Subwoofer bad for HDD?

[max84]

Just a question, cause I wondering this today. I have my subwoofer on my desk, next to my laptop and my external HDD. I have some cloth under it to dampen the bass a bit, but my question is whether the vibration can have a negative effect on the HDDs? I don't want to put it on the floor, because the sound is not as good.

Thx in advance.

[theyarecomingforyou]

I'd be more worried about the large magnet in the subwoofer than any vibration.

[999]

I don't think you have anything to worry about.

also, I read somewhere that today's hard drives aren't affected by such magnets

[Sniper101]

I wouldnt worry about it either i have my Sub on top of my Tower and i havnt had any problems for 6 months :)

[darkpuma]

the magnet is more of a concern, but in general i dont think the magnetic fields generated by it should exten past the box... I'm not an expert though.

Vibrations are always bad for anything.

--> Looked around and found this:

  Quote

In order for a

magnetic field to affect a floppy disk it does not have to be

considerably strong. A magnet on a refrigerator can destroy the

information on a floppy disk.

A magnet has to be of considerable

strength to destroy the information on the hard drive of a computer. If

you took the magnet of a 12 inch speaker (Sub-Woofer) and placed it

next to your CPU, it (magnet from Sub-Woofer) will cause a

considerable damage to your hard drive.

6- Make sure the speakers to your computer are shielded before

placing them next to your CPU.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

i have my computer sitting on a giant subwoofer... no problems :p

[max84]

thx all for the quick replies. But what does it mean to "shield" your speakers?

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

i guess it just means to protect against electrical noise or magnetic fields :unsure: in what context?

and GD it that avatar of yours has to go

[dragon2611]

speakers designed for use near computers are usaually sheilded so that most of the magnetic field generated by the magnet doesn't pass though the casing of the speaker.

[jimbo11883]

Shielding the speakers basically involves the use of a material that dampens, but not totally absorb the magnetic fields produced by the speaker's magnet. The use of a product such as MagnetShield will do the trick.

[raskren]

As others have stated, the magnet should be more of a concern. I used to have an external USB drive enclosure with an older 2.5" hard drive in it. I stored this right on top of a 10" 100 watt JBL subwoofer. Needless to say, I experienced significant data corruption. Check the maximum operating shock your drive is rated for. Unless the hard drive itself is bouncing around in the cone of your subwoofer, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Farstrider]

I have my PC and my Hi-Fi on my desk and included in all this is a 12 inch Magnat subwoofer that stands about 6 inches from the one side of my PC and has been doing so for the last 4 years and has never done anything to any of my hard drives! You would have to have a ridiculous amount of magnetism or vibration before anything happens!

[dragon2611]

  Farstrider said:

I have my PC and my Hi-Fi on my desk and included in all this is a 12 inch Magnat subwoofer that stands about 6 inches from the one side of my PC and has been doing so for the last 4 years and has never done anything to any of my hard drives! You would have to have a ridiculous amount of magnetism or vibration before anything happens!

yeah, ever taken a dead harddrive to bits? if so you'd relise how powerfull the magnet inside them is (lets put it this way if 2 hdd magnets get stuck together its a nightmare to get them apart again :| )

so i don't think a subwoofers magnetic field is going to be a problem unless you sit the harddrive directly ontop of the sub or something ;)

[Geranium_Z__NL]

The Magnet thingie of the Earth (all focused on a harddrive can Format ur disk... and destroy the tech on it...

but normal stuff wont come anything near it... if u want one.... ur price is around 800 to 1200 euros

[lostspyder]

  theyarecomingforyou said:

I'd be more worried about the large magnet in the subwoofer than any vibration.

Thats redicilious. The magnent inside the drive is MUCH MUCH more powerfull then anything in a subwoofer; the fan motors probaly generate a larger feild then anything to come from your sub box (considering how far away it is). You shoulnt be worried about your drives and vibration. If anything you should be worried about the other components. Things like screws will begin to vibrate, and loosen, parts on your MB if its poorly constructed will begin to loosen, jumpers may loosen.

I can discredit the entire quote above (posted by dark...) based on the fact the person doesnt know the diffrence between a 'CPU' and a computer tower. Even if it has nothing to do with this conversation (as it is about floppy disks)

Also, most speakers are 'insulated', ie you can put them next to your TV or analog monitor and it wont mess thoes up either.

[raskren]

  lostspyder said:

Thats redicilious. The magnent inside the drive is MUCH MUCH more powerfull then anything in a subwoofer; the fan motors probaly generate a larger feild then anything to come from your sub box (considering how far away it is). You shoulnt be worried about your drives and vibration. If anything you should be worried about the other components. Things like screws will begin to vibrate, and loosen, parts on your MB if its poorly constructed will begin to loosen, jumpers may loosen.

I can discredit the entire quote above (posted by dark...) based on the fact the person doesnt know the diffrence between a 'CPU' and a computer tower. Even if it has nothing to do with this conversation (as it is about floppy disks)

Also, most speakers are 'insulated', ie you can put them next to your TV or analog monitor and it wont mess thoes up either.

Did you read my post? Granted, my sub is the home theater type but I still suffered data loss.

  raskren said:

As others have stated, the magnet should be more of a concern. I used to have an external USB drive enclosure with an older 2.5" hard drive in it. I stored this right on top of a 10" 100 watt JBL subwoofer. Needless to say, I experienced significant data corruption. Check the maximum operating shock your drive is rated for. Unless the hard drive itself is bouncing around in the cone of your subwoofer, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Ryne]

Isn't the best place for a sub is below the computer? Just going with what my speaker manual said :p. I just keep my tower on my desk and keep the sub on the floor near my feet.

[Novaoblivion]

^ When its on the floor you can rest your feet on it too :D.

[Oblivion.]

  darkpuma said:

the magnet is more of a concern, but in general i dont think the magnetic fields generated by it should exten past the box... I'm not an expert though.

Vibrations are always bad for anything.

--> Looked around and found this:

I've got no idea what your source for that information is, but it's a load of rubbish. Just because you put a magnet near your CPU doesn't mean it'll affect your hard drives, they could all be in an external enclosure, or they could just be nowhere near to the CPU O_o.

[AJerman]

  raskren said:

Did you read my post? Granted, my sub is the home theater type but I still suffered data loss.

I honestly would be very hesitant to believe that your data loss was a result of the subwoofer's magnet. It takes a hell of a strong magnet to affect a hard drive. More of a magnet than most of us have anywhere in our house. I'm sure that it's very possible that the sub's magnet DID cause the problem, but I'd be much more likely to point to a bad drive, virus, bad shutdown, whatever, before I pointed to the magnet.

[Fred Pocius 406]

Why invite trouble...some say it's bad some say it isn't......so it's a wash

Subwoofer placement

Because the ear cannot localize low bass, a subwoofer does not contribute significantly to the stereo effect. Therefore it need not be particularly close to the main speakers, and can be hidden under or behind furniture. Low bass will appear to emanate from the main speakers. A great way to experiment with bass response is to place the subwoofer in a set location, while the listener moves himself around the room, enabling him to hear where the bass sounds the best.

While we usually don't recommend placing the subwoofer behind the listening area, try it if you're tight for space.

Don't place the subwoofer up on a shelf if at all possible. Subwoofers perform best on the floor.

[AJerman]

  Fred Pocius 406 said:

Why invite trouble...some say it's bad some say it isn't......so it's a wash

Subwoofer placement

Because the ear cannot localize low bass, a subwoofer does not contribute significantly to the stereo effect. Therefore it need not be particularly close to the main speakers, and can be hidden under or behind furniture. Low bass will appear to emanate from the main speakers. A great way to experiment with bass response is to place the subwoofer in a set location, while the listener moves himself around the room, enabling him to hear where the bass sounds the best.

While we usually don't recommend placing the subwoofer behind the listening area, try it if you're tight for space.

Don't place the subwoofer up on a shelf if at all possible. Subwoofers perform best on the floor.

Oh yeah, I kind of missed that whole thing, and that's right. There's not much point in putting your subwoofer on your desk. If you can at all avoid it, you want to keep it off the carpet, but put it on the floor or a low shelf. If it's part of your computer speaker system, then you'll probably just want to leave it near your computer, if it's a big room set up you likely will want to place it somewhere completely different to help you evenly spread the sound through the room.

[lostspyder]

  Betaz said:

I honestly would be very hesitant to believe that your data loss was a result of the subwoofer's magnet. It takes a hell of a strong magnet to affect a hard drive. More of a magnet than most of us have anywhere in our house. I'm sure that it's very possible that the sub's magnet DID cause the problem, but I'd be much more likely to point to a bad drive, virus, bad shutdown, whatever, before I pointed to the magnet.

:yes: :yes: :yes:

[max84]

Thanks everyone for the replies. So I guess I can conclude that as long as the HDD is not on the subwoofer I shouldn't have any problems caused by the subwoofer. I already tried to put the subwoofer in different places, and I get the best sound by putting it on the desk, because the vibration spreads more steadily across the room, which isn't very big.