
TLS Guy
Audioholic Jedi
That pipe is far from optimal and I have reviewed it previously.Nothing like resurrecting an old thread
I have a pair of the 3" Tang Band Bamboo full range (if you can call them that) drivers WS-1364SA in a ported box tuned around 86 Hz. This was my first speaker build ever. I run them with no crossover and they sound pretty good, although the upper end gets a little harsh when pushed and they are definitely not an spl driver. I find these best to listen to nearfield at low to moderate volume and I really like the natural sound they have.
I came across this article: http://coolcat.dk/bjoern/TABAQ_TL_for_TB.pdf that talks about the TABAQ (TAng BAnd Quarterwave) and thought maybe I should try a TL enclosure for my bamboo drivers.
Of course I have to consult the audio wizards here at audioholics before I embark on any audio adventure. What do you think? I think mostly I'm itching to try something new that doesn't cost any money (or very little!).
Problems.
The pipe is straight and therefore the driver is helped over a narrow frequency range. Tapering would augment output over a larger frequency range.
The pipe is not folded, which will result in too much HF output from the port.
Adding extra volume well make Qt unnecessarily high, and be like a poorly tuned reflex.
G.L. Auspurger has shown that uniform stuffing is superior to non uniform stuffing. In an optimally tuned TL the line is damped to produce one tuning hump, then roll off will be second order, and you will have even more lower bass.
If you taper and fold the line you will have a more compact enclosure, and it will be to a large extent self bracing.
If you PM your Email. I can send you Auspurger's papers he presented at AES.
That driver though small should be capable of good TL performance.
Quarter wave pipe loading was first described by Paul Voight back in the thirties. However he knew enough to taper the pipe. Things have progressed a lot since then. Although a Voight quarter wave pipe as Voight described it, can work surprisingly well. The first enclosure I ever built was a Voight quarter wave, and the second and third. The state of the art has progressed though, and built on Voight's pioneering work.