Why is good, deep bass so difficult? - Myths and their Busters

The weights issue of course is very much speaker dependent. :) I’m certainly not saying it is THE solution to THE speaker problem. :)

This particular issue isn’t resonance within the speaker panels so much as force and leverage vs. the mass of the entire speaker being able to rock the entire assembly.  Of course, those of you with 200 lb speakers can ignore this issue.

The woofer motor exerts quite a bit of force that changes rapidly. This could in theory actually move the speaker, or tilt it, causing some self-cancellation akin to the Doppler effect.

Should you spend a lot of time and money on this particular issue? I don’t think so. I used to own Focal Profile 918. Rather tall, light weight speakers with woofers mounted relatively high. That is the type of speaker I think would benefit most.

Having force up high gives it more leverage, and more ability to rock the speaker back on it's rear feet. The Profile was easy to knock over even with after-market supports.

The theory is basic physics, but I haven't done any modelling in regards to "normal" woofer forces and speaker masses.  If you are worried, put a nice steel weight on top and listen. Then if you hear no difference at all send me a case of Casamigos tequila on top of which you have written the words "You were totally wrong."


Best,

E

It’s not really a mass issue for the tops of speakers. It’s placing something that acts like a diode and allows the otherwise trapped energy in the speaker cabinet to rapidly escape to the outside air via a path of least resistance.  This is why things like those Totem Beaks or cones, especially NASA grade ceramic DH Cones, very hard but not very massive, but massive enough, are often so effective placed on top of speakers. 🍦 There used to be a product Tekna Sonic that was purpose built for attaching to speaker cabinets that accomplished the same thing. For the same reason cones can often be placed on top of the electronics chassis or tube traps and accomplish the same sort of thing, dissipate energy rapidly from the system. Crystals also dissipate mechanical energy in similar circumstances.

so...
anybody actually run the curves for your listening position ?
easy to do
but harder than typing this.....

I don’t know but I have a sneaking suspicion nobody ever ran curves for anything from the listening position. That’s not something in an audiophile’s bag of tricks. 👜 What audiophiles do is try something. Listen. Move it a little. Listen again. Try something else. Listen again. Ad infinitum. And they wonder why audiophiles frequently come down with a bad case of audio nervousa. 😬

I’m not sure how many different ways I can type this. If you are thinking of resonance cabinet control it is VERY different than what I am describing.

Imagine an open baffle speaker design of zero mass resting on frictionless rollers. As music plays, the speaker will roll back and forth on the skates, and the acoustic output will be reduced. This is the equal and opposite reaction to the energy of the motor acting on the baffle/motor and motor frame. This is a matter of force, leverage, and mass.

Is it an issue? I don’t know, I have had a number of people whose opinions I trust say they get better bass out of monitors with additional mass, which need not be particularly modern. An antique iron would work if it was heavy enough.



Best,

E