driver moving too much


I have recently bought a turntable for my audio system. It is a music hall 2.1 and I have noticed that when playing some recordings the driver in my speakers moves a lot especially at high volume levels. Even when there is silence in the recording the driver moves without producing sound. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what causes this and if it is bad for my system in any way. ANy inputs will be appreciated.

tiggerpooh
The system is responding to subsonic frequencies. These can be generated by warps in records, turntable rumble, or mismatches in tonearm/cartridge combinations. Or it is possible that the system is not capable of reproducing certain low bass frequencies, and is unloading the bass-reflex cabinet, causing the woofer to bounce because the air mass in the cabinet is unloading. Or it could be acoustic vibrations coming up the stand,into your turntable Or it could be a combination of all of these things.

If you notice that it only happens on certain records, and not on others, it is probably a warped or defective record. If it happens more when you play loud, it is probably acoustic vibration entering the TT.

I'd try moving the turntable into a different spot in the room, where there may be less bass frequency buildup. If the TT is behind the speaker, especially in a corner, this is bad placement.
Twl gives good advice. I solved a problem with floor-borne vibrations when I had my rega 3 on a sideboard by getting a slab of 3 inch thick firm foam, placing a 2 inch thick concrete slab onto the foam (compressed the foam to about 1.5 inches) and then putting the turntable on the concrete. This completely cured the floor vibrations from feeding back to the turntable and got rid of the rumble.

I would say that floor vibrations are only a problem if your room has a suspended floor.
a warped record will let the speaker driver dance even on moderate and low volumes in my system.
Looks alarming doesn't it? I've been coping with this phenomemon for decades and doubt it does any harm. I asked a trusted friend about it and he said all turntables exhibit woofer pumping to one degree or another. Perhaps Mara can address the electrical forces that make it move though it makes no sound.

I suppose you could construct a vacuum bubble or build a bunker for the table but let's keep it real. I had good luck raising my turntable about 18 inches above the tops of the speakers. It reduced the erratic woofer pumping quite a bit but did not eliminate it. Find a less sonically busy place to put your table. Or try the head in the sand approach and leave the grill covers on.