Wide Directivity 2 way compact Speaker T34A Waveguide and Purifi 6.5 Aluminium

Can't wait to see measurement data, simulations look amazingly good....

Also the 3D printing, nothing that a little bit of sanding and spraying couldn't fix. I was also thinking to make one-piece front baffle with integrated Somasonus waveguide for my ScanSpeak project, but then ... it is impossible to reach the tweeter through the midbass hole from the back. It would be real pain if something happens. There should be then removable back or bottom plate of the speaker box, so even more screws and complications. Maybe is the best way to make waveguide with tweeter as a standalone unit which you can easily unscrew from the front panel like any other speaker unit...

Waiting for progress... :)
 
I am as eager as anyone for progress and measurements but I am not retired, single or without any other responsibilities so expectations should be low :)

I have also considered the trade off of looks vs access. A removable back panel is the obvious solution but construction is easier and more solid with the waveguide being bolted to the front. I have considered if there is a halfway option where a magnetic trim ring is used to hide the bolts and made it look more seamless. Of course there is then the possibility of rattles and getting the right level of magnetism to make it removable but not prone to being insecure.

With my current design using heat set inserts I imagine that the tweeter could be installed through the woofer hole but it would also most likely be frustrating due to the level of magnetic attraction between bolt and driver.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I have also considered the trade off of looks vs access. A removable back panel is the obvious solution but construction is easier and more solid with the waveguide being bolted to the front.
I am skeptical that any removable panel on a speaker cabinet can fixed as securely and as rigidly as a glued panel. if you are careful about selecting the right screw, it can be a decorative element. screws can be painted also.
 
Nice, I've had my eye on that printer. It appears they have improved the speed and mechanical design. How long is the typical print time for your waveguide?
Depends on the material and how much infill is needed, the last ABS waveguide took 5 hours with 20% Gyroid. The shallow waveguides need a lot of support because the profile is basically all overhang. Without a high level of support the inner surface prints like crap. The PETG-CF was 7 hours with 25% gyroid on the one that finished. The bed needs to heat soak for at least 5 to 10 minutes at the print temperature to make the mesh bed have half a chance of being good.

I changed the hotend out to a triangle labs one and rooted the printer to run full Klipper with Mainsail. I also only use a textured PEI sheet I got from Aliexpress quite cheap. It is awesome, I have had no issue with prints sticking or releasing.

I am very tempted to get a QIDI Q1 Pro to try as an alternative for the engineering filaments.
Is this speaker going to be passive XO ?
Not sure, depends on what it measures like. It might also be active with some passive notches.
 
I am skeptical that any removable panel on a speaker cabinet can fixed as securely and as rigidly as a glued panel. if you are careful about selecting the right screw, it can be a decorative element. screws can be painted also
I think it would be impossible to make a removable panel that was as rigid as a glued one. The question would be whether it could be made so it was "good enough". I have got quite a lot of nicer looking fixings, cap headed bolts or ones with Torx or Allen heads. I don't mind the look but there is something tempting about a moulded looking finish.
 
Another piece of the puzzle arrived today a 38mm router bit from Aliexpress. Quite intimidating in person.
 

Attachments

  • Router Bit.jpg
    Router Bit.jpg
    319.2 KB · Views: 47
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
I think it would be impossible to make a removable panel that was as rigid as a glued one. The question would be whether it could be made so it was "good enough".
Yes, it is hard to know in advance how much cabinet rigidity and damping is good enough. Due to the difficulty of adding stiffness or structural damping to a cabinet after it is built, I usually go for the conservative approach and go a bit overboard on stiffness and damping.

In aircraft and space vehicles, we do manage to make removable maintenance panels which are load bearing. They have the same stiffness and strength as if there were no door, just normal structure. There is a large weight penalty of course, and a large increase in complexity and cost. But it is possible to do, and it is done routinely.

It is not something normally done in a speaker enclosure, and I have never seen a removable speaker panel that had the same stiffness as a wall fully glued to the adjacent walls and internal stiffeners.

However, if you wanted to explore this possibility, we might be able to design a removable panel that maintained the stiffness of a solid wall. Thoughts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
why put a tweeter in a cabinet in the first place? for the looks alright, removable panel it is then. Why not take good advantage of the removable panel and also mount the woofer from behind, from the magnet, to reduce vibration on the cabinet that way?:) perhaps there is opportunity to add tension to the cab walls as well, and to the removable panel. Implement these and it should be better with the removable panel, than without.
 
However, if you wanted to explore this possibility, we might be able to design a removable panel that maintained the stiffness of a solid wall. Thoughts?
Interesting enough to explore regardless, there is likely to be some down time construction wise so if you have any insight happy to hear about it.

wesayso's subwoofers are a design I have seen where threaded rods were used.
https://www.vandermill-audio.nl/do-it-yourself-sub-woofers/

why put a tweeter in a cabinet in the first place? for the looks alright, removable panel it is then.
The cabinet in this design is part of what creates the directivity, there are other ways it could be done but I am not really a fan of the freestanding waveguide look in a small speaker.
Why not take good advantage of the removable panel and also mount the woofer from behind, from the magnet, to reduce vibration on the cabinet that way?:) perhaps there is opportunity to add tension to the cab walls as well, and to the removable panel. Implement these and it should be better with the removable panel, than without.
Small speaker boxes are not particularly problematic by nature as the unsupported spans are quite low. Proper magnet mounts are a real pain. I personally think the greatest gain for limited effort comes from physically grounding the woofer magnet with a damped brace.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I am skeptical that any removable panel on a speaker cabinet can fixed as securely and as rigidly as a glued panel. if you are careful about selecting the right screw, it can be a decorative element. screws can be painted also.

Just put a removable access hatch on the wood glued back pannel like some made with high end loudspeakers could do the trick ? -often they put metal access hatch for the good looking.

Just some imagination about the way the trap is screwed not to make them a vibrating transducter !

I was thinking of the good damped structure of white chopping board from Ikea for the task ! Quite nicely damped material that would make also good front baffle for this damping behavior as well - and why not cabinet structure for small mid-tweeter cabinet or satellite- with the sides thermal glued with a heat gun then sanded. For the front baffle someting glued with a special damping glue lile Dynauudio made with the Contour S with sucess.

https://www.highfidelity.pl/@main-545&lang=en

https://www.ikea.com/es/en/cat/chopping-boards-15947/
 
Last edited: