Over the years many here on the
VMPS Circle have known me to be a
"nutty" tweaker.
I have used damping, foam, blankets, Matresses, Box Springs, various height stands, jumpers, and many other devices, positionings and paraphenalia to
TWEAK the sonic properties of my speakers.
In the sub realm, I have used the
Quadratic sub set up,
Push/Pull,
Orphan Sub, the
TRIVECTOR System,
High/Low Subs, and on and on.
A year or so ago, I got the idea to
TURBO CHARGE the Passive Radiator on one of my LARGERs to see what it would sound like.
Now I know a few things about Physics and Acoustics, but
I AM NOT a speaker designer (nor do I play one on TV). However, I am not sure why I thought this might be an interesting experiment, but I even discussed it with one of my VMPS sub clients.
If any of you are crazy enough to follow my lead here, you should be able to do it with any VMPS Sub that has a down firing Passive Radiator.
The
TuboCharger consists of the following steps:
1) Reorient the LARGER SUB so that the active drivers are firing toward the listener and the Passive Radiator is firing toward the ceiling.
2) Take a tall cardboard box (I used the box for my LRC that is exceptionally heavy duty and stiff) and open both ends so it is an open tube.
3) Place the box over the Passive Radiator so that it restricts and directs the PR's output upward toward the ceiling.
That is essentially it.
Now what does this DO?
Well it seems to just deepen the bass response, increase its impact, and create a more spatial and expansive perception of bass all around the room.
In the listening experiments, I used a lot of electronic music like KRAFTERK LIVE, and many of my other bass reference cuts.
I shut down all my other subs and use just a single LARGER flanking my left RM40 and equidistant from the listening position as both RM40's.
I run the sub at the VERY LOW frequencies only (below 30Hz) and it is spooky good how it seems to effect ALL the frequencies by making the sound so "spatial".
Now I have no idea how this works. It might be like a mini-transmission line or some such, or it may simply change the way the Passive Radiator couples with the room and blends with the active drivers, but it is a very cool sonic and I am enjoying it.
I suppose if it keeps my attention I could probably hit up
Lowes for a length of their
SONOTUBE tubular concrete forms (that you use to pour conrete pillars of various diameters)
People used to use them for Cylindrical Subs because they are so rigid and sturdy. I would guess they have the size that would fit right over the 15" PR.
A little black spray paint and VOILA!!! your larger looks like it should be on the deck of the Titanic
smoke stack and all.
Here is a simple diagram of how this is set up
