Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Realtraps test tone questions?

Ok, I stayed home today and plan to run through the Real Traps CD test tones to graph out my room response. Do I use all of my speakers, 7.1? Or, do I just use the mains and sub? I would think since the tones are from 10hz upto 300 hz, that all of the speakers would apply?

I also plan to attempt the bass crawl today also.

Randy

Well done with the tones, not as fun as I thought it would be. I sure wish the graph was bigger so it would be easy to plot out all of the graphs. I'll try to copy my findings to an electronic version to get your input, does not look pretty.

On a sad note, around 200hz and higher, I started to hear a strange vibration coming from my left M60. It appears to be coming from the wire teminal area of the back of the speaker. It went on until about 300hz. If I pressed my hand on the terminal plate, it decreased. I wonder if there is something inside vibrating.

Another bad note, I popped off the grill to see if it was something in there, my bottom woofer's dome is pushed in about the size of a quarter. I have no idea if it has always been that way or not, I have never removed the grills before, for whatever reason. Can these be easily pulled out, will it cause the sound to be worse? I wonder if I need to call Axiom?

I have had the dome on the woofers pushed in on two separate occasions and was able to remedy the problem with a vacuum cleaner hose. They still sound perfect.

I wouldn't attempt that with a Dyson...

Is it just me, or do you also think of that ST:TNG episode whenever you hear that brand name?

OK, here is my first attempt at a graph. I only ran the tests with my m60's and ep500. I heard crap rattling all over my basement, especially the canned lights. At 200hz is when the right m60's rattle started that I mentioned above. Not sure what all this means, so graph experts please help.

After this, I did the sub crawl, and did find that the sub sounds better right below the center channel instead of the corner area. I remounted my center to the wall so it is higher up and not touching the EP500.

If others think using a vacuum, NON DYSON, will help pop the woofer back out I can try.

Instead of a vacuum, you could try using a small dab of rubber cement (or other temporary adhesive) on the end of a stick. If you're going to use the vacuum cleaner, try not to make physical contact with the cone since the last thing you want is accidentally ripping the cone out due to suction.

Thanks Peter, I just talked to John on Axiom's tech desk, he said he has had lots of luck with just plain masking tape wrapped around a finger and carefully touching the dust cap and it should pop back out. I'll let you know.

As far as the rattle in the right m60, he said to slowly remove the rear wire terminal cover and check to see if there is anything touching/loose.

Anybody have any input on my first attempt at a reat traps graph?

Can't believe I didn't think of masking tape. Duh...

In reply to:

---

Is it just me, or do you also think of that ST:TNG episode whenever you hear that brand name?

---

I actually think of Terminator 2 - the creator of SkyNet is Dr. Miles Dyson.

You might want tp try some bass traps in the corners or absorbers for the first reflection point and ceiling. Pretty cheap as a DIY project. I know they made a world of difference for me.

Having just read it, I think of Peter F. Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga (Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained).

My son just recommended those 2 books. Good?

Sorry, OT.

Really, really good. A tad hard to keep up with all the characters and locations, but I find that to be the case with most things worth reading.

Oh yeah, the second one is enormous--it's a very large hardback, and the print's not huge like many books seem to have these days.

Ok, the tape didn't work, tried masking, clear, electrical, etc...so I got gutsy and tried our non-Dyson vacuum cleaner, it worked pretty well. It kept trying to pop back down because of memory, but after 2-3 time with the old vacuum attachment it stayed out. Then I had a long talk with my kids.

Ok, so enough about books, what about my graph guys? Anyone?

I'll jump in. The graph is nice and obviously took a lot of time. Looks like you get a lot of good deep low frequency response. It's not as linear as I would have thought, but maybe that is room acoustics or some such thing?

I'm a newbie about these things, though, so dumb question time: is this graph for the EP500, the 500 plus the M60s, or all seven of your speakers?

Oh, and congrats on the vacuum success. That's got to feel good, to get it fixed via DIY techniques.

In a few years I will know what you are talking about with the kids, I fear. Nolan is 9 months and will be outsmarting Dad any day, I'm sure. He's working on that devilish smile, the kind that has been perfected by pmbuko's avatar boy...

boy? Give Grace a few years and she'll beat you up for that!

Yes, it was using the 500 and the 60's in Direct(stereo) mode on my Denon. I reread the Realtraps instructions and it mentions to run the pink noise on the CD and adjust the speakers to 70dB's for the tests. I had it more like 78dB's, no wonder everything was rattling, I may try again, especially since I've moved the 500 based on my crawling experiment.

Oops! Sorry Grace!

When Daddy and I meet up for some beers, feel free to kick Daddy's mean friend in the shin.

She'll bite your legs off!

'tis but a scratch!