I've done a lot of searching, but I haven't really found anything that teaches me how to build an enclosure. I can't even find what it means to "flush mount" drivers, which I find ridiculous. I even read Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, but it is mostly theory and not much how to design and build an enclosure.
Can someone point me to a place where I can learn how to design a speaker enclosure?
Here are the questions that I'd like to find answers for:
- What does flush mounting mean?
- How do you make designs on the baffle? I know there are cutout diameters on drivers. I have no equipment, and I don't plan on buying equipment just to use it once, so how would I write/draw up a design that I can give to a local workshop and say, here's the dimensions of the pieces of wood I want for my speaker and the size of the cutout hole and the location of the hole and anything else they need to know to cut the wood for me?
- Can I have no spacing between each driver? If not, what's the minimum distance I should have between 2 drivers? What are the downsides of putting drivers so closely?
- How do I physically put together the pieces of wood? Glue? Screws? How do I put the drivers on the baffle?
- How do I veneer a speaker made from baltic birch?
- Is 1/4'' baltic birch strong enough for a tissue box sized speaker? Any benefits on sound by using a thicker ply or is it all strength benefits?
- How do I make removable cloth grills for my speakers?
Thanks so much.
Can someone point me to a place where I can learn how to design a speaker enclosure?
Here are the questions that I'd like to find answers for:
- What does flush mounting mean?
- How do you make designs on the baffle? I know there are cutout diameters on drivers. I have no equipment, and I don't plan on buying equipment just to use it once, so how would I write/draw up a design that I can give to a local workshop and say, here's the dimensions of the pieces of wood I want for my speaker and the size of the cutout hole and the location of the hole and anything else they need to know to cut the wood for me?
- Can I have no spacing between each driver? If not, what's the minimum distance I should have between 2 drivers? What are the downsides of putting drivers so closely?
- How do I physically put together the pieces of wood? Glue? Screws? How do I put the drivers on the baffle?
- How do I veneer a speaker made from baltic birch?
- Is 1/4'' baltic birch strong enough for a tissue box sized speaker? Any benefits on sound by using a thicker ply or is it all strength benefits?
- How do I make removable cloth grills for my speakers?
Thanks so much.
"Flush mounting" in general means two surfaces are flush with each other, on the same plane. For loudspeakers, the front forward surface of the driver is even with the front surface of the baffle. The loudspeaker driver frame (tweeter, midrange, woofer) mounting surface is recessed below the surface of the baffle, so that the front surface of the driver is even with the front surface of the baffle. This recess is generally performed by routing the front baffle.
Beginners Book: Speaker Building 201 , Ray Alden
The Speaker Building Bible
Beginners Book: Speaker Building 201 , Ray Alden
The Speaker Building Bible
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I'm wondering if this would get more response in "construction techniques" forum. Anyway, this question interested me:
Polk Audio Monitor 30
I seem to recall a rule of thumb that the distance between drivers should be at most 1/4 of the wavelength of the crossover frequency. Or maybe it was 1/2, but regardless, for good sound, the closer the better. The ultimate for this is a coaxial.
The only down side I can think of is there's less material in the front baffle between the woofer and tweeter, thus it has less effective bracing around the woofer.
I've seen Polk speakers with the tweeter flange cut so it can fit closer to the woofer, like this one:
Polk Audio Monitor 30
I seem to recall a rule of thumb that the distance between drivers should be at most 1/4 of the wavelength of the crossover frequency. Or maybe it was 1/2, but regardless, for good sound, the closer the better. The ultimate for this is a coaxial.
The only down side I can think of is there's less material in the front baffle between the woofer and tweeter, thus it has less effective bracing around the woofer.
lowerFE,
all the answers to your questions can be found here (on a better forum thou) or on some video tutorials, you only have to search. But I miss what your objectives are, as you said you don't want to build the boxes yourself yet asking advice for some techniques.
If you only want to build one set of speaker and be done, then you are right in outsourcing the woodworking job if you don't have the tools. But then you are better at choosing a reputable kit where a box plan is present or even better a kit for where a box is readily available.
OTOH if you want to design the speaker yourself then I have to warn you that rarely a person can do wonders with his first design, so be prepared to a failure, and think what you want to do in this case (another design, a rebuild), with the high cost associated to a maybe new box.
In any case, if you want someone else to build the boxes, then go to a speaker cabinet maker, someone who knows how to handle some specific problems (flush mount, gluing, veneering, grills).
Ralf
A proper baffle design has to be done to address first baffle step, diffraction effects and center-to-center driver distance, and only then you can work on aesthetics. There are free excel based tools that will help you on that.
all the answers to your questions can be found here (on a better forum thou) or on some video tutorials, you only have to search. But I miss what your objectives are, as you said you don't want to build the boxes yourself yet asking advice for some techniques.
If you only want to build one set of speaker and be done, then you are right in outsourcing the woodworking job if you don't have the tools. But then you are better at choosing a reputable kit where a box plan is present or even better a kit for where a box is readily available.
OTOH if you want to design the speaker yourself then I have to warn you that rarely a person can do wonders with his first design, so be prepared to a failure, and think what you want to do in this case (another design, a rebuild), with the high cost associated to a maybe new box.
In any case, if you want someone else to build the boxes, then go to a speaker cabinet maker, someone who knows how to handle some specific problems (flush mount, gluing, veneering, grills).
Ralf
A proper baffle design has to be done to address first baffle step, diffraction effects and center-to-center driver distance, and only then you can work on aesthetics. There are free excel based tools that will help you on that.
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