| joe carrow |
I've been mulling over the idea of a round subwoofer- mostly for looks. I was starting to research gluing rings of MDF to make the shell, then perhaps a bunch of bondo and sanding.
Then I thought, "Why not make this easier? Somebody mentioned using a mailbox for a gainclone enclosure the other day, what can I do to mimic that?" :clown:
So then I noticed that if you take an Adire Shiva 12" driver and mount it in a standard 1/2 barrel beer keg, you could produce a sealed subwoofer with a Q of 0.75 and F3 of 40ish hz. Furthermore, if you're willing to do an isobaric enclosure you could tune the vent to 25 hz. (according to winISD) :whazzat:
I'd never heard of a speaker in a keg before, let alone a subwoofer. All I was able to find on the subject was this mention of a Lowther in a beer keg. That reminds me- isn't it supposed to be a horrible thing to mount a driver at the end of a cylinder?
Keg Facts:
Kegs have an internal volume of 2 cubic feet, are good for at least 20 psi internal pressure, and come with built-in handles. An empty keg weighs about 30 pounds. I'm not sure exactly how you'd go about cutting the driver hole... that seems like it would be the worst part.
:drink: :drink: :drink: |
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| BillFitzmaurice |
| It will work just fine and the cylindrical aspect will give a very high strength structure. Resonance is not a problem as the two foot or so length is too short to be excited by long wavelengths. But- those kegs are stainless steel, very difficult to work with. You'd porobably have to have a welding shop cut one end off that you could then attach a wood plate to for a baffle. Use sheetmetal screws or nuts and bolts to attach it, fill the gaps with bondo. |
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| Stocker |
| have them zip out the appropriate-sized driver mounting hole with a plasma cutter, and you can drill holes with a good carbide bit... |
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| Paradise_Ice |
I think it will work well but as metal is a hard, it may have a resonance, line the innner keg with butimus or polyfoam, Your could use liquid roofing felt also, anything to get ride of that ringing sound they make when you clang 2 of them together,
Plus its weather proof, great for outside BBQs,LOL, good lucky. |
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| joe carrow |
thanks for the advice, all!
I'm living in New York State for the next month or so; so the state deposit of $75 is a prohibitive (too bad, because someone at the school shop could probably help).
I'll try to find a shop when I get back to Illinois, where deposit is more like $10. Depending on the legal status of a "deposit", maybe a shop could sell these to college kids ;) |
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| jjdche |
You've heard of the 'sonotube sub', right? Its probably the most popular do-it-yourself sub out there. Take a concrete forming tube (sometimes called a sonotube) cap off the ends with MDF, mount a driver and a port in the ends and VOILA! Instant subwoofer!
But if you really want to go for the keg, try www.kegs.com for keg deals. |
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| eHoward |
I like the idea! Too bad my boston drivers want .5 cubic foot enclosures.
Guess I'll need to buy some more subs!
Deposit in PA is like $10 I think. |
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| Jimmy154 |
| A keg might not look that nice depending on your tastes. Actually personally I think it would look really neat, especially if you got one of those kegs that has a thich coat of smooth black rubber (seen them?). The rubber might also help with sound damping. I would think a keg would vibrate a lot, I hope I'm wrong. |
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| joe carrow |
| quote: | Originally posted by jjdche
You've heard of the 'sonotube sub', right? Its probably the most popular do-it-yourself sub out there. |
Yeah.. i almost smacked myself on the head when you reminded me of that, but then I remembered that i wanted something that would look really 'unique'. Still, whenever I finally go for it, I'll make sure to try sonotube first just to make sure I like the sound of that driver with that volume sealed. That would be easier than finding a shop to cut the hole.
| quote: | | But if you really want to go for the keg, try www.kegs.com for keg deals. |
thanks!
| quote: | Originally posted by Jimmy154
A keg might not look that nice depending on your tastes. Actually personally I think it would look really neat, especially if you got one of those kegs that has a thich coat of smooth black rubber (seen them?). The rubber might also help with sound damping. I would think a keg would vibrate a lot, I hope I'm wrong. |
I think you're right about the rubber. Believe I think that Miller Highlife might come in totally plastic kegs. I got this impression from a chipped handle I saw on one; it looked plastic all the way through. A regular steel keg might benefit from something like dynamatt.
I've spent the last 3 years living in a fraternity house; I don't think I'll mind the aesthetic of a keg or two in my first apartment ;)
A good coat of paint (maybe some carpet or cloth) and you might not even notice it's a keg anymore!
Thanks for the thoughts- you can bet that if I get around to it I'll post pictures. |
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| Variac |
It is horrible to mount a driver in a cylinder end,
but wonderful to mount it in a sphere.
A keg seems like in between, so no doubt OK
I'm very surprised more people haven't done this-
It's a really good idea-
The biggest problem with sub boxes is flexing of the walls-It ain't gonna happen with that keg!!!! |
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