Speaker Spikes - Working Principle


Vibration damping obvious makes sense (in speakers just as well as in cars). 

That involves 'killing' (converting into heat, through typically internal friction) kinetic energy. So any sort of elastic material (rubber has lots of internal friction) makes sense. 

And then there are spikes. Using a pointy hard object and pair it with a softer, elastic material (to deform, and kill kinetic energy) can work; think metal sharp spike into carpet or wood floor. 

But what is the idea behind pairing fairly unelastic metal (brass for example) with similarly unelastic (brass, stone, etc) material (example photo provided)? Only thing I can come up with: LOOKS good and makes owner feel good  thinking its an improvement (works only for Audiophiles though),

Even more curious: are they ENGINEERED "spikes" (vibration dampers or shock absorbers) for speakers that are TUNED for the frequency (and mass)  that needs to be dampened? Can piston style fluid dampers be designed for the high frequencies (100, 1000, 10000 Hz) using geometry, nozzles size and viscosity of the fluid?

 

kraftwerkturbo

@vitussl101 do OSCILLATING tweeter membran REALLY MOVE a 50 lb speaker? Remember, those milligram 'pistons' go back and forth (SAME force or better, same impulse in EACH DIRCTION) about 5000 time PER SECOND. that 50 lb MASS is way to slow to move. To move the entire speaker i suspect the required accel and decel would SHRED any speaker to pieces. 

IF that test was done (hand on speaker) and actually had (not perceived) results as described, the only explanation would be that the hand DAMPENED the vibrations of the respect speaker PANEL; and yes, they DO move/flex. The WALLS of the cabinet, not the speaker. 

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We would first like to point out a few items on the OP’s brass cone examples and will follow up with a functionally proven theorem that has taken the first steps to qualify as a science.

Cones (spikes) - the Shape is rarely talked about. Using the image from the OP exposes so many fallacies that the product would never work.

1 Take the machined knurled rings with uneven edges. These establish notches in the body that create rough surfaces and shear waves. The energy has an unsymmetrical travel pathway that makes a lot of noise and distortion. With an uneven medium, the energy flows back into the speaker's chassis.

Reflected sound is like light reflection. It is ten times more evident on rough surfaces. The nuts on this cone design produce a lot of noise.  

2 If you take a horizontal view and discover an exposed thread, the system becomes dysfunctional by establishing a separation in the mass and shape of the material. Using a separate nut for leveling the speaker breaks the transition of resonance flow. This designer needs to learn how a cone works before selling fancy-looking parts. Most spikes manufactured have zero capability of function other than raising speakers off the flooring. 

3 The disc receptor has ninety-degree angles. Ninety-degree angles add noise and distortion—the same with wall, ceiling, and flooring angles. Ninety-degree angles limit performance in speakers, inside and outside of chassis, pucks, springs, etc. They are not beneficial for energy flow and sound.

The examples shown do not work, so you need to upgrade the designs before they qualify for analysis purposes.  

Adding rubber or any material between the device and the floor other than an engineered coupling disc adds to the soup sandwich attempting to correct something doomed from the outset.

Impurities in the material also generate shear energy. There are hundreds of types of brass. Cheap brass means minimal attention to chemical manufacture and less performance. Chemistry is essential to the functionality of any cone shape.

Robert Maicks

Vibration Management Specialist

Tom DeVuono

Research & Product Development

 

@audiopoint Yeah, right. And all is on top of the fact that 'hard' spikes do nothing except 'hold' the speaker. And no: even solid gold spikes don't do more (except are high on pixel dust content).

Is the above meant to be SERIOURS? Or a nicely done bot generation. Otherwise, the crazyness in audiophildom has reached a new level of nonsense. 

 

Kraftwerkturbo - OP:

Spikes are $1.00 a piece and have been used to raise speakers off the flooring since the early seventies. They should “not” be driving, hosting, or used as a methodology in any conversation comparing modern vibration management techniques or theorems. 

 

You cannot kill 100% of energy by converting it into heat. In most formulas, a portion of energy converts to heat. Where do the remaining percentages of resonance go? Does the remaining resonance mechanically ground or propagate on surfaces and form additional resonance?

Then there is the newer “ballistic resonance” theorem published and earning many followers. Ballistic resonance takes all existing vibration-damping theorems to a new level of understanding or function. 

Metal originates within the Earth. These materials provide natural damping factors. These factors are taken into consideration when designing a product for musical reproduction. The damping is within the material chemistry itself. 

 

Only thing I can come up with: LOOKS good and makes owner feel good  thinking its an improvement (works only for Audiophiles though), Is the above meant to be SERIOURS? the crazyness in audiophildom has reached a new level of nonsense.  

Ouch! - I am serious. Talk about craziness? You appear convinced that isolation and decoupling exist in a world governed by the laws of physics and Earth’s gravity. Equipment floating in the air, just like your responses to a topic where further education is required to comprehend. 

Resonance Energy Transfer is an adaptable and scalable technology that mechanically grounds resonance formed by vibrations. The proof is built into products, public acceptance, and managing operational temperature, and aligns with current-day physics.

Parts manufactured for violin, cello, upright bass, and vibraphone are a few musical instrument sonic upgrade products accepted by musicians. Musicians and sound/recording engineers know resonance transfer delivers an improvement. 

The technology of Resonance Energy Transfer uses hardened metals that work for musical instruments, structural studio environments, compressors, transformers, fan motors, and many other devices. 

Audiophiles also know it as a newfound remarkable sonic.

 

The vibration absorbers, dampeners, springs, pucks, and cones have been here for thirty years. Giving them a modern-day look, construction, or new definition creates little change in the outcome. They are all based on age-old isolation, presently termed decoupling theorems. 

Decoupling is a descriptive adjective established by the audio industry in the interest of selling more products. 

Working with Resonance Energy Transfer for the past thirty-four years tells me that natural damping factors and material science provide function, dynamics in sound quality, and temperature reduction without using or combining elastic materials clogging up the electric, electro-mechanical, mechanical, and acoustic signal pathways.

Have you ever listened to what rubber-infused products do to musical reproduction? 

 Robert Maicks

Vibration Management Specialist

Tom DeVuono

Research & Development