Re: OT Speakers

[Ant Skelton <ant@xxxxxxx>]

Alancc wrote:
> Can any of you audio guys explain the benefits of loading speakers
> up with sand or shot, what is best and how much would you put in. 
> I know the simple answer is to try it but don't want to mess about
> doing it if there is no real benefit.

The purpose of sand or lead-shot is two-fold. Firstly, it makes 
floorstanders heavier and thus more stable. Secondly, it provides 
"mass-loading", effectively making the speaker cabinet stiffer,
and 
therefore less likely to vibrate. This means that more of the available
sound energy is directed out of the driver, rather than resonating the 
cabinet. This improves the efficiency of the speaker. Obviously this 
effect will not be linear across the frequency band, so it will alter 
the tonal colour of the speaker, the net result generally being a more 
punchy bass.

Mass-loading is recommended if you are getting strange resonances, if 
you are lacking bass response, or if your speakers are on wooden floors.
I think the established approach is to let the drivers bed in for a 
couple of months first, and then to half-fill the speakers. If that 
helps, they can be fine-tuned from there.

ant
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