If you haven't seen them, take a look at user xrk971's threads - he has posted a lot of projects using light materials.
Also: there are lots of sonotube subs around, and these are essentially just dense cardboard. Even MDF is just cardboard bring pretentious
I've used corrugated (box) cardboard for test enclosures and baffles only. I have experimented with laminating layers of cardboard together to make stiff panels, and it seems promising. With good planning and the right projects, I think cardboard could be excellent - the main caveat being it would be relatively wasteful of space, since you need to use very thick panels to get decent stiffness.
Some people show very impressive looking projects using huge amounts of stacked (CNC cut) MDF or ply to make complex shapes. I sometimes wonder whether making the same shape with cardboard, then adding a skin of fibreglass, would be a better method - less work, noise, mess and waste.
I'm thinking of making prototypes of some big midbass horns from cardboard. If I add a skin of fibreglass, and a vibration deadening layer (tar?) they could possibly end up as a semi-permanent build.
Also: there are lots of sonotube subs around, and these are essentially just dense cardboard. Even MDF is just cardboard bring pretentious
I've used corrugated (box) cardboard for test enclosures and baffles only. I have experimented with laminating layers of cardboard together to make stiff panels, and it seems promising. With good planning and the right projects, I think cardboard could be excellent - the main caveat being it would be relatively wasteful of space, since you need to use very thick panels to get decent stiffness.
Some people show very impressive looking projects using huge amounts of stacked (CNC cut) MDF or ply to make complex shapes. I sometimes wonder whether making the same shape with cardboard, then adding a skin of fibreglass, would be a better method - less work, noise, mess and waste.
I'm thinking of making prototypes of some big midbass horns from cardboard. If I add a skin of fibreglass, and a vibration deadening layer (tar?) they could possibly end up as a semi-permanent build.
Even MDF is just cardboard bring pretentious
cute, but not quite accurate - a well executed 3 ply corrugated cardboard enclosure could possibly sound better than same design in MDF.
Thanks. I have a box from an LCD TV that I am thinking of using - what are the parameters that I should experiment with? Anything to add?
Thinking of a 1 metre high tower with single 4 inch generic speaker for a start.
Thickness ((layers)
Stiffening using wooden struts
Ported enclosure
Slotted enclosure
Cabin depth
Interior bracing
Interior damping - cloth/foam
Will look at xrk971's threads
Thinking of a 1 metre high tower with single 4 inch generic speaker for a start.
Thickness ((layers)
Stiffening using wooden struts
Ported enclosure
Slotted enclosure
Cabin depth
Interior bracing
Interior damping - cloth/foam
Will look at xrk971's threads
Mobile = vehicle = car, truck, motorcycle, airplane, etc..
Yes and no, public address [PA] systems in general are anything but HIFI, though PA specific drivers are designed for high speech intelligibility in high ambient noise areas, ergo very articulate with a rolled off bass and high treble i.e. similar to a wide bandwidth [BW] mid horn's performance, so need some EQ to tonally balance [flatten] them out.
GM
Yes and no, public address [PA] systems in general are anything but HIFI, though PA specific drivers are designed for high speech intelligibility in high ambient noise areas, ergo very articulate with a rolled off bass and high treble i.e. similar to a wide bandwidth [BW] mid horn's performance, so need some EQ to tonally balance [flatten] them out.
GM
One thing to keep in mind is, that cardboard has very lo mass and quite lo stiffness, hence one cannot use it in order to enclose drivers, which have pistons of very hi mass and stiff suspension. Such are often drivers tagged as for mobile use, for to most people mobile means to have a small enclosure. Drivers with small short voice coil and lite diaphragms, old-skool, are better suited. Still, enclosures must be big, and air-resonance enclosures such as bass-reflex and quarter-wave are impossible. Avoid rite angles and stitch damping stuff such as old clothes to it.
'generic' speakers such as TV speakers can sound great, within their limitations. They typically have very high Qts, so slotted* / sealed / open backed should be better than attempting a normal ported design.
I'd make the box fairly stiff by laminating multiple layers of cardboard together: slather each layer with lots of PVA or similar cheap glue**, and use broad weights (old text books) to press them together firmly, without crushing the corrugations.
For inspiration, do image searches on cardboard furniture, and laminated CNC speaker cabinets.
*You could even use the corrugations of the cardboard as aperiodic vents.
**Not sure if wallpaper glue would be good for this. It would be good if it did - you'll go through a LOT of glue doing this
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Hi luxury cat, ** wallpaper glue, which is basically starch glue, works, if one glues only one cardboard layer at a time. Else, persistent humidity destroys the corrugation glue, and it falls apart. I know, for i built a big horn from several layers of cardboard. So cardboard is prolly not the best choice for places, which are often humid; is cardboard used in Brazil, or do Brazilians cut all woods in order to reduce humidity in order to be able to use cardboard?
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