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Sub box material Sound Quality


DarkSide

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A question for the experts.  does the material itself make a difference in sound quality?  

Example:  If i build 4 boxes, all identical in internal airspace.  Say 3/4 MDF, fiberglass, plexiglass, and 6/4 MDF (2x 3/4).  Will the density of the material affect the sub SQ?

ASSUMING all boxes are 100% sealed, etc.  and the only variable is the material.  

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The basic difference in materials is the thickness and/or bracing it will take to achieve the same amount of (lack of) flex and harmonic resonance. 

You'd simply need to get to the same point of a solid box without your internal bracing creating standing waves causing cancellation. At that point there should be little to no difference in sound between boxes made in different materials of proper thicknesses with the same internal dimensions.

Edited by jk13
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1 hour ago, jk13 said:

The basic difference in materials is the thickness and/or bracing it will take to achieve the same amount of (lack of) flex and harmonic resonance. 

You'd simply need to get to the same point of a solid box without your internal bracing creating standing waves causing cancellation. At that point there should be little to no difference in sound between boxes made in different materials of proper thicknesses with the same internal dimensions.

So if i have a non flexing boxes of identical volumes, any differences in sound would be minimal, would adding a deadening material like dynamat help with the harmonics?   

The enclosure in question will likely be cylindrical in shape, no internal bracing, 3/8 ABS type material.  So basically zero flex.  

Thank you for your help.

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3/8" ABS would not work with flat sides but should work using a round tube with 3/8" wall. I would add a small amount of displacement to allow for a few internal stiffeners. A few strategically located stiffeners (don't need to be terribly thick stock) will add rigidity and reduce enclosure resonance. Any enclosure compliance results in lost energy.

 

 

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1 hour ago, DarkSide said:

The enclosure in question will likely be cylindrical in shape, no internal bracing, 3/8 ABS type material.  So basically zero flex.  

As long as the cylindrical shape is of a larger diameter than the woofer itself it will work fine. David mentioned a while ago how a long tube of similar diameter to the woofer causes compression issues close to the woofer, making the usable air space smaller than a more open design.

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On 11/9/2016 at 5:03 PM, DarkSide said:

So if i have a non flexing boxes of identical volumes, any differences in sound would be minimal, would adding a deadening material like dynamat help with the harmonics?   

The enclosure in question will likely be cylindrical in shape, no internal bracing, 3/8 ABS type material.  So basically zero flex.  

Thank you for your help.

Isn't he ssying that when solid the sound waves internal in box don't effect the wall itself if it non flexes and therefore the sound wave efficiency emitted from grill is superior cause the sound waves do not flex the walls and lose something and the sound wave reverberations against wall simply bounce with no change in sound wave length and frequency.   so sound insulation would only decrease efficiency, therefore all boxes being the same non flex, it's the physical guts of speaker and tuning only that would differentiate ???

Edited by granddaddy55
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55,

You are far better off fixing any sub enclosure resonance with a more rigid enclosure (whether with thicker stock or stiffeners) rather than using any form of sound deadening or damping treatment.

Any portion of the subwoofer wavelengths are significantly longer than the enclosure's internal dimensions. So internal standing waves are not the concern as they would be in the mid-band range.  

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