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Auralex Subdude a MUST HAVE!! - Page 23

post #661 of 1095
11/19/09 at 7:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gye View Post

How about this foam?
http://www.reliablehardware.com/blac...am-2thick.aspx

....two strips attached to the bottom of a cut-to-size 1" MDF, which can be covered with a carpet square to avoid scratching.

It appears serviceable enough, but look at the price.

James
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post #662 of 1095
11/19/09 at 7:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastermaybe View Post

Thank you. See, what some are envisioning here is a bit faulty, I think.

For instance, I'm getting a Trinity tomorrow and the base is 18X18. Now, of COURSE I am not going to cut/position an 18X18 square. A 17X17 or 16X16 cube will be MORE than adequate to completely, solidly support the cube, provide the isolation I desire, AND appear nearly invisible from almost every angle in the room. Really, it should appear that the sub is just "floating" for lack of a better word.

I don't doubt the ability of the gramma to dampen, I just take issue with the price, is all.

I didn't mean to come off like a jack-a**, but $80 seems a bit much IMO.


James

Just as some may take issue with the price of the Trinity when you could build one yourself for less.

If you have the tools, knowledge, and ambition I say make something yourself. If you are like most of us, spending a few dollars on a product like the Gramma is not a big deal - especially when placed under a $2000 sub woofer.
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post #663 of 1095
11/19/09 at 7:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dewd View Post

Just as some may take issue with the price of the Trinity when you could build one yourself for less.

If you have the tools, knowledge, and ambition I say make something yourself. If you are like most of us, spending a few dollars on a product like the Gramma is not a big deal - especially when placed under a $2000 sub woofer.


Yeah, I took issue with the Trinity's price too ($3000), so I bought it for $1400!

Again, my point is, that the gramma doesn't offer ME a lot of value, as I can easily duplicate its effect at a fraction of the cost. I can't say the same about the Trinity.

James
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post #664 of 1095
11/19/09 at 7:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastermaybe View Post

It appears serviceable enough, but look at the price.

James

Sorry, somehow I got confused and I thought you needed more than one riser.

Here's another one that's only 1" thick but you could use two layers:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Professional-Pol...item3a51f2af2e

Whataver route you end up taking, it'd be interesting so see your impressions and/or pictures. I like what the Gramma did to improve my subwoofer's performance but I agree with you that it's not the best looking nor the most cost effective solution.
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post #665 of 1095
11/19/09 at 7:44am
I will move forward with my idea and post pics with honest results.

If the carpet fails, perhaps I'll bow-down to the "gramma".

James
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post #666 of 1095
11/19/09 at 8:02am
I made my own "sub-dude" for about $30 (can do this for less if but I needed a staple gun and glue).

3/4" MDF
2'x5' black carpet runner
I bought hard green styrofoam, might replace this with the softer foam that my sub came with

Works very well, and all you see is a black base under the sub, it actually turned out really well and looks like something you would buy. Plus, I have enough supplies left over to make 2 more for my front L and R, which I hear can make a difference.
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post #667 of 1095
11/19/09 at 8:40am
I have a phoenix which is 22x22. Sounds like I would have to do a diy. The phoenix has ports that fire down. That should not matter, right?
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post #668 of 1095
11/19/09 at 9:48am
No, downfiring subs actually benefit more from the sub-pads than front-firing.
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post #669 of 1095
11/19/09 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastermaybe View Post

I will move forward with my idea and post pics with honest results.

Many people in this thread have posted about their DIY subdudes. They work fine. Some of us would rather spend the $50 - $75 than bother with it (heck that's like one hand of black jack in Vegas), some would rather make it themselves. Just like everything else in this hobby. Some would never even consider buying a subwoofer (like you did), but would rather DIY. I don't see them going into all the subwoofer threads, however, and talking about what a rip off subwoofers are when they could be built for a fraction of the cost. Why do you think that is?
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post #670 of 1095
11/19/09 at 3:23pm
I have a spare subdude that is just sitting in my bedroom. It's the smaller version and needs a good cleaning, but there are no tears of any sort....will sell cheap...just pm me.
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post #671 of 1095
11/21/09 at 8:03pm
Hey all...

Quick question about a stiff foam for de-coupling a sub...

How about those foam tubes that are used to insulate small / medium size water pipes (to keep them from freezing)?

Here in Maine you can buy a bunch for a low price...

Would those work as a de-coupling foam?



Thanks for any advice .
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post #672 of 1095
12/2/09 at 8:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mastermaybe View Post

Yeah, I took issue with the Trinity's price too ($3000), so I bought it for $1400!

Again, my point is, that the gramma doesn't offer ME a lot of value, as I can easily duplicate its effect at a fraction of the cost. I can't say the same about the Trinity.

James

Well, at least I got a great Aurelex catalog w/ my 2 grammas.

My point is, I can make 2 of these myself but I'll tell you these things are built solid.

What is my time worth? After materials, what you make monetarily an hour factors in to the diy price in my opinion. I can't make them cheaper than I can buy them. With 4 kids...I don't have time for squat.

It's like the $5 usb card reader I bought at Fry's yesterday....I can make one but not for $5. And remember...you get a great catalog

My $.02
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post #673 of 1095
12/2/09 at 9:24am
^^ This guy loves catalogs! With 4 kids I would hide in the bathroom reading catalogs too. lol Thanks for the $.02 glad to hear that not only handy people are glad to buy a finished product but also that there are people in this community that have no handy skills as myself and just want to buy something that works.
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post #674 of 1095
12/7/09 at 8:56am
I am thinking of buying the Subdude HD for my down-firing sub. It has a port on the front.

My house is on a concrete slab. The room where the sub rests is carpeted...Berber carpet to be exact. My wife recently starting noticing that there is substantial vibration in a particular wall. On one side of this wall you have our living room with the sub positioned along this wall. On the other side of this wall...my toddler son's bedroom with his bed positioned along this wall. I hope I am describing this clearly enough.

I've moved the sub out as far as I can. Moving it to another location is not an option. Would the Subdude reduce this vibration in the wall? I am assuming that the vibration is traveling through the floor and into this wall that sits about 11-12 inches behind it.

Thank you.
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post #675 of 1095
12/18/09 at 4:45pm
I'm curious if the SubDude would make much of a difference with the BIC V1020 which has spikes, on a carpeted concrete floor? Anyone with a similar floor have any experience? Thank you.
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post #676 of 1095
12/30/09 at 11:16am
I just received my subdude hd - seems to be made very well. I would not even attempt to make something like this. You spend thousands on speakers, etc and cheap out on the Subdude. I mean come on... Your not going to make something that looks as good!
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post #677 of 1095
12/30/09 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geek From NJ View Post

I would not even attempt to make something like this.

Why? Buying a peice of MDF, covering it with some carpet, and attaching a few pieces of foam to the bottom is not exactly a tough project to anyone who isn't *totally* mechanically disinclined.

I mean, if a trip to the hardware store and one or two hours of your time isn't worth saving 30 or 40 bucks, then the SubDude is a good deal, sure
Quote:


You spend thousands on speakers, etc and cheap out on the Subdude.

To me, at least, there's a big difference between spending money on something like a speaker that's a little involved in terms of engineering and design and spending $50 on a piece of carpet-covered wood that can't be more than a few dollars in materials to a company that buys in bulk.

Also, my mains cost me $129 each, and the total cost of my entire system is well under a grand. So a SubDude is almost half what I spent on my mains, and more than I spent on my surrounds.
Quote:


I mean come on... Your not going to make something that looks as good!

You're right... a lot of DIY'ers could probably make something that looks a lot better and is custom sized to fit their sub.
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post #678 of 1095
12/30/09 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Geek From NJ View Post

I just received my subdude hd - seems to be made very well. I would not even attempt to make something like this. You spend thousands on speakers, etc and cheap out on the Subdude. I mean come on... Your not going to make something that looks as good!

I have to agree for the most part with you. Made very well-Yes...Not even attempt-No....Spend thousands on Speakers then cheap out on the SubDude-Yes I agree bad idea.... Not going to look as good-Yes

Bottom line is I was back and forth over and over about this. I have 2 Epik Phoenix Subs. They are down firing subs that sit on rubber feet that are approx 20"x20" Does Auralex make anything that can fit this? I wrote to Auralex to find out and I got a big "NO" As nice as the guy was all he could do was recommend that one of their outsource shops build me a custom one. It would have been $100 or more plus I needed 2 of them. So I looked and looked and looked and even posted in another section, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1204176, of this forum looking for the patented PlatFoam that Auralex uses for their SubDudes. Well I had a guy post where I can buy that foam in a sheet for $35 dollars and it will be enough to make my own SubDudes which I will complete next week. I went to the local lumber store and bought the exact same 3/4" MDF fiberboard Auralex uses and had it cut to size by a handy-man friend of mine and I will cover the bottom will 1 full 1" layer and then add 4"x4"x1" feet as a 2nd layer at each corner. In my case my sub is large enough to cover any cosmetics of my custom SubDude but I firmly believe that I will have made almost to the spec of what they would have sold me for over $100 bucks a piece. My investment so far is $57 and of course my time which isn't so valuable for something like this because I am doing my hobby of Home Stereo so it isn't like work if you know what I mean.

In closing I would like to add that "IF" my sub would have been a different size and/or the SubDude, Gramma, or Great Gramma would have been the correct size I would have NEVER attempted to make my own. I would have purchased a finished product, like "Geek from NJ" said there is no reason to pay thousands for speakers and not spend another $50 for the finished product. I have nothing against do-it-yourself'ers I just wanted to support "Geek from NJ" and retailers. I also feel that if you DIY and don't use the PATENTED PlatFoam made my Auralex you are not getting the proper isolation you think you are.
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post #679 of 1095
12/30/09 at 7:37pm
I agree with the last few posts. I am an extremely hand guy but my time is money, I'm in sales. So I can spend 1 hour drumming up a new client which could be worth thousands or f around trying to make a subdude or anything else for that matter. If your retired, paid a salary, etc or need a specific size thats a different story. I am redoing some big projects at the house and saving money money on labor, etc where it warrants it. I placed my Ultracube 12 on the Subdude and did some treatments at the same time. I like that its now raised up off the floor. Does it sound better... To my ears yes but I just spent $60 bucks so I am sure its my imaginatation to a certain degree. Being off the floor means the gf will not scuff my sub when she vaccums. Thats a plus right there! The Geek
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post #680 of 1095
12/30/09 at 8:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister House View Post

I have to agree for the most part with you. Made very well-Yes...Not even attempt-No....Spend thousands on Speakers then cheap out on the SubDude-Yes I agree bad idea.... Not going to look as good-Yes

Bottom line is I was back and forth over and over about this. I have 2 Epik Phoenix Subs. They are down firing subs that sit on rubber feet that are approx 20"x20" Does Auralex make anything that can fit this? I wrote to Auralex to find out and I got a big "NO" As nice as the guy was all he could do was recommend that one of their outsource shops build me a custom one. It would have been $100 or more plus I needed 2 of them. So I looked and looked and looked and even posted in another section, http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1204176, of this forum looking for the patented PlatFoam that Auralex uses for their SubDudes. Well I had a guy post where I can buy that foam in a sheet for $35 dollars and it will be enough to make my own SubDudes which I will complete next week. I went to the local lumber store and bought the exact same 3/4" MDF fiberboard Auralex uses and had it cut to size by a handy-man friend of mine and I will cover the bottom will 1 full 1" layer and then add 4"x4"x1" feet as a 2nd layer at each corner. In my case my sub is large enough to cover any cosmetics of my custom SubDude but I firmly believe that I will have made almost to the spec of what they would have sold me for over $100 bucks a piece. My investment so far is $57 and of course my time which isn't so valuable for something like this because I am doing my hobby of Home Stereo so it isn't like work if you know what I mean.

In closing I would like to add that "IF" my sub would have been a different size and/or the SubDude, Gramma, or Great Gramma would have been the correct size I would have NEVER attempted to make my own. I would have purchased a finished product, like "Geek from NJ" said there is no reason to pay thousands for speakers and not spend another $50 for the finished product. I have nothing against do-it-yourself'ers I just wanted to support "Geek from NJ" and retailers. I also feel that if you DIY and don't use the PATENTED PlatFoam made my Auralex you are not getting the proper isolation you think you are.

I was in the same boat. The Auralex Subdudes did not fit my subs properly. So I made my own DIY Subdudes. I was able to replicate the patented plat foam. The foam is surrounded by 2.5 inches of Oak. The foam sticks out approx 1/4in to 1/2in below the wood. In combination with the carpet it cannot be seen. It took some thinking and work, but was worth it. I still think I came out ahead making my own. Im fairly sure they function just as good as the original.I have 4 15inch subs in one room and it sounds a lot better. Here is a picture of the DIY
Subdude.
LL
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post #681 of 1095
2/15/10 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srw1000 View Post

Thanks for the detailed testing and posting the results. It's nice to see some data that corresponds with user reports.

Is there any chance you'd be willing to repeat some of these tests using tennis balls underneath the sub in place of your homemade platform? I've issued this challenge in the past, but nobody has ever taken it up. It's based off of an old Stereophile-suggested tweak. It would be nice to see a data-based comparison.

Scott

Dude, I just wanted to say thanks. Not only did your suggestion greatly reduce my subs boominess/floor vibrations (bloody hollow floors), making the overall stereo image way more accurate, but the fact they worked so surprisingly well cracked me up to boot. I've no doubt a subdude would do a better job, but i'm happy. I love my Z5500's even more now.

Here's to tennis balls and being a cheapskate.

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post #682 of 1095
2/15/10 at 6:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meocene View Post

Dude, I just wanted to say thanks. Not only did your suggestion greatly reduce my subs boominess/floor vibrations (bloody hollow floors), making the overall stereo image way more accurate, but the fact they worked so surprisingly well cracked me up to boot. I've no doubt a subdude would do a better job, but i'm happy. I love my Z5500's even more now.

Here's to tennis balls and being a cheapskate.


Thanks for posting your results, and I'm glad to hear that it worked for you.

I'd still really like to see someone who owns a Subdude do a blind comparison with tennis balls, though.

I posted the request years ago in this thread, and nobody's taken up the challenge yet.

Scott
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post #683 of 1095
2/15/10 at 7:22pm
I guess some people like to save just for the sake of saving. I would make a subdude just as a learning experience, but I'm not going to spend half a day figuring out how to create one simply to save $30.
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post #684 of 1095
3/7/10 at 1:10pm
I am considering getting a gramma (the subdude is too small for my SVS PB10-NSD and the gramma seems to be the exact same thing only bigger and less "pretty").

I have two goals, the first being the primary reason.

1) To get stop the sub from vibrating my ceiling mounted projector.

2) to get rid of some window rattle.


Will a gramma help accomplish #1? I really didn't even notice the picture distortion until last night when I was coincidentally looking up close at the projectors menu while running a bass heavy action sequence. I saw the text from the menu blur a bit with each sub hit. Not something I ever noticed from a seated position, but would like to eliminate it. Would this work as well or better than a rubber gasket between the mount and the ceiling? I'd prefer not to have to unbolt the mount is possible. I am also hoping this might stop my lens shift from "shifting".


Also, I have concerns about a reduction in tactile response. I've read through this thread and a few reviews elsewhere and seen both opinions. On on hand, decoupling would mean less energy transferred to the walls and floor which would seem to mean more transfer through the air. I am just not sure if the tactile feeling is more from room pressurization or from feeling the sub vibrating structures and then to your body.

Any comments, opinions, or help would be great!
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post #685 of 1095
3/7/10 at 1:32pm
It should help to cut down on the vibrations from blurring the image from the projector. Maybe not a 100%. It won't cancel the vibrations traveling through the air. As far as the sound goes, it should help to clean and tighten the bass. Having the bass vibrating the walls and floor may seem cool but it is actually coloring the actual sound you are hearing. I was amazed at the difference in sound after installing my DIY Subdudes.
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post #686 of 1095
3/7/10 at 1:33pm
Yes very much so. The Gramma/SubDude is designed to separate the subwoofer cabinet from the floor therefor will keep resonating waves from traveling to the ceiling and vibrating the projector. If the projector is vibrating due to the SPL of the sub then you are not going to need the Gramma/SubDude lol. As for the window rattle it will lessen it but will not get rid of it. There is to many sound waves that will resonate the glass so there will still be some rattle happening. Good luck with your purchase it is highly recommended.
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post #687 of 1095
3/7/10 at 1:47pm
Thanks for the feedback. I agree that less transfer to the structure is certainly a good thing. Cleaner bass is certainly a good thing. I just wonder if it will cause a drop in that "visceral feel"?

Should I be prepared for that? I'm sure I'll need to recalibrate again, but did you guys notice a drop in SPL level when checking with meter, and therefore the need to boost your gain once you installed this?

Also, the room is carpeted, so will it still be an improvement?
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post #688 of 1095
3/7/10 at 1:56pm
You will need to re-calibrate after wards. I know I noticed a huge sound difference with my 2 Phoenix Subs but they are downfiring ports. I do know that most other SVS owners that purchased a Gramma/SubDude were very please with all the results.
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post #689 of 1095
3/7/10 at 2:03pm
i have 2x Danley DTS-10's on 2 Auralex Gramma's each they work great and killed the rattle i had before.
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post #690 of 1095
3/7/10 at 2:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by curlyjive View Post

Thanks for the feedback. I agree that less transfer to the structure is certainly a good thing. Cleaner bass is certainly a good thing. I just wonder if it will cause a drop in that "visceral feel"?

Should I be prepared for that? I'm sure I'll need to recalibrate again, but did you guys notice a drop in SPL level when checking with meter, and therefore the need to boost your gain once you installed this?

Also, the room is carpeted, so will it still be an improvement?

Yes they will still help on carpeting. You may or may not need to recalibrate. Its sort of an as needed basis. The visceral feel may go down slightly, but nothing to worry about. Most of that will be the sounds that you where trying to get rid of from the walls and floor. You can usually run your sub or subs hotter after installing a Subdude if you feel the need. You will be doing away with many of the bad frequencies that the walls and floor where giving off making the sound cleaner. The sound waves in the air should still give you a great experience and feel. Once you clean up a room by doing away with negative sounds that heavy bass causes you will never go back. At least I won't.
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