Big Bass dream.. Will dummy woofer panels work

[Subcenter2009]

Dear friends,
I had a funny dream last night..
As you probably know, many high end subwoofers have one vibrating woofer and one or more slave drivers that vibrate in sympathy along with the powered woofer.
These are usually found in sealed cabinets.
I have 2 doubts..
1. Suppose I have stored some unused 3 way speakers in the same room.. Will the vibrating in-use subwoofer cause the other unused woofers of the 3 way speakers to also vibrate therefore increasing the bass in the room?
2. Suppose I cover all the walls and the ceiling with panels containing unconnected woofers.. will the one vibrating subwoofer cause all the others to vibrate in sympathy thus multiplying the bass manyfold? will such bass, if generated be of a good quality?
What do you guys think? Many big inventions come out of silly ideas.. I have a crazy feeling this setup may work.. My dream is proof of this.
Please dont laugh too hard..U could tear your stomach woofer muscles.
Yours,
Subcenter2009

 

[omishra]

I am not subject expert here but I think (In your dream ) you misunderstood the concept of passive radiator. I am expecting answer from more competent fellows in this subject.

In short they are good in dream system but in real life all will absorb energy and will not increase bass in the room.

 

[anm]

hmm maybe - let me take some uneducated guess. You can have multiple such radiators, and which resonate at different frequencies - say from 40 Hz to 20 Hz. Whenever the main sub emits any frequency, different such radiators start resonating.

Passive radiators are flexible walls. So adding those will increase the compliance of the box, without adding much air. So small box, but still has higher compliance that compensate for lack of volume (air). This too is an uneducated guess though.

 

[cmsajith]

The passive radiators work with the air pressure inside a given area. If you can fill the room with similar pressure you dream can come true, imagine how much air pressure is needed.

If you are putting panels to resonate, you will get peaks in that freq, else you have to have panels for each freq to have an even response.

 

[Flash]

Dear friends,
I had a funny dream last night..
As you probably know, many high end subwoofers have one vibrating woofer and one or more slave drivers that vibrate in sympathy along with the powered woofer.
These are usually found in sealed cabinets.
I have 2 doubts..
1. Suppose I have stored some unused 3 way speakers in the same room.. Will the vibrating in-use subwoofer cause the other unused woofers of the 3 way speakers to also vibrate therefore increasing the bass in the room?

No it will not. as mentioned by other Forum members it needs Air pressure and will have to take out the magnet for it to work as a Passive radiator. As electrical energy in the form of amplification is not used.

Passive radiators work on the principle of air pressure in a chamber. However they need a variable mass added in forms of weights on the basis of excursion desired

Basically works on the principle of

To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction:

2. Suppose I cover all the walls and the ceiling with panels containing unconnected woofers.. will the one vibrating subwoofer cause all the others to vibrate in sympathy thus multiplying the bass manyfold? will such bass, if generated be of a good quality?
What do you guys think? Many big inventions come out of silly ideas.. I have a crazy feeling this setup may work.. My dream is proof of this.
Please dont laugh too hard..U could tear your stomach woofer muscles.
Yours,
Subcenter2009

There is no such thing as a silly idea. :yahoo:
However as I mentioned above even if you cover all the walls / ceilings with Woofers - there will be no effect on the bass.

 

[entsurgeon]

such walls will usually act as energy absorbers/sound deadners. since bass frequencies are non directional in nature , you cant expect to play with placement of different sized and different compliance(vibratibility) of your passive drivers which would sweeten the bass by modulating tones-absorbing some and reflecting some bass frequencies.
try to understand why passive drivers are used.
i have a gut feeling you think more drivers will increase the bass. THEY WILL NOT. not unless they are active drivers with seperate amplification.
without this, your idea is basically reduced to a room treatment stuff. and i am sure better room treatments have been researched.
however, few drivers strategically placed in a treated room will affect the overall sound signature of the room. too expensive component to play with when cheaper options are available.

 

[Subcenter2009]

Thanks, Guys for your opinions,
I agree that vibrating panels are closest to what I had in mind and is a form of room treatment indeed.
And, maybe, the best and easiest way to reduce loss due to reflections is to place Bass traps like those made buy Real traps in optimum places to absorb
reflections.
Yours
Subcenter2009