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Just how much do speakers suppose to vibrate?

I have a pair of Totem Staff speakers and when I play music with some bass content I can feel the top of the speakers vibrating to some degree. I like the sound of the speakers and I just wonder if the speakers suppose to vibrate this way. I do not play music very loud (around 85 dB peaks) and yes I tried stuffing the lower chamber with sand, but I did not like the result. Also I tried putting some iron weights over the top of the speakers and the vibrations lessen about half (this according with a vibrometer app for android). According to the vibrometer the vibrations go as high as  IV in the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale. Is this level of vibrations normal for this speakers? Also I should mention that the speakers are spiked directly to the floor which is compose of tiles over concrete.
tiofelon
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
Thanks Spenser for bringing up Beak topic.

Beak indeed is a cool Totem tweak that works magic over their small foot-print speakers including Totem Forest. I also found that it does hefty on adjusting the image symmetry and can be played around. Not necessary position of beaks should be symmetrical per each speaker. 

Well, I have couple of these I don't need. They don't really work on my Aerial 10t giants simply because the surface there isn't flat. Beak works best when upright. I know that it's not appropriate, but would entertain personal messages if anyone interested.


oleschool's avatar
oleschool
722 posts
 
    check out starsound and talk to robert.I use all his stuff ,let it vibrate just the right way ..imho
ebm
9,311 posts
 
Try Symposium Super+ bases with or without spikes(this depends on the floor underneath)they will give better imaging,stage,bass quality and more information retrieval.Not cheap but well worth the money.
chayro
2,998 posts
 
Every speaker cabinet, indeed everything, vibrates at some frequency.  Speaker designers create cabinets which can move the vibrations to different areas of the spectrum to contour the sound to their idea of what it should be.  Companies like Wilson use heavy cabinets, and Harbeth uses much thinner ones.  In short, I would not think about whether the cabinet vibrates if you like the sound.  Beaks or weights on the speaker will change the resonant frequency, which may or may not be to your liking.  I really think it's a matter of choosing a speaker you like and listening - don't obsess over the design.  At least that's what I think. 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
It’s fine and dandy to let the vibrations and flow and look the other way, but speaker cabinet vibrations that are directed to the floor should be minimized to prevent or minimize what’s generally called acoustic feedback and to reduce the effect of those vibrations on internal wiring and electronic crossover elements as well as the speaker cable connectors, not to mention reducing the effectiveness of the various drivers. The trick is to damp vibrations without over-damping as well as isolate the floor from the speakers.

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