For the last few years I've been toying with the idea of using Dynamat (http://www.dynamat.com/) in boomboxes that are prone to rattles and vibrations.
Dynamat is a slef adhesive tar-like substance that is put inside car bodys where there's noticible vibrations caused by sound. It's very pliable and comes in a 'superlite' version that seemed like a good option to try on a portable. The 'superlite' stuff is still pretty weighty, but I thought it's the best option.
The two boxes I wanted to try this out on were my M90 and my DiscoLite. My M90 had a slight vibration/rattle on very low frequecies which annoyed me enough to add her to the experiment. The DiscoLite has a very thin and cheaply made case which is very, very prone to vibrations and rattles at anything above medium volume. The kind of noises that happen from lows AND highs in the music. Basically any isolated tone could make the vibrations kick in if the volume was too high. Even though the problems were essentially the same for both boxes they're at opposite ends of the spectrum build quality wise, which is why I wanted to see if Dynamat could help both of them.
I bought the cheapest pack of Superlite Dynamat I could find, which ended up at around AU$100 ($80 for the Dynamat + $20 shipping). Be aware this stuff IS heavy and shipping could get harsh. For eighty bux I got a pack of three 18"x 32" (457mm x 812mm) sheets of this apparently magical gear. Always bear in mind that I've never even driven a car, much less use this stuff for it's intended purpose, so I was just making this up as I went along. One of the reasons I'd put off trying this experiment for so long was because of the fact I could be having to write of a hundred bux for a bunch of heavy and sticky crap. Talking to friends into cars and such gave me a bit of confidence it should work, but the application of was going to be trial and error for me.
With the DiscoLite taken apart I started working on the back section of the case. I cut basic shapes to attach to any large expanses of empty plastic. My rationale was that the vibrations could occur on any large expanse of plastic that had enough flexibility to vibrate. I was imagining that the magic in the Dynamat was going to stop this from happening by absorbing the sound that was causing it. In my own hacky style I added 'patches' of the gear to the back panel and then worked on the edges where the sides meet. I will make no bones about how hapharzard I was doing this! It's very sticky and very pliable, so I managed to get it into quite a few spots but it's by no means an evenly applied layer.
I then looked at the front part of the case, this the much thinner part of the box and had scant places to Dynamat up. I put a few strips around the edges and then a couple of smaller patches inbetween the switch/button holes on the inside of the front facsia. After a couple of other minor fixes I'd been wanting to do on the Discolite I put her back together. The build seemed to feel much more solid once reattached, as well as adding a little bit of weight. Hard to describe, but the overall feel felt a lot less like she was a cheaply made boombox. Now onto the M90.
My M90 had suffered a fracture to the left edge of the back of the case over her life and I had repaired this almost seamlessly. But there always seemed to be a noticible vibration coming from the vicinity of the crack on pieces of music with lots of low end and little to no highs or mids (dub reggae made this the most pronounced). I got her apart and put a couple of long strips along both sides then added some patches along the bottom and top edges. I also paid attention to where the box halves met to try and make the Dynamat 'join' when she was put back together. There weren't a lot of obvious place to patch up in the M90, so I used it pretty sparingly. Overall, I used up one of the sheets to do both radios, but a good two thirds of the sheet went into the DiscoLite and one third in the M90.
Time to test!!
I tuned into dubxtra (http://www.hotmix108.com/) as this is the ultimate test for bass related rattles and vibrations on a boombox. I hooked up the M90 first.
Initial impressions weren't very noticible. I cranked the volume a little more and was very surprised to hear completely rattle/vibrationless bass! None of the noise was present at all. Success! The more I listened the more I noticed the sound was 'deader' in a good. There were none of the odd little noises you occassionally get from inside a case on certain frequencies at medium + volumes. I was very impressed, to be flatly honest I wasn't expecting impressive results, but the sound spoke for itself. Definitely a noticible improvement!
Next up was the DiscoLite. As I said earlier I packed two thirds of a 18x32 inch sheet in her, and after the M90 I was expecting great things. With the volume slightly above half she was DEAD still. This was kind of volume was a recipe for rattles and vibrations to completely mar the listening experience previously.
A bit more tuning and experimenting with different styles of music and the DiscoLite almost sounds like a new box. The deadening factor seems to make the clarity and range of the sound much cleaner. The fact this stuff works on boomboxes this well astonishes me!
Currently going through a whole lot of songs that I previously had on DiscoLite Ban List due to their range not being compatible with it's design and they all sound excellent! The bass response is tighter and with the custom tweeters I put in mine the highs and mids come across much cleaner. The overall soundstage on the DiscoLite has really improved a great deal.
So, the experiment's results? AAA+++ for using Dynamat in ghettoblasters! This has unequivocally improved the sound, and where the sound really needed th most help it did so beautifully. I have a couple more I need to patch up due to the issues of a box made too small or cheaply for power of the speakers and am very much looking forward to getting similar results.
I wholly endorse this product and encourage boombox restorers and customisers alike to try out this magical stuff, I don't know if it can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but it'll certainly make that ear a lot more pleasant to listen through!
Rock On.
Dynamat is a slef adhesive tar-like substance that is put inside car bodys where there's noticible vibrations caused by sound. It's very pliable and comes in a 'superlite' version that seemed like a good option to try on a portable. The 'superlite' stuff is still pretty weighty, but I thought it's the best option.
The two boxes I wanted to try this out on were my M90 and my DiscoLite. My M90 had a slight vibration/rattle on very low frequecies which annoyed me enough to add her to the experiment. The DiscoLite has a very thin and cheaply made case which is very, very prone to vibrations and rattles at anything above medium volume. The kind of noises that happen from lows AND highs in the music. Basically any isolated tone could make the vibrations kick in if the volume was too high. Even though the problems were essentially the same for both boxes they're at opposite ends of the spectrum build quality wise, which is why I wanted to see if Dynamat could help both of them.
I bought the cheapest pack of Superlite Dynamat I could find, which ended up at around AU$100 ($80 for the Dynamat + $20 shipping). Be aware this stuff IS heavy and shipping could get harsh. For eighty bux I got a pack of three 18"x 32" (457mm x 812mm) sheets of this apparently magical gear. Always bear in mind that I've never even driven a car, much less use this stuff for it's intended purpose, so I was just making this up as I went along. One of the reasons I'd put off trying this experiment for so long was because of the fact I could be having to write of a hundred bux for a bunch of heavy and sticky crap. Talking to friends into cars and such gave me a bit of confidence it should work, but the application of was going to be trial and error for me.
With the DiscoLite taken apart I started working on the back section of the case. I cut basic shapes to attach to any large expanses of empty plastic. My rationale was that the vibrations could occur on any large expanse of plastic that had enough flexibility to vibrate. I was imagining that the magic in the Dynamat was going to stop this from happening by absorbing the sound that was causing it. In my own hacky style I added 'patches' of the gear to the back panel and then worked on the edges where the sides meet. I will make no bones about how hapharzard I was doing this! It's very sticky and very pliable, so I managed to get it into quite a few spots but it's by no means an evenly applied layer.
I then looked at the front part of the case, this the much thinner part of the box and had scant places to Dynamat up. I put a few strips around the edges and then a couple of smaller patches inbetween the switch/button holes on the inside of the front facsia. After a couple of other minor fixes I'd been wanting to do on the Discolite I put her back together. The build seemed to feel much more solid once reattached, as well as adding a little bit of weight. Hard to describe, but the overall feel felt a lot less like she was a cheaply made boombox. Now onto the M90.
My M90 had suffered a fracture to the left edge of the back of the case over her life and I had repaired this almost seamlessly. But there always seemed to be a noticible vibration coming from the vicinity of the crack on pieces of music with lots of low end and little to no highs or mids (dub reggae made this the most pronounced). I got her apart and put a couple of long strips along both sides then added some patches along the bottom and top edges. I also paid attention to where the box halves met to try and make the Dynamat 'join' when she was put back together. There weren't a lot of obvious place to patch up in the M90, so I used it pretty sparingly. Overall, I used up one of the sheets to do both radios, but a good two thirds of the sheet went into the DiscoLite and one third in the M90.
Time to test!!
I tuned into dubxtra (http://www.hotmix108.com/) as this is the ultimate test for bass related rattles and vibrations on a boombox. I hooked up the M90 first.
Initial impressions weren't very noticible. I cranked the volume a little more and was very surprised to hear completely rattle/vibrationless bass! None of the noise was present at all. Success! The more I listened the more I noticed the sound was 'deader' in a good. There were none of the odd little noises you occassionally get from inside a case on certain frequencies at medium + volumes. I was very impressed, to be flatly honest I wasn't expecting impressive results, but the sound spoke for itself. Definitely a noticible improvement!
Next up was the DiscoLite. As I said earlier I packed two thirds of a 18x32 inch sheet in her, and after the M90 I was expecting great things. With the volume slightly above half she was DEAD still. This was kind of volume was a recipe for rattles and vibrations to completely mar the listening experience previously.
A bit more tuning and experimenting with different styles of music and the DiscoLite almost sounds like a new box. The deadening factor seems to make the clarity and range of the sound much cleaner. The fact this stuff works on boomboxes this well astonishes me!
Currently going through a whole lot of songs that I previously had on DiscoLite Ban List due to their range not being compatible with it's design and they all sound excellent! The bass response is tighter and with the custom tweeters I put in mine the highs and mids come across much cleaner. The overall soundstage on the DiscoLite has really improved a great deal.
So, the experiment's results? AAA+++ for using Dynamat in ghettoblasters! This has unequivocally improved the sound, and where the sound really needed th most help it did so beautifully. I have a couple more I need to patch up due to the issues of a box made too small or cheaply for power of the speakers and am very much looking forward to getting similar results.
I wholly endorse this product and encourage boombox restorers and customisers alike to try out this magical stuff, I don't know if it can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, but it'll certainly make that ear a lot more pleasant to listen through!
Rock On.
