Hello,
Just wondering if anyone has seen, heard or though about these...The design premise is pretty smart, just curious about how good it would sound...
Ballou Projects
Just wondering if anyone has seen, heard or though about these...The design premise is pretty smart, just curious about how good it would sound...
Ballou Projects
Wait - how does the port work? Don't cinderblocks have 2 separate sections so the woofer wouldn't work with it? You couldn't port a dome - they're all closed back, no?
There is a bit of gif that shows the construction on the site. But Im with you...not sure how it all works or sounds...
Cute, but there is a difference between cinder block and concrete block. Those are concrete block. The second issue is that although concrete blink is rigid it is porous. Used in classroom construction for example it absorbs mid to high frequencies supprisingly well. That is because they can penetrate the surface a bit. Not sure what that would do to a loudspeaker enclosure. As to the cell construction it would be easy to break out the dividing wall.
BTY cinder block is very rarely made anymore as to worries as to not just the lesser strength but as to what is left in the cinders. Real cinder block being made from industrial cinders left typically from coal is much darker and often black. But the name lives on!
So my vote is quite cute, even more so if built into the classic cheap bookshelf.
BTY cinder block is very rarely made anymore as to worries as to not just the lesser strength but as to what is left in the cinders. Real cinder block being made from industrial cinders left typically from coal is much darker and often black. But the name lives on!
So my vote is quite cute, even more so if built into the classic cheap bookshelf.
All sonic arguments aside, this is a very clever and efficient design. It is attractive, easy to construct and finish, as well as inexpensive and all cabinet parts can be picked up at the hardware store in one trip.
Remembering my college days when we used those kind of blocks stacked up for speaker stands. Some perverse part of me would like to put the block speakers on vinyl-veneered wood stands!
I wonder how leaky these would be? Is there an inner lining to seal them? Are we getting some aperiodic effect?
Love it! The idea could work very well with small full range drivers too.
One could just use sealant instead of those gaskets if it were't a product made to be easy to attach and detach from the blocks. Possibly two rear panels at the rear with the inner layer having the center cut out to make a ring, to make a generous connection between the 2 chambers, which could be easily cut rather sloppily by hand so the rear panel doesn't need to be thinned with a recess and a router wouldn't be needed.
One could just use sealant instead of those gaskets if it were't a product made to be easy to attach and detach from the blocks. Possibly two rear panels at the rear with the inner layer having the center cut out to make a ring, to make a generous connection between the 2 chambers, which could be easily cut rather sloppily by hand so the rear panel doesn't need to be thinned with a recess and a router wouldn't be needed.
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Oh I have mixed emotions about this. I love the look, and the concept. I hate rooms that have cinder blocks for construction. Just sound horrible. Absorb the highs with the texture, and have woogety bass because of the hollowness. But I doubt it would affect the sound of the enclosure in the same ways. Plus I had cinder block shelves for ever. Even cut them down on a table saw at one point, to make the blocks the same depth at the shelves. (11")
Watching the gif it looks like the mid is actually closed back, which would render the port even more useless. I get the feeling this is just a marketing/style thing aimed at the vinyl resurgence.
Well you could integrate these into you concrete block shelves! Real bookshelf speakers and they could support one shelf layer..
I kinda think they would work well as enclosures. As long as the front and back is well sealed, I doubt much if any air would pass through the walls. And because they are unreinforced they will be pretty non resonant, especially glued to the plywood front and rear. people think that Durock type wall board would be non resonant because it's made of concrete, but actually it's pretty flexible because it's thin, and has reinforcing mesh. Not a problem with the thick walled, unreinforced, small concrete blocks.
I kinda think they would work well as enclosures. As long as the front and back is well sealed, I doubt much if any air would pass through the walls. And because they are unreinforced they will be pretty non resonant, especially glued to the plywood front and rear. people think that Durock type wall board would be non resonant because it's made of concrete, but actually it's pretty flexible because it's thin, and has reinforcing mesh. Not a problem with the thick walled, unreinforced, small concrete blocks.
Geez .. Look Harder ! the rear panel has a small offset.
Creating a slot port betwixt the two block chambers.
Guys who thought this up are clearly Not fools.
Ever looked closely at how many surprisingly expensive bookshelf speakers are made out of v low quality materials, with likely much less design effort input.
Talk about the 'quality' of the blocks seems as More than inane.
Creating a slot port betwixt the two block chambers.
Guys who thought this up are clearly Not fools.
Ever looked closely at how many surprisingly expensive bookshelf speakers are made out of v low quality materials, with likely much less design effort input.
Talk about the 'quality' of the blocks seems as More than inane.
yes if you carefully follow the vid you can see the recess cut in the back panel. That's why I said
".. so the rear panel doesn't need to be thinned with a recess and a router wouldn't be needed."
The question for me is whether the opening they have is large enough, or if it actually acts like a resonant port. In fact you called it a port. . Do you know if it's size is an issue? This would complicate things a lot to calculate! I suggested the double back wall in case the port between the chambers isn't big enough.
Mushrooomunk was commenting that the "mid driver" by which he is meaning the larger driver has a sealed frame- so it doesn't appear to be connected to the internal volume of the box! Seems like you missed that...
In the linked text, the maker says they are in the "final tune up stage " perhaps they're having some problems with that "tuneup" what with the sealed driver and the possible tuned port between the volumes! Not sure the designer is aware of these possible issues. There are cabinet designs where one chamber is vented into another chamber via a port, and the second chamber has a port to the outside. However I believe the 2 chambers tend to have 2 different volumes, although perhaps different sized ports might be enough. It doesn't look to me that the port between the two volumes is carefully designed as it is just the full width and is as long as the thickness of the concrete dividing wall.
So I agree completely that this is a a very clever idea, and like many clever ideas it seems obvious now that someone has come up with it.
I don't think it is "inane" to consider the "qualities " of the blocks, not the "quality" whatever you mean by that...
I think it would be nice if you were a bit less flip in your comments
".. so the rear panel doesn't need to be thinned with a recess and a router wouldn't be needed."
The question for me is whether the opening they have is large enough, or if it actually acts like a resonant port. In fact you called it a port. . Do you know if it's size is an issue? This would complicate things a lot to calculate! I suggested the double back wall in case the port between the chambers isn't big enough.
Mushrooomunk was commenting that the "mid driver" by which he is meaning the larger driver has a sealed frame- so it doesn't appear to be connected to the internal volume of the box! Seems like you missed that...
In the linked text, the maker says they are in the "final tune up stage " perhaps they're having some problems with that "tuneup" what with the sealed driver and the possible tuned port between the volumes! Not sure the designer is aware of these possible issues. There are cabinet designs where one chamber is vented into another chamber via a port, and the second chamber has a port to the outside. However I believe the 2 chambers tend to have 2 different volumes, although perhaps different sized ports might be enough. It doesn't look to me that the port between the two volumes is carefully designed as it is just the full width and is as long as the thickness of the concrete dividing wall.
So I agree completely that this is a a very clever idea, and like many clever ideas it seems obvious now that someone has come up with it.
I don't think it is "inane" to consider the "qualities " of the blocks, not the "quality" whatever you mean by that...
I think it would be nice if you were a bit less flip in your comments
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"Cinder Block" is the common name that many many people still use.
I have all the parts to build a pair of these but don't need another pair of small speakers at the moment.
No he appears to be a hipster industrial designer with no idea of acoustics! The fact that he has ended up with a basta*d bandpass enclosure indicates this as it saves on drilling the rear panel.
Concrete speakers are nothing new, people were casting corner horns in the 50s but this concept needs some input from someone with some domain experience!
It does not "save on drilling". The back panel is sculpted already, drilling a hole in addition would be no biggie at all. The great design saves on having to connect anything from the front panel to the back panel. The front panel contains the speakers, port, crossover, and connector. The sculpting is so the woofer shares the two spaces, instead of one.
I did have the same thought about the cone having a closed back, so will have to be convinced about that.
I have some CIARE tweeters collecting dust, might have to give this a go.
I did have the same thought about the cone having a closed back, so will have to be convinced about that.
I have some CIARE tweeters collecting dust, might have to give this a go.
And to be clear about my first post. I think that the cinder block will make a great enclosure. My problem is purely psychological, in that I hate the sound of rooms made with them. The "sound" of the brick from the inside should be great.
Having a jack plug into the front panel is not 'great design' IMO, but I am not the target market as I don't have a beard and my bicycle has more than one gear!
It is great in terms of ease of putting together the kit.
Not ideal in terms of where the speaker cord goes, and the fact that it is a quarter inch plug, which is not the best in terms of hot swapping.
Not ideal in terms of where the speaker cord goes, and the fact that it is a quarter inch plug, which is not the best in terms of hot swapping.