Speakers in need of a new home

Lohkay · 25th April 2006, 10:30 AM

Hi everyone! I hope this is the forum I needed to come to get the right answers, from what I've read so far, you guys seem very knowledgable!

So, I bought a home theather set a few years ago. I invested quite a large sum and so far I've been very pleased with the output. But now, I'm working on my new home and I won't be able to fit my corner (5.1 system) speakers into the living room design.

My front speaker each have the woofer coming out on the side of the enclosure and I need to insert it into a wall to wall library (which will be custom made so I can use whatever space I need). So I already have all the hardware that I wish to reuse and would only need to build a new enclosure with all drivers coming out the front.

My rear speakers are in the same boat. The woofers coming out on the side. The difference is that I need to fit these in the ceiling so I'm a bit more constrained. The width must not exceed 12" and depth can't be more than ~10" which imo shouldn't be a problem.

If need be, I can take pictures of my speakers so you can get a better idea of what I'm speaking of. Unfortunatly, I've never built speakers before and only starting to inform myself. On the bright side, I already have everything except the enclosure which I hope is the easy part.

My brother says I should sell the ones I have and buy new ones that would fit but I ain't that kind of guy. Heck, I'm building a DIY projector for my new home so I'm not afraid to work with my hands and learn new things. I hope you guys can help a newbie like myself get just the right sound out of the speakers I already have.

francis varkey · 25th April 2006, 11:05 AM

Welcome Lohkay,
Try posting pics., they speak louder than words.

I understand that you're going to rebuild the cabinets, perhaps you could just re-orient the cabinet with the woofer facing into the room and try fixing the smaller drivers on the same baffle; but you may have to live with the ugly wires coming out from one side and to plug the holes(of the earlier speaker cutouts) on the opposite side.
In case you build a totally new cabinet, maintain the enclosure(inner) volume as same as the old box.

Lohkay · 25th April 2006, 12:45 PM

Thats a pretty good idea... didn't think of that! Only problem is the current depth is over a foot which would make for some very large speakers.

I'll try to get a hold of a camera and post some pics. In the meantime, keep the info coming! As in: what kind of wood works? If I need a specific type of wood, why? you mentioned I need the same volume, why? I saw how my speaker enclosure were made and I remember seeing them cutting grooves in a large panel so they could fold it into the final shape... any reason for this? Can I use seperatly cut panels or do I need to do the same?

Thx!

francis varkey · 25th April 2006, 01:13 PM

Lohkay,
"About a foot" doesn't seem so wide whereas "over a foot" can mean much more, anyway what is the woofer size(diameter).
What are the dimensions of the enclosure?

With regard to your questions, you need to replicate the original enclosure which was designed for the woofer; am I right or do you intend to tweak/better the performance.
If you're satisfied with the sound now, it is preferable to make an identical size box.
Why?, it is a little long story to attend to in one post.

Read the threads in this forum and also some books like 'Loudspeaker Cookbook' by Vance Dickason for example.

Wood is not what you need, it's either MDF or Plywood which are acoustically more dead to resonances than wood.

By the way, I couldn't figure out the part about grooves...., (were the speakers not factory made) maybe if we can get to see the shape of your existing enclosure, then some of the others could chime in.

Regards,
Francis

Lohkay · 25th April 2006, 02:42 PM

I'll measure everything up tonight and possibly get some pictures. The depth is indeed over a foot long though... I'd say around 15-16". As for the question about grooves and folding, here is what I meant:

Do I need to do that? or can I just cut the boards to size and nail/screw them toghether?

francis varkey · 26th April 2006, 02:55 AM

Nails are not recommended, will come loose after a while.
Screws are okay but may not look nice.
Glue is better, yes you can cut the boards to size and glue them. After the gluing is well cured, you may have to plane/level out the rough edges.
Happy DIYing

Lohkay · 9th May 2006, 04:36 PM

Here's the pictures I was supposed to post much earlier... had problems getting a good camera.

25th April 2006, 10:30 AM	#1
Lohkay diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Montreal	Speakers in need of a new home Hi everyone! I hope this is the forum I needed to come to get the right answers, from what I've read so far, you guys seem very knowledgable! So, I bought a home theather set a few years ago. I invested quite a large sum and so far I've been very pleased with the output. But now, I'm working on my new home and I won't be able to fit my corner (5.1 system) speakers into the living room design. My front speaker each have the woofer coming out on the side of the enclosure and I need to insert it into a wall to wall library (which will be custom made so I can use whatever space I need). So I already have all the hardware that I wish to reuse and would only need to build a new enclosure with all drivers coming out the front. My rear speakers are in the same boat. The woofers coming out on the side. The difference is that I need to fit these in the ceiling so I'm a bit more constrained. The width must not exceed 12" and depth can't be more than ~10" which imo shouldn't be a problem. If need be, I can take pictures of my speakers so you can get a better idea of what I'm speaking of. Unfortunatly, I've never built speakers before and only starting to inform myself. On the bright side, I already have everything except the enclosure which I hope is the easy part. My brother says I should sell the ones I have and buy new ones that would fit but I ain't that kind of guy. Heck, I'm building a DIY projector for my new home so I'm not afraid to work with my hands and learn new things. I hope you guys can help a newbie like myself get just the right sound out of the speakers I already have.

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25th April 2006, 11:05 AM	#2
francis varkey diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: U.A.E	Welcome Lohkay, Try posting pics., they speak louder than words. I understand that you're going to rebuild the cabinets, perhaps you could just re-orient the cabinet with the woofer facing into the room and try fixing the smaller drivers on the same baffle; but you may have to live with the ugly wires coming out from one side and to plug the holes(of the earlier speaker cutouts) on the opposite side. In case you build a totally new cabinet, maintain the enclosure(inner) volume as same as the old box.

25th April 2006, 12:45 PM	#3
Lohkay diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Montreal	Thats a pretty good idea... didn't think of that! Only problem is the current depth is over a foot which would make for some very large speakers. I'll try to get a hold of a camera and post some pics. In the meantime, keep the info coming! As in: what kind of wood works? If I need a specific type of wood, why? you mentioned I need the same volume, why? I saw how my speaker enclosure were made and I remember seeing them cutting grooves in a large panel so they could fold it into the final shape... any reason for this? Can I use seperatly cut panels or do I need to do the same? Thx!

25th April 2006, 01:13 PM	#4
francis varkey diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: U.A.E	Lohkay, "About a foot" doesn't seem so wide whereas "over a foot" can mean much more, anyway what is the woofer size(diameter). What are the dimensions of the enclosure? With regard to your questions, you need to replicate the original enclosure which was designed for the woofer; am I right or do you intend to tweak/better the performance. If you're satisfied with the sound now, it is preferable to make an identical size box. Why?, it is a little long story to attend to in one post. Read the threads in this forum and also some books like 'Loudspeaker Cookbook' by Vance Dickason for example. Wood is not what you need, it's either MDF or Plywood which are acoustically more dead to resonances than wood. By the way, I couldn't figure out the part about grooves...., (were the speakers not factory made) maybe if we can get to see the shape of your existing enclosure, then some of the others could chime in. Regards, Francis

25th April 2006, 02:42 PM	#5
Lohkay diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Montreal	I'll measure everything up tonight and possibly get some pictures. The depth is indeed over a foot long though... I'd say around 15-16". As for the question about grooves and folding, here is what I meant: Do I need to do that? or can I just cut the boards to size and nail/screw them toghether?

26th April 2006, 02:55 AM	#6
francis varkey diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: U.A.E	Nails are not recommended, will come loose after a while. Screws are okay but may not look nice. Glue is better, yes you can cut the boards to size and glue them. After the gluing is well cured, you may have to plane/level out the rough edges. Happy DIYing

9th May 2006, 04:36 PM	#7
Lohkay diyAudio Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Montreal	Here's the pictures I was supposed to post much earlier... had problems getting a good camera.