Those who are engaged in the finalization of acoustics are like motorists who invest in their "nine" sums sufficient to buy a good foreign car. Let's share some fairly simple methods of finalizing the speakers, which allow for a small price to achieve a significant increase in sound quality.
Before you start finalizing the acoustic systems, look at what your analog signal source will be. Integrated codec? Sound card SB Live? If so, then keep in mind: the sound is really good quality you will not get it, because the sound card (codec) will greatly distort it. Of course, you will notice an increase in quality, but there will be little joy from this. The ideal option would of course be external CD players, DVD players, and so on. If you are concerned about good sound, try to find something from this list.
Before you start refining, find out as much as you can about your speaker system. Depending on what it is initially, you can achieve a greater or lesser increase in quality from it.
What to improve?
It makes sense to refine the acoustics, which initially had some potential. The biggest potential for improvement is in the "average" acoustics - the one that is in the middle price category and has a sound quality that can be called decent. High-quality systems, as a rule, are almost pointless to modify - replacing or changing the properties of one component will require replacing all the others. That is, with the same success, you can immediately assemble new acoustics from scratch. However, something can be improved in them; at times, the quality, of course, will not grow, but a noticeable increase can be obtained. The best option for refinement is domestic production acoustics Soviet Union and his republics. The middle ones are of the greatest interest from the point of view of refinement (it makes no sense to list such systems, since they great amount).
Column refinement
The hardest part is finishing the columns. It makes sense to refine the filter only in the simple form- replace regular elements with better ones, of the same ratings. If electrolytic capacitors are installed in the filter, they can be changed to film, metal-film or metal-paper ones. Coils made of thin wire and with a metal core can be replaced with similar ones, but without a core and wound with a thick copper wire (section approximately 1 mm2). With this approach, you can achieve a good increase in quality with little bloodshed. It may be worth replacing the standard wires going from the amplifier to the speakers (as well as passing inside the speaker cabinets) with thick ones copper wires(you can use special speaker cables).
For small acoustics, cables with a cross section of about 1-1.5 mm will be quite enough (most likely, the terminals will also need to be changed - do not forget to seal the speaker cabinets), for large ones no less than 2.5 mm2. True, there is a risk that the remaining components will not allow you to get an increase in sound quality from replacing wires and terminals, or it will be very insignificant. Unfortunately, this can only be verified experimentally.
Hull Modification
In addition to refinement electrical circuit it is useful to work on the speaker cabinets (in systems with a subwoofer, equipped with small-sized satellites, it makes sense to modify only the subwoofer cabinet). As a rule, they are very far from ideal. In theory, they should be airtight, rigid and correctly calculated - have a volume corresponding to the parameters of the speaker. Too many mainstream system cases do not meet any (!) of these criteria. As a result, such constrolabies buzz (mumble, as many home-made people say) at low frequencies, swell and emit sounds not included in the phonograms (this is not noticeable to the eye, of course, but it is noticeable by ear), and the speakers dangle and introduce distortion into the sound, because that leaky cases do not support them.
If these shortcomings are eliminated, the quality increase will turn out to be significant, approximately as noticeable as from changing and refining the power supply, but of a different nature - there we struggled with transient distortions, and here we will reduce the level of linear and non-linear distortions.
First of all, we will deal with rigidity through screeds or spacers. Between the top and bottom walls, more than one spacer will be enough, between the side, front and back walls it would be nice to install two each (if the cases have a volume of about ten liters or more). The easiest option in terms of technical performance is to tighten the opposite walls with thick metal bolts, drilling holes of the appropriate diameter in them. Not very aesthetically pleasing, but simple. Another way is to install from inside the cases as spacers wooden bars 15x15 mm, attaching them to the walls with glue and screws. Naturally, they should stand in a strut.
If the speakers on the front of the speaker system are close together or due to some other design features, it is not possible to install a spacer between the front and rear walls, you can increase the rigidity of the hull by using wooden blocks fixed to the corresponding ribs of the hull (going from the front wall to the back). Not good effective solution, but it's still better than nothing.(mospagebreak)
Sealing
After strengthening the case, take care of its sealing. To do this, pull out all the stuffing from it - filters, speakers, wires, synthetic winterizer or other absorber. And carefully treat it from the inside with some kind of viscous sealant ( necessary materials can be found in construction stores or in auto shops). It is best to use bituminous mastic, which is sold in bottles with sprayers - it is quite simple to process columns with it, and it copes with its task one hundred percent. Never use substances that become hard and brittle after curing.
It is best to carry out processing and dry the columns after it in the open air - dukhan from bituminous mastic, silicone and other similar substances will stand such that even the neighbors will cough :). After the cases have dried, it is useful to repeat the processing and drying procedure. Ready? Fine. The final touch is to make soft rubber gaskets under the speakers and the back cover (the one with the terminals) and screw the speakers with the cover through them. When you finish the revision and close the case, you can walk for greater reliability with putty or other sealants at the joints of the speakers and the back cover with the case.
Volume
If the speakers are buzzing, it is useful to slightly increase the internal volume of the case (it simply will not work to increase it significantly). No, it does not need to be bored - just put fluffy cotton wool in it. But first, weigh the padding mat that was already inside the case (if the manufacturers, of course, put it). There should be 25 grams of synthetic winterizer per liter of body volume. Not enough? Add cotton wool, previously well fluffed. The normal amount is 10-15 grams per liter. In principle, you can put more, but it makes sense to do this only if the low-frequency buzz has not stopped. You'll lose some bass, but the annoying rumble will also be gone.
There is another procedure, but it is rather tedious and not as effective as those described above. The walls of the case can be pasted over from the inside with felt or, at worst, with batting. This measure will reduce the number of re-reflections of sound waves inside the cabinet, which will reduce the distortion introduced by the cabinet into the sound. If you decide on this procedure, when attaching the material to the walls, do not use too much glue so that the felt or batting does not become dense and useless. Apply glue in small dots. Personal recommendation, do not use padding polyester with a thickness of more than 15 mm.
Further tuning
Like any tuning, the process of finalizing the columns tends to drag out and eventually turn into a favorite hobby. Perhaps the revision will seem a little to you, and you will want more. And after a while, you will become interested in what, in principle, is possible to squeeze out of your system.
A deeper and more thorough refinement for each system is individual and requires not only more time and money, but also the availability of certain knowledge. In addition, you will need some experience in evaluating sound quality by ear, the ability to choose test material, and work with ready-made tests (for example, FSQ). If you want to dig deeper, look for information on the Internet. Find like-minded people on the net, strain search engines to get scanned books and articles on relevant topics.
If you have small plastic speakers installed, it makes no sense to modify them. Even if your pockets are not full of money, try to get hold of the $100-60 dollar system first, so that you can get the most out of it later. It is impossible to achieve something good in principle from cheap plastic speakers. According to the laws of pricing, what comes to retail, increases in price by at least three times. Accordingly, it turns out that the developers of acoustics for ten dollars spend no more than three and a half dollars on everything about everything. And that's all - this is an amplifier, speakers, case, filters, power supply (by the way, even a low-power, but high-quality PSU costs $ 5-10), small nonsense like wires and packaging materials (which also cost money). The development engineers also had to pay something out of the same ten dollars.
Refinement of acoustics with their own hands.
You have a pair of speakers on hand, or maybe not a pair. Active or passive. Floor or shelf. Maybe a subwoofer, not speakers.
This article will help you learn about ways to improve the sound quality of your speakers without extra costs. The most effective methods improvements to acoustics that are easy to implement with your own hands. This can be called polishing what the manufacturer could not implement, due to the expediency of production and its payback.
All instructions and tips in this article are suitable for any acoustics with a bass reflex, including subwoofers and floorstanders. Many of the tips will also work for other types of speakers.
So, let's begin.
Upholstery of the body with sound-absorbing material and strengthening of the structure.
First, let's find out for what purposes this procedure is performed.
Column opening.
Disassembling the column is very easy.
If this is active acoustics, then on the active speaker you need to unscrew the amplifying unit at the back, which is screwed on.
You need to remove the block very carefully, without sudden movements. If there are plugs that are detachable, unplug them and lay the amplifying unit nearby without overtightening the wires. On passive speakers, you just need to unscrew the screws on the midrange speaker and carefully remove it without damaging the wires.
*All these operations must be carried out carefully and without sudden movements, in order to avoid damage to wires and circuits.
Strengthening the hull.
This modification should be carried out if you doubt the strength of the design of your acoustics and there is no additional structures stiffness (reinforcing strips, "plugs" on the walls, screeds between the walls). Almost always, columns need additional reinforcement.
For this procedure, you will need small 1x1 - 1x2cm bars and rubber glue. We will glue the bars along the corners, on which there are no bars, which will strengthen the fit of the side walls to each other. We measure and cut off, apply and estimate, smear the timber and the place to which it will be glued with plenty of glue. We glue all the corners on which the manufacturer saved wood. Naturally, we use the bars as spacers, and not just glue.
It is also worth laying beams along long walls columns, if there are none. As shown in the picture, or diagonally. Beams should fit snugly at the edges.
It is also desirable to make horizontal struts between the walls, this will significantly strengthen the structure. This is especially true for large loudspeakers with long walls (for example, Microlab Solo 7).
After this procedure, we get a stronger structure that creates less wall resonance, as well as less vibration from micro-friction and wall contact.
To carry out this procedure, we need double sided tape And sound-absorbing material.
For what goals it is being done.
All this action is carried out with the aim reduce the reflection of sound waves from the case of acoustics with a phase inverter. If this is not done, then often, instead of the bass, incomprehensible humming and whistling sounds will fly out of it. Upholstery gives more smooth And balanced bass, which becomes more soft and better audible. It removes the buzzing, resonant sounds that arise in the speaker cabinet due to the collision of sound waves. It also allows you to slightly expand the lower frequency range.
As sound absorbers, materials such as synthetic winterizer(can be found in any clothing market, or can be found in an old jacket 🙂), felt, rolled cotton or the most interesting material - cotton wool, sound-absorbing – type “ URSA', plus she's not flammable. Only non-insulating glass wool from quartz sand, and home for the installation of partitions. If obtaining these materials is problematic, in extreme cases, you can use rolled foam, which can be obtained in any HozMage. However, its use is highly undesirable. Do not forget that synthetic winterizer, felt, cotton wool must be fluffed before gluing.
To begin with, we take out the sound-absorbing material that the manufacturer put inside, if any.
What are we doing.
1) Glue with double-sided tape, as possible large area inside the column as far as possible. Peel off the backing paper immediately.
2) We cut or stretch the sound absorbing material so that the bare walls are completely covered, including (especially) the corners.
3) We lay all the cavities with material so that wooden walls were completely sealed. The thickness of the layer should be no more than 2 cm, otherwise it can significantly reduce the volume inside the case, which will not have the best effect on the depth of the bass component.
A warning.
In places that heat up, it is better not to overdo it. This applies to places near the transformer and amplifier unit. It is better to leave an empty space of 1-2 cm between them and the sound-absorbing material. Therefore, best material is a non-combustible sound-absorbing cotton wool of the type "URSA”, which, for example, may remain after repair. It can be used without restrictions.
You need to try to fix the material as carefully as possible. After all, you don’t want that with large movements of air masses inside the case, cotton wool or synthetic winterizer jump inside or even worse - fly out of the phase inverter 🙂
Refinement of the phase inverter.
To reduce rattles and possible whistle from the bass reflex, it is worth doing 2 things.
1. Wrap the phase inverter with sound-absorbing material, like a "fur coat" in one layer. Leave 1 cm of bare space at the end of the bass reflex. Fasten the “fur coat” tightly with thin rubber bands, wrapping them around the phase inverter, as shown in the figure above.
2. Cut evenly with wire cutters any protective grilles inside the bass reflex tube. There is no benefit from them, but there are a lot of unnecessary overtones and whistles. If a mesh is pasted at the end, then it is also better to remove it. This will allow air to pass through more easily, which will increase the overall response speed of the speaker.
Installation of acoustics on spikes.
Try pressing the speaker for a while while playing music. You'll hear him fake and swallow good half frequencies. This is because the finger absorbs vibrations, preventing the speaker from releasing them into the air.
Speaker body is a continuation of the dynamics. When in contact with the floor, table, shelf or other things, the speaker body gives off part of its vibrations to these objects, as in the example with a finger.
In order for the acoustics to give off sound waves into the air with high quality, without physically scattering them on the floor and objects with which it comes into contact, creating distortions, spikes are used.
The pins are attached like legs. To do this, 4 small holes (not through) are drilled on the bottom wall, into which they are screwed. You can buy them in many consumer electronics stores that sell acoustics and accessories for it, or you can order them online. Under acoustics with spikes, must be solid material – ceramic tile, parquet or other. The main thing is that the legs have as little contact with it as possible and did not sink.
The principle of operation of the spikes is that they are strongly reduce the area of contact speakers with the surface on which it stands. Thanks to this, the sound waves that are fed to the body begin to sound, and not fade away on the floor, parquet or shelf. Distortion is reduced to a minimum, the bass component becomes more audible and much more detailed.
Important note.
Spikes, it makes sense to use for acoustics with a decent weighing and a decent size. Spikes should be used mainly for floor acoustics weighing more than 12 kg. Or for subwoofers weighing 5 kg or more. In smaller acoustics, the effect will be, but not so noticeable.
Replacing wires on the amplifying part of acoustics. For active acoustics.
Often, the manufacturer skimps on things like the quality of the wires from the crossover to the speaker and from the board to the crossover. The thickness, as well as the quality of the wire, directly affects the sound quality. The thicker the wire, the deeper the bass and the clearer the mids. This modification is primarily worth doing on subwoofers, because of the greater energy that flows through these very wires.
1.
We select a suitable wire for replacement, naturally copper itself High Quality what is available. Preferably not VVG (solid), since the signal changes when passing through such a wire. It is better to take a PVA core (braided) from oxygen-free copper. Thicker is not always better, you need something in between, depending on the power of the acoustics.
2 . Unsolder and cut off the old wires. If there is a bracket at the other end, then, if possible, solder the wires to the terminals on the board themselves. If this is not possible, cut off the bracket at the root, remove the terminals, solder the wires to them and insert them back into the bracket. We also wrap the speaker and crossover terminals and solder abundantly. Soldering is a MUST!
3. We are convinced of the quality of the soldering.
It is also worth paying attention to connecting wire between columns.
The manufacturer rarely slips something sensible. The best way of the most affordable - braided wire with transparent insulation, which are completed, for example - SVEN Royal or Microlab SOLO 6 and higher.
A similar wire can also be bought at electrical stores. What is it like inexpensive option replacement of flimsy wires that come with acoustics. For floor options, speaker wires with a thicker section and better, oxygen-free copper are best suited. These can be bought at any store that sells home theaters, or in the electronics market.
A few words about the wires from the sound source to the acoustics.
The wires that go from the sound source to the speakers (usually tulips) or the receiver must be of good quality.
It is highly desirable that they be shielded from interference from power lines, cellular networks and radio. To do this, wire manufacturers wrap them with a layer of foil, or braid them with aluminum or copper thread. It is not difficult to distinguish them - they are much thicker than unshielded ones. Also, high-quality wires should be with gold-plated plugs for less resistance and less signal loss on the plugs. You can buy such wires on the radio market or in stores where home theaters are sold.
Note.
In order for the change of wires to have a tangible effect, we advise you to replace them on acoustics with a price bar 100$ and higher (for 2.0). Or, if the wire used by the manufacturer is really of poor quality.
Use network filters.
Good ones network filters that are equipped high frequency suppressors, are good at cleaning the so-called White noise and other interference caused by poor quality power and network interference.
Often, in integrated amplifier circuits, there is no high-quality noise suppression circuit, which leads to distortion, noise from speakers and different sounds when the refrigerator or electric ignition starts to work gas stove at the neighbors 🙂
Remember that cheap filters will not save you from interference. These are able to protect equipment from impulse currents that occur, for example, when lightning strikes the wiring, and nothing more.
In the filters that we need - there must be a suppressor (filter) of high-frequency interference. They are also useful for receivers and amplifiers, both for protection and better noise immunity.
Good filters are made by companies ZiS Pilot(starting from series GL), APC.
If the speakers are buzzing or extraneous sound is coming from them.
There are usually two reasons:
- Poor signal source or cable.
- Poor-quality input capacitors in the built-in amplifying part (if the speakers are active).
IN first case, you need to check the cable, see inserted whether connectors fully plug and check integrity cables. Also need take away wires from others, especially from cables supply network And radio because they create magnetic fields around them.
In second case, you need to open the column with the amplifying part. It is usually heavier and has a heatsink.
Next, you need to find the capacitors of the power supply filtering circuit. Usually there are two of them and they are the largest. They should be soldered and replaced with new, high-quality ones with a large maximum voltage and capacity. It is also worth looking at whether others are swollen and flowing (brown or yellow dried liquid nearby). If so, then don't hesitate to replace it.
You can also replace other large capacitors, since they are not distinguished by quality on multimedia acoustics.
Other useful tips to improve the sound quality of your acoustics, without any modifications.
Correct placement of acoustics.
To achieve the highest possible sound quality, acoustics need arrange correctly around the room.
30% of success in achieving the correct sound picture depends on the correct placement of acoustics.
_________________________
1. Tweeters ( HF) - must be at the same level as the ear listener for better positioning in space.
2. Port phase inverter should not be anything closed. The distance from a wall or other obstacle should be more than 15 cm so that low frequencies are not lost at the output and nothing prevents them from spreading around the room.
3. The front speakers should be placed at 30 degrees, from the point of view of the listener and directed strictly at him.
rear, on 30 degrees from the side of the listener (from 90 degrees) Only in this case the best depth of the sound picture is provided.
4. Optimal distance, on which the speakers should stand from the listener - 2 meters for floor speakers and 1 meter for shelf.
5. Exclude extraneous sound sources. It could be open window, not a quiet system unit and so on. All these sounds - interfere with the perception of sound and can even make a great sound illegible and little detailed.
Conclusion.
Let's repeat the steps:
1. Strengthen the overall structure.
2. Upholster the body with sound-absorbing material inside.
3. Modify the phase inverter.
4. Install acoustics on spikes.
5. Replace the wires inside and outside with better ones. Connect through a good network filter.
6. Correctly place the acoustics, exclude sources of noise.
7. Listen.
Most of these tips are suitable for both active acoustics and passive ones.
Create and be amazed better side the sound changes.
Happy modification!
How to wrap a subwoofer with a carpet can be found in this article. In general, this process is not too difficult for those who are pre-prepared.
After all, in order for pasting with carpet to be successful, you need not only to purchase suitable material, but also choose the technology by which the operation will take place. You will learn how to wrap a subwoofer with carpet without spending a lot of time and effort on it.
Reasons for pasting
There are only a few reasons why you may need to paste a subwoofer with Carpet:
- If the old coating has worn out and lost its proper appearance. Because of this, the speakers (see) will spoil the style of the car;
- If the subwoofer case was created by hand. In this case, pasting with a carpet will be the last step in creating a column.
Note: not only this material can serve as a subwoofer cover, but also leather, leatherette or some other material.
How to make a subwoofer with your own hands
It's hard to imagine any car without. After all, almost every driver loves loud music to ring in his ears.
To achieve high-quality sound, it is not enough just to choose a good acoustic system, it must also be installed correctly. Noise isolation also plays an important role.
Consider how to make a subwoofer with your own hands, Special attention referring to final stage work.
Stage 1 and material selection
The choice of material from which the subwoofer will be made (see) should be approached with responsibility. The quality of the sound produced will largely depend on this.
The material must meet three basic requirements: it must be strong enough, dense and contribute to good sound insulation.
Therefore, at present, there are only a few materials suitable for the manufacture of a subwoofer box:
- Wood chipboard. It is inexpensive, but at the same time combines all three necessary characteristics;
- Multilayer plywood. Its advantage is that it is easily applied to any processing, however, it should be remembered that this material is exposed to moisture and swells;
Note: For safety reasons, it is best to install subwoofers made of this material in dry locations.
- Chipboard is slightly inferior to its competitors, but it is used quite often. The fact is that it costs even less, but it is less durable;
- Plastic can also be used to create a subwoofer, however, in this case, the sound quality will be poor.
Stage 2 or assembly
Assembling the subwoofer is accompanied by several basic steps:
- To make it easier to cut out all the details, you can make templates on cardboard. It is very important to take into account the dimensions of the future box;
- Transfer the template to the material;
Note: for this you can use chalk or a bar of soap (if you need to erase), or a marker (if the strip will not interfere).
- Cut out the sides of the box using a jigsaw. Do not forget that you should make a hole for the future speaker.
It must be round. It is desirable that it be a few mm smaller in diameter than the diameter of the speaker itself; - The weak point of the future subwoofer is the terminal block. A short circuit may occur here. Therefore, it is desirable to make protection for this vulnerable spot in the form of a small box;
- The fastening of the box should be carried out using self-tapping screws, since all parts must be securely screwed to each other;
- One more milestone– leveling the surface of the subwoofer. To do this, first of all, it should be sanded, and only then - leveled with putty.
- The slots of the box must be sealed, so there should be a good resonance inside the box. And if there are a huge number of slots in it, then the music will sound different.
Stage 3 or decoration
The most popular way of decorating is painting. But you can approach this more creatively and cover the subwoofer with carpet.
For this you will need the following materials:
- Carpet. It is usually sold in shoe stores;
- Solvent for degreasing;
Note: Gasoline won't work - it's too greasy.
- Glue. Better not to use rubber;
- Tassel.
Carpet pasting happens like this:
- First of all, you need to estimate how much material should be needed for gluing. It depends on the size of the subwoofer;
- You can take about a meter of material and cover the subwoofer with it, and cut off all the remnants;
Note: for cutting carpet details, you can use already ready-made templates, which were made in the process of creating the case;
- Take an unnecessary rag and carefully grease the surface of the box with a solvent;
- Let dry. After the subwoofer has been lubricated, it is not advisable to touch it with your fingers, as grease marks may remain;
- Take a brush and carefully grease the box with glue;
- Take the cut parts and carefully attach them to the designated place. It is important to consider that the joint is best done not at the edges, but in the middle of the sides. So the carpet will be better sealed;
Note: You can smooth the material with a wallpaper spatula.
- Let dry;
- The edges of the subwoofer can also be decorated.
After that, you can install the created subwoofer anywhere. Most often, the column is placed in the trunk of a car.
Sometimes they find a place for it on the back shelf. Anyway appearance the subwoofer is very important, so it should also be given sufficient attention.
Thus, you can make a wonderful subwoofer with your own hands at home. Naturally, the price of such a device will be much lower than the finished one.
Our instructions will definitely help you cope with the operation. But before starting work, you can also familiarize yourself with additional photos and videos on this topic, of which there are many on the Internet.