Spark 40 amp

[Whodat84]

I got one around February and didn’t it to be really bass heavy and thick sounding or super shrill. Lately though, it’s almost like any low end frequencies make the speakers rattle. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[László]

I got one around February and didn’t it to be really bass heavy and thick sounding or super shrill. Lately though, it’s almost like any low end frequencies make the speakers rattle. Anyone have any experience with this?

I don't know anything about Spark amps, but I might be able to help with rattles.

I'm sure you've already checked to see whether your speakers need to be tightened against the baffle on your speaker cab.

But another possibility that's often overlooked is that things can rattle in the room and make you think it's the speaker due to sympathetic vibrations.

For example, light bulbs can rattle, or recessed light fixtures. I once had a cold air return rattle when I hit certain notes, and fixed it by putting a little bit of foam between the cold air return grille and the wall. But each time I thought it was the instrument, in one case, a guitar amp, and in the case of the cold air return, my piano.

To say this drove me nuts would be an understatement.

About 5 years ago, I thought one of my studio monitors was buzzing when I hit a low D on the bass. It absolutely, 100% sounded like it was coming from the speaker (and I'm in the audio business, so I'm not too dense about this stuff). I sent the speakers to Genelec's factory in Finland for repair. They said they tested them in their anechoic chamber and nothing was wrong.

Turns out, the platform on my speaker stand wasn't screwed down tightly and was rattling. Was I ever embarrassed. I fixed what I thought for certain was a speaker problem by tightening a few hex screws on the speaker stands!

Structure-borne rattles like light fixtures or heat vents, etc., can often be solved simply by moving the speaker cabinet to a different spot in the room. Or by using an isolation device, like one of the Auralex platforms.

Regardless, don't forget to think about environment possibilities such as the kind I mentioned.

 

[CandidPicker]

I don't know anything about Spark amps, but I might be able to help with rattles.

I'm sure you've already checked to see whether your speakers need to be tightened against the baffle on your speaker cab.

But another possibility that's often overlooked is that things can rattle in the room and make you think it's the speaker due to sympathetic vibrations.

For example, light bulbs can rattle, or recessed light fixtures. I once had a cold air return rattle when I hit certain notes, and fixed it by putting a little bit of foam between the cold air return grille and the wall. But each time I thought it was the instrument, in one case, a guitar amp, and in the case of the cold air return, my piano.

To say this drove me nuts would be an understatement.

About 5 years ago, I thought one of my studio monitors was buzzing when I hit a low D on the bass. It absolutely, 100% sounded like it was coming from the speaker (and I'm in the audio business, so I'm not too dense about this stuff). I sent the speakers to Genelec's factory in Finland for repair. They said they tested them in their anechoic chamber and nothing was wrong.

Turns out, the platform on my speaker stand wasn't screwed down tightly and was rattling. Was I ever embarrassed. I fixed what I thought for certain was a speaker problem by tightening a few hex screws on the speaker stands!

Structure-borne rattles like light fixtures or heat vents, etc., can often be solved simply by moving the speaker cabinet to a different spot in the room. Or by using an isolation device, like one of the Auralex platforms.

Regardless, don't forget to think about environment possibilities such as the kind I mentioned.

And this, my friends, is why we love to learn about stuff we never knew before. Sometimes things that are ethereal as clouds play a practical role in the larger view of things.

When you step back and realize that radiated heat is the root cause of clouds, you learn. Les just sprinkles moon dust in his hair and all is well, or almost.

 

[NazgulUK]

No rattles on my Spark 40, I do find it quite bass heavy.

Maybe you've got one that needs some support from PositiveGrid.

 

[Texas_minor_blues]

The Spark 40 is a fun little amp
I have found if you really tweek it I can EQ out the bassiness