Home » Audio » Speaker » Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions?
Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15125] Wed, 09 November 2005 02:01 Go to next message
gumby1 is currently offline  gumby1
Messages: 63
Registered: May 2009
Viscount
I am planning to build two Rythmik Audio Servo Subwoofers next month. I am considering using either Black Hole 5 from GR Research or Sonic Barrier from Parts Express to line the cabinets. Does anyone have any experience or opinions on these products?

Re: Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15126 is a reply to message #15125] Thu, 10 November 2005 00:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Duke is currently offline  Duke
Messages: 297
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
I bought some Sonic Barrier once. Maybe I got a bad batch, but the stick-um on it was pretty weak, and it started falling off the enclosure walls before I had finished installing the drivers.

Can't comment from experience on the effectiveness of either one in a subwoofer application, but one of the manufacturers I represent uses Black Hole 5 in the "hot-rod" versions of his full-range speakers.

In a subwoofer enclosure, I'd be inclined more towards making the enclosure walls super-stiff, to drive the resonant modes above the subwoofer's passband, and then putting some polyfill in the box to eat up residual lower midrange energy. If the crossover is low enough and steep enough, you might not need any polyfill. But I don't think either Black Hole 5 or Sonic Barrier is going to do much at subwoofer frequencies.

Duke

Re: Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15127 is a reply to message #15126] Fri, 11 November 2005 18:24 Go to previous messageGo to next message
gumby1 is currently offline  gumby1
Messages: 63
Registered: May 2009
Viscount
Thanks for the input. The designer of the Rythmik kits recommends about 3 inches of polyfill on the insides of the cabinet. Another subwoofer kit manufacturer recommended the Black Hole 5. How would fiberglass insulation work in this application? Any thoughts? I have plenty of R-13 laying around.

Re: Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15128 is a reply to message #15127] Sun, 13 November 2005 20:18 Go to previous messageGo to next message
steve f is currently offline  steve f
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Registered: May 2009
Master
I'm not a big fan of placing any kind of stuffing in subwoofer cabinets. You have to be very careful to attach it securely. Long excursion woofers can cause quite a bit of turbulance inside the box. I usually just adjust cabinet volume.

Steve

Re: Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15129 is a reply to message #15128] Tue, 29 November 2005 22:42 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Cuppa Joe is currently offline  Cuppa Joe
Messages: 103
Registered: May 2009
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Although it's a tardy response, better late than never! The main problem with fiberglass insulation is the DUST. The aforementioned turbulance can cause fiberglass particles to impact the back of the cone, or to (eventually) find their way into the driver's voice coil. Someone (don't remember who) makes a 1" thick, unbacked roll of fiberglass insulation, which is lightly spray-coated with a sealant to prevent dusting. It's still not as good as polyfill, but it's a lot cheaper, and is still a vast improvement over the ol' R19!

Re: Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15130 is a reply to message #15129] Wed, 30 November 2005 11:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Fitzmaurice is currently offline  Bill Fitzmaurice
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Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
I can't speak towards the particular design you may be using, but I've measured all of my subs both with and without damping, and they all work better without.

Re: Black Hole 5 vs. Sonic Barrier - Any opinions? [message #15131 is a reply to message #15130] Wed, 30 November 2005 21:41 Go to previous message
gumby1 is currently offline  gumby1
Messages: 63
Registered: May 2009
Viscount
Bill, I know your subwoofers are horn loaded, but I am building a sealed cabinet of two cubic feet for servo subwoofers. It might be an "apples and oranges" comparison. I have built speakers in the past using R13 insulation and never noticed a dust issue even after 300 hours of use. Perhaps a subwoofer would cause a breakdown of the fiberglass. I'm not sure.

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