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SubTrap

Isolation Stand and Bass Absorber for Subwoofers

Bring your subwoofer to life! Raise your subwoofer up to its full performance potential by placing the SubTrap under your subwoofer. This ultimate audio upgrade lets you fill your room with awesome bass power. The SubTrap allows you to create a powerful "SubStack". It provides for mode, vibrabration and position free playback. In addition to isolation, the SubTrap absorbs excess bass and decouples room mode. The SubTrap lets you hear the sub-bass track clearly, without modal distortion or boomy reverberation. This allows for a better and fuller sound. The SubTrap lets you avoid "Room-Boom" (a muddled blur of sound instead of detailed notes). When your sub is part of the mix, playback quality is vastly improved across all platforms.

Color Options

Stock Colors (actual colors may vary)
538 Silver Papier	408 Black	380 Quartz	238 Grey Mix	298 Medium Grey
Special In-Stock Colors and Special Order Colors are also available.

Feedback Control: The Science Behind the SubTrap

Acoustic Feedback Feedback can happen in most any type of audio system. It adds a howl or whistling tone to the program material. It happens when sound loops right back into the electronics of the system and generates some version of the original signal. Feedback loops must be controlled to achieve an accurate reproduction of the program material. The most common form of feedback is electroacoustic. A good example of this is an open mic on stage. It can be fixed by moving the mic, changing its pick-up pattern, or applying EQ. Mechanicalacoustic feedback (microphonics) occurs when vibration from a loudspeaker buzzes the electronic circuits, the platter of a record or CD. A rumble or ragged tone is heard. Platform isolators can decouple the vibration conduction path. Roomacoustic feedback occurs when speakers couple with room modes. The subwoofer is particularly vulnerable to roomacoustic feedback. It colors the playback and blurs the articulation. For high quality audio playback, roomacoustic feedback control is essential. Without feedback control, the subwoofer couples to one or more room modes and gets so loud that the volume on the subwoofer has to be turned down. But that also turns down the volume of the program material. This results in the "one note bass" effect, and it is the common shortfall in the performance of most subwoofers. To reduce mode coupling, the subwoofer can be moved around the room, but the basic and most severe problem - the vertical room mode - remains. For an 8 foot ceiling, the feedback resonance is 70 Hz, right in the middle of the subwoofer response curve. EQ can be applied, but that only quiets the mode buildup; it does nothing at all for the inarticulate slurring of bass at that frequency. The SubTrap is a pre-engineered acoustic feedback control system that directly addresses vertical mode coupling. It improves both excess mode loudness and slurred articulation found in typical subwoofer playback. SubTrap Feedback Control The installation is almost too simple. Raise the subwoofer up off the floor and slip the SubTrap underneath. This repositions the subwoofer up and away from the lower pressure zone of the vertical mode, which decouples it from the mode. In addition, a bass trap has been relocated in the pressure zone, working to damp out any residual mode buildup. Finally, the SubTrap is also an iso-deck, a floating platform to mechanically decouple the subwoofer vibration from getting into the floor, electronic and video equipment, and the rest of the house. When mode buildup is eliminated, the subwoofer volume can be turned back up to match the main listening level. The subwoofer now can do its job, which is to complete the full bandwidth presentation of dialog, musical detail and explosive program material.

Acoustic Circuitry of the SubTrap

Patented RC Time Constant Technology

The SubTrap is a two-stage acoustic circuit. It combines acoustic resistance with an interior air cavity to provide attenuation in the subwoofer frequency range. This is enhanced by the sound cancelling effects of the tuned acoustic core. Each of the three SubTrap sizes are specifically tuned to provide ample absorption at the crucial 7-9 foot ceiling resonances. The graph to the left shows approximate absorption across the subwoofer frequency range.

Design Curves for the SubTrap

Selecting a SubTrap

First check your subwoofer bandwidth and room ceiling height, then check the driver diameter and cabinet dimensions to find the right SubTrap for you. We recommends the 18 in. SubTrap for most subwoofer configurations. Match the upper and lower cutoffs of your subwoofer with your ceiling height. If your line intersects with the feedback line, the SubTrap will be able to help you control your subwoofer acoustics.