in to the realm of room modes of resonance. And as I suggested: you need advice from someone that has experience and you need to know what is the frequency of said node…
Simulate your room first. find that hertz range.
There Are nodes in your room.
And IF They Are corresponding to any resonance in the pipe tube… that is a factor to consider.

Cheminée has a panel in front to avoid birds visiting good point. I could isolate that better.

 

[Imperial]

Ok. So now there are more elements known to you about how to go about your needs.

A YouTube Chanel I have come across lately

And an book, and also audiobook from Jim Prior

The noise free Home by Jim Prior. Acoustics advice

knowledge and the ability to assess a need …
Things do come at a price.
The more you know, the cheaper the solution might be .

16-17 euro for a usefull book/audiobook is most likely the cheapest start to your ongoing adventure.
That is audiophile Kungfu…

 

[DasguteOhr]

There is a picture of the floor in a previous post by OP. i will copy and crop it from his original post.. I hope you don’t mind @Ricco275

View attachment 131984
It is a full metal stand and spiked to the floor.
Seems wide and stable enough to supend on springs or similar concepts.
I think a sandbox might be too ‘solid’ of a device to isolate.
Narrow 60cm fish pattern short floor wood tiles.
He said They make noise when he walks on them.
In France say parquet about this type of floor.
That is a relatively thin layer some 6-12mm of wood.
Usually underneth is is standing boards on top of sheets of mdf like 1x2 meter a pierce platters.
Concrete slab at bottom.

How about this:
Get a hold of two butcher woof blocks
Example

View attachment 131989
Then you use what normalt is used to make silent floors with parquet.

Example …

HARO Underlay Silent Pro DS 3 mm​

View attachment 131990
You cut a piece of this to fit under the wood block
And put the speakers on top of that, with the spikes.
Worth a shot.

But if one wants to bust it wide open...
Now, ideally one would do this..

Speaker, on stand,
Spiked to a townhend corner isolators - you need 4 per stand. or the stand has 3 spikes??
example ( note the hole in the middle of the metal there,,,
View attachment 131991

will look like this...

View attachment 131993

As long as the speaker is stable and the weight matching gets close enough

Just brainstorming here... Anyone feel free to critique my rant....

If the parquet floor makes noise when you walk on it, it has not been installed correctly. First, the concrete floor must be absolutely straight, which is achieved by pouring liquid screed. Then a vapor barrier and impact sound insulation must be installed. Then the parquet is laid and glued. Then the parquet is sanded down and sealed against water with wax or varnish. If water penetrates the veneer layer, it becomes wavy and can make noise when you walk on it.
Sandbox base
The sand in the box described above converts sound energy into friction (heat). It works really well - just try it out. Go to the hardware store and have the boards cut to size. Buy wood glue and a couple of screw clamps. Glue them together and varnish or paint them as desired. It's quick to do - buying a 25kg bag of quartz sand isn't rocket science.

 

[Ricco275]

After reading advices here and pondering best solution also aesthetically, I think I’ll go either for av room services EVP footers or Townshend podiums. I prefer the aesthetic of the first, not sure which brand would solve my case better.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

...perhaps contact Norman Varney at AV Solutions and ask about your use-case? He's a good and knowledgeable fellow:

normanvarney@avroomservice.com

Bass is Always a Problem - Positive Feedback

Bass is Always a Problem

positive-feedback.com

 

[dcathro]

Sorry to read of your your problem Ricco!

I think there is nothing worse (from an audio perspective) than being frightened to play your music in case it annoys your neighbours.

Good luck with solving the issue .

 

[Al M.]

They know I’m trying my best. When they text me to lower the volume I send screenshots of db meter app showing 70db average. The building has bad isolation.

Unfortunately, a dB meter app can be off by up to 15 dB. A $20 dB meter from Amazon may only be off by 2 - 4 dB (when measured against calibrated SPL meter).