*3

Speaker-Box Construction
AND@NsrRucrloN Hou) DESGN ENcLosuF.E Trs pRlNcFlEsoF c'ooDSPB^KER prinfor any speakerproiecl regardlessof box tyPe By heeding ose procioles, vu can uild with confidence and preveDtlong debugging furniture' ""trr"J. ryo., "t" io"tined toward novelty in your choice of vou can exprcss it iD your sPeakor eoclosures by such superncrsl soectsofd"ign as extemal appearance.For lose desiSnleaturesat aff;ct e sound, stick to basics

CHAMCTERISTICS ENCI.OSURE DESIRABLE

The sinele most deshablecbaBct stic ofa good enclosureis that installsd in it A it does not ieouslv alter ths soud of the sPeakers svstmis different hortr a musical instrument in on important sDe6ker thl speakershould produceno sound of its o$'n An instrument a^soect: addsan'rtring it lf e speal'er ,.lau."" toio, " "p"akei reproduces walls e eDclosure lf distortion il is producing io the sienalit receives. bass tlue e weaken "it""t" i"aitfv, they will cotor the sound and shpe enclose A bad lovl-f."quencysnergy *"0"""" v asorbing can spoil ieproduction by lumping the inevilable air rsoances a boomysystem Producing aouna natowbandof ftequsncies, SHAPE ENCLOSURE Elclo$res with nonpaallel wslls, such as triangular boxes' have builders as well wi internalreflectionsMost spealer feweoroblears ey are because ornary box-leenclosures ," orftt"ulo f"o", "hoose " To male the mostof ese _look le spealers """u ro oil and ev uuoide*tremsshapesAs a rule of thumb male no intemal "nciosres, dimension more than thee times that of any other' Such sn enclosre

24

Speaker-EoxConlruction

can act like a resonantpipe. You can violate at rule if you follow e if all diment the otheraxbeme. chapter' suspestions sivenlatrin Lhfu ofall worst shaPes is one ofe cube. which have a ure eorlal, si. vou used Thk ratio' 0 6:1:1.62. prefened is ro of dimensions One by golden ratio used properties, is e ssme acoustical bere for lts mason to you have a sPecial p'ramids. Unless Egyptian artists since th the corect 3_1 lists Table a choice. ratio fu ratio, this useanothe Sood boxes wi net intemal volumes ftom intemal dimensions for spea.ke (0.23 foot) to 10,000cubic inches {5.8 cubic ubic 400 cubic inches volmes measued tn liters with of cubic lists a range feet). Table 3-2 If you use e data ftom thse in cntimetes. inteal dimnsions 10 percent overvolumto allow about will have tabl6,you enclosue oe internal cleats, ajtd soace for clrives, Psrts. The cohrmns are dimesionwasussd psst, smsllest e bebd D1,D2,andD3. In times iagin8, a aower box with better for enclosuredepth. Now, to obtaio the enclosurehontal qeater depti ii often desied,so D1 becomes to imsglnS or bsve a dth. Foi li.t"n"r" wbo preferbassresPonse D2 the \ idth box, ml( vtoofer too l6rse for the nanower Inteml Dmensions 3-1. Colden-Rao Table Entlish units. Enclosurr, for Speaker Desred NetVolme (Cu.In.)
10000 8000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2500 2000 1800 1600 1400 r200 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400

Approx. Totl (Cu.In.)

lnternal Dimrisons (ln) D3 D2 D1

13'/." 121f 11" 10,/;' 9l{ 8'/i 8" 22'/: 20'A" 1at 17.[ 16'/r" 14't{ 14" 13" 12'h" 1211'h" 11" 10f," 10" 93t" 8'/," ayi 7'{ 36' 331'' 3O'/"" 2a'h' 26'4" 24" 22'/i 21" 20v," 19'4" 185/i 17r: 16sK 16li 15\/,' 14\li 133/r" 12'/

r r000
8800 6600 5500 4400 t300 2750 2200 1980 1760 1540 1320 1100 990 880 770 660 550 440

6'h' 6fi 6'

shPe 25 Enclosurc

'"?"r;il".u1',of l;i,iJi'^.'Jfi#PTi,T"*
Desired NetVolume (Liters)
150 100 90 75 60 50 40 30 25 20 18 15 '12 10 8 6 5 I10 99 83 66 55 33 27.5 22 19.8 13.2 l1 8.8 6.6 5.5

Iotal (Liters)

lnternalDimensions

(cm)
D2

D1
34.0 32.0 29.7 28.7 27.O 23.6 21.9 19.9 18.7 16.8 15-8 13.8 12.E 10.9

D3
88.8 83.7 77.6 74.9 70.6 65.4 61.6 51.9 48.9 45.4 41.8 41.2 38.3 36.0 33.4 30.4 2a.b

54-8 51.7 4t.9 46.2 43.6 40.4 38.0 15.3 32.1 30.2 28.0 27.O 25.4 23.6 20.6 18.8

*fi*ru-e'*$,r,

il;:] s#*i,so;ffiiu$$

**,;**nt*ui**

Design in Enclosure SomeRecenlTrends

27

The thd rule isr if the vertical line of drivers is placed off cente, make the secondspeakerboffd of your stercopair a mirro image ofthe rst (Fig. 3-2). This allows you to plac the spealels so that in both enclosuies the drivers will be ofl centered inward, or outward, rather than having one enclosure with the drives inwsid ad the oer with the divels outward from the spacebetween you speakers.

DESICN IN ENCLOSURE SOME RECENTTRENDS

A geneationago therc were as many horizontal enclosuresas vertical dsigns,but that is no longe so. In fact, some curent speakercab' inets are io skinny and tall that they oce would have been considered extreme. Figures 3_3and 3_4show some wavs that you can use a tall' narow enclosure while miniizin8 the dsk of piPe resonance lnseting a partition convets e pipe to an ordinary box Placing the diver at a point that is one-fifth the distance from the end of the pipe supprcssesthe fi{lh harmonic, a major causeof resonancei closed piPs. Ifyou add stuffing to the enclosure,results can be quite satislctory. Columnar speakers. such as those shown in Figs. 3-3 and 3'4, The nanow front usually produces have seveml practical advantages. better Eteeo imaging than the wider font of conventional boxes AIso, the height ofthe cabinetsputs the sound at ear level without the need to place ihe speakersatop other Pieces of fumiture or on separat stads.

'ne' serP, ---r--...__---

I f.\ l' \

\,

f-'
I I

o
I
I

Fge 3-2. when dtve' arc nounted off cente, the t||o speakersshould be iol ir,ages of each other The namal anngenent s ta nstall the drivers so that they arc offset towad the niddle arca of the sereospace.

?a

Spele8o\Conetruction

,:y:;:,i:;, ,?;i.-*

" tuitd a to||e, speake, fheto||e, pa,t of ke cotunn serves

i;3:,;;,::,::

instailed at a ffth of thetotatpipetenlth ion the top, iif#1 ,s,

:fffi'+il:;il"',T:';"',1".1i.,ff :$;"*:l::,:ll";l*nltn**
have,alr-eady noticed the proliferationof speaker -.- lou nrobablV
asme oes,gnrn | gs.3-5 and 3_6. Suchslandssre designed to rise ancl

Som RecenrTrends in Enclosur Desien 29 tip back spealels of intermediate size. Most medium-size speslers sound much more open and natuml when placed on such a stand. The secondkind of Btandyou might have seenis the type shown in Fig. 3-7. Thesestsnds are useful for ulhacompact to compact-size spelers. As speaker designers have become more lert to problems of difhaction causedby some kinds ofcabinet constuction, they have made chsn8osin the extemal shape of speakerenclosures.Figure 3-8 show6 some colrlmon ways speakerswere once installed in poorly designed boxes. In th cabinet shown in Fig. 3-9, the worst features of Fig. 3-8 have been corected. Figues 3-10 and 3-11 show somo ways to solve the problem ol placing a grille fiame over e front of the enclosue. When e grille is installed on standoffs, as in Fig. 3-11, sound can move horizontally wiout hitting any interfering projections. If yoi drives are installed om the hont ofe enclosurcand you plan to use an ordinary halne to hold the gille cloth, you can cover th speaker board area betwen e d ves and the frare wi thick felt or

FiSue 3-5, A useful stand fr speake\ o intermediate size. The doping platforn ltu and til$ rhe spe.aker, naknq the sound mote open and natural.

30

SPaker-BoxConsructio

rigte 3-6, *

i FiS t'5 shown * *^O t 'hePtns

igtte 3'7

en on dranaticallybv placng inproved be can speakers Many srnall

SomeRecentTrcd,in EclosureDesign

-11

Fig"rc 3-8. A bad speakerenclosurc. Ihe drivet installation behind the boad and the shary proecting edqes inteerc with sound wave propagaton

F - - - - - - - i

L---'/'rr

--'

to inteere with lherc are ro obsttuctions enclosure. Figue3-9. A good speaket

foam (Fig. 3-12). You can buy sheets of foam at carpet deale$ Such foam is designed fo carpet uderlaymenti it comes in vaious colors The %-inchfoar shouldbe about riSht for most speakand thicknesses. ers. Cut tho fosrn to fit the space and glue it to the speaker boad, the smooth surface against the board. Such material will absorb sound that might be rcradiated hom e spealer board, causinSinteference wi sound hom the d ver. You can hear the impmvement wi some spealels easilf but it is Dot as obvious wi oels. To test the usefuInessof thi beatment, tempoarily tack or stapl the foam to the speakerboard on one of your stereo spalers and compare the sound wi the untlsatd speater. If you cs hea a difference, it is woth doin8.

32

Spaker-Boxconstrucr|on

linn8

igt.3-lO. to o,*"o^ inteiot eoF.

dE a gtte taE' slue leh ot foan atons

(frooi !ic*) 3-tl. one'ayonnllStillefnne$ F4.Jfie eing acrots the enckxure rront d6 nol hpde

dtesoundtrav'

Materials 3J

I I

as fettor oan, canbe glued to thespeakel Er3-t2. A soundabsoent,such the dr/'f]rsto rcducediffnctton'

MATERIALS

orMD.F {medium-densitv p*i"leuo- pry"i.. iffi*lilirul ihickess ihould be choser to oatch encl(

matedal is %-inch (19 cmj Tbe most commooly used speal(er -box

:li}:xt#,ltr'#"i*:':" rrt;iy"tii"tl",'gi,i'fi
-same to.pan6lsize A Sood ickness so you shouldadiust lhickness tor r" t use'-inch ir'g cml mateial in. soc.losures " "f "-l

"i*rJ*,I"'*
*"*""

:*",3ii T":x'-lilH"IH;""'*:xl:Xi;:,:lT
otiot"-qtvY:.91 uTn:''c,"" lr.vr'i.fr ill :::f.:I"il,[tJ; enclosur by 1 ncn {z : tle enlage wood.
-lf you usefir'ask for tattls cause " p-"i. * f";se layersca-n

lfvouus

pnelsintite;l,S,",h, larse ""-tl"ahonsBrace ""." ga good a pl)'wood choose

ic',i"11$,**o (r 27 cm lPafl *"ii" *i t h iocb iii"-t"',"i"".i*,*

1i,ilil*,r"u"-'r"'p*'ra" r""i;:"":'1""1'"J':,F;H"T:ffi 'l;;t""iff;'"'l'Jrffi:lJH

j"ff :rS":i."J#
wellpaper.

Ext.a WallTrealment 35 Particle board is a good choice becauseof its hiSh density' lack of voilso loose layers, ;d low cost some builders pfe high-density in the oarticle bo6rd -iile oets choose medjum-density fiberboa-rd paflcre Lelief lhat it is betler dsped You can identi' hiSh-density ThehiShoftheboardUo"rJv "". inC l"particlesize althe sdges mates il which edges smoot particles and ha"-smali "*irv'o"t *"i". io ,r". co""tt""tion adhesiveis a good, low-cost choice of material to us; for bonding parti.le bodrd or ny kind ol fiberboard lt ioinls ror dont matcb wel[, epoxy is better'CPoxycn be qurte expenslve place doioqan enlirecabi;et bul itworks well for Eluingbrscesinlo b"iw?un oppo.;t" punels Cul lhe brac" Io fil ss snugly as possible then the atr"ctrit *iifr epoxy,u"ing nails to hold the bracein place until contact close it requires glue but is useful wood eooxv\els.Carp;nter's oith parts for ma-ximumstrenS. boad is that il dulls ol hjgh'densityps-rcle ; disadvanlage e- board, ^e lade pass tlrough one ordinary saw bladesi After o-nly life' choose longerblade ard cutting needst; beresharpefled,Fo faster blades can be danSuch paficle board a tlade with carbie teeth to cut teth' carbide-tipPed with get a blade ger;us if.,sed lncorr""tly lfyou follow these precautions: . Use a blade guard on your saw. . Don't use te blade in a saw that exceeds the aximum recommended rpm for e blade. The maximum rate probably is printed somewhereon the blade Package. . Savethc orieinalpackge for blade'toragc\ahennot in use . Use careat U tirn"s;n handlingthe blade lo ensu|ptht you nevec sny qurtace leelb a8ainsl bump lhe Ldrbjde

TREAIMENT WALL EXTRA

If vou are a perfeLlionist. thete are some e\ba touches al can parlicularlythosemadeof ply' enclosure. improe almosrary speaker vcry litlle spaceis on at ties occupis ral oibr;.e -;d. one kind not be thick becaseanv need a brace Such togeer' opposing walls compressthe brace That sbetchor to movemust tJriaut "| to. ttt"rtvu" stiffness' ofgreatest movement is in e dection Almost any enclosure wall ia be made less resonant by making e wail into a composite of more an one kind of material lt's a parricularlygood idea add n] mdlrialthal can damp e walls suchas ""on"f,'."n"g material You can often 8"1 scraps of asphalt roofing hJm constructlon silos. If ou glue pieces of il lo the cental arcaof e wall Danels,the walls will be relatively dead to sound You can use asphjlt cementfor elue but it takcsso long lo setthal ) ou mghtprefer made by Macco a adhesjve one all-purpose adhesive. a iaste-actinp

SPeakerBoxConsruction

g$g3#1******li*

-i;g'*W-t**tF***

#$i'####$ ilt,'-,$$-n*

-;'i'*n**s,n**q*,

if-*]i""""':'* ftilii+q*ii*tffi t*******u**t.'t

Rules Construction

JZ

boad and back'suchasthesg behindthe speaker cleats Fiqrrc 3-14. Close-fitting a teaks. prcvent hlp e speaker hols to ioitrt. then install the back. You can rach throgh taulk the ioints atound the back

iHi:i:li:Jl"iHH;"$ -.tll:'*;ttlm:iT"1"f hsr:oi;" r,f a'1ir;?il*i'i,*::.":",1i;; o",nq"ls rorq"1 3, o"o.t "#:*,iil::::"f * *'"..*" i:ffi ;,"- "i," i,j:1.."Tll

'**:'J;"-*-i"';Hi' .:T:,"J,i,,ffi $it"#T:":'iPf

* t",:T::fi""i"'J,,"J".:il. 1$i!1r"11;1,, 5,'""*::.,i",:ll ,"''11 inte' rhe on mareriar ;ilii"::tli"':iiliilil;'"l''",iio"-'ins l;l[ilJffi"::; "*""iy;l"'",'ffi ;1"'#;ff ffi:*fi',::Tfl

38

Speaker'BoxCostruction

ot nailedin, for strength. tiEue 3-15. Add cornetglue blocks,scrcwed

dimension will absorb rea eflections. h e real world, you should aim for a magin of safety srld put damping mateial on every interior wall except e speaker board (Fig. 3-16). For nal adjustment, use your ear. Add more Eatdal to any system at sounds loud at modst volume levels. Ma.kesue the wslls nar Oretoofe ae hevily coveed snd, if necessary, harg a cuftain of mateial bhind the woofer o frll the spac bhind it. when tng the area nea e woofer, don't se berSlass. It can get into e voice coil region and cause problems. For such areas,use polyester batting or Acousta-stuf Il there is a single_note boom, ty shetching a layer of ateial over back of the woofer, stapling it to the speaker boad. Make sule this dsmping pad is shetched ghdy. In additio to absorbing reflections, you can use dsmpinS matedal to incroase the effective cubic volune of the box. It does this by chsnging the operation of e box air ftom adiabac (constart heatl to isotherms.l (constant tempeatur). Wi isothemal operation, the stuffia8 absorbg and gives up heat, maintaining a constant box tsmpemtule nd educing souad velocity. This shofiens the wavelengths. In theory you can add about 40% to box vlume by stuffing; in pmctice, about 20% is the limit. To stuff a box, cut the damping matedal into sall pieces and loosely ll e box. Don't forc etrough mateal into e box to comprcss it.

Constructio Rules

39

is prob' what kind of damping material should you use?Fibe8]ass because it is widely available and its chaacteristics ably e most used of one square ae well known. The acousticalglad comes in packages yard of material 1 inch [2.54 cm) ick. Acoustical gade is pefeed becauseit stays in place better than looser kinds. Ask for Radio Shack CaL No. 42-1082.You ca substitute other materials such as polyester batting, rug undrla]'rnent,or old rags;however,beware ofdense mateals at would significantly changebox volu]n. As a rule of umb, small closed-boxspeakerenclosuesshould be filled with damping matelial. For this purpose, as peviously mentioned, polyester fibe or Acousta-stuf is the prcferred choice. Fiberglass,when used too close to e driver. can get into the voice coil and . Rul 4: Install Drive$ from Outside the Box. ln earlier days, the twical high-fidelity speakerwas bolted to the rear of e speakerboard (Fig. 3-171.In some nclosures,that is the only practical way to mount a drive; but, if e panel is very thick, such mounting produces a cavity at the hont of the spesler that can color the sound. The shary edge

dnptnq nredal Fieurc 3-16- Doni lorye

40

SpakeFEoxConstructron

@".".n
@n*r'-

<t

JI

{I

ft

[) fx'i'f ,:l'ii,'ri:::'ff#t"*' .rfr'":#I:;,::;iff i:i:;'

board.A is undesiabte

@ no* i*, au" r"na

;**$*r*r*'*r"'-,a$

*rg#:t*i**'**r,+*';*,, ffi

frr**+,*lhlffi*t*

dr:i*Hilrr#.Hr.t':il'l#t'flifi{, jnt

[ti.p5Eg$,,i"$gitl',g;

4' FinishingYourSPakeB tweele$ . Rule 5l Choosean Open Grille Clotb Don t cover supec

llil:i f, lH':lxTl""$J"'i"1:::*"*il*'*;il::1i,""ff ;;;rikH,'l;'lJ',1'",i1'""'"t'T"1

vou can hear any change iD e sound.w

l*l"l,"m,y;ilxi:);Jili["J11"3"1""5
SPEAKERS YOUR IINISHINC one depeods cabinets Thekindof finishyouputonyour.spealer

''*"*ih"#i:il'#l'* m;*Iiki{"n:1fu "it'.'i"fl',?H!i'"tl!!iTi"'::"*::t#T

jj ltf iH?,,S3;!'ry:*"Tif:H,fl l,,x,Ifl Lf::;il".,l,:;:
fl:l;J':i'":ili,:llli
*tii parts a'" ""i"t v"u wart,en catit with a mixtue of thee

!:T"',Tlriii1'Tii"S-:T'f, i'.r,:t?i:.t'tr5*i" on tshow don ar iisliSS',".;;;arks

-' p- ,"'p:lli:,;I*",l'qlffill ii"*"i"rr H:fff:;lJtil;

;m:,i:**l**:iHiTi,tlTllI*'.3loJiil;',"

fit3Jx,H*,Ti.:!T-:1ilh:s.{*d":
;*:iTJ:!l *::"*:"lit":ll":;''il",lii:T::1":il::ffi to thewood identical is that material iJ """. "i"ii'i l" " pr"ceof was
us6d in the cabinet

n"p*,'r'" "-" i:fi ;ll ffi::""*ry,:Ti",ii"J'iJ'"1lilH;;;;ii tft",iy*"1"JJ,::,'0"" a ortwice vea' once "oat ;;;J"-;;-h". in-.o.,'"l,o"po"r'o ...t#;lffi*,J"i"i:}iilnT.':T"xffi

"":l1i*xt"ll*'::.=!lr.y*f:;"g "r."
"i,1"-r' i;,:'il,:"";i" :il fixli'ilTil"1'T"","H;lT;'i
hasbeenaPPlid.

]':ilj^: ]'Ji il$il llilHffr *t-i::qil }#lm

42 Speaker-BoxConstruction HINfS MOREBOX-CONSTRUCTION

#ysit*lT'#*'""-ill;lr.;;i:k1ti.frr

r**li;i;+i*,irn?{r+* iffi'li.''T";ii"ll'"1i i:'iffi ;-;::fili:*;'tri;;::'1 :m;* ilHtT':"fliir,"::ilJ li-*i:i"*ffi ililt':"'::ffi

ili["q#'.f-jt:t:i':# ;1*",T"itti":Tll"i*l::lll;:xff
i""rti. i.r'"p""1*

r.",*5*n",*':r;1-1q1,":,xrh '."JHlii:f
H:lTfi,""' ,T',131'#:ff

ffitr"*[l.t*:fi*l'"il **i-*i*i*:i*'

networls lhe cossover slstems wi crossover

**'T$.t"iffi'"'l i';.,,i{;gi{,1":" ll'""'""d":'Ti:.'.is ;"i:lf :l'-""'l;fi J," il*j".ffiInl'j:*

".":,"Tr""ff'"|"T1'-T""iln"lxxlii,il,i*",**^""*

*4

Closed-Box Speaker Systems

you cAN ttAKE, aoTH tN A cLosEDBox Is THEsMpLEsTsptAi(ERENCLoSLTRE principle and in construction (Fig.4-11.One ofits greatvirtues is that it foives minor mistakes in box design. Thee is just one significant design problem to solve: What cubic volume is appropriate for the speake?

closED-BOX BASTCS
An unbaffled speaker's rcsonanceis detmined by e mass of the When e speakeris moving parts and e complianceofthe suspension. installed in a closed box, the pressure of the trapped ah in e box resticts cone movement to some extsnt. In effect,a speakerin a box is stiffer arl in free air, and this stiffess mises the frequency of resonance. ftequenct'(Fig.a-21. The smallerebox, the more itaises the resonance that A certarnvoli]me ofair by itslfhas no specialvalue of stiffness; property dependson e siz of th piston coupied to it. The atuin a box esists the movment of a larye piston moe than that of a small one. Prcssueis measuredin force per unit aea,such as pounds per square iDch {lbs/sq in) in e Bnglish system, dynes per squarecentimeter or musi Newtons pe squaremeter in the metric system,Thus, e presBure be grateragairst a lalge speakercone than it is againsta small cone. As the lage cone moves, it changse pressurc much more than a small cone when it moves. In fact, e compliance ofbox air varies inversely with the square of a driver's cone area.Becausea 10'inch spealer has about four times the aeaofa s-inch speaker(or in met cterms,a25-cm ddve has four tirnes e cone ara of a 13'cm speaker),any given box volume would have 16 times as much compliance for the smaller speakff as the lager one. O, statedin terms of stiffness,the box would

!{sn

44

Sysiems SPeaker Closed-Box

,.pl'':n***t'w f''f'll' ri:'l"'*t5;il*l'f *

o, fj":"''i.
Q:0.6

l;il*ffl *:;'*l' :''1 $i i*''"ii{i.,;"'i"l;::n';""$r ffiil'iiffi

O ieet ln ro cbrc
Q-083

s''u" t"a O go
fc-35H2

||hen \ra'es *dQ

Q=r'r

i'#:,:;:,,:tr::tr#!;::::;j;'l.i:H**

to Speaker How lo Fit BorVoLume

SPEAKER HOWTO FITBOXVOLUMETO

Many audio fans buy a woofer, en choose a box volume for it Someti;es the problem is reversedwhen the cubic spaceoccupied by srareo sDpakprs;usl be re\UiLredto d renain presellrgure The problem in e second.it ulionis lrndinglhP righr \pealer tor d 8i\ en box After studying Fig. 4-2, some speakerbuilders might be iempted to install the speakei described there in a lager box than those shown' believing that they would obtain a deeperbass response.A 1rgerbox mishl p;duc. a wPl bossrespon.ebe,"us" ot o\"rdampinS dnd the lhedirin beLau\P ag b i l i l \ $ o u l d b Pr P d u L c d s p " a l e r sp o w e r - h a n d l i n can be too A box over the cone rhe larse box would have less contol peformance. small, t it also can be too big lor optimum To prcdict a speaker'sbass performance in boxes of various cubic volume, tlee specificationsmust be considerd Theseare; . f"-the speaker'slree ail rcsonancehequency . Qrs-the speaker's resonancemagnification at f" . V^s-the speaker's compliance statedin tems of the air volume with an equivalent compliance fo that spake with these thrce vaiues ]'ou can predict, for a' suitable box volume, the following chamcteristics: . fcB-the hequency of e closed-boxspeakerresonance,also called svstemrcsonance . QcE-the speaker's resonancemagnification in the closedbox . fr-the ftequency at whichthe bassresponseis down 3 dB. called the cut-off frcqliency To see how diffeent values of Q affect the hequency responseof look at Fig. 4-3. As you can seefrom the $aph, the closed box speakers, higher the Q, the grcater the hump in bassresponsnea syste resonce. The graph in Fig.4-3 was based on the assumption that each speakersystem with a systmresonance cuffe representsa closed_box the frequency at 50 Hz. If w are compadrg curyes for a sirgle speaker, ofresonancewould be different for each vaiue of Q, rvi low values of Q associatedwi a low resonance(Fig. 4-4) lt shows that the low Q by Fig 4_3 svstemscan yield a better bass responsethan is suggested iou ca calculate the vaiue of f, for any frequency ofresonance and Q bv ' usine the data in Table 4-1 Moit engineersaim for QcBthat is betwen 0 7, the value wiih the flattest resp;nse culve, and about 1 or slightly greater'A few aim for an overdamndsvstemof below 0.7 Somerock music fans like a highe Q

syslems SPeaker .16 Closed-Box

or assuninan equalfrcquencv rcsponse' Fig e 4's. How svnenQ affec9towiequenc/

'f;!;.ii:".{',"f i'"itr't'""*i:ifi ::"':*'{:'"#',f;ffi ffi i*ill:"';;**Hl'n"ttll+:ft*f:*:t","fi [;

keepit well below 1 or coml leanbass,

n*:jr*ilH'"''# l{;:trli*iili*t**+t"'
s'J":i",.".,i'liii""'ii,o"",.lllu il,:,n T.

:*!t,Tif 1!':lliii:if 1i",""*xlgr".;.,:.""i::u#; .o*'o*''"*'

to speaker 4/ Howlo FjtBoxVolume f"=30Hz Q=0a = 10 cu. ft. (283 liters) VAS SDDose vou want to accentuatethe bass slightiy, so you choose a final Q ;f ab;ut 1.2. The lirst step is to find e desired ratio of closed box QiQcB) to the fee air Q This ca be solved by the following: Qc/Q=12l0a=3 This ratio also will b the ratio of the closed-boxresonanceto heeair resonance,so e system will have a resonanceieqnency of about 90 Hz. However, anoth; important considerationis the basscut-offfequency. LookiB at Table 4-1 you find that with a Q of 1 2, e basscut-

a"\
\

/
0.5
d8

fr I 7I
o.7' /

// ----......:> f

of a snqledtvet arc rctated As the Fisue 4-4. How Qs, thenumbe on the ctnes, and towrequencv respon'se cutue b;^ rctune ts rcducetl, lhe hequenq of rcsonanrc and Q arc raised Thjs causesa peak n the response

48

SYstems Speaker closed'8ox

FreqrencJ fable 4-1. Cut-otf

't*+*+'Pru:;f
onance FreqtencY
1.00 0.90 0.81 0.79 o.76 0.74 o.72 o.71 0.70

Factor

Q1 SysteQ
0.5 0.6 o.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

**r,,ng,gf *$fl,\ili:lryfii,x .IHii1"*t'r*,;*H.r" f, lli:;ffiifi

-t"-i-llu'l'ry,1ilH'f*+

$**ew*t$t
A=(Qrs/C'?-1 (wee is V^"/V"l

ft (35 41) (283l)/s = 1 25 cu Ve = 10 cu ft values you get ftom you to check the permits that lle is a {o!ula Fig 4-a:

Howto FitBoxVolume ro Speaker 49

24 23 22 21 20 9 t3 17 15 tl t2 l1 t0 9 I

I I I

I I

o.o11 0.041 0.045 o.o48 o.050 0.053 0,05 0.059 0.063 0.067 0.071 0.o77 0.083 0.091 0.r0 0.l3 014 0.20 0.25 0.31 0.50 l 0

1 I
I

5 l 2

A
1 + 2 ac3/Ors 3

Figurc4-s. Ctosed-box desjgncha. In the prcceding example, where a e.s of 1.2 is desiled, A=11.2/0.4),_ 1 =8 Il for thF sdmespealer. ou de, ide you want ro exptore the kind of , oss raBFyou would Betu ith d eG ot 0.7.the s,e., ralio would ba e 1.7s. Looking at FiB. 4-s, it appearsthar the V,yV" raii is about z, so: VB= 10 cu. ft. (283il/2, o 5 cu. ft. (141.5 l) Wi a bo\ volumeof 5 .u. li.. the sysre re.ondncF !r ould be abour _^ . 5J t-lz. becuse thF reonanLe ratjo is aboutpquallo thc e rario. or t.75,

50

system'5 BoxSPeaker Closed

that with a Q of 0 7 the bass 30 Hz. Refe ng back to Table 4-1' you see

ji:m*.T,xT::';"t#;.''ff 1"'i'"!:;:j{i ;:::r#H:ilT

hmuencl signalsbut tlte conewill move at hish powerlevels' ", "*n damas" ;;;;;;t;n:;" SUMMARY CTOSED-BOX on a theorelical is based outliDed prcviously procedure Thedesign

I'ix"g::l*=*lt*.t"xl",li'",ffift $j"*l';fj"i""1.ffi
*1* fl ;iili: :'":il "4{11 I.T:,'.t"iilii'tr* can
As or 114 vou :fi ;i,: "a.ado iffit:::J:'li],x'""':*'::":i^1fi
. Box loo large = weak bass r"duced powef handling . Box too small. boomy bass reduced bassrange

"J,",,$jli:;H#I"fi .T$i,,:l"* :H*T:lk"""""Ji3ilf .":"J:ff

ur, "*!.-;"i,:"'"d pr"c'#.";.i 111l-"-pl*:";P-":iI:ffi 10mrcl^te:o^:: enouch ra+e 'i i" on" :]'#;il ";;;;i;;oi"
rver t]e holes in e Lafons areaof your \peker'Hold your sP*l"t l ,",,^ .^"" "^.,nch6mv

shipv'/'il_":.'y::li:1':::i'"'i:il"" :il*'":3::i aspeaker havetfyou

rlth: o''" *i,''""u ii.';;;;.""i. lT,"';,;-. !T:i:T9:"P""Y: "-r". e"'q'ey11'1'l:'l'J: i'""iil;.'il;;.;;;:i 'l: 111:'i:1\:"'+l: "l"rt'"'i'l #i".ii!."'?" ;:: i::?h'":;iii I TT:",'::Jhi ;;;',;;'i"?e,"""v'i1t'"'"1.fl:l::'.0:::"1""::'i

ilTJ::'iiiff

"ct'".pt"'::,::lT:P*f -b"l;H il::: ilT,J'ili,;,.1-isnii*ttv.""'*r :"'i'I"1",:t",::l "Y: " *' """ i""o, ;;;;";,J'" ilF :T 3 in chapte th" const'u"tionrules
;1"";"1;;il;;i.'"t-ov".

*5

Ported-Box SYstems Speaker

ENCTOSURES OF PORTED KINDS

iir;[r!i.',i:$fr {t**t\$.;'1, svsrems t'por'd ;;so ilJffil:,:,Ti$.l'Jl:l;'.'"Li,'.".fi';;,;

"*t_ i,** : *i ",.{,*ilrii;,i.ir,llll}## * llili

::" +:jf;'r il;*:+*li*1,*

*ftr*#*+u*

rili*ifrt*l{*ltif*

*f;:i:n""xhTil'3 ff ::il.li'"'^ifl:t,

52

Ported-8o,(SpakerSystems

Fgne 5-l-

Kinds of potled enclosu.es with acton at rctonance.

F4tne 5-2. A double-chanberrclex. Ihe volumeof the larset chabet is twice thtof heotheone.A pon tuba hvee tdf:,e dinensiots.

Enclosurc, 53 of Poded Kinds makes e duct shorter than One requirement is to select a po alea that

:is"i::l lffi:T?ffi.]ff h:r"'"'*":l'"":::l;1.*:i:";"ffi

ins charts, icluding the ones shown in

*ilr"*lti:ml*li:,::lv."".H,Tittrti# i t'.. * t '^ifj",l,\s;";,;i,;:ffi*', " cabebent deotb. tbeduct

-;:*;""1""9;_l;i3["iffi lH:s[:*r'ls"]iff i.,T; i::#'[: *:*.m:r";.::**"$"ii;ixrilif.j;'Jt'":i" '"':"1htx

:liir"l"*jlti,{tl"n"r,:*t""",ruffi ;"1;
;;;; *:lii}g:::::l:"*ililllll'i1'1"":,.; -die d,,c, p.ope.

"nun",""" ::f*,i"J.iil:T:ll1$",".1il:1"i,'"i*,'1,1 * "T*:{#r"il#}t;:S:.i.::i tubli such u*i"" r"," p."i.

i#t*:1":*i*1""*;ff ffi"T-'$;;'"'i#ti:*"-:' :'l::T"'; ::'**i':{:;;*:tltil:li:v,:::"r"";l#ii;ffi

-essarv.elbows are available '" one hom t* '" r"stall a duct is to makea rFctangula ?.il"t to mare me il is easier inch [1.27cm) material For this hnd ol ducl

i:f;$"-J"H *i"*,,'n'xm**l#':xiHJ$""'P-i'#f

o
l d 1e5\thn I in'he' Bi5 ts ',:i,-i.-ni fieue 5-3. Ho^ o |''tlt ton|du't A vtonB the(cnteL e th'ouqh distn' the t",et.t he d;' | "*"*

54

systems PoftedBox SPeaker

...

:...:

'H;,';;, Y' #';:: ki,:::' :,3 !;::,' :.!h';!'; :i;:i iffY; :#x:;nr
of the spealerboardhDm the requircd I e th rLknes" vou murt subtrr rind

i";^i;;;,;;;;'

anclgLue or naiLs of duct with screws

tbis t Instdrr dur ';;;iol., t.ns or'eoaa-on

fti i::T,ili5i':.Tl'i::?ff """{*xl*i**'H'"J,^l'-ff

soundin e upper to reflected i"lll u" i"ore susceptible

*rffi; *i*l+*:r,;*#J,*n*x#:f"*
il:i:J",::':,*j :'JJjil:tT:f ;#h'j:t:;1*fi l"*",:"'*lfi
iJ""-".i"t

ji :triJ;sJ l;: :li ih1i i:"'"i;:: r;:r l':l lliLill*i;* ffi

;+i"r; rr r,x"iiir{lii?iifti"'.;*kl: w*lr

s*:#:ri i##*"""ff :r'?i#T*:x{'""lllr}i"i::f

$*'*"tr'.*i",t*i1#.'T$ifil;dx*fJ;ii]

How BoxVotume Aliecrs Resoonse J5 d-onecone. A passivs adiator should have high comptiance and a effectivecone areatwice that ofthe woofer. An old speaier can be used as^a passive radiator iI it hdsa hiBhlycompliantsusension. just lnock ot lne magnet and rcmovee polc piece. To tune il. usemodelinqcls\ as a temporay weight; then use silicone-rubbersealerto glue an qual weight ofwashe$ orrings ofsoldeto the co[e. place thesmasses nea the center ofthe diaphragm in a balanced pattern.

response curve fight do\a.n lo cut-ol,f {Fig.s-5).tt lhc box ii tun"d roo high. therewill be a hump in rh" frequen"y responsc: if il is tuned too low the bass!r ill beuFak tn thp ddls of the classicbassreflex,lie inslructionsfor builders of ported boxesalways sratedthsr thp box snouldbe rune(llo lhe frce-airrpsondncc ofthe speal<er, Now we know lhat lhe optimum tuninS fequcncy rdries tor differpnl.peakersfoom ftequenLies much lower rhdn the free- resonance io hequcnri"s abovethe ftee"air esonance.It atl depends on the e ofthe speler For example. a spFaker with d high Q will pedl at resonaoce. wh je a spFalerwili d o\ Q will ha\e a reduced response at ts freoucncv of resoonce. To pra\ Fntboom in high e sppdkei. a porteabox stroulU. tuned lo a hequencywell bclow r"sonnce. Houever.a lpeale with low Qcan be overdampedat resonanceunless the box is tuned to a he_ quency highe ihan nomal.

HOWTUNINC AFFECTS REsPONSE A poperlytured poted-box system can havea very flat bass

HOW 8OXVOTUME AFFTCTS RESPONSE

Thc effeclot box volume on d poned sysremjs much rhe sameas ^ ror a Llosecl-tox spealer:small boxpsraisethe e ad increasc boomi_

+t FiEurc 5-5. freguency-rcsponse cuNes of a bassreflex speaket||hen the enctosute is tuned to a frcquency that is (A)too hEh,(B) too low and (C) optnrun.

Ported-8ox Speaker Sysrerns

ness morc tha large boxes. This indicates a large box for speakers with a high Q. If a small box must be used, en the speakershould have a low Q wi high damping. Such tems as high and low Q or large and smsll boxes don't mean much without having numbers attached to them. For poted box speakels, you can conside speakrswith a Q of below 0.38 to be low and those wi Qs signicatly above that point to be high. Speke$ designed specifically for use in ported boxs have signiffcantly lowsr Qs an those desigred for closed-boxuse. WheI a box iB large or small for a given speake dpends on that spealer's compliance, or Va. A box that seems lage in your liviDg room might be small acoustically for a large woofer. A high-compliace 1s-inch (38-cm) drive! for example, can have a V^s of from 20 to g0 cubic feet (500 to 850 liters), so a 6-cubic-foot (170-U floor model spekercabinet, which would seem vey large to most families, would be acoustically small for such a woofe. Tho same floor cabinet would be acoustically vry large for an 8-inch {20-cml driver wi a V^s of 1 cubic foot (28 l). The raks of high-fidelity spesles inclde drives wi specificaons at range from one exteme to the other ad beyond. These specications mlrst be consideed if you intend to design a ported box for you spsaker.

THITTE PORTED-BOX DESCN

A.N. Thiele,an Austalian engineer, has brcughta high degee of order to the fomerly haphazardtask of designinga pofted box for your Bpeaker. To usethe Thielemeod, threekinds of ddve specifrcations muBtbe consideEd: . f"-e drive's ftequency of ftee-air rcsonance . Qrs-the ddver'e esonancemagnification at f" . V^s-e driver'scompliance, statedin temsof the air volumethat hassn equivalent compliance for that iver Using these tluee values you can determine e re critical aspects of a portedbox. These ae: 1. Box volume{V) 2. Box resonance ftequoncy(f6) (I3) 3, System cut-offfrequency Here we will follow a simplifreddesignprocess, using chaftsto obtainfactors that,whn multiplied by dive specificatiotrs, give optimum values(1and 2). Ifyou wantto pursuethe designpocess firer, you can use the pocket-calculator designmethodin Appendix A. O, for a more sophisticated approach, thereis the computerpogram, i) Appendix C. If you have access to an IBM-compatible computer, you

Ihiele Ported-Box Deslgn

57

can quicklydesign a optimum encloslue for you speaker.you also can exploe how chages in box volume or tuning affect peformance. The computerwill q!icklv mal s graph of rh; frequency.r".ponse curvetor eacrltoxvotumeor tuning condition sr you Fnter Here is how you can do e iob with nothing moe tha pencil nd paper Supposeyou want to design an enclosurc for a 6%-in;h woofe with these specifications: f"=50H2 Q=oa VAs= 1.5 cubic feet, or 42.5 liters The first step is to find the optimum volume for the FDclosure. Refeffing to Fig. 5,-6and following a verlicsl linc upward from 0.4 to e cune. then Ie to the maJgin, il appears tbat the \oume fsctois

1.0

2.O

0.1

0.2

03

0.4

0.5

Fisurc 5.6. votnc tc,o,, ;;;;;:":;: F,d,hepo,nt on he ( u,w that.optpands to theQoftou,pel./ thenn'otptohetphal7inroBethctotune factar.Mukply yout speake/s v by the votumefacot to get th; optnun

5a

Ported-8ox Speaker Sylems

about 1.1. Multiplyitrg 1.1 x 1.8 cubic feet (or 42.4 t), the woofer,s Vas, gives a suggested volume of 1.65 cubic feet or 46.2 liters. To.getthe coneLttuniog frequpncy lfBl.go ro Fig.5-7. ASainlocate . rne pornt on re curve decuyabovethe e value{0.4land moveto the len.magrn to get the tuning tactor,which apparsto be about 0.q6. Multiplying 0.s6 / 50,H2(f")givesan F of +8 Hz. This completes rhe basc.desiBn. except for rhe dimcnsionsot the box and prt, tur it would be helpf\rl to know the bass cut-off equency, fr. To determine the cut-off.locate the VslVr. ratio.I I in tlriscase, alnethe baseof Fis. 5-8. The move up to the urve ad lefl ro e margin ro get t" basi ange factor. In this case,it appers to be about 0.95. Th cut-off frequency will be 0.95 x s0 Hz (f") o 47.s Hz f.). The chans in Figs.5-6 ard S-Zare desigredto give Lheoptjmum . values for your woofer Ifyou want tobuild an enclo;re t}lat is smaller than optimum, you car estimate how much it would limit the bass range by refeing to Fig. 5-8. Fo dtails on how changesin volurne or tunitrg tequency affect the performanceof you desig;, use the calculator or computer programs in Chapter Z or the ones described in Appendices A and C. ODe advatage of the compurefprogramLDp is tal rt shows a graph tat indictes the sbspe o[ re responsecurve for each change you make.

OBTAININC THEBOXAND PORT DIMENSIONS

You can lind the internal dimensions of the box lom Tables 3-1 and 3-2, in Chapter 3. If you obtained rhe suggestedvolume in cubic leet, you must multiply it by 1728 to convert to cubic inches. In the previous case,1.65 cubic feet, the volume in cubic inches, tuns out tA be about 2850 cubic inches. If you ale using the metric system of mea_ surement, use Table 3-2. To convert cubic feet to liters. multiDlv the volume in cubic feetby 28.3. As a rule ot umb, wben designing a reflexenclosure, use lhe next highec volume in the charteven ough l0 percent overvolume already is provided. Becausol unpredictabl internal losses,poted svstem; often eed some exBa volume to reachlbe performanceievel suggested by eory Ifyou go to Table 3-1 and uEthe next higher cubic viiume, 3000 cubic inches, the suggested dimensions of the enclosueae gX x 14%x 24. Theseintemal dimensions allowavolume ofabout 3300 cubic inches, oralmost 16 percent abovee recommended2850 cubic inches. Ihe al step in box dcsgni! to find the comectporl sea and . length lo lune th box to 48 Hz. To do thal. consult the port design chafs in Tables 5-1 to 5-4 for English measrementsor 5-S to S-8 f; metic. These chats are new and somewhat differcnt from those published in ealier editioN of is book. They show shorter lensts of pipe becaurethey are basedon rpal.world boies with damping malrial on e walls. Ealier chafs werc basedon bare boxes.John Hintington

Obtainin8the Box and PortDimensions 59

,2.0 1.9 1.8

1.5

\ \ \

Ll

\ \

1.2 Turig !,1 1.0 0.9

0,7 0.6

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.

_-_------.

aR

the Q ol urto! hd rnlchet chrt Fir't|Pt thPtumnB Fieue 5-7. funinAr.tot 'tol tuntng b\ thF t$onn(c kequent\ ot ee' thPnnuttipt\h );ur sPedle' fequency lt) to Eetthecoffect tuned'box usele pot dimensions fomulas from LDP to develop the speadsheet charts in Figs. 5_1to 5-8. Ths goal is t; find a port that is la4e nough ir area to avoid air noise an yet isn't too long for the box. As a rule of thumb, the port area "houldbet teast rat of-e cone (Tables5-9 and 5'10). For a 6%-inch,

60

S\5tems SPeLer Pofted_Bo'

t.5

3,0

2.5 2.0 \

1 I

L5

1.0

0.5

0.5

10

t.5

2.O

2.5

#:-!!;!if"*.*;[r'n i{:rii:;|iiiilii:-i:iiif
21 or 17-cm,woo{e the cone arca is about square squareinches or 14^5

*i:t*:t;"*::ulnn.::+':t;*:[H.:i::'.1;xl-"'ii,!:"'#ili"i!!:i-!:_1ilin::*fi : ::,."xi $;:',:".';:l

* lff*.li"i#r:f;r,iiltrfu1ti:*:truri r"il;r".ru:+sr[i,::!tll:fi+Hi,

[iflii:;f,$#'""r:'r*td'i#l:sri\i=
I

ll}*:llL':;:tTiJ;"'"",1'5"'.i'#i'lxlH:"i:t"ffil"i# '^",".ik;,1-::lllT, ii:'};i:;tr^*:if;ill:li"1i1']i3T"lill;

Obrainingthe Box and port Dmensions 6t

Table 5-1. Duct Length for porlsof 1.S-inch Diameter. (lnches) Tube tengths D = 1.50 in. Tuned Frequencies Volume (cu. ft.) 20
0.25 0.50 4.75 r.00 1.25 r.50 1.75 2-OA 2.50 2.7 5 3.00 1.50 4.00

25

30
8 82 5.38 3.66 2.63 r.94 I ,15 1.08 6.08 3.55 2.29 1.51 ',t.03

40

50

60

70

80
1AA

90
0.79

100

8.41 5.91 7.79 4.44 6.24 3.45 4.31 3.14 2.72 2.37 2.07 1.82 1.40 2_22 1.47 1.20 0.9A A.79

7.67 5.9) 3.66 2.29 4.31 3 . 0 9 2 . 2 2 1 . 0 8 2.3 7 1.56 0.98 1 . 1 0 0.79 0.82

Spdsh@t by lohn Hunhngbn

ideal volume will be 46.2 lirers and rhe tunin8 fequancywi]] be 48 Hz. Tables-6 showstubc Iengths for porrswith a d ismelerot 5 centmeters. rn nFaiest cubic !otuma is 4S litars.ll is apparent that d s.centimeter lube rs smaller than neressan:the lcngth i; too shod to ljsr on the Lharl.L;oinglo the ne\t lafgprdiameDr. Tabie 5-2, the c6s6.rrth appears to be belween4.0 enlimetes. lor 50 Hz, dnd 6.7 cenrimer;s. for 45 Hz. The best procedure in this caseis to trv sevealtubes. from 7 r pnimelers down lo 4. ad u5eIhF one th,r sound. best. l f 1 o r h a r " l p s t e q u i p m p n tv . ou.hould rcsl your wootefs. as . der ribed in Chaptej9. ihcn lc\t e final pcrformani"of your porred box. Thee are severalways to identify the iuned hequency of the box. One is to locatee ftequency at which the woofer'simpedince droos to it. minimum vdlu.This poinl o,cur" bet\apen rhc iwin imoed;ce humps lhat ip chdraLtpristiL ol reflpr svsrpm".lf you have no lest equipment,you canprobably locatethebox hequencywith a frequency_ test rccod. St the enclosureon irs back and dust the woofer cone wiih poradered r halk. Ar the po tpqupncy lhp woofFrLonewiii aoooarto st"nd srill. tor Lontirmarion ot tiF tcsl. holo a lrqhtedcandleoi,erthe pofl. At lhe Dort+pqucn.r. thp n"n tvill qui\ er iiol.ntlv.

62

systems PortdBoxSPeaker

{or Portsof 2'inch Diameter' fable 5-2. Ouct Length (lnches) fub Lengths = D 2.00n. . TunedFrequencrcs (cu. fiJ
0.25 0.50 o.75 I 00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.50 2.75 3.00 3.50 4.00

20

25

30

35

40
c1t

45
615

50
460

60

70

80
3-16

90

r)

a.57 6.81 9.7g 5.55 8.12 460

ooo i.a q'a co Ioo z oa t o 7 1 7 .i., .l.lo I26

s 34 4.12 3)_4 l5Y t.lq 2.l 2.49 1 44 1.85 0 95 1.37

7.17 4.74 259 I17

2.08 I 30

i.i
4.88 4.15 3.9O 3.16

.ao I +

2.40 1 06 2.06 0 8 1.77 1.30

bYlohn Hnngon Sprearhet

#':{l,:?xil:T;*tl""}iffir;"J{iH#lt{:li
^Lv = -^fB (2lvlh) whele

** "* :::'"'I:::i::'"' = i:u"s':ltg:i

^I inches or cm = chanqe i vent length in

"qi:i':dt* *S]t$Hk$ii",-"'**,'i-ffi

FineTu^lng by Ear

6.1

for Ports Table 5-3. Duct Lencth of 3-inchDameter.

(lnches) Tube Lengths D = 3.ooin. Tuned Frequencies

Volume (cu.ft.) 20
1.00 1.25 1.50 2.00 2.25 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00 6.00 8.00

30 9.r 3
7.32 6.17 5.26 4.51 3.88 2.90 2.16 1.59 7.11 4.58 3.74 3_O7 2.51 2.05 1.33 0.79

40
8.61 6.29 4.74 2.81 2.16 1.61 1.22 0.87

60

70

80

90

100

6.17 4.43 2 . 1 6 0 . 7 9 4.34 2.94 I t l 1.12 1.95 ] 59 1.08

4.61 7.32 6.29 4.74 241

8.89 7.41 6.91 5.49 4.43 3.60 1.94 r . 1 3 1.95

Spreadsht by loh Hunrngto

^L, = -[3 Hz) (2 x 4 inches/4s Hz) = (3) (0.1722 inchesl = -0.53 inches This indicates you wold remove about 'l inch ftom the length of the pipe, making it 3'l inches long. Notice that tis fomula assignsa negative value to the charge. If the frequencyis too low. the desired change rvill be positive. This combination produces a negativesolution to the problem, requiring a subtracon hom duct lng. If e frequency werc too high, the deshed changewould be negative,and e two negatives would produce a positive solution, or addition to duct length. This formula tends to understimate the amount of DiDe that should bc removed. so you mighl hsve to maketwo cuts. FINETUNINC BY EAR The design processjust describedis basedon Thiele data; however, if you happen to find a chart of Thiele's o ginal alignments, you will

64

Sy'slems SPatr Ported'8o of 4-inch Diafieter' Table 5-. Duct Length fot Ports

(lnches) fube Lengths D = 4.00in. TunedFrequencies

(u. ft.)

20

25

30

40

60

70

80
1-lb

90

100

1.00 t-50 2-00 2.50 3.00 3.50 9.21 4.00 7.74 4.50 6.57 5.00 4.A1 9.76 6.00 7.O0 7.79 3 . 5 5 8.00 6.32 2.60 10.00 4.26 1-28 12.00 2.88

a-23 6.48 5.17 4.15 3.34 2.12 1.24

9 2 1 5 . 1 7 2.74 9.76 6.a7 4.41 2 . 1 2 9 4 8 6.32 4.15 2.60 6.74 4.26 2.51 1.28 4.99 2.AA 1.44 3 70 1.90 2.74 1 . 1 6 1.99 1.39

bYlhn Hunhngbn sprashet

j:,'j::i::'# *:"ilil ""' j:";)H:.:Iffi .lilT 3,x,.fi :i:l ;:f l"'.H,"".#;n:ii.*ixf :

i''e].+i *l*:i*-lil1fl fltf*lidffi

oo wear'or' *'" u""i"tighrrv ;"::d:,\#:H#*fnl"'ll"t

*ji*:r;:***:lt:"tr;:'"":ffi

**l****s*u,e*

$di,:fHo,?:';"Jl'"ir""0,.fK""," li:,:",:"fi

Ibe Boom-8ox Alignment 65 Diameter. Table5-5. (Metric) Duct tength for Portsof 3.2-centmeler

(Centimeters) lube Lengths D = 3.20cm luned Frequences Volum (l.iters)

3.2 5.OO 7.50 r0.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 4s.00 50.00 60.00 75.00 100.00 125.00 150.00

20

25

30

40

45
20.07 15.65 12_31 9.36 8.43 6_22 4.56 3_08 2.62

60

70

80

90

100

20.36 16.43 13.63 I r.52 9.89 8.58 6.62 4.65 2.69

21.93 15.65 I1.88 9.36 7.57 6.22 5.18 4.34 3.08

22.44 16.43 22.97 16.03 r r.52 14.25 9.62 6.62 9.89 6 . 4 1 4 . 1 6 7 . 2 7 4.49 2.69 5.52 3 . 2 1 4.24 2.29 3.34 2.62 2.03

't7.25 11.A2 8.30 5.89 4 . t 6 9.89 6.41 4.16 2.62 5.51 3.21 3.34

by lohn Hrnringn. spadrheet

THE BOOM-8OXALICNMENT w.t.J. Hoge describeda alternative design fo ported boxes that is cellsd,e fourth-order boom box \BB) alignmenf. Boo ox vr'asa term particularlymistnedmodels.The term onceusedfo reflexspeakers, is only patially appropriate heebecaussof a typical peal near cut-off, but pesl usually is well controlled. It often Bive6th effect of good low-bass response wiout beingsloppy. RobertBullock extendedHoge'sdesigninto a superfourth-order must boombox(SBBJfo speakers oflower Q. Divercfor SBB.designs mainly on the havoQs of 0.37or lower The amountofboom depends Q of e driver.Driverswi a Q of 0.45or lower areparticularlygood fo this aligllment. Even those wi Qs of 0.5 can be fitted into a boom box with a peal oflessthan 2 dB. is like the classic bass reflexof In oeway the boombox alignment of the many yssa8o.The box is tued to the fee-airrcsonance

6
E

E - 9

-E .n ,l

v- g
Fo 9
qq19.199.:

E l;s

3' 3

66

3Bq

sil6E
.El
: l

sRKR{84
E t Y E E -a 9

.EtE
!9:

s:= u: :Ae
f99::*-

eqqi-\!fl1

E aeiEH R99::5s95EAq
t
d ; v i - @ < d

= REB cidi qEb

9a

:
-9

E.q: ?REEE?B?E?;B
l
;--

I E l

Syfems PortedBox SPeaker

Dameier' of 1o-centimeter for Por{s Duct Length Table 5-8. (Metric) (Centimeters) TubeLengths = cm D 10.0O Frequencies Tuned (Liters) 20
3.2 5.00 7.50 10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 10.00 35.00 40.00 45.00 50.00 60.00 75.00 100.00 125.00 r50.00 40

50

90

f00

21.95 1A.76 21.10 13.96 24.08 1 5 . 0 4 9 . 1 7 1 5 . 5 6 8.78 4.38 1 9 . 4 5 1 0 . 4 5 5.02 14.54 7.O4 2 . 5 2

22.46 18.40 15.24 12.72 8.93 5.15

21.95 15.56 20.67 I1.30 16.29 8.26 r1.00 5.98 10.45 4.20 a.40 2.78 5.34 2.27

20.67 18.40 13.00 2 1 . 3 0 13.96 8.93 5.34 13.47 7.97 4.20 a.7A 4_38 5.65 1.98 3.41

nBon spredsheeibY lohnHun

cbic drivr. The only dcision yo have to make is to selcta suitable volume. 'lhevalue fo "ri"n a boom box. uoethe chan in fi8 5-l0 Locate Lay charl oI the ieft at e scale vertical Ior lhe O oour wooferon the ruler rhe where A of line value rhe rhe charr and read ;;i";;"t"". will tind rhe correerralu" bv lollowing a verrical^line ;.;;t;;i., lhe line to lhe bottom ol te hom the ooinl wherF the ruler crosses by lor vow enclosure volum ;;;i.'Y"'i """ calculatplre suggeslcd this formular

vs= (l (o (v^s)
box lor !hc" Here is ar example.Suppose)ou wt to deli8n a boom a v^' or o4and a ealier'Ithad Qo! 6 -inch (17-cmjwo;ler described Therefore: l sT vtue ofabout i.i loi" f""t (+l s t). rhe chart givesanA

AliEnmenl the Boom_Bo\

69

Mirmum Port Diameters'*tttt*I: fabl 5-9. SuS8ested Minimum Minimum Approxiate PipeDiameter Spealr Size (Sq. ln.) {!q. rn., (ln.)
I 5 6.5 8 10 12 t5 21 30 50 80 133
1.15 1.8 3 4.3 7 11.5 19

1.5 2 2.5 3 5

MetricUnits' PortDiaeters' Minimum 5-10. SuSSested Table Minimum Miniu Approximate Diameter Port Speaker PortArea cote Area (cm) Size (Sq.cm) (Sq.Cm) (cm)
10 13 17 21 24 30 38 50 85 145 240 350 500 900 12 21 35 50 70 130 3 3.9 5 6.7 9.5 12.9

VB= (187)(04) (1 5cu ft) or, with metr:icunits (0 4) (425 t ) v" " = (1.87) = i 12 cubicfeetor 31 7 liters

m": ":bT".:-'];llti,fie B in Fis. usins if \ouwere rhe tors-s. oc. cut-ott sero
il o"t th" ftequ"n"y of that is aifollo*s' -.r fo" f' = B(f")

I=Bx(

70

SPealetSYsterns Ported-Sot

rA
rf---]
^**'" ',n:,1:i:i:,'i^:t',;ii:!*",:":r?::;;::,: 1'::: ' Hov t-e. Fqe po a'ea ttuu'' P!1' " ^

sinplepon reduce

the B line crosseb you will find thal the ruler tn soing lo e charl aDove at abo; r't5 For the wooler (50 Hz) f3= (1.15)

f.=115x50Hz = 57.5 Hz

$::: "*"':T:"*i";':'l"i :l;:''l):il [ffi#l*h:'"'Jl"J:':'1T

REFLEX THEDOUBLE-CHAMBER.

**:l''t'*+n:;*",*dl*:"""

mN;**$*l$*lt*""

Ihe Doubl{hamber Reflex 71

^ 0.

1 I
o,5 "A ' or "8" > val(F of

oesisno,boorn+*''p'n^!!*,lljrff;#;Jifi#E11::,::';':/':;:'; fis,'ftsro.
;nicttines.potitionedso.itct6sstheten.mary-'';s=li""r.n"u,=o.Abxv&nd,--B\h. n to.alinp tlrc red]i.lline wfse he rutet ct6ses

SYrers BoxSPeaker Porred

rcflexsvsten 5-1t. A d.)uble'chamhet Fisure used ||erc sa elbo\|s box, his fat to;E

stniiht PvC pipe po' weteroa

'fi #l*iffi irk""lg;3til:ilEi'lii}:i$i T#il#"**km:'x :l#ii::HiL'^","""H:*::,"ff

craritv' ror curve ."*.er iiTli.,'J; H*:i:ti::lt"l$"1'f J'i,T'i

:#'*Til:i"T{"1""l,"i iTi{i* il't;:iffi :"".:i""xT$f

i;:1"""",:"1HiH"","'.:;"*::"::1*lt''lk

j$ii*":il*:i*J*;$i*i:' tl ft:{fl iI
H"lfu tn "' f'""*:rilr n,k'i *i'*.t:, it*';lt;
duce mmble

Howto Desien a Double-Chamber Reflex 73

----------------> F alea Fgur 5-12. fheorctcalconeexcursion ol a wooferin thrcekindsof enclosutes: a closedfux, a sinple reflex,anda double-chanbet reflex.

HOW TO DESICNA DOUEI"E{HAMBERREFIEX You can apply Thiele data to double-chambereflex a6wsll as to siDtle-chamberboxes.Hes is how to do it in a four"stepprocedrre: . Chooseyour woofer. Use its specificationsto fitrd the optimum volume. Maks thb volume the total volumg of e two chambes.Or, you ca reve$s is procedure by setting th6 total volume, as desied,and chooss a woofer to match rL.

74

Systems Speaker Ported-Box

..,j:rit:i:"{j,"".' *LiH:i h[? Rid';'"l'ff il'i;j'li* ffi

r:"-n*i*-$lilrr':{ri:3.'::'$i*{ih*

*t**g*i:-t*f{:ii,-'J'r$::',
o'L?i; over singlereflex has .some advantages doubt"-chamber

n#xi*l*'n::,""l;l[i,""til]lljFtl"I.

*l*l*";rl*u;1ffi::::";;l:ru"*"'ll"'T::#n

l****l:;-t ;r ,l*'r,'ffi , }t', Ji'fi *+*i""#:'tr, li,**'FI':'"t,""i$.il+ii:*'#:f ji"i,j,#T",:"*l,H#i*"'"*i' 'J":l'i'':"'$ ;l{}.;+.

liHr$iffi',ilft*$iliffi
ffRftq'i*"$j:.3r.TLlr":'"jT::
SYSfEM5 BAND-PASS

lir;H:"i;::llr*ff :i,:5:t:'ff i:{i"1,[{ii ,n",u;:1ff

[;*'i.l;+t*+Er.*i*r*}

Band,hss Systems Z5 bd-psss systemcan be employedtei s sjngewooferor wirh .A mur|lprewooters, tl two re used.one ca bc wired lo eachchannelof a stcreo_ system. as shown in Fjg. 5- 13.Tbe bad-pass bo\ LU ts otf lc hrBner hBquency output oIthe wootes. allowingyou to usethF syslpm as a subwoofer.It might be desirableto use a crossoverfilter to fufher block higher frequency sound ftom the band-pass svstem. Trial ad efror can $ride you with that. By_choosing different alignments, you catr alter e iequency ran8e,flatnessof rsponse. and efficiency of tbe system.The range of band-pa5sspeal.er is dened as the band of frequencies betwc;n the lwo points whee e response is down 3 dB bom the level ar mid_ band. This rnge is detsmi[ed by the location of the centa] ftequency, set b-yfc ofthe closed box chamber,and the damping factor.The damp_ irg factor, S, cn range ftom 0.s (or even lower), to .2 in a twical sys_ tem. The lower values fo S allow a wide ange, but wi increasing rippleine responsecurve. At n S of0.Z, thersponseis eoreticalti flat. Above 0.7 the ange nanows mpidly. The voiume of the cornpart'mnt in Iront of the woofer is detemined by the value of S and the chaEcteristics oI the driver. Jn addition to choosinga woofer and S, lhe remainnBdpssn . choLc, is thc system Q lQ) for tie diver in the closed-boxiompalment.You cancalculate tie properclosed volume justasyou wouli for 8nY Orercoseo-boxsvstem,

Figure 5-t3. Foutth-odet band-pass enctosures.when usedas a subwoofet, the Ieft and dght channel bass can be nxed in one enctoswe by using two woofe' ol with a double voce col woofet

76

Ported-BoxSpeak.systm, For the vohme of e ported chambe {VT}, uss this forEulal

vr = (z XsXersD,0x)
ad for f f" = {ac"} (fs/Qls) This system is easily designedwi a computer program sch as LDP.With it you can quickly exploro how cbanges in S or systemQ will alter e frequencyrangeof your systm.Afte you ente te paaBetels for your woofe! arld the desiied values for Q and S, LDP lists e low and high frequencycut-offpoiats, the pot dimeDsions,and the rclative efciency of o system,comparedto ths output level of the woofer in a conventional box.

*10

Projects
A MAIoR coA! IN sErEcrl,\c coNfoNENTs AND tN DlslGN cHolcEs FoR THES!

proiects was vale. Any spealer system is a compromise between cost and difficulty of construction ve$us level ofpeformance. Alost any spealer can be improved by specifying more exotic components' but vou can reach a point oI diminishirg etuns. nelworksare te As in pasleitionsofthis bool. simple crosso!er might sPcm crossor"r "boires for design of the here.-Some Pans ule final decithe it is because the ules, violate appear to If they unusual. test. a listening was made by case sion in each You won't find detaiied descriptionsofevery constructronstep here' Soecial ooblems arc discussed, but it is expected that you follow the cnst oction ptoceduresoutlined in Chapter 3 The photographsshould show enough detail to answer any questionsyou have abotpocede' Rememberthat cabinet volume is an impofant asPectof any pmi ect. You can usually changedimensions to fit any special space,as long as you don't ms](e a cube or a piPe, but cubic volume should be maintained at the sDecifiedfiBure. Varioussuistitrtjoni ca be made,bul don t Pxpe(tro substitute another wooler fo one of the po ed-box proiects and 8et optimm perfonance. Such substitution can ruin arry ported-boxproject unless the new woofer has similar specifications for Q and compliance The speake$ that specify L_pads on the tweters require carefirl by luming adiuslmentof ose conols Start le ddiuslmentproccss the souDd conbol unlil the lan advdnca wav do$rn, sll lhe th t\eeter appeas tweeter Ifthe woofer' with at ofthe ofthe tweeter is blened sioging or speal_ Of it eveDone loo far' you have to srandoul. Sone way too you hdve " wh i"t le. a falserPeth 8on" ine soundss il lhev ha! it t$Feter berause adiuslment bsl Iof usually Voicerecording!are fa.ri o unnatural' natural voice sounds human is easv to notice when te N;te that e description of each project includes tbe values for maximum and minimum imPdance These can be useful, paticularly

the value for low impedancs. Some speale systemshave impedance lows clown to 3 o 4 ohms. ad sometimeseven lower. Some amplifiers don't work well with such low impedance.Speakerswith highei mini_ mum impedance,and with a low ratio of high to low' are easieto drive adrork well with low-priced receiversoiamplifiers. Nt box cubic volume is also listed. tfyou don,t like the shape of thebox used in the poject, you can use on; of the tables tn Chapie :, oI te computer program for box dimensions in Chapter 7 or in LDp to-design an enclosure of anothr shape with the specified cubic volum.

PROIECT 1:A MtNt-SPEAKER

. Low impedace: 8.8 ohms @ g0o Hz . High impedance: 2Z.Sohms @ 5.S kHz . Box volume: 0.07 cu. ft. (2 liters) The small tull-range Radio Shack speaker(Table10_1) used ilthis Droi_ ecl has ben around for many years. A spealer in such a tiny box iar:t Deexpectedlo reproduce Iow bassor fill auditorium with sound. Fo

li::11::i?:.

- *y rimited space nvironment, it canoffer very

A cssulgldncear rhe phorograpba lFigs.g_l and r0_1)mighrload vo\rlo concludetiat the spealeris instslledin a cube_shaped box. Not so. An inspection of Fig. 1O-2wiII show that e intemai dimnsions are in the atio of 4:5:6, so no dimensiotr is a multiple of either of e others. Becausethe box is so small, %-inch (1.3_c;) pl],.wood is ade_ quate.lbrthe sicrewdlls. For the spealrboard and bacl, t-inch (1.9. cm, plywood or paf icle bodrdis a bettercboice. One unusualleature is the way e spealer board is set in the box. The cleats that hold the spaale"r board a-re set ba_ck only x inch lo.g5 cm), le ing the board pro_ lrude hom tle hont of the bor. you can usa any k_inch f0.95-;m) rounded molding,as shown in tbe phorographs. t cover r}e spea_kei board-s raw edge.Nole thal lhe back is setin flush.

Table 10-1. Components Usedin proiectt. Componenl

R C L S

Descriplion
50 Ohm,1O Watt 814 N.P. tlc. 0.1mH,20 g. 4"full range, Radio Shack t40- 197

Two WavSpeaker 2: A Low-Cost Project

t theuacol oldin+to limsh l0-I PrcFc| bo\ in 'on9fuctrcnNotP frrue eEe, ot plyvood -de. ndprcie.ti] 9eretbod performanceis enhancedby a filter that contols.an The sDeaker's energyjevel in the re8ion n"ar 5 kHz The raw spea-ker excessive vou "l'"i "l' rd until the filtei was added To male the filrer' corc' a 1-inch can either buY a 0.1-mH coil or wind your own lf you use magnel wrre ;-incb wide, try using 20 leet t6 l matets)of 2O-gauge jour homemaoe Even ifvou have no lesl equipment lou ca parallel thP max'ng and a 50 ohm resislor' coil witl ar 8- oi lo-tlF Lapcilor final choice ofcapacitor bY ea. tests' The value ofihe resisior, 50 ohms' was dictated by listening in filte$ fl" "i"nt"t" u"lu" *as lowr, but the discussion of notch 6 explainswhy such a valuecan be righl ChaDter can 8do" ih""" tpiul"tt *"." used without a Srille Il desircd lou a n vk i n do t l h i n$ i l l e L l o t h u s j n g a t h i n S r i l l e b o a r d s u c h a s a p e c e o l %-inch(0.3-cm)hadboard

fwO-wAY SPEAKER 2: A LOW-COST PRolEcT

. Low imDedance:7.3 ohms @ 200 Hz . Hish im;edance: 35 ohms @ 2 kHz . Boi volume: 0.s cu. ft (10 litersl

(1.9)

1 " I i .9)

t*
- ri ..1 i--' i . i l l
6',(15.2)

7'117.a)

i i i r i i il i!-.1
1 t 4 - U O . 2| t!

]L

(0.e5)

*40-1197

Fgure tO-Z. Const uction plansfor prcject 1.

l':*fi i#iil'*+*t***i:t;ii*dyli

r*Hfifil*#rflTlilt* itri**!]iii''#:#il**m#l*+

Speakr 149 Two-Wav Prciect2; A Low'Cost Tablel0-2. componenrsUsedin Proiect2.

Component

Descrptior
mylar 2.2UF, 0.5 mH,20 ga. I-Ohm L-pad, 2.0 mH, 16 ga.oI better 10Ohm,l0 Watt 6.8pt N.PElc. ,/"domeMeetet PEl, from MCM, t53-440 MCM,551 170 61" woofer,

cr
LI R1 L2 R2 C2 S1

s2

After adding qsphalt lining to the inner wall6, the volume was further - _rduced. the enclosure(Fig. 10-3)occupiesvery little spacesd canbe built suchas pl''wood or Pafiicle tom any Una otz-io'ch (l s cmi material, of Fi8 is show in tle phologmPh o"ta. i" iote*at constructron mate' roofing ia. Aftertiat photowasmade l addeda layerofasphsll l s adhestve ril to the iDlemalwalls gluing il in with construclion polyester batting .eduiesthe et voLtmeaiit, but filling the box wi can make up for any volume loss. After iostallig th back wi co_ stmction adiesive. i caulked e joints sround the back by working through the woofel cut-out in e hont pansl' M"oretime v/as spnt on crossove tinkering than on any other Iisteningsugaspedof the designof this proiect.Teslsand lonS-lerm -.ror' two shouldconecl tbr Problemsa se;tdthat le idalcrossover it'*; *r"4. twical of all small speakersand some peaksin e r"rooo"". I vi,otii on te pests rsl: tryioBvsriouspekfilters Afrr evidentthat the addsdfilters would make a n;mber of testsit became fo. " "o.ol"* ..o".o*'er' Retumingto the goalsof simplicity sd low the possible That was lo incrBase cost, a much easierpath seemed on L-pad With an lier to e woofe valueofthe coll in e low-pass cboke exha large The tbe eeler, it pemitteda Soodaudio balanc of tbe woofer'conecting e response coil doesdoubieduty: it shpes ior the rising """pott"" ",,-i, nd alo dspressing the peaks at e range. uDper -"itt" end of ths woofer's i.o".ou". network iJ a hybrid, part fhst-oder (woofer) and second-orde(tweter) I used a Erylar capacito in e tweeter leg' but an N.P.electrol]'tic will probably not show any obvjou6 degradationin wie is souDd.For the o acrosstle tweeter circuit, note that 2o-gauge 22 Tfyou wiDd your own' smallerwire suchas Sauge' hoaw enough. e wi re l"n " u""a]o. r" toofer oil.on e othsrhand.theheavier

150

Projects

s"(21.6) 7'117.81

r_

-____+1 101"(26)

If-:,

':1'o-*l

I ..","
3*'18.e)

' ). -'.-; ;,,';)).( r)- ' - ' " .-l 1

t lo*"ry u" -N '
.-

,'-:

,l

8t g r ', - , . _ '@ l v i tu n

Box

, ; , , , ' . ' itl , ; 1 'l ",..'--;.' s'1s.e) :,-,1','

PEI MCU *5$4

s2
rg gaor beder 10o< R2 f cz *5s-1170 (17) plansfot Ptoj*t 2. fige 10-3. Consruction

or better,on a4 air-corcoil, e better.Idally it shouldbe 16 gauge, but 18gaugs is probsblygoodenough. MlNI-SPEAKER 3: A FORTED PROIICT
. Love ohms@330Hz imDedance:6.2 . Hkb impedace:21 obms@88 Hz . Box volume:0.2 cu. ft. [5.7liters)

Project3:A Ported Mini-Sfaker

figurc l0-4. Boxe of Poject2 duing @nstructio. walls weredanped trygtuine peces of asphaltroolingon thm with consttuction adhesive. This prciect uses lrivers of higher cost than those specified for the first two projects (Tablo 10-3). These mini-speakers offer good imaging, probably due to teir narrow boxes, as well as gleat clarity. Several young musicians aided in the final development of this Foject by participatinS in critical listening tests. Latr, when some listerers heard Erya's "Watemark" recording on these speak$, they werc amazed at the full sound coming from such small boxas. The only caveat fu that they can't fill an auditorirm with the sound of a ock band and no one should expect that from 4-inch (1o-cm) v,oofes.

Table 10-3. Components Used in Proiccl 3. Componenf Descriplon

4 pf, Myla 4 Ohm, l0 Watt LI 0.4mH, 168a. R2 7.5 Ohm, 10 Watt c2 10 pF,N.P.Elec. S1 %" dome tweetr, Vfa Dl9TD 05 52 4" Kevlarwoofe.,Audax HTI OoKO Driversavailabl lrcm Meniscus or Parbtxpr6s

c1

R1

752

Projectj

Small spsakessre best usod on standsd, ifyou wadt optimum imaging and depth of eld, thoy should be r^'ell away fiom e rear wall. However ey can tre used on shelvesif you don't shovethem too close to e wall and block the pot actio. A a port hs! cItain advantages(Fig. 10-5). One vitue is that the additio of a cosmetic grille has ao effect on pot action. Thi6 catr be a poblem fo pofis installed on the speale boad. Even minor port blockegecan altor e Q of the port, liitin8 its dampig on th6 woof$, Anoer advsntagof a rear pot is that ay midrange sound at oscapes is lo6s likely to bs noticedby listenes.

f-7"(f7.8)-1 ll

I r- 5"(1a)-t | 1""t"

_-- .o) r- 8,,er l l ( 0 . 6 4 x 2 . s 4 )I r-/'(r7.8)--l I

Noich

jiil
.J

,.=,=.=i I

+ t'1124 i.36" (3.4)

__-T

ii'i
i.i.,i

I I
*i"
i

f-

-1 7" 117.8'

ct

F1

tu*r.*3*
'1r'8)
10pl = -

J
figue taLs,

Grillllam dn trcrh plywood Constuction plans fo tuojed 3.

P r o l e clt: A P o n e d Mii Speaker

',,ouo,o '', i':;';"',:;';,,,ili:ifri:.::'":,::':'tr:,::; :::1;:;tr"i!,,!!;*,

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Fige t9-7. frcnt iteft) an(t rcar rte||s oi an attente rrpe af t)on at p.aje 3 The

154 P.ojects Th port trbs usedin is pojectweremadeto be sedaselectical coduit tubjog.Sucbtubjngis lesssxpensive thanmostothert,?s. bul bewareof dimensionsl variations. Althougbe tubeswereplain)y marked "1%," when measued by a vemier caliper, e diamer was 34.4mm, or about1.35inches. you build this pojectand use te r.2s-inchlubing,try cuttin8re tonSth backto abour4.2Sinches. Tbe $ossovornetworkis a simple frrst-order oetwork.The capacto i the tweeter leg is e value you Eight expctto use for a 36O-Hz crossover, but e coil in the woofer lter night be chosenfor a lower hequency. Witb the impeda-nce equazer in the circuit, ths woofer.s 'mpednceis approximately 6.5 ohms.At at valu.e coi suggested herc is, by fo|mula, riSht fo about 2600Hz. A8aid, listening tesi;often dictate a value diffeet from at suggestedby formulas. A mylar capacitor is ecomrended fo the tweeto lter, and 16-gauge wire for the woofer coil. The resistor in the tweete cicuit can be replcedbv an L-padif you wat a more flexiblecontrol on te twester.I that iase yo might nd it necessary to increasetho value of the capacitor in the tweelercircuil Fom 4 to 4.7 uF. - Noticein the photoofthe frnishedproject(Fig.10-6)that the gille board is iDstalled by dlling holes in the ont edeof the top anJbottom paneiand installingshortpieces of dowel at e top andbottomof the gdlle ftame to t e holes. To makesue the location of the dowels is ight to match that of the holss, temporaily nail the uncoveredgille frsme to the ftont of th enclosure and drill holes top and bottom piacesof t-in f0.64cm) throuShthe grille ftame nro e pal ed8es.
Ible 10-4. Used in

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Component

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4.0It Mylar 1.0mH,20ga. L-pad, I Ohm l0 ohm,5 wan lpF 1.0mH,16ga. 4.7yF I Ohm,10Wan 10pt N.PEec. VifaD26fC-Os

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cl_owel ffea suitable siz for is job. Use dowel lengt-hs of ,1i f1.9 cmJ ano dnrr the eclges.oftlle paels to a depth ofjust over , in (t 27 cmJ. . As a nnaj touch, cove e bont of e speal.erboard \a,irhfer. ti.s also a idea to cove tho intemal edge;f the grille ftan; ;i-; _Bood stlip oIopen-Lell foam weat}lerstripping matecillo prevenl rsflections oac1.r: rrr: remove rhp gitF framp thite listning. rilers. 9r.just rr you plan to put tbese smallspealers on a shell closeto a ei sur, . race. you mr8ht .onsidemoving tle port fiom thp redr to the front.To oo at. you can mle a eclangular port at the bottom of the froot panet. You cn uso LDp to design "uch a porl tuned to bout S5 Hz. One way rs ro use re construction meod shown in Fig. 10-7. Tty using '-in.11.9,cm) rails undFth pa_flition. a duct abourz inchesls.bBcmi maxrn8tne port arc . inch by 2 inches,or L9 by 5.08 cenrimet"r". it urar ts loo crowded lor (he drivers. you can male the slot oven nar-

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case'the rower. such as I inch (1.27cm) by 2%inches (7 3 cm) ln ithe at i""niii "iift" ""t "t'"tld be about 5 inches Note that' theoetically slightly to i"."? "t tf" slot gets narrower, the area must be edced of duct' length the same with fiequency -ui"t"i" ttt" *-Jt""ing PROIECT4: ANOTHTR PORTEDTWO'WAY SPEAKER . Low impedance:6 4 ohms @ 230 Hz . HiPh impedance:20 ohms @ 74 Hz . Boi volume: 0.6a cu ft. (18lites) of dn 8-inchwooferand 3 ago,mosl 'ompd' t \paker'I onsisled Years Now the mosl populararrangPmenJ.seems a two-nav_.ystPm tweeter'in wiih a small dome tweeter' Using a (ri woofer l ur-i""}' io L" " protects ,.ult"t ,"oof". p"t-its a higher crossoverfrequency' which ils oplimum ranSe belo\"/ the lwpeierfro; perlormingal d freouenL) lhe srzeol This sv"lemrpod; an P\r eplionll)robustbdcsre\pon\aior the wofer. e For this oioi"cl, Ihe ' hoi.e was a $ell knoltn Vila woofet j viia rw".r.t rhc D61G-05 specifica{TableI0-a) The Pr7i.v;;;; at 37 Hz' a Qrs of o'35' and a resonance bass show woofer tions r the v . . " i r . z t " " . h . ( J 4 7 l i t e r s lA r L n l h f o u g h L D P s h o t { e d n o p l i m u m shoulo u o i u m e o { O g , r , h ( 2 55 l i l p r \ ) .r u n e dt o 4 0 H z T h i s s y s l e m

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Two'WavSpeaker 152 Prciect4:Another Poted

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