Huge Teflon Spikes

[psychokids]

Hello,

I was at a local surplus place earlier today and there was a bin of solid teflon spikes. They were about 3-4" tall, about 3 inches wide at the widest point and were made to press fit into probably a 1.5" round hole. They weighed probably 1-2 pounds each and came to a slightly rounded point. Does anybody have any opinions on how they would sound as spikes on the bottom of a large sub cabinet?

Thanks!
-Chris

 

[jleaman]

What do they look like. Do you have a pic.

 

[psychokids]

nope, I dont have a pic because I didnt buy any yet; I wanted opinions before I dished out the 3 bucks a piece they wanted. I can attempt a drawing if you would like though.

-Chris

 

[psychokids]

heres a drawing as i remember them. not to scale, but my dimentions given above are probably fairly close.

-Chris

 

[psychokids]

so, does anybody have any opinions on how these would work as subwoofer feet? The sub will be operated below resonance of the box (equalized flat down to 10-20 hz or so), so the attachment to the floor is pretty important.

-Chris

 

[FrankDIY]

Sound of spikes? Nooooooooooo 🙂

If the price is good for you, go for it and experiment. Nobody here can pretend to see any difference between spikes on a loudspeaker.

 

[psychokids]

Actually, the coolness factor of solid teflon and the fact that these things probably cost over 100 bucks new were the main causes of my question; although having spikes instead of just sitting the thing on the floor might make a difference considering this thing will vibrate a great deal when I crank the volume. Its when I start putting these things under preamps and such that I'll get worried. I'm having my dad stop by after work tomorrow to pick up 3 or so, and Ill have pictures someday.

 

[MRehorst]

Suubwoofers tend to be heavy, and teflon is pretty soft stuff. Most people go for spikes that are hard. I suspect the tips of these will get mushed pretty fast.

People make all sorts of claims about spikes and how/why they do whatever it is that they do. I think they are great on carpet because they poke through the carpet and make contact with the hard floor. This will make tall speakers a little harder to tip over. As for sound... well, I guess that depends on your religion.

I think that if they do make a difference in sound, it is probably because they lift the bottom surface of the speaker off the floor so that its vibrations can add to the sound in the room instead of being damped by the floor. Instead of having 5 radiating surfaces (for a typical box speaker) you'll have 6 radiating surfaces. But what do I know?

MR

 

[FrankDIY]

For sure, you NEED spikes but the material with which they are made is not so important as long as they it is not too soft.

 

[mrfeedback]

Chris,
The teflon cones that you describe are rather large, however teflon can be drilled, tapped and machined into a more appropriate size/shape if required.
Teflon is plenty strong/hard enough for speaker cones.
I have been experimenting with automotive valve springs as speaker and equipment supports, and with nice sucess.
Under CDP makes a nice difference, under several different speakers really good result, and under a mate's bass guitar rig, really spectacular results.
And the good thing is that you can get them for FREE from just about any mechanic/engine rebuilder/automotive wreckers.

Eric.

Like these.....

 

[tg3]

Hello,

I was at a local surplus place earlier today and there was a bin of solid teflon spikes.

Which surplus place? Boeing? Vetco?

 

[psychokids]

they were at boeing surplus. if you know the place, they were in a small bin on the indoor shelves that usually have sheet metal on them.

-Chris