Speakers on desk - resonance

[dex85]

hi, i mostly listen to headphones, but sometimes i feel like listening to speakers. the problem is i can't get the stands for speakers because of space limitations in my room. i'm listening nearfield and the speakers are placed on the desk.

the problem is the desk is playing along with speakers, it's very obvious and annoying. it's creates a boom in LF i can't stand. i tried to put some thick rugs under the speakers but it didn't help much. any ideas how should i tackle this?

 

[Bill St. Clair]

Amazon.com: Auralex MOPAD Monitor Isolation Pads, Charcoal, 1 pair: Musical Instruments

 

[dex85]

thanks, will have to try those

 

[audiofil]

Bill's suggestion is very good, but I'd like to add some other things to the "mix".

If you're experiencing a booming bass the problem is a bit more complex.
The bass response gets significantly amplified by nearby walls more than anything else (especially the ones facing the bass reflex ports)
The desk reflects mostly midrange frequencies, not so much bass. Also, if it's prone to vibration you will get resonances and a blurring of the sound. Again, not necessarily a bass emphasis.

You should try to put the speakers away from the wall (at least a foot).
Another trick is to fill the bass ports with some absorbing material (sponge, socks, whatever).

 

[dex85]

it probably has to do more with the resonances of desk than with bassreflex, which is front-ported on my speakers. the desk is seriously vibrating and have negative effect on the clarity as you pointed out. i might change the speakers as well, since they are very alive to the touch. depends on how those isolators will help.

i'll try to move a desk further away from wall, to see if it help. now its about 35cm(14 inches).

 

[vo328]

Believe it or not, sometimes a very inexpensive solution to this type of problem is to place some thick books under the speakers. I had this issue in my home office and before going with some isolating pads (like the Auralex type) I thought I'd see if books would help. Presto!

 

[dex85]

yes, books helped a lot with desk vibrations and clarity, weird bass response remained. given books' height, tweeter is too much above my ears now, so eventually i'll get those pads

moving speakers to 60cm away from the wall improved the bass, although not as much as i would like. it might have to do with room acoustics (attic), but i thought it wouldn't be such issue when nearfield listening.

 

[St3ve]

I use some of those Mopads, and being able to tilt the speakers is pretty useful as raising the tweeters to ear height isn't really an option. Expensive for what they are, but they seem to do the trick nicely.

 

[htsource]

I use these for my Totem Model 1 speakers on my desk:

Primacoustic - Acoustical Solutions

They're not cheap but they work really well.