Mass Loading - What will it do?

[duvallite]

I have a pair of Monitor Audio Silver 5i speakers, and I've read that mass loading is a recommended tweak for them. What effect on the bass will mass loading, say 20-25 lbs of shot or sand, have on these speakers, or for that matter, on any speakers in general?

[kexodusc]

Hard to say, I have my towers mass loaded with clean cat litter, but I didn't really hear a difference after the fact, they're just much harder to move (and 1" MDF is heavy enough).

As the volume increases, woofers really move a lot of air, and there's a lot of energy hitting the cabinet inside. Extra mass should help stabilize the speaker even more and make sure the energy is absorbed and released in a more ideal manner. If your cabinet is already pretty heavy and well braced though, you might not notice any difference at all.

At "average" volumes or lower, I can't see it making a difference at all.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Hard to say, I have my towers mass loaded with clean cat litter, but I didn't really hear a difference after the fact, they're just much harder to move (and 1" MDF is heavy enough).

As the volume increases, woofers really move a lot of air, and there's a lot of energy hitting the cabinet inside. Extra mass should help stabilize the speaker even more and make sure the energy is absorbed and released in a more ideal manner. If your cabinet is already pretty heavy and well braced though, you might not notice any difference at all.

At "average" volumes or lower, I can't see it making a difference at all.

Good explanation. Doc Greene also says that adding mass(with most speakers) will tighten the bass response, especiallly at high volumes.

[kexodusc]

One other thing though, I can't see a 2nd, hollow chamber in a speaker being a good thing...It's probably not a bad idea to spend a few dollars on polyfill, or just put some sand or lead shot in it anyway.