DIY Equipment Spikes
Oct 16, 2001 at 11:47 AM Post #3 of 8
Rick, Have you tried Spikes? This is an Area i have toyed with for quite a long time, But the Logical part of my Brain says Snake Oil and i then just forget the Idea. But Now days the Logical part of my Brain is fried so i am Open to the Extreme. So i would like any feedback you have personaly observed regarding Spikes. Now I have Suspended My Turntable From the Celing using a method sugested by stereophile years ago and it did improve the Isolation alot However since the Celing and Floor in most structures are not rigid in an Acoustical Connection i can understand how this would improve the Isolation.
 
Oct 16, 2001 at 10:45 PM Post #4 of 8
tough one man.Yes,I have and do use spikes,and yes there is an audible effect.But is it an improvement ?
A coin toss with some , a definate yes with other equipment.All my speakers and speaker stands are spiked top and bottom (reversed spikes on speaker stand tops)
I NEVER use spikes with tube gear,preferring instead some nice generic rubber feet or the bumpers off of doorstops.Same with line level solid state gear and DACs.
With my CD player I have tried taking off the factory feet and just putting a 12" bicycle tube under it,spikes in place of the original feet on a platform made up of a maple cutting board on top of a bicycle tue,spikes only,combinations of all the above and I STILL do not know what I prefer best.I will say internal chassis damping and some added mass are essential,the chassis and the metal covers on CD players are WAY too flimsy (at least at a rational dollar level)
The TNT "bullet spikes " are something i will try on a cold winter day when i am snowbound
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All I am really saying is you really need to experiment with each individual piece of equipment,BUT NOT ALL AT ONCE,then make a decision on what YOU like.These tweaks are really a visual representation of the sound
I.E. -spikes,metal,tighten up a sloppy or too loose bass.A "hard" system might be toned down with "squishy" feet or even bubble wrap.
A slight "shudder (only way i can describe the actual sound)" might mean a total assault on the unit in question.A total approach from the internal chassis to the feet to the sub-stand and then the actual stand/rack,depends on how much bass power your system produces or how flimsy your home acoustical properies are.
Glad you asked huh ?
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Oct 17, 2001 at 4:40 PM Post #5 of 8
Thanks for the Imformative Reply. I can see How alot of these Can work like i am going to try the Cutting Board on top of my DVD player since it has a Cheep Chassis. Now my speakers are a 4 way DIY using a 12" sub 6.5' woofer 2" Mid and 1" tweeter so the Bass is quite Potent at times. What bothers me is the amount and quality of the Bass is changed alot vs what recordings are Played. I don't Know if this is a Flaw or Not but i can play the same Mix of CD's on other systems and the Quality of the Low end stays the same. on mine it changes quite alot. Of course Headphones also show the same Change so maby i answered my own question Hear? I ausume Headphones to reproduce More accuracy and lower Distortion than Loudspeakers. I can relate to things Changing the sound and not being able to put a finger upon wether it is an improvement or just a change, This happens when Building Audio Electronics often. I will try some or all these tweeks and let you Know the result.
 
Oct 17, 2001 at 9:26 PM Post #6 of 8
If your speakers sound different from song to song that would usually mean they are accurate,just reproducing what is on the recording and not "romantisiing" the sound.
 
Oct 18, 2001 at 9:31 AM Post #8 of 8
Rick: That is what i Was thinking after noticing the Dramatic Changes from song to Song on Headphones, But i was not sure since most recordings are not mixed for Headphones. Thanks.
Topher I am using the MB Quart 2" Aluminium Dome From Madisound Speaker Components. This is a Dificult Driver to Impliment since it has a peak right at 10KHz. but Proper Crossover selection and some Mechanical Damping of the Dome cures this. I spent alot of time getting these 1" & 2" Metal Domes sounding right but thay are so articulate and fast sounding I went throught the Effort. If futher Dettails interest you email me.
 
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