Floating Subwoofers?

[GRIFFITH]

Hi Everyone,

I recently moved from China. Over there, because almost everyone lived in condos/aptments with paper thin walls, noise pollution is a serious concern, esp. regarding the low frequencies of the subwoofer that tends to travel everywhere.

So one solution we had was to float the subwoofer in mid-air, there's an apparatus we can buy such that there is no contact with the floor. A very strong cord is often used to attach the subwoofer to the ceiling. Alternative, there are stands that suspends the subwoofer in mid air (think hangman, where the man is instead the subwoofer).

Do similar contraptions in North America?


Griffith

 

[j_garcia]

Supending a subwoofer changes the room modes (meaning where the bass collects), but it will not change what the same low frequencies will do to anything with a sympathetic resonance. If you want to "float" or isolate it, look at an Auralex Gramma.

 

[GRIFFITH]

Thanks, will it do anything to reduce the vibrations/sound felt by the neighbours?

 

[sholling]

It will help with the vibration but not the sound. But as a bonus it can make a sub sound a bit better.

 

[j_garcia]

Thanks, will it do anything to reduce the vibrations/sound felt by the neighbours?

It will definitely minimize the vibration transmitted to the floor, but that usually isn't what causes the issue with sound making it to and through attached walls. Sound IS vibration, so isolating it from the floor only stops one aspect of the vibration transmission. Low frequencies will still travel through walls/floors quite easily.