Can subs damage a home?

[jwhite8086]

If I had a house or when I get one i'm definitly building a theater , but i was wondering, those of you with lots of subs and IBs. Is it possible your shaking down the house or damaging the foundation?

[Mike P.]

All I've seen is pictures of cracked drywall. In my HT, the nails started to pull out of the wall panelling when I was playing low frequency test tones with 4 subs at extreme levels.

[Bob_99]

From some of the DIY projects pictured on this forum, I'm completely surprised that we haven't seen walls blown out.

Bob

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Mike P. wrote:

All I've seen is pictures of cracked drywall. In my HT, the nails started to pull out of the wall panelling when I was playing low frequency test tones with 4 subs at extreme levels.

Wish I was there for that

Worst I've experienced was I found out i had a tiny crack in one of my windows. After it turned into a broken pane upon listening to a 40Hz test tone I got online. but pulling nails out is some SERIOUS bass


I do have to open thew cabinets in the kitchen though or they play their own music....first time my buddy came over after the SVS purchase he was like, "What do you have a poltergeist or something, lol".

[tonyvdb]

Technically speaking, Yes. Damage can be caused by low frequencies particularly subsonic frequencies if sustained beyond a certain time length and at high enough db's. Glass is susceptible to breaking at even the high frequencies if loud enough as well.
Concrete can develop cracks particularly if already under some sort of stress.

[ccdoggy]

im currently living on the upper floor of a house built in 1880. The plaster ceiling below my room has a huge crack in it, not caused originally by the sub, but i have seen crumbles of the stuff in some places after watching a movie.

[FlashJim]

We have (er, had) a big southwestern sun/moon thing that is made out of metal hanging over the fireplace. During Transformers it came crashing down. Luckily no one was near it.

Two thumbs up for the LFE in Transformers! I'll post a pic of the bent "flames" of the sun where it hit the floor.

[Mike P.]

E-A-G-L-E-S wrote:

Wish I was there for that

Worst I've experienced was I found out i had a tiny crack in one of my windows. After it turned into a broken pane upon listening to a 40Hz test tone I got online. but pulling nails out is some SERIOUS bass


I do have to open thew cabinets in the kitchen though or they play their own music....first time my buddy came over after the SVS purchase he was like, "What do you have a poltergeist or something, lol".

It was done with 2 Atlas 15's and 2 Shiva 12's. The frequency was around 16hz, if I remeber correctly. I also broke the wife's crystal glasses that were upstairs in a cabinet. She was some upset! I'm now in the process of replacing the Shiva's with a pair of IXL-18.4's. I won't be playing around with test tones once those are up and running!

[Darren]

four 15" RL-P's mounted in a ceiling IB. No damage to date but my wifes dishes migrate in the cabinets and I can cause pictures to bounce 2" off the walls 30' away in another room. Drywall is holding fine, no damage as far as I can see.

[FlashJim]

Almost forgot, my sub is an IB with 4 IXL-18s powered by an EP2500.

[Prof.]

Even with my modest little 12" sub, with theatre door closed the plates in the kitchen rattle..
I couldn't imagine what a couple of 15 inchers would do

[Darren]

Prof. wrote:

Even with my modest little 12" sub, with theatre door closed the plates in the kitchen rattle..
I couldn't imagine what a couple of 15 inchers would do

Well with 4 the effect is enhanced by the fact that your eyeballs are vibrating such that you can't see straight

[jasper]

wow, after hearing what you guys have done to your houses i am glad i have double brick walls lol. nothing like doing damage with a powerful sub.

[vitod]

jwhite8086 wrote:

If I had a house or when I get one i'm definitly building a theater , but i was wondering, those of you with lots of subs and IBs. Is it possible your shaking down the house or damaging the foundation?

Foundation?

[justin.kerr]

The only damage I have had is contents of the house breaking, glasses, bottles rattling off shelves, and a computer fell off of a shelf.

[bobgpsr]

I've been amazed at the amount of flex my sliding glass doors to the outside patio do when testing my DIY sub with below 15 Hz sine wave tones at power. I quit before the door glass broke.

[Owen Bartley]

The only thing I get worried about is that my living room shares a wall with a bathroom, and that happens to be the corner my sub is in. When I really get it going I'm pretty sure I can hear the pipes in that wall rattling quite a bit. I haven't had any damage, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping everything in there's nice and tight still.