Effects of concrete as base for subs, speakers and potentially equipment


Hello, 

 

I am looking for any advice and experience from those that have used concrete as stands, racks, isolation. I have a friend who makes functional art pieces from concrete, coloured and designed to your liking and I was thinking of having some pieces made up for my equipment. I currently have everything on wood, but would like something more pleasing on the eye. My room is well dampened with wood floors. I am after any experience that you might have experimenting with concrete.

subwoofer on concrete slab. Currently have a T9x with a downward throwing passive radiator on a suspended wooden floor.  It needs removing from the floor and I was looking at concrete slabs. 
 

speakers on concrete slabs. Zu union 6 supreme again on suspension floor. They have isolation feet but they could do with lifting higher. I am considering using concrete for this. 
 

finally the equipment. Amp, dac, streamer. Currently on a cheap wooden cupboard with chopping boards underneath. Any experience of electronics on concrete. 

mpoll1

@OP If you have wooden floorboards, one problem with putting concrete slabs under speakers is that it can be difficult to get the slab to be stable. Personally, I favour making platforms of thick ply and screwing those into the floor. That provides a stable bass and stiffens the floor.

Heavy masses under electronics can be hit and miss. Resonance control requires the mass to be damped. Mass by itself will resonate by at low frequency and will continue to ring if it is not damped.

This is why i use some tuned mass damping  with two sets of springs under and above  differently compressed ...

 

Heavy masses under electronics can be hit and miss. Resonance control requires the mass to be damped. Mass by itself will resonate by at low frequency and will continue to ring if it is not damped.

This is why I love this site. I will go ahead and get something made up. @mitch2 i will be playing around with some of those suggestions. 
 

@ditusa what is the order of lead and concrete? What is on the floor and what are the speakers on top of?

 

thanks everyone!

@mpoll1 Wrote:

@ditusa what is the order of lead and concrete? What is on the floor and what are the speakers on top of?

The first block, on which I glued cork and felt to the bottom, sits on the oak hard wood floor. On top of that block sits 15 pounds of lead, then the second block sits on top of the lead. I then put Equipment Vibration Protectors in between the speaker and the top block to decouple the speaker from the blocks and floor. I used construction roll lead flashing 8’’ wide and weighs 60 pounds. The speakers rest on top of the Equipment Vibration Protectors with no fastener and are very stable (the speakers weigh 250 pounds). The blocks and lead were purchased at Lowe’s, see below: The Equipment Vibration Protectors were purchased from AV RoomService, LTD. See below:

Mike