Loudspeaker primer for the novice

[sreten]

Well its up to you, but I beleive a disclaimer on a 'primer' site
is defeating the point somewhat. Any one finding your site
useful will simply not understand the disclaimer.

I do, but that's because I don't need your site. A hard way
of putting it is that your magnets are simply wrong, and the
term "air gap" in your glossary is not adequately illustrated.

/sreten.

[Wright]

Great site Stephen,

I hadn't run across any other sites that offered as clear of explanations and it cleared up a few questions I had always had. Still have one more though, is it true that a port length of 8" inches is always used for typical loudspeakers? I thought it was more complicated than that. Also, in your glossary of terms you might want to add that "spider" and "surround" are synomonous with centering device and suspension. Thanks for contributing to the hobby,

George

[7V]

Originally posted by Wright
Still have one more though, is it true that a port length of 8" inches is always used for typical loudspeakers? I thought it was more complicated than that. Also, in your glossary of terms you might want to add that "spider" and "surround" are synomonous with centering device and suspension.

It IS more complicated than that. Box size and port size are generally calculated using a number of driver characteristics. These are called the Thiele/Small characteristics. The calculations are quite complex but there are some free software programs that can help with this. Perhaps, Stephen, you could link to some of these program downloads rather than have the simplified diameter/box size graph that you use now.

I also think that the enclosure page doesn't do full justice to sealed-box designs as it currently reads. There are a number of advantages over ported designs. Speaker design is always a question of choosing one's compromises. You gain some, you lose some.

Nevertheless, I'll say again that I think that this is a very good primer with an excellent prose and design style. I hope that it develops into a top loudspeaker design resource.

George, it's not true that "spider" and "surround" are synomonous with centering device and suspension. High quality drivers often use the surround solely as a means of preventing the front and back waves interfering with each-other. The job of centering and suspension is often performed solely by the spider (or equivalent mechanism).

[Wright]

Steve,

Thanks for the clarification, I guess that's why we need good beginner's site's like this.

[Stephen]

Hello Everyone

Back online after a week in bed with the flu.

Thank-you for your comments and suggestions. Yes, the site tends to oversimplify a complex subject.

Ten lashes with the proverbial wet noodle for me. I'll add a diagram and explanation of the magnet structure for clarification.

Tim, feel free to include my site in your list of links; nice complement.

The explanation about port design is based upon experience with average woofers. Finding the best match between enclosure volume, port dimensions and woofer characteristics may be a bit daunting for the first-time buider. The dimensions in the site are conservative and provide fairly predictable results.

Actually, the best-sounding loudspeaker I've heard was a sealed design. However, the novice may lack the experience to choose a woofer that yields the best bass extension in a sealed enclosure.

[planet10]

Stephen,

It is a great start...

1st you should add navigation to all the pages....

also, not all enclosures are bass reflex and not all tweeters are domes.

dave

[Stephen]

Hello Dave

Yes, not all speakers are bass-reflex and not all tweeters are domes.

Again, the website audience are novice builders, and the site presents the most common components and box design. Hard to imagine its size if I explored transmission line theory, horn loading, ribbon tweeters, etc.

For theses reasons, I kept the size of the site to only six pages and did not include navigation. However, I'll add a note to the effect of your comment during the next update. Thank-you for your input.

Stephen