Biggest. Sub. Ever.

[picothinker]

In the "this is so extreme that it's crazy" department:</p>

There's a guy in Italy that built the world's largest subwoofer as 1-meter tall passageways under the floor of his listening room. This is just weird on so many levels. It's claimed for reproduction down to 10hz. Discounting the fact that possibly no recordings exist with 10hz, every other piece of the audio chain will not work well (or at all?) at those frequencies. He mentions being able to feel 5 Hz, but how do you generate it, or get anything that has that recorded?
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This is part of the strange audiophile people, that pay hundreds of dollars for a wooden knob because it "has natural resonance". The audible frequency range is usually quoted as 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. If you have an analog synth, and appropriate amps, I suppose you could generate your own wall-shaking low notes.
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[psrick]

Re: Biggest. Sub. Ever.

Wow!! 64' on the floor!

[jbird604]

Re: Biggest. Sub. Ever.



This is actually a throw-back to what some audiophiles were doing back in the 50's, constructing enormous resonant woofer chambers under floors. Before the days of air-suspension soft-surround woofers, it was impossible to extend the low-end output of a speaker without using a huge horn or other length of air column to couple the output of the relatively stiff woofer cones to the atmosphere in a room.</P>


While it sounds extreme to extend bass response below 20 Hz, remember that a 32' pedal stop has fundamental tones down to 16 Hz, and those are "felt" rather than heard.</P>


Back in the 50's I don't know what type of signal source these guys would have had access to with sonic content going down that low. Phonograph records would have been plagued with rumble in that range, FM broadcasts rolled off below 30 Hz, and of couse there were no digital recordings. </P>


But today, CD's actually can contain audio signals well below 20 Hz, and synth devices are capable of creating bass notes as low as you want to play!</P>


Actually, though, anyone considering such an under-floor chamber should ponder the alternative method of using a very compliant woofer or array of woofers in a sealed box. With amplifier power being dirt cheap these days, one needn't build a big bass horn out of a concern for efficiency.</P>


John</P>
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[andyg]

Re: Biggest. Sub. Ever.



Jbird's beaten me to it. I think we have dicussed these before, when I posted a photo someone sent me of a massive concrete bass horn. That sparked a bit of interest in concrete acoustics. Worth a little search, perhaps.</p>

Andy
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[bossbandbob]

Re: Biggest. Sub. Ever.

Actually when I went to see Mountain play at the Orpheum theater in Boston in 1970 I think they produced the same effect. I swear I could feel the walls shaking![:)]

[Guest]

Re: Biggest. Sub. Ever.



Skip the big holes in the ground. Just have a one or two of these installed -- they'll actually move the room.</p>

http://www.rotarywoofer.com/</p>

[jbird604]

Re: Biggest. Sub. Ever.



Or, with the cash you'd need for a pair of Thigpens, you can just build yourself a new house!</P>


John</P>
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