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How can I help isolate a subwoofer to my upstairs media room?

post #1 of 7
2/29/12 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
I don't have anything fancy...just the downfiring sub that came with the HT-S3400.

I was wondering if you guys might be able to recommend a way to prevent the sound from going downstairs, since the media room is upstairs, for cheap though...nothing like a full blown soundproof setup.

I was wondering if some kind of raised platform with an acoustic mat or similar under the sub (like 4ft x 4ft or similar) would help prevent the sound and vibrations from traveling from the upstairs to the downstairs.

Any advice on how to proceed is very appreciated.
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post #2 of 7
2/29/12 at 1:40pm
You cant. You can spend $50 and buy one of those pads but that will just prevent any vibrations from going to the floor. You cant prevent the low frequency from going down for the main reason that it is non-directional, unless you completely sound proof the room.
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post #3 of 7
2/29/12 at 1:42pm
It is basically a piece of wood and foam but they charge you some $50.
If you have some PC packaging foam and a piece of MDF, you can do it yourself.

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post #4 of 7
2/29/12 at 1:42pm
The room would have to be sound proofed which would run thousands of dollars.
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post #5 of 7
2/29/12 at 2:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mupi View Post

It is basically a piece of wood and foam but they charge you some $50.
If you have some PC packaging foam and a piece of MDF, you can do it yourself.



Are you saying this will help or no? I have something exactly like the pic from a shipping container here at work. Do I still need to apply a sound mat between the wood and the sub?

I'm not looking to completely remove the sound...but if I can drop it even 25%, based on perception, that would be awesome.

Also, is there a setting for the subwoofer that would possibly provide less vibration/sound by upping the frequency it uses or something? I know nothing about this stuff, but was curious if there was a way to make it still sound "decent" enough for a basic system without bothering the family downstairs. Maybe even sandwiching some MDF and sound isolation mats between the subwoofer and the platform to prevent the sound waves from traveling in those directions downward (figure angles between 225 degrees and 315 degrees)

Also, the room itself is surrounding on 3 sides by attic space. Would it help if I put some kind of sheet rock or even mdf on the attic side of the wall. I guess that isn't addressing sound waves going "down" but wasn't sure if that would help or not.
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post #6 of 7
3/5/12 at 2:47pm
Those isolators can make a difference in the vibrations as already mentioned, which, depending on your building, *may* be the most bothersome part of the woofer. Without a sound treatment project for the floor and ceiling, your low frequencies are still going to be doing what they want. However, you may find decoupling, either with DIY materials or a store-bought isolator is enough to take the edge off. And yes, a sound mat between the MDF and the sub's base would be a little additional help for vibrations, but it also dampens some of the sound being produced, which the MDF helps reflect. With the foam under the MDF base, you should be getting enough vibration management that you don't need to reduce the sound you want with an extra mat layer.

Insulating the walls falls under the anything helps category, but it may not be worth the effort, time and cost for the benefit it ends up providing. It'll help reduce vibrations and since the walls are part of the entire home's structure, there is some value in doing it, but the floor is still going to be the issue. Definitely make an isolator your first step, since they're the easy and most affordable.
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post #7 of 7
3/5/12 at 2:58pm
Like mentioned before, all you can do is reduce the vibrations. That will not prevent the people below from hearing the bass. Bass is non directional so putting some material below the sub is not going to help cut the bass. You have to do sound proofing.

Ssing a sun in a apt. or town house with people below is just not a viable option. Even if you play it at low volume, the bass can be bothersome as I have lived in an apt. before.
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