Suspending speakers?

[greenhorn]

Would suspending speakers from the ceiling be an improvement over putting them on spikes?

 

[milkpowder]

I don't have a scientific answer to your question, but my gut feeling tells me that leaving them on spikes will sound better.

How big are the speakers you want to suspend?

 

[greenhorn]

Bookshelves.

I was wondering if suspending speakers with some solid strings would not better spiking since any vibration would not be transmitted anymore to the floor... but maybe those strings would also transmit vibrations to the roof

Maybe some helicoidal suspensions would do better than strings. Like those vintage microphones: http://www.btinternet.com/~roger.bec...h/mics/bth.htm

 

[mrarroyo]

I did it in my college days when I needed additional floor space. Honestly I can not remember if the sound was any better. What I can say is that my neighbor downstairs was happier.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrarroyo I did it in my college days when I needed additional floor space. Honestly I can not remember if the sound was any better. What I can say is that my neighbor downstairs was happier.

Ahh yes! Less (perceivable) bass may be one of the drawbacks of hanging the speakers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenhorn I was wondering if suspending speakers with some solid strings would not better spiking since any vibration would not be transmitted anymore to the floor... but maybe those strings would also transmit vibrations to the roof Maybe some helicoidal suspensions would do better than strings. Like those vintage microphones: http://www.btinternet.com/~roger.bec...h/mics/bth.htm

Would strings be enough to isolate the speakers from vibrations coming from the roof? Will anyone be jumping around or making an excessive noise when you listen to music?

 

[Wodgy]

I strongly suspect suspended speakers would reduce sound quality. The point of good speaker stands is to make sure that cone motion goes into moving air (producing sound) instead of moving the cabinet. With suspended speakers, there really is nothing external preventing the cabinet from swaying back and forth. Some energy meant to generate sound will go into moving the cabinet instead.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy I strongly suspect suspended speakers would reduce sound quality. The point of good speaker stands is to make sure that cone motion goes into moving air (producing sound) instead of moving the cabinet. With suspended speakers, there really is nothing external preventing the cabinet from swaying back and forth. Some energy meant to generate sound will go into moving the cabinet instead.

I have been enlightened to the very fundamental physics of a speaker. Hence, I would recommend using heavy-duty bracing to fix your bookshelf's to the roof if you must do so. It might not look to nice though...

Oh and one more thing:
What is the purpose of a speaker cabinet?

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder Oh and one more thing: What is the purpose of a speaker cabinet?

The purpose is to deal with the back wave. The speaker cone moves air both in front and behind the cone. Without a cabinet to contain the back wave, the bass frequencies wrap around the baffle and cancel to the sides of the speaker. This isn't necessarily bad -- speakers intentionally designed like this (no cabinets) are called dipoles -- but the cancellation means you need equalization, more cone movement, more power, and better drivers to get the same volume level. Everything's a design tradeoff, and ordinary monopoles are simpler so they tend to be more popular, but dipoles have certain advantages. Anyway, a cabinet lets you play with the back wave in order to boost bass above what the driver could normally produce, at the expense of speed (group delay), or simply suppress it (sealed box or infinite baffle).