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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    3

    Lightbulb Speaker cabinet advice (Tritrix build)

    Hi guys
    I have put down the hard earned on a speaker kit but this didn't include the cabinets. I wanted a specific look to the cabinets and plan to build them soon. Trouble is all the research I have done doesn't tell me if I am barking up the wrong tree so am now asking the question here.
    My idea is to build the cabinets out of cut out ply rings laminated together with a striped cherry/maple baffle. The intricate details I haven't worked on yet but am sure there is nothing that can't be overcome. As a quick idea of what I am talking about I found a youtube video where the guy made a side table much the same way I want to execute these speakers. Just imagine there is front and rear baffles on the following photo.

    maxresdefault.jpg

    The speakers I will be building are the Tritrix Sealed of which there are thousands built around the globe.
    I hope to be able to find some Baltic Birch somewhere in SE Queensland to make them but just want to make sure this idea is OK. Main thing I am worried about is being edge grain ply that I might come across an unseen void in the ply which could cause troubles with air exiting out the void causing problems.
    Building the cabinets won't be an issue as I have all the tools and equipment needed, just not the experience in building cabinets from ply. I know MDF is the preferred medium but I hate the stuff with a passion.
    I hope someone on here has the experience to say yes or no or what a stupid idea.
    Thanks guys.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    West Gippsland, Vic
    Age
    72
    Posts
    4,608

    Default

    I loathe MDF too Noel but there's a good reason its used in speaker cabinet construction - it has no grain variation to interfere with the sound waves produced by your speakers. I recently got rid of a pair of old stereo speakers. The cones were 18" in diameter (they were monstrously heavy) and originally cost the previous owner a motza - he had them matched to a high end hi-fi system made in Switzerland - the cabinets were made of? ... veneered chipboard (no MDF around in those days).
    Make them from MDF (outside the workshop with a good dust mask on) and have a go at using real timber veneer (thinnest you can get).
    Good luck with it all mate.
    If you never made a mistake, you never made anything!


  4. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Mornington Peninsula
    Posts
    70

    Default

    I say go for it. End grain ply looks awesome, and I don’t see how you can do this with MDF and veneer.

    Coat the inside with epoxy (brush it on) to seal it and make it airtight.

    The audiophiles will insist that it has to be this or that, but unless your sitting in a dedicated listing space in exactly the right position, I say make sure it looks great. And original.

    My only concern is the cost of good ply and the wasted material.

    Leigh


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Virginia, USA
    Age
    62
    Posts
    1,904

    Default

    Take a look at my two-way build right under this thread. I laminated 3/4" ply into 1-1/2" stock and went from there. Shouldn't matter what you use so long as it doesn't resonate. A speaker builder once told me that concrete would be the ideal speaker cabinet material. I believe him.
    When all is said and done, there is usually a whole lot more said than done.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Thanks guys. I think I will proceed with the build but rather than using cut rings I might use strips of ply glued in a square alternating each layer so that the ends of the strips don't end up on top of each other. This will save a heap of ply and shouldn't look too bad.. Still collecting all the required stuff and waiting to win lotto to buy the baltic birch ply lol

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