On Damping, Voids and Fill

[staggerlee]

There are a couple of products I've heard of being used in speaker construction. I was hoping to hear some of your opinions on them. The cabinet I'm working with is the Iris, a BVR enclosure.

Tar Paper. I seen a couple of designs that lined the interior with this stuff, but I hadn't heard any assessment of how well it worked, or if it was worth it.

I have some carpet underlay that is about a half inch thick wooley felt. Will this work similarly to the polyfill others are using?

When filling voids, I've heard of people using expanding foam, kitty litter, sand, and lead. I want to avoid the foam if at all possible. What about the others?

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

[Scottmoose]

The wool underlay should be fine. Some in the top and bottom pof the filter chamber, and possibly along the top or bottom and one side-wall of the first path to the rear of the enclosure should be sufficient to start off with.

You could always make the strike plates with stepped pieces. Then you won't have any voids. If you must, I'd go with the kity litter. Sand can be a pain as it needs drying out, unless you can get hold of kiln dry sand, which is not always as easy as you might think. And some people are frightened of lead poisoning (so that's what I've been doing wrong when I go black-powder shooting). Doesn't bother me especially as you have to mess about with a heck of a lot before things get overly toxic. But I understand why some are concerned.

[staggerlee]

Originally posted by Scottmoose
The wool underlay should be fine. Some in the top and bottom pof the filter chamber, and possibly along the top or bottom and one side-wall of the first path to the rear of the enclosure should be sufficient to start off with.

Thanks Scott,

This design is extremely heavy as it is. I wonder how this is going to get upstairs!

Filter chamber: I think this is what I had been calling the compression chamber. What do you mean by first path to the rear. Llike this? but with one side wall also lined?

[pjanda1]

If you decide you must have sand, it is not hard to find sand used as blast media. It is dry. It costs more than playground sand, but drying is really a pain. Blast sand is sold places that sell and rent big cool tools, like sand blasters. I'd go with kitty litter if I had to move them any distance.

pj

[Scottmoose]

Originally posted by staggerlee
Filter chamber: I think this is what I had been calling the compression chamber. What do you mean by first path to the rear. Llike this? but with one side wall also lined?

Sorry -forget I spoke. I was thinking of Hiro for some reason. OK, Iris needs the chamber lining with damping material (leaving the slot at the rear clear of course) like its small-vent reflex cousins. I'd leave one side-wall un-damped to start off with. You can always add more material through the driver cut-out if needed.

[staggerlee]

Excellent.

Thanks all, I'm obviously pretty close to gluing these up and actually listening to them.