How to Choose the Right Surface for Your Dayton Audio Sound Exciter
You’ve just bought a Dayton Audio sound exciter. Congratulations. You're holding what is essentially the disembodied soul of a speaker. It’s a marvel of engineering, a tiny motor designed to vibrate with incredible precision. But right now, it’s silent. It’s waiting for a body. And that’s where you come in.
Choosing a surface for your sound exciter is the single most important decision you will make in your DIY audio project. It is the difference between creating a magical, invisible speaker and creating a disappointing, buzzing coaster.
Think of it like this: the exciter is the musician, but the surface is the instrument. You wouldn't expect a world-class violinist to sound good playing a shoebox with rubber bands stretched over it. The same principle applies here. The material, size, and shape of the surface you choose will define the character, quality, and volume of your sound.
So, before you peel that red 3M adhesive backing, let's dive into the science and art of picking the perfect partner for your exciter.
The Holy Trinity of Surface Selection: Rigid, Lightweight, and Large
Not all surfaces are created equal. To turn vibrations into beautiful music, a surface needs to have three key characteristics. Getting two out of three is good. Nailing all three is where the magic happens.
1. Rigidity (The "No Wobble" Rule)
A good surface needs to be stiff. When the exciter pushes and pulls on it, the entire panel should move as one cohesive unit. If the material is floppy or soft, it will simply absorb the vibrations like a sponge, or worse, it will warp and flex in weird ways, creating distortion.
Good Rigidity: Glass, acrylic, stiff foam boards, thin plywood, carbon fibre.
Bad Rigidity: Soft plastics, thick cardboard, rubber, fabric.
2. Lightweight (The "Easy to Move" Rule)
The exciter's motor has to physically move the surface. The heavier the material, the more power it takes to get it vibrating. A lightweight panel is easier for the exciter to control, resulting in clearer, more detailed sound and better high-frequency response.
Good Lightweight Materials: XPS foam board, thin acrylic, hollow-core doors.
Bad Lightweight Materials: Heavy MDF, concrete, thick solid wood.
3. Large Surface Area (The "More Air, More Bass" Rule)
To produce sound, especially lower frequencies, a speaker needs to move air. A larger surface area can move a larger volume of air. This generally translates to more volume and better bass response. A tiny surface can be loud, but it will almost always sound thin and tinny.
Good Large Surfaces: A whole window, a desktop, a hollow-core door, a large canvas.
Bad Large Surfaces: A coffee mug, a small photo frame, a book.
The A-List: Best Surfaces for Your Sound Exciter
Based on the principles above, some materials have emerged as favourites within the DIY audio community. Here are the tried-and-true champions.
XPS Foam Board (Extruded Polystyrene)
This is the undisputed king of DIY exciter projects. You can find it in large sheets at most hardware stores (it's often used for insulation). It is incredibly rigid, fantastically lightweight, and comes in large sizes. It's the perfect storm of acoustic properties.
Sound Profile: Surprisingly balanced. It produces crisp highs, clear mids, and a decent amount of bass for its weight. Because it’s so light, it's very efficient, meaning you don't need a powerful amplifier.
Best For: Creating large, lightweight, high-performance DML (Distributed Mode Loudspeaker) panels. Think wall-mounted art speakers or ultra-thin floor-standing speakers.
Acrylic / Plexiglass
If you're going for a modern, high-tech look, acrylic is a fantastic choice. It's extremely rigid and non-porous, which gives it a unique sonic signature.
Sound Profile: Bright, clear, and incredibly detailed. Vocals and high-frequency instruments like cymbals sound exceptionally crisp. Bass response can be a bit lean, so it's a great candidate for pairing with a subwoofer.
Best For: Desktop speakers, see-through projects, or any application where you want a sharp, modern aesthetic and crystal-clear sound.
Hollow-Core Doors
Your house might already contain one of the best speaker panels imaginable. A cheap, internal hollow-core door is essentially a pre-built resonant box. It has two large, thin plywood skins stretched over a lightweight frame.
Sound Profile: Huge and room-filling. Because of the large surface area and semi-enclosed nature, hollow-core doors can produce a surprisingly warm and full-bodied sound.
Best For: Stealthy whole-room audio. Sticking an exciter to a closet door or bedroom door can turn the entire structure into a massive speaker that you’d never know was there.
Glass Windows
This is one of the most mind-bending applications. Glass is exceptionally rigid and makes for a fantastic transducer surface.
Sound Profile: Similar to acrylic, very clear and bright. It excels at vocal clarity. The bass will depend entirely on the size of the pane; a large sliding glass door will produce more low-end than a small window.
Best For: Creating a "shower speaker" (by mounting a waterproof exciter on the outside of the glass), turning a storefront window into an advertisement, or creating a truly invisible sound source in a living room.
Solid Wood (with a caveat)
A solid wood surface, like a desktop or a cabinet door, can work well, but it comes with a condition: it needs to be relatively thin and resonant. A thick, heavy butcher-block countertop won't vibrate well. A 20mm thick pine tabletop, however, can sound fantastic.
Sound Profile: Warm, natural, and rich. Wood tends to have a pleasing acoustic character that is less "clinical" than acrylic or glass.
Best For: Turning a desk into a near-field monitor system or animating a piece of wooden furniture.
A Word on Placement: Never in the Centre!
Once you've chosen your surface, don't just stick the exciter in the dead middle. This is the single biggest mistake beginners make. Placing an exciter in the geometric centre of a symmetrical panel excites the fewest vibrational modes and can cause frequencies to cancel each other out, leading to weird, peaky sound.
As a rule of thumb, use the "Rule of Thirds." Place the exciter about one-third of the way across the panel. Experiment by moving it around while playing music (using Blu Tack or masking tape for temporary adhesion) until you find the "sweet spot" that sounds most balanced to your ears.
Your Project Starts with a Quality Component
The most amazing surface in the world will still sound terrible if the engine driving it is a dud. Your success depends on starting with a high-quality exciter from a reputable brand. Dayton Audio has dominated this space because their products are built with the precision and durability needed to make these projects sing.
For many years, Australian DIYers have relied on Campad Electronics to get their hands on these parts without the hassle of international shipping. They are a trusted local provider that understands the needs of the creative community.
So, look around you. That boring, silent surface might just be your next great-sounding speaker in disguise.
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