How to design open baffles with smallest possible baffle size

This is one way to do it:
F - small 7JUN2022.jpg

Design:
No baffle at all for midrange and tweeter. They are suspended via wires inside a damped welded-wire cage.
Mid/woofer mounted at top of narrow baffle, which sits on the floor.
Closed box sub/woofer rounds out the low end.
Crossover point between drivers depends mostly on mid and tweeter capabilities, which determines where other crossover points must lie. In this system the crossover points are 2.7k, 600, and 150 Hz.

I will be demoing this at an event next month. Sounds great.
 
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You can implement low bass without any woodworking by using 2 naked drivers, one behind the other in tandem configuration. This simulates a U baffle, and if implemented as a clamshell, you get a degree of non-linearity compensation, and a structure which allows hanging (thereby avoiding floor vibration). An example is described and discussed in this recent thread:

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...m-open-baffleless-full-range-speakers.374043/
 
You can implement low bass without any woodworking by using 2 naked drivers, one behind the other in tandem configuration. This simulates a U baffle, and if implemented as a clamshell, you get a degree of non-linearity compensation, and a structure which allows hanging (thereby avoiding floor vibration). An example is described and discussed in this recent thread:

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...m-open-baffleless-full-range-speakers.374043/
Yes, however, that (the compound dipole) does not produce sufficient SPL in the lowest frequencies for my tastes so I use a simple closed box down there.
 
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he compound dipole...does not produce sufficient SPL in the lowest frequencies for my tastes so I use a simple closed box down there.
Thats smart design. Can you hear the transition XO from OB to closed bass at 150Hz?

Mid/woofer mounted at top of narrow baffle, which sits on the floor.
Very interesting design. Whats the idea? Better diffraction with bass extension?
clamshell
Interesting but:
  • SLOB is narrower and for may better looking in a shared lounge
  • It would be very easy to Xdamage woofers when they assisitng each other
 
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Thats smart design. Can you hear the transition XO from OB to closed bass at 150Hz?
YES! This is a very important point, because at these frequencies it is the power response that gives you the sense of "output level" more than the on axis SPL. For the same on-axis SPL a closed box has 4.77 dB more power delivered into the room. Until I took this difference into account I had a very difficult time getting the dipole and monopole to blend properly around 150Hz where they are crossed over. Now its all good.

Very interesting design. Whats the idea? Better diffraction with bass extension?
Last year I developed several loudspeaker prototypes along these lines (this one is "2021F" or prototype #6), with all drivers (tweeter mid and woofer) hung by wires inside the metal scaffolding. But it is a bit tedious and challenging to get the woofer suspended properly so that it hangs freely, which I do to mechanically isolate the drivers from each other. This is because the driver is a bit heavier and most of the weight is in the magnet, putting the balance point near the top plate. Since I knew I would be taking this to a DIY event and that the narrow baffle would not impact the off axis response all that much, I went with that construction mostly out of convenience. The baffle is really too narrow and small in total area to make the response all that different from that of the nude driver.
 
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Old school W Frame dual 15" bass bin, with the second round of exchangeable head units. This one with a HGuang Dong sold 12inch full range whizzer cone driver.
Actively crossed at 140 hertz for now 4th order.
It's been a few years, but I think these came to about $700 Canadian after shipping and duty.
Not cheap, but against all recommendations, I think I like them better than my Mark Audio 12P, 12PW, and 7P drivers, but I may get around to trying those out in some exchangeable baffles too.
Thicker baffles. As I recall, they didn't do well for me when not front and flush mounted.
 

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