Bracing Conversation

TheWarrior

TheWarrior

Audioholic Ninja
10 cu ft? So you're building a junior fridge! That has totally different needs and you didn't even tell us there would be hinges!?!?!
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
10 cu ft? So you're building a junior fridge! That has totally different needs and you didn't even tell us there would be hinges!?!?!
Yup. I'm one of those silly bastards that is chasing Pipe Organ Low C at 16Hz with authority.

BTW, the drivers are SI SQL-15 D4. Cabinet sizes are recommendations Nick (owner) gave me after we discussed my usage goals. 4cu.ft sealed using a Linkwitz Transform to perform flat down to 16Hz, or the 10cu.ft vented box (I have modeled with 2x 6" ports with a predicted F3 just a hair above 16Hz.)

Those cabinets are single driver builds.
 
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Eek!
I thought the adhesive would be an interesting side conversation to bracing. Didn’t mean to stir the pot.

For the record, I value these discussions. It is easy to learn a lot from bringing different people and their views together. I've seen a lot of conversation that is focused exclusively on the wrong details, and I know I've been guilty of it too. ;) As always, my gratitude for participating; sharing! Thank you,

Since it was brought up, I am planning for multiple passive (most likely) subs. Depending on how my designs come together, I have 6 drivers to work with and am expecting to use 3 finished Subs in my main room, be they single or dual driver.
Amps are problematic in that they are sold out: two models of Crowns (XLS2502, XTI4002), even Behringers, etc. I’m also talking to a person about using Hypex modules to build Amps for me. On the other end of that conversation is Speaker Power, however their Amps are priced somewhat prohibitively to me. Not saying I can’t afford them in the long game, but that’s aside the point.

I am set up for dado and rabbet construction. I have a very good router and table. I already have a collection of bar and pipe clamps, and will be using a Brad Nailer to help stabilize the joints while whichever adhesive sets.
I will be using a double thickness baffle.

If screws become necessary, I have a countersink bit similar to what was linked above.

While material costs are still high, I am looking at MDF to build a 4cu.ft sealed and a 10cu.ft vented cabinet. Mainly, I want to test the performance between the two and see how they behave in my room. I’m hoping with a little more time, Baltic Birch will come down some more in cost… and perhaps Amps will be available again by then.

My pace is slow and deliberate. I tend to be like that when I am learning something new. Probably instilled in me by my Dad, an engineer (EE, working for defense contractor straight out of school during the late ‘60s).
I did pretty good in jr high wood shop, but that was a long time ago. More recently, I dusted off some very rudimentary drafting and architectural skills and built our own greenhouse. I’ve also done some basic items like raised garden beds, work bench, utility table, workroom tables, as well a few specialty projects requiring a little more finesse. I know how to and can frame a wall and have built and installed two false walls for a project I was recently doing for an acquaintance (one of which can be taken down with almost no sign of it having been there in the first place; a request he made (I used Liquid Nails Heavy Duty for the sill plate on concrete because it was suggested in a few places that a good whack with a Sledge Hammer could knock it free whereas the Poly Adhesives require much more effort and would likely require prying to dislodge through destruction of the wood. He did not want to drill and use concrete screws... (I digress :) ))).

These Sub cabinets will be my first foray into “fine” cabinet making.

Finishing will be another thread altogether. ;)

Back to regularly scheduled programming. :D

*note: I say "passive, most likely..." I am not going to install a plate amp at all. I have not seen any affordable Plate Amps that will do what I require. I have considered when I build the finished cabinets to include a compartment where I could Rack Mount an amp unit directly in the cabinet. This would only be the case if I were to be able to acquire the Hypex Modules I am considering as a dark horse option. The Amp chassis would be designed so that the "face" is the business end of the Amp with all connection points and switches, thus allowing for easy connection from whatever DSP solution I use to manage the drivers, and the cabinet itself would still have Neutrik SpeakONs to plug into.
As the conversation with the Amp Guy unfolds, I will share if there is anything worthwhile. ;)
There are many ways to do this and plenty of sources for the info.

FWIW, I cut my dados and rabbets on my table saw because A) I REALLY like that saw, B) the fence is stupidly accurate and with the test cuts I made, the pieces fit the slots like a glove. Not OJ's glove- that was too tight. My cabinet faces go together in a way that has made it unnecessary for me to glue or use other fasteners. My plan was to put them together so I could listen to them but be able to make internal changes, if needed. I haven't done that in the years since I built them, but someday....

They're MDF- I would advise against using sheet goods or, for that matter, any lumber from Menard's or Home Depot- I have had nothing but bad experiences with it and, having worked at a lumber yard, I know how to stack & sticker lumber to prevent warping and other damage. It didn't matter with that crap. The plywood I cut one night had turned into potato chips by the next morning and the studs I bought to frame a ceiling turned into skis after I stacked them properly. I should have known better and now, I only buy from the company I had worked for because the quality is far better and the prices are as good, or better. If possible, look for Plum Creek sheet goods- very high quality.
 
TheWarrior

TheWarrior

Audioholic Ninja
Yup. I'm one of those silly bastards that is chasing Pipe Organ Low C at 16Hz with authority.

BTW, the drivers are SI SQL-15 D4. Cabinet sizes are recommendations Nick (owner) gave me after we discussed my usage goals. 4cu.ft sealed using a Linkwitz Transform to perform flat down to 16Hz, or the 10cu.ft vented box (I have modeled with 2x 6" ports with a predicted F3 just a hair above 16Hz.)

Those cabinets are single driver builds.
I would go sealed. The greatest bass I have ever heard used a mixture of 8 inch and I think one 10 inch woofer - all sealed in a big open living room. With out a port resonance, you have one less resonance to deal with when integrating them into the room as well.

Sealed is more expensive tho. I know your friend is telling you that those woofers can play flat to below 20 hz, but in room, no way! The expense comes in the form of needing at least one woofer to play only the first half octave or so 20hz-30hz. That woofer is replacing the 6dB port contribution, but unlike a port, a sealed system gives you all the bass up front, not waiting until later in the cycle to hear the helmholtz resonance.
 
M

MrBoat

Audioholic Ninja
Even if I use MDF cases, I still use plywood bracing. Why? Because it has predictable directional stability. It takes a much larger section of MDF to achieve the same for a given concern.





 
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