Materials

[Madmike2]

Hi guys

Just came from a plastics factory where i was investigating material.

they have some cool stuff phenolics and the like some of it apparently i cannot build with because it does not glue together. It needs to be welded. Since i cannot afford Peter Daniels amps at 1200 bucks each at the moment i am going to continue improving my speakers. What is a better choice for use for an enclosure ? 1.5 inch Lexan ? 1.25 inch Plexi 1.25 inch HDFP ?

All of these i can screw and epoxy. the other stuff they have needs special welding equipment for it and is 1200 to 3000 dollars a sheet for 1 inch!!

[Magura]

If it has to be plastics, you have the choice between ABS and PS, anything else have obvious drawbacks.

Magura

[Madmike2]

ABS has a very high hollow ring when you knock on it and is generally not very thick if i got my plastics correct. The stuff i was admiring is very dense and 'dead' you hit it and its a dull thud. Less of a response on the knock test then 1 + inch MDF thats for sure. I cant afford the stuff they made the Wilsons out of. They carry it but it is close to 6000 dollars for a 4 x 8 sheet of 1.75 inch and needs special construction techniques.

I am really looking at the opaque Lexan 37mm stuff. Cut and all i can get 2 enclosures worth for 600 dollars. I cant get much deader cabinet material then that It s gonna weigh a ton though

[Madmike2]

No one ? I realize i didnt actually ask a question but i am asking now . Is there anything deader then some of those plastics. I cant think of a wood that would <rhyme< be more inert then these higher grade composites. If there is let me know

[johninCR]

Mike,

Your talking about a sub. If you want a see-thru sub, by all means go for it. Otherwise you are just wasting your money. The resonant frequency of just about any material you use in the panel size of a typical sub just isn't going to come into play. If you want overkill that is effective, do it with bracing. Then use a 2 layer approach if you want extra overkill. It doesn't matter how dead you think that plastic is, it still needs bracing. It might be great for speakers though, but for a sub it's a waste unless you want the see-thru look.

My advise is to use something easy to work with like plywood and go crazy with the bracing. Put the $500 in your pocket or spend it on something usefull like bass traps.

[rcw]

The best value for money material for making really dead boxes is boiler plate, easy to weld with handyman equipment and 100 times stiffer than mdf and plastic.

[simon5]

Want to go with 1+ inches thick?

Buy some exotic flavors of baltic birch, I've heard of 13 layers at 1.25 inches thick.

Want to lose money? Then look into Hydulignum or Corian maybe hehe!

[Madmike2]

hmmmm y'all think it s a waste ? And it is for the subs AND the top end. I wanted to re build my 2 ways with this stuff. Same enclosure dimensions just not Russian birch. Also, I figured that using this material with bracing would remove the enclosure flex and energy transfer elements as close to completely as possible.

Corian is way stupid pricing. I am not rich

From your experiences, do you think 1 inch MDF or layered birch over braced will be enough to adequately keep the bass coming from the driver and not the cabinet ?

[ThomasW]

Buy some exotic flavors of baltic birch, I've heard of 13 layers at 1.25 inches thick.

????

Standard 3/4" BB ply has 13 layers

http://www.woodnshop.com/hardwood/Ba...ch_Plywood.htm

[BassAwdyO]

You could make your enclosures from MDF concrete and lead and end up with something heavier and probably deader