A tweak that actually worked!

[Bonzo]

In the back of my brain, I think I read somewhere that adding weight to a speaker can improve the sound. I am not one to jump on the band wagon of every miracle tweak that comes along but, adding weight to speaker stands seems to help with bookshelf speakers so maybe there is something to it?

Off to the local gun store where I purchased two 25lb bags of lead shot. They were under $20 a piece. I removed the passives from my Forte II's and carefully layed the bags of shot on the bottom of the speaker. Moving them back into place was a little more difficult!

I fired up my SACD recording of Dave Brubeck's "Take 5." Well, I have to tell you, I'm impressed! The bass is tighter and the mid-range seems more focused. At first I thought it was just wishful thinking but when my wife, unsolicited, asked if I changed something because the bass seemed more pronounced, that was good enough for me! With everything I have added to my system over the years, this is the first time she has ever commented about the sound. She mainly just wants the speakers to match the furniture.

So, for what it's worth, it's an inexpensive tweak that worked for me.

[tofu]

impress her even more by laying bare cinder blocks on your speakers.

as for the lead shot, you put it inside the speaker? maybe it sounds different because you midified the internal volume?

[Bonzo]

If I were to put cinder blocks on the top of them, where would I put the friggin' nick/knacks and candles???

[DrWho]

impress her even more by laying bare cinder blocks on your speakers.

as for the lead shot, you put it inside the speaker? maybe it sounds different because you midified the internal volume?

exactly what I was thinking....how big are these bags of shot? even

half a cubic foot would drastically change the frequency response (because with a

passive you end up raising the tuning point too...). I would guess it

raised the F3 while increasing output in the 40-50Hz region []

[sunburnwilly]

Have you thought about spiking the Forte II's ?

[Bonzo]

The bags are about 10"x4"x1". They lay pretty flat. I do have them spiked. If I get ambitious tomorrow I will take them out and compare. I think they sound better now but I know my hearing memory is short.

[DrWho]

Oh, that's only 0.02 cubic feet....nothing to worry about. I suppose a bag of shot is smaller than I thought []

[jerohm]

Why don't you screw a piece of plywood to the bottom of the base and fill THAT chamber with the shot ?

[colterphoto1]

or you could incorporate the weighted bags into the built-in riser bases if you have those attached. Any additional mass that couples the speakers to the floor should help.

Or how about a marble slab (with appropriate felt discs) on top? You'd still have room for your candles, unicorns and ferns then....

[Bonzo]

Hey Michael,

You forgot the Hummel figurines! I don't want to modify them any more than I have to. I felt putting the bags in the cabinet was an easy option without modification. That said, I'm waiting for Chris Munson's crossovers before I do anything else.

If you want those K53's and that K28E woofer, I will give you a big post birthday discount. Send me a PM if you like. I sent you a couple but don't know if you got them?

You can also e-mail me direct at;

Lbones295@cs.com

Thanks

[psg]

Reminds me of an article on KHorns in which it was recommended to add a

bad of sand in the top bin. Isn't that written by a forum member?

In any case, has anyone tried this?

[ACDCRB25]

Klipsch Gnomes, need I say more? Steal your wife's Garden Gnomes and

stick em on top of the speaker making sure too clean the bases of them

and ride them of dirt and whatnot prior too the duty. Also make sure no

matter what if your putting something of a harder density on top of the

speakers protect the surface with felt or something like that for the

bare minimum lol. The last thing you want is scratches in the MDF.

[Colin]

Cest moi!

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1299/sandbagging.htm

it works, and for very good reasons

[jerohm]

... That said, I'm waiting for Chris Munson's crossovers before I do anything else. ...

does that imply that a (complete) set of original forte II crossovers will become available... anybody???

[artto]

Want to add mass to the speaker? Why not do what I did? I secured my Khorns to the friggin' foundation of the house with 18 lag bolts! Now they're mechanically coupled to the mass of the Earth. Can't do much better than that. [] And yes, it did make an improvement, mostly in the middle & treble registers, not the bass range like I thought it would.

[Parrot]

It seems to me you'd want to *de-couple* speakers from the earth. There

are earthquakes going on somewhere around the planet almost all the

time, and you don't want these spurious vibrations to interfere with

music reproduction. I think a better course would be to lay a bunch of

powerful magnets on the floor underneath your speakers, and glue an

equal number of magnets to the base. Have the magnets arranged so that

they will repel each other, so that the speakers essentially float.

[ACDCRB25]

Magnetic Levitation is the name of this phenonmenon its the technology

that trains in Britain are going to be making use of soon enough (or

already are).

[artto]

It seems to me you'd want to *de-couple* speakers from the earth. There are earthquakes going on somewhere around the planet almost all the time, and you don't want these spurious vibrations to interfere with music reproduction. I think a better course would be to lay a bunch of powerful magnets on the floor underneath your speakers, and glue an equal number of magnets to the base. Have the magnets arranged so that they will repel each other, so that the speakers essentially float.

Yeah right. And maybe I'll start hearing the splashing sound of ocean tidal waves coming across on my speakers too. You need a physics course Parrot. []

[D-MAN]

I thought everyone knew this already! Two things are occuring here:

1) the added weight allows for the floor spikes to make better contact with the flooring (which is less subject to vibration due to its location, size, weight and structure, i.e. it is a more absorptive mass than air, for instance).

2) the inert mass (lead shot) at the bottom of the cabinet reduces internal cabinet vibration and reflections. I would agree that it does not involve enough back chamber volume to be of much sonic consequence.

DM

[psg]

Cest moi!

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1299/sandbagging.htm

it works, and for very good reasons