Bamboo Audio system

[Muli]

Hello, I am an Industrial design student, at my final year. I am designing a Hi-Fi system while looking for new and innovative materials for the design.

Currently I am interested in designing with Bamboo and some other materials like Metal, Glass and Plastics.

It would help me a lot having your reflections about the subject.



How would Glass behave as a design element in a speaker ?

How good are the acoustic qualities of Bamboo?

Would you like to have a Bamboo designed Hi-Fi System?

What are the advantages / disadvantages of a tubular speaker cabinet ?

Are partitions as naturally exists in a bamboo can be useful? ( sound speaking) when using a single driver per pole with 3 partitions for example ?

Thank you for your time,

Muli.

[planet10]

Bamboo plywood makes a very nice enclosure...







dave

[Javachip]

Glass enclosures are commercially available. I don't know how they sound, but they look interesting. They're expensive.

www.perfect8.com

[Wavebourn]

Concrete enclosures look rock solid; and they sound the best I've ever heard. Theoretically, steel grill armed concrete should sound better. If to glue some bamboo laminate from Costco it may look nicer.

[chrismercurio]

I didn't know you could by bamboo ply at costco.

www.plyboo.com

www.teragren.com

[planet10]

Originally posted by chrismercurio
I didn't know you could by bamboo ply at costco.

Touted as eco friendly i think we will see wider & wider distribution....

dave

[chrisb]

Originally posted by chrismercurio
I didn't know you could by bamboo ply at costco.

www.plyboo.com

www.teragren.com

I may be wrong, but I think Wavebourn is probably referring to bamboo surfaced laminate flooring (available many other building/flooring suppliers as well), wherein the bamboo content is minimal and would be entirely decorative.

Of course with a enclosure fabricated of "steel grill armed concrete", the contribution to the sonic signature of a 1/4" thick layer of wood composite would be minimal in any case.

Speaker enclosures made from the Teragren 3/4" 3 ply bamboo such as shown in Dave's pictures can sound excellent indeed. The material is not really that much harder to work with than a marine grade plywood (certainly a much friendlier material than glass for the average DIY builder) , but at approx $300/sheet, the first few cuts are a bit nerve wracking.

[Pano]

Well.... Dave and Chris beat me to it! Yeah, the plyboo stuff is cool. Reminds me a bit of some of the great marine grade plywoods I've seen.

BTW, who has bamboo fiber cones? Tang Band does, anyone else?

[sreten]

Originally posted by Muli


Are partitions as naturally exists in a bamboo can be useful?
(sound speaking)

.... when using a single driver per pole with 3 partitions for example ?

Thank you for your time,

Muli.

Hi,

the partitions can certainly be exploited with a driver per partition.
A tubular cabinet is extremely rigid and has good dispersion properties.

The downside is for its form factor only small drivers can be used
and IMO if your talking floorstanding multiple drivers are required.

You say hifi but an AV system would make things easier because
the mainspeakers are not expected to go below 80Hz or so.

FWIW if you do not know what you are doing the design of hi-fi
speakers is a minefield for the uniformed. It is not simple, contrary
to a lot of introductory text on the subject, which is simplistically
plain wrong / not right enough about how to do it most of the time.

/sreten.

[Wavebourn]

Originally posted by chrismercurio
I didn't know you could by bamboo ply at costco.

www.plyboo.com

www.teragren.com

I mean a flooring laminate, it is cheaper than in Home Depot. For decorative purpose only.