Data Analysis

Over the course of the weekend, we have been hard at work analyzing the raw data gathered in the preliminary testing of last week. Essentially we were out to determine which of the stand structures was the most rigid and stable. To do so, we used the Seismometer 6th iOS application, which recorded vibrations at the bottom of the base. The thought process behind the experiment was that the more rigid stand would effectively transport the vibrational motion from the stand to the base. The least rigid would get lower vibration readings, indicating that the stand absorbs energy, decreasing the quality of sound reproduced. Once the more rigid stand is determined (providing the optimal structural base) an effective isolation system comprised of a combination of foam, rubber, cork , or felt would dissipate the vibrations exuded by the speaker at their origin (the point of contact between the speaker and stand), producing the highest quality sound overall.

The Seismometer app produced its data graphically on the app, but allowed for it to be exported in an Excel file numerically. The file was formatted as seen below:

Where the vibrations have been deconstructed into their x,y, and z axis components. Each of these numbers represent the degree of deviation from the base reading (no vibration). These deviations for each of the axes over a 25 second period of a song were summed to determine the gross amount of deviations. The stand that yielded the highest gross deviations was also the stand that was most effective at transmitting the vibrations from the top plate of the stand to the bottom, a result of a rigidly constructed stand structure.

Our results are as follows:

Stand 1:

Stand 2:

Clearly, our results point to stand 1 being the most rigid stand, and therefore the best choice for the structure of the final stand. We as a group will choose a mutually acceptable date to construct the final stand, which will allow us to move on to the construction and testing of the isolation components, which will be able to be tested subjectively (in a room setting with a group of volunteer listeners) and numerically using both the Seismometer app once again as well as sound analysis applications which have already been downloaded. More information to come about logistics for the final stand build, the thought process behind the isolation system, and the applications that will be used for the final testing.