The Tempest
By Scott C. Blaier
31 Mar 1996
General Enclosure Design Guidelines
A photograph and conceptual drawing of the enclosure are provided with this article to show what the finished loudspeaker looks like Fig. 1. Picture of the Tempest. The enclosure is veneered in cherry wood. The front grill is removed to show the relative position of the drivers. The L-pads and input terminal are located on the rear of the enclosure.
Loudspeaker enclosures can take many forms, and some shapes exhibit superior acoustical properties when compared to others. Although a rectangular box is not the best shape acoustically, most builders inevitably choose this shape. Often aesthetics will override acoustical considerations and you may have to compromise by building a "less than ideal" enclosure shape that will fit physically and aesthetically into your living space. Believe it or not, not everyone wants a 4.0 foot diameter sphere made of Corian TM magnetically levitated off the floor (to prevent vibration transfer) in their living room.
The materials used are also up to the builder. We used a good grade of 3/4 particle board and braced the enclosure extensively. MDF is used by many builders, and is acoustically superior. But it is expensive and often hard to find. Again, it is up to you, and how much money and time you want to invest in the eradication of enclosure vibration Fig. 4. Cabinet drawing.
In all seriousness, I encourage you to experiment with foam and felt damping pads, rounded edges to eliminate edge diffraction, DeflexTM Panels, sand-filled panels, MDF, etc. Surely there is room for improvement. But for those not so inclined to experiment, take heart, the simple, well built, inexpensive enclosure presented here will provide very good results.
A final note, I recommend that you build or buy a sturdy stand that is tilted/angled back. A stand should improve bass response, and if it is angled, will contribute to aligning the driver's acoustic centers. This may further improve imaging by synchronizing the arrival time of the sound of all three drivers.
|
Top
