Anyone used Dynaxorb / Deflex PowerPad / Second Skin Tweaker Pad etc?

[androo]

I have purchased a whole bunch of Dynamat and was planning to install it this weekend (but rain killed it. Thanks rain). Now that my install has been postponed until (hopefully) next weekend, I was looking into Dynaxorb/Deflex PowerPads / Second Skin Tweaker Pads.

I know some of the guys on here have tried it (eg. http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?163443-Dodgy-Sound-Deadening-your-doors) but I am finding it hard to confirm is these products are worth it or not (with most people installing it WITH their choice of deadening).

For those who don't know about these products, here are links to them:

Dynaxorb:
http://www.dynamat.com/products_car_audio_dynaxorb.html

Deflex PowerPads:
http://www.cascadeaudio.com/automotive_audio_enhancement/deflex_sound_control.htm

Second Skin Tweaker Pads:
http://store.secondskinaudio.com/speaker-tweaker-kit/

Can anyone shed some light on either products? I know Jaycar also sells what looks to be the same (or very similar) product as the PowerPad and Tweaker Pad but in blue (and without the logo in the middle) for $20. Dynaxorb seem to be the most unique product.

Reading reviews, some people swear by them and others who say they are as good as snake oil.. While all comments are welcome, I would really appreciate those of you who have had ACTUAL experience with these products shedding some light on the products and your experiences with them and whether they are worth the money.

Cheers guys!
Andrew

[SQXPRT]

The do work, but not really the way they are advertised.

I found better results from using an "eggshell" acoustic foam glued onto the dynamat/road kill inside the door.

The basis of the idea is to dispel/deflect the rear-wave harmonics from re-radiating through the cone.
This can not work on less than 500Hz inside a door, and certainly not with only 3mm thick pads.
The acoustic foam is ~40mm thick, and works much better.

[TbM]

Ive only used the dynaxorb once so dont have a lot of experience with it but they do make a small difference imo, seems to clean up the sound a bit, mine fell off when the glue they provided failed to secure the pads properly and there was a noticable difference when i glued them back into place.

[EKVTIR-T]

egg cartons could work too

[androo]

The do work, but not really the way they are advertised.

I found better results from using an "eggshell" acoustic foam glued onto the dynamat/road kill inside the door.

The basis of the idea is to dispel/deflect the rear-wave harmonics from re-radiating through the cone.
This can not work on less than 500Hz inside a door, and certainly not with only 3mm thick pads.
The acoustic foam is ~40mm thick, and works much better.

I have also considered this, however I cannot seem to find any 'eggshell' foam that will not retain water (and hence, possibly go moldy). Can you please let me know where you may have gotten this and how much you paid?


Ive only used the dynaxorb once so dont have a lot of experience with it but they do make a small difference imo, seems to clean up the sound a bit, mine fell off when the glue they provided failed to secure the pads properly and there was a noticable difference when i glued them back into place.

That's good to hear! Someone with experience with a fully Dynamatted door with the Dynaxorb both on and off. What 'range' of sound did you notice the most difference with? Or did you just notice an overall improvement in sound quality?


egg cartons could work too

As above, I've looked into the foam options available. Having issues finding anything though. Water resistance is important to me though and I know my doors get a bit wet inside when it's raining or after a good wash so I don't want something that will just go all soggy and rot.

Rep for everyone so far though. Great to get some good, honest advice on the matter!

[EKVTIR-T]

They have their limits but as a cheap alternative not that bad,also wondering if polystyrene cartons would effect it

http://www.acousticsfirst.com/images/egg-carton-absorption.png

[arverson]

http://www.ozbliss.com/products_crescendo_accessories.html

done & done. no need to worry about weathering. surprised mark hasnt suggested them, or are you not allowed to since youre out of the game now?

[androo]

http://www.ozbliss.com/products_crescendo_accessories.html

done & done. no need to worry about weathering. surprised mark hasnt suggested them, or are you not allowed to since youre out of the game now?
Might give this a try! Would be interesting to see how well it works. Happy to do A before and after review for everyone if I can get this by the end of the week!

Shame I can't find any comparisons between this and the other products listed above!

[TbM]

That's good to hear! Someone with experience with a fully Dynamatted door with the Dynaxorb both on and off. What 'range' of sound did you notice the most difference with? Or did you just notice an overall improvement in sound quality?


im not very experienced with tuning/sq but to my ears it sounded like it cleanned up the vocals and it seemed as tho i could turn the volume up higher before distortion became noticable.

[arverson]

def helps in the midrange frequency response, midbass not so much. look at that graph above. midbass would be ~60 to ~2-300hz. how much of a difference it is to YOU is another question.. depends how golden your ears are too. personally i notice a difference. just gotta ask yourself how much u value it cus it may be an insignificant difference.

what are your systems weaknesses right now?

[androo]

Mid range is where I would like to see the most improvement. At the moment my doors are not sealed and I think they actually do sound pretty good (don't know the exact model numbers off the top of my head however I'm running JL speakers and amps). I'm hoping that sealing the doors with MDF/perspex (still deciding which one to use) and Dynamat will increase the overall sound quality, however mid range is where I want the most improvements.

I would say my ears are quite good. Quite picky to be honest (most would say my system is quite good already).

[arverson]

2 or 3 way system? where are u placing your mid-range driver? location, positioning, angling & tuning will play a much bigger role than any diffuser IMO

[arverson]

also, definitely focus on sealing those service holes before worrying about diffusers. thatll make a much more dramatic improvement

to some up:
sealed service holes > sound difference from a diffuser

[androo]

Thanks for the advice. I will be sealing the doors regardless, however would rather not have to take off the door trims all over again. Speakers/tweeters are all in stock locations with simple spacers (not angled). I prefer a clean, stock look. They are 2 way speakers and from memory, they are JL C2600s at the front, and C2600X in the rear.

So the plan is (in a nutshell):

Adding felt tape to any rods in contact with each other
Re-grease all moving parts
Clean all surfaces to be deadened
Deaden outer skin, then cut Perspex/3mm MDF (painted and sealed) to cover all holes
Attach covers and deaden over them

Let me know if I've missed anything but that's the plan. Essentially, I would like to purchase some diffusers and test fit them on and off to see the effects and what differences they make (even if it is small). But I would prefer not to do this if I've already installed my door trims back on (because more than likely, I will put it off until 2015 or so). My questions were pretty much if it's even worth me doing this or just skipping the diffusers all together because they are as good as 70 year old testies. So far from this thread it sounds like people think it makes a difference even on fully deadened doors (most of the reading I have done on other forums seem to be from people who have installed both at the same time and have no idea if it's made a difference or not, or people who did not seal their doors but just install these diffusers).

[arverson]

taking door trims off is easier than unscrewing a speaker to change the diffuser behind it!

sounds like you know what needs to be done. maybe a layer of MLV between the deadner & door trim if you wanna take it that far. otherwise youre already on the ball.

no doubt it makes a difference, im just saying seal those holes. but since youre adding diffusers anyway it doesnt matter, youre taking care of two birds with one stone.

[SQXPRT]

I got the foam - 40mm from Jaycar.

It did not collect moisture or go mouldy after 6 years in the doors.

1/2 a square Glued on inside each door with selleys contact adhesive

[androo]

I got the foam - 40mm from Jaycar.

It did not collect moisture or go mouldy after 6 years in the doors.

1/2 a square Glued on inside each door with selleys contact adhesive

Is it quite a dense foam? Did you notice much of a difference? Checked out the Cresendo Diffuser V2 - The cheapest price I can find is $70 for a pair (they are sold in single squares). Wondering if it is truly the best product as they are more expensive than the Dynaxorb product.

A quick update on the mini project: It's raining again today. Hoping it clears up for tomorrow however if it doesn't it looks like I will have to postpone this until next week!

[arverson]

youre over thinking it. RELAX! :P

if youre ears are truly that picky, then u wont mind the improvement & wont care about the price difference. we're talkin about a price difference of $20 or so bucks here for christs sake. like i said, its depends on how much u value that improvement.

and like i also said, focus on sealing those service holes. or, at the risk of going around in circles, flip a coin, heads crescendo diffuser. tails dynaxorb. then live with that decision & move on. then u can both seal the holes, add diffusers & call it a day. simple really

[androo]

Haha I might be a bit, but those who know me know I am an extremely curious person (and often, I end up out of pocket because of it!). In this case, I am extremely curious because all these products claim to do the exact same thing, however vary vastly in design. I'm sure they are all designed the way they are for a reason, however I would like to know which is the best, or if they affect different ranges slightly differently.

In saying that, because of this, I will be purchasing 2 sets of different diffusers (I've picked up (what looks to be) the Second Skin equivalent already from Jaycar - I will be choosing either they Dynaxorb or Cresendo by which would be the easiest and fastest to get) and do a comparison and post up my findings. Mainly because I'm very curious, but also to see if there is a huge difference between the more expensive offerings and the cheapest offering I can find (the Jaycar one). Hopefully this will help people decide which they should get (or whether they should get one at all!).

Wish I could get both designs however feel that it would be a waste of money. With the current plan, whichever one is less effective will be used with the rear speakers. I will however, have a look around the garage for various packaging foams to see how these 'dedicated' designs fair against some household foam as well.

Will keep everyone updated!

[cbauto]

im not very experienced with tuning/sq but to my ears it sounded like it cleanned up the vocals and it seemed as tho i could turn the volume up higher before distortion became noticable.
your ears are damaged.

[arverson]

lol theres so many other variables. i reckon psycho acoustics played a major role in tbm's situation. we could go on all night with the technical side of sound but thats no fun to all the 'jdm yo!' people on here.

look forward to your review androo! ill place my bet on the crescendo diffuser having a more positive effect.

[TbM]

your ears are damaged.
Cant argue with that lol :P

lol theres so many other variables. i reckon psycho acoustics played a major role in tbm's situation. we could go on all night with the technical side of sound but thats no fun to all the 'jdm yo!' people on here.

look forward to your review androo! ill place my bet on the crescendo diffuser having a more positive effect.
Whats psycho acoustics?

[arverson]

google it. im not your dictionary lol

[androo]

Averson, are you an audio pro? You seem to be well-versed in the subject!

Just a quick update guys! After contacting a few vendors, I found an extremely helpful guy who, after myself telling him what I am planning to do (test and compare), has agreed to send me out 3 types of diffusers for not so much money (but more than if I just did what a normal person would do and stick to 1 set lol). This means I will have the following items to compare:

Dynaxorb
Crescendo V2
Audio grade foam
Jaycar diffuser

Add to the list a few random household foams, and I'm extremely excited to see how if I am able to tell the difference between any of them and if so, how much. All testing will be completed blind and random (a helpful person in my life has agreed to switch them in and out for me while I listen). I will let everyone know how my test goes! It will have to be a day where I have quite a number of hours free so give it a few weeks!

[arverson]

abc123abc123

[SQXPRT]

Should be an interesting comparison.

arverson - with a shopping list like your sig, I'd have thought we know one another ???

[trism]

Digital is only on or off...

i know that sig from somewhere....

Simon?

[arverson]

SQXPRT - i used to attend the MEASQ comps back when it was known as CAA. yup that long ago! its been too long since ive competed but i have other commitments. maybe in the future ill be a regular again. ps. i may have you confused with FCA's mark, were you previously winno?

ANDROO - any update on that review?

on a diff note, i wonder how many current or ex MEA/CAA competitors/members there are on ozhonda...

[trism]

I'm pretty sure his CAA/MEA username was Pulse-R

I competed in CAA/MEASQ in NSW in 07

[SQXPRT]

Yes, Pulse-R.. don't have the Pulsar anymore. In CAA days, I had a green 200SX with all Pioneer gear in it.
Now I have an Odyssey - and Winno has one too. He is not me.

Mark - I didn't think you were FCA, but seem familiar.

Hi Matt