Customer Reviews

Auralex SubDude Subwoofer Isolation Riser; 15x15x2-inch SubDude in Charcoal, Single

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been living a long time with a logistical and acoustical nightmare as related to my old boomy sub, and this little gem virtually removed all the extraneous noises my room was prone to when the sub went swimming at the bottom. It also eliminated more than 50% of the boominess. As far as being tight and musical and all of that other marketing rot, you'll need to make your own call.

As far as looks, you wife or decorator won't like it. For the price - Auralex should offer a few primary colors other than charcoal or the HD Black (which is $10+ more). So if you need it, don't ask - just get it and ask for forgiveness.

Price - if Auralex had any competition in the acoustical market space, it should be priced at half of what it's going for. Its acoustical foam - not a travertine tile. But it works and you suck it up. For the future if you stay in the compact sub arena (13-16 in. cubes) you'll be set. If not, you'll need 2, and possibly a good divorce attorney.

I purchased this because I thought it would help keep my subwoofer from bothering the downstairs neighbors. I think it ended up succeeding in that as well as making my Sub sound better as well. There are many positive reviews you can find for the product in many places, so I won't go on at length here except to agree.

I have 2 Definitive Tech Supercube Reference Subwoofers and these things pack a pretty heavy duty punch with their 1,800 watt amps, and that is 1,800 watts each for a total of 3,600 watts of subwoofers alone. But I had issues with them shaking the house and making ugly vibrations and resonating pretty badly. At first I put a 3 inch peice of styrofoam that came in their boxes under them and that helped out alot and made a huge improvement, but it just looked really horrible to me and started to irritate the hell out of me! So after about 2 days with the styrofoam I ordered a pair of these for my Def Techs and it alleviated my problems by 70%! Bass is much much more precise and is way more powerfull without destroying the house unless I decide to go overboard with the volume and harass the neighborhood. Now I get that silent bass that you don't hear but feel it pressurizing the house and room. before the risers I would get that bass but it didn't seem silent because it rattled everything, even inside the walls. I think if they where about 10$ less they would be a perfect deal because the materials just don't seem to be that expensive but they are built very very well and are really sturdy and strong I am around 200 lbs and can stand on them with noe issues. The only issue and it really can't be called an issue is that my subs are around 17x17 and the risers are 15x15 so the subs hang of the edges by about an inch on all sides, but you cant see that. The 2 inch height is very nice and sleek you can't really tell the riser is there unless you walk right up to them. For being such a simple device they do an amazing job and do excactly what they claim and where intended to do! This was an excellent purchase!

Others have reviewed what the SubDude does with the character of bass response, I am going to focus on the isolation aspect.

I recently moved to a condo and was determined to keep the lovely bass response of my vintage Pioneer HPM 1500 speakers (16" woofers) and more determined not to be a nuisance to my neighbors. The building is a concrete structure which includes concrete walls between units. One would expect that concrete provides some isolation but the speakers will still couple to the structure and the bass can vibrate adjacent rooms even at moderate volume levels.

Fortunately my neighbors are patient and willing to put up with my testing. I purchased two of the SubDudes (1 for each speaker) and ran the test at three volume levels: moderate, somewhat high and very high. We found that the SubDudes completely suppressed the bass from entering the neighbors unit at the moderate level. That made the purchase worthwhile.

At the somewhat high level the bass was noticeable in their unit but diminished. It could *almost* go unnoticed during the day if someone was busy at home or watching television or perhaps not listening for it. At a very high volume setting the bass was present and objectionable in their unit. Frankly, the music was playing at a higher level than I found comfortable.

For my application this product was big help for a relatively low cost. I've got an acoustical engineer coming soon to help me get that extra bit of isolation as I would like to turn it up from time to time with impunity. But for now I can play music at the level I use most often and know that it's not penetrating my neighbors space.

if your sub is on carpet you need something like this item, in my case my wood floors would vibrate and make lot of noise and this product solved the problem, but it does seem cheap not worth $50 bucks, it seems to be a piece of plywood wrapped in regular speaker box carpet with foam on the bottom, but it works if you need to separate sub from the floor

I've got a monstrous Velodyne sub which shook my entire apartment - sure it was excellent for videogames and movies, but my lovely neighbor below wasn't so pleased.

The Subdude supports my subwoofer even though it's wider than the Subdude's surface area. The bass sounds much cleaner now and my heating vents and drawer-handles no longer jiggle since the bass is now travelling through the air and not through my walls and floor - well, not nearly as much at least.

Sure the product is a tiny bit expensive for what it is - but it's custom, it's fully functional and it does what it's supposed to do rather well.

The form factor is fine. Some other reviews complain that it's an eyesore, but I disagree. I mean, who is going to notice that your subwoofer is a little off the ground?

Anyone with a sub should get this.

I'd say the overall tone of the reviews for this product are that it does the job but it is pricey. I agree. It really does help isolate what you put on top of it and tighten up the sound, minimizing any vibrations that carry through to the floor.

It is a very sturdy and well-made product. The foam on the bottom is really dense so it can support a lot of weight. The board is strong and the carpet on top is sturdy, also. Fit and finish is first-rate.

That said, if I were handy with construction products I am sure I could make something like this for a lot less money. The thing is, I am not handy and if I tried to make something similar it would be laughable. Personally I think the product looks good, too. So for me, it is well worth spending the rather high amount charged for this product because there is nothing I've found that is comparable and cheaper, and I can't do it myself. It will last a long, long time so the cost per year of use will be low.

It really does a great job of isolating the Sub from the room infrastructure. I have my sub in a cabinet, which also houses my gear, and the cabinet is naturally anchored to wall studs and is really part of the room. The sub used to rattle the cabinet, equipment, walls, and was very distracting. With the SubDude the problem is non-existent - complete isolation. It still resides in the cabinet, but on the SubDude the problem is gone. Bass is tighter and more accurate too...great product - highly recommended...

I bought this product after much review reading and am really glad I did. This product performs as described and even tightens up you bass a bit in open or hollow rooms. I have constantly fought for my love of deep bass in movies and music. My wife on the other hand doesn't love bass and chooses to fight me over it. Her most stated complaint is "it sounds too bassy". After installing and readjusting my sub and sound levels all I can say is "WOW". There is a huge difference in the bass you feel. The bass still makes my pants wiggle but it no longer shakes the floor and walls so bad that pictures fall off the wall. I am very pleased and am glad that I can now crank up the volume and enjoy my system to its fuller potential. If you have a love for bass, a spouse who doesn't, this product will help you to meet in the middle, and you can still win the bass fight...

I started with the subdude, gamma, mopad: and now I have all gear, including the rack, on Great Gammas. What an amazing change these made in my listening environment. Unwanted bass harmonics and resonance are gone, the mid-range has cleared up, and even with mid-range receiver (due for replacement) is producing sizzles, tophats, and triangles as never before heard from this unit. I use a space between two Great Gammas for routing the power cables, and subdudes over the crack to prevent the signal cables from getting close. A space between the Great Gammas and the wall provides a conduit for the power cords.

I live in an apartment with carpet over concrete floors (note those of you with sound rooms in basements). I had no idea how much sound wave energy was being communicated through those floors and producing standing waves.

Very highly recommended and likely would improve any system for a pittance of upgraded equipment, speakers, or cables,