Easy to damp because one high q resonance is easier to cope with than few slightly lower ones at different frequencies. If that was not the case, brands i mentioned would have used ply - it's cheaper and easier to work with. Anyway, i guess that everybody sees what he wants to see. I wanted to add an other dimension to the thread (non alu hate 
) and i did - backed it up with some brands whose products measure remarkably well.
Cheers
) and i did - backed it up with some brands whose products measure remarkably well.Cheers
This correlation doesn't strictly imply that causation.
If it did, then EVERY good brand would be using aluminium
Non acoustic reasons a manufacturer might choose aluminium:
- Welding is faster and easier to automate than gluing.
- Aluminium scraps and swarf are much more recyclable than ply.
- Easier and less wasteful (than translam ply) to make complex shapes.
- Better machining consistency, year-to-year.
- Better finishing consistency (no end grain).
- Bragging rights.
- Slightly more compact enclosures.
Only the latter reasons mean anything to a one-off DIY project.
Anyway, i guess that everybody sees what he wants to see. I wanted to add an other dimension to the thread (non alu hate
Cheers
Your alu price is 1/2 my alu price. That's a big deal - I might also get excited for alu if it was more affordable. What place sells those 2cm thick slabs for 340 euro (do you have a link)?
While i am advocating for good acoustic properties of aluminium you are wrong in few things about non acoustic reasons. Let me elaborate.
I don't have a link for online buying of aluminium sheets. I called a friend that works at depot. I will call him again today and ask for the specifics - maybe to sent me an offer. I'll let you know as soon as i talk to him.
I don't have a link for online buying of aluminium sheets. I called a friend that works at depot. I will call him again today and ask for the specifics - maybe to sent me an offer. I'll let you know as soon as i talk to him.
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Good points. I'm surprised that all these companies machine the alu almost as if it were stone.
I do think that alu is indeed 'much more recyclable':
- a kilo of (once expensive) scrap aluminum and can be reformed into ...a kilo of (again expensive) sheet aluminum. Professor Wiki says: recycling scrap aluminium requires only 5% of the energy used to make new aluminium (refining Bauxite is very energy expensive).
- a kilo of scrap (once expensive) ply becomes ...a kilo of low value chipboard, animal feed, or whatever. That's downcycling.
Downcycling - Wikipedia
I also imagine that I'd get more money from taking a ton of alu to a smelter than from carting a ton of sawdust to a cattle feedlot (yes, that's really a thing)
For some types of construction (e.g. translaminated enclosures, like those in the picture), more material is wasted than used. Yes I'm just guessing, if guessing means 'doesn't actually work in the recycling industry' - but surely being able to recover costs on all that wasted material would be a big deal.
Sweet, thanks.
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Are those your cabinets ? They are stunning 
EDIT: I found local online shop that prices aluminium much more in line with what you said: METALIonline - Aluminijumska plo?a - tabla
Now i really want to speak to my friend asap to see what's with that.
EDIT: I found local online shop that prices aluminium much more in line with what you said: METALIonline - Aluminijumska plo?a - tabla
Now i really want to speak to my friend asap to see what's with that.
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I also imagine that I'd get more money from taking a ton of alu to a smelter than from carting a ton of sawdust to a cattle feedlot (yes, that's really a thing)
Yep.
Local salvage yards buy out leftover aluminium (chips, scraps, filings) at a cost of ~20% of "virgin" aluminium.
I talked to friend of mine. I didn't understand him correctly - sheet size is 2x100x200 cm but 1 square meter costs about 340 euros. Since the sheet has 2 sqm the price would be 680 euros for the whole sheet. The price is quite similar to what you've said and slightly different from the link i posted.
Hello all, I have a question!
How can we make the aluminum box air tight, I mean how to seal the aluminum sheets where they meet together in the corners, is there any suitable glue or how to do it???
If i made alu cabinets, i'd seal them with epoxy - after powdercoating or anodizing or what ever finish you'd do on the plates.
Really? It doesn't seem totally terrible to me, although the value is low given it seems to performs not much better than most $30-50 woofers. I'd get the RS180 over it any day.
Test Bench - Dayton Audio ES180Ti-8 7” High-End Midbass Woofer
Hello all, I have a question!
How can we make the aluminum box air tight, I mean how to seal the aluminum sheets where they meet together in the corners, is there any suitable glue or how to do it???
Ideally, the best method would be welding them together. But you can also braze aluminum together with a blow torch, albeit not as strongly as welding and apparently much more prone to failure unless you do it absolutely correctly. Search YouTube for more info if that appeals to you.
The alternative would be to drill and tap (put screw threads) into the aluminum and then assemble more or less like a regular box but with gaskets at the joints to seal everything. You could fasten at the edges or use internal bracing to pull everything together. Study Magico.
However, you might look instead at the original Magico mini and opt instead for just aluminum front and back baffles with the rest of the cabinet in some form of Baltic Birch. It's a devastatingly effective design and I speak from experience.
I got pulled back to this concept but when I was looking for aluminum sheets I decided this project isn't gonna happen as soon as I saw the numbers. I thought it wasn't super expensive but I was indeed wrong. Only one side panel would cost over $200!!! No wonder Magicos are so expensive beside the fact they are a very high end brand!
And then I'm purely talking about sq influencing factors. I know the enclosures would be super heavy but I don't care. If you take a look at my other threads these speakers have developed to two huge active monsters with DSP driven 2 x 300 watt RMS @ 4 ohm bi amplifiers. If they get insanely heavy, I will make the stands insanely strong, I don't give a damn.
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