General Speaker Advice and Recommendations

That would be possible. With all the cross and corner bracing it would need it might significantly eat into the cabinet volume though.

I need time to read up on this more and run some simulations with different drivers. Right now I haven't had time to do much more than daydream about it...

 

Yeah. It will depend how the proportions end up working out. If it ends up thin and deep I think I might need the cross bracing.

 

I can't quote on numbers... but my gut says 10mm should be ok but 5mm you might hit issues.

Depending how deep, the aluminum might start to solidify before it reaches the bottom. The sand might need to be preheated. Vents may or may not be required for combustion gases to escape, else you might trap bubbles inside (which could be really obvious blobs or hidden inside the cast that will ruin your structural integrity.

Are you planning on casting several flat pieces that you are going to screw or somehow fix together? A box shape is not easy. L and U-sections are doable though.

 

After large amounts of shuffling things around on my desk I'm thinking a horizontal MT layout a maximum 150mm tall for a 5.5" driver's frame and about the tallest thing I could fit under my monitors. Width and depth are more flexible and would depend on how the calculations worked out but an absolute maximum might be 12" by 18" if it pushes the F3 low enough.

I was assuming I was gonna have to do it in pieces and probably with a lot of trial and error plus I was planning on making a mini foundry setup for some other projects anyway so I don't have much to loose but time.

The 5mm part wouldn't be too large. Probably a 150mmx100mm section in a larger 10mm panel so hopefully I won't have too much trouble with it. If not I may have to experiment with the pre-heating and venting, especially if I end up with a larger enclosure size.

 

Oh, well if you've already planned this particular rabbit hole then you probably know more than I can tell you

Does this even make sense for you cost-wise? Aluminum isn't crazy expensive, but it's still not cheap when you're talking about enough to make a cabinet 10mm thick.

 

Well, none of the other things I was planning on casting were going to require as much precision as this will. I wanted to make a custom shift lever for my car and maybe some desk art/paperweights so I'd still appreciate any advice.

Regarding cost, it might actually be less than the woodworking for me, factoring in tools I don't have. I've been meaning to do the other things for quite a while now so I already have a few years worth of crushed cans saved up and ready to melt down as soon as I get around to building the foundry.

 

Maybe plan on how are you going to heat the mold (or just keep it small enough so it fits in the oven).

 

Geithain made speakers with cardoid radiation long before Kii and Dutch & Dutch existed. I do not think the Kiis are bad speakers, for someone who is into two channel audio and interior design, who does not want to have a lot of seperates around, he could do much worse than buying the Kiis (and the controler). No need for a DAC, pre and power amp. In that case their price tag does not seem exaggerated.
Personally I think Geithain's RL901k, 922k and 933k sound better. I would also largely prefer Neumann KH420, they may not have cadoid nor the coaxial radiation of the Geithain's but they are hard to beat in terms of constant directivity. Between RL901k and Neumann KH420 I guess it is more a matter of taste than quality.

 

Hopefully I'll be able to keep the pieces small enough. I'll have keep an eye out for a giant steel pan I can build a fire under in case I can't...

 

A metal pail to hold the sand would seem easiest to me. Bonus: use the handle to hang over a fire.

 

Hi guys,

Any ideas where can I buy a single bass driver for Elac UB-5? I'm not original purchaser, so I can't ask for the warranty replacement. Thanks!

 

I currently use and enjoy a pair of Overnight Sensations with a Dayton SUB-800 for desktop listening in my office. Given the layout of my new office, I don't have anywhere to put the sub that isn't in the way of something. I was thinking of getting some slightly larger speakers (possibly powered) to get a little more extension and go without a sub (and do away with needing an amp). Max budget is around $300. I was eyeballing the LP-6's from Kali if they don't hiss like the JBL 305's. Any other recommendations? I am happy to DIY an existing design if that gives me what I need.

 

That will work very well for smaller pieces. I'll have to get creative if I end up needing something larger.

 

Steel drum over a fire? or you might need to use heating rods if the mass is too large.

 

Sweet idea! Time to scavenge...

 

What do people around here use to isolate/couple their speakers from the stand/shelf? Currently playing around with foams and rubbers, for my speakers that are on shelves. I have been quite surprised how much better things got with decoupling instead of coupling on these lightweight racks. Subwoofer seems to be a bit more of a challenge.

 

Think of your speakers like a PC in an adventure or rpg game. The stand you put it on is a piece of equipment. Now your PC wants to be a tank, and has tank like stats (solid, heavy, etc). Will this new piece of gear increase or decrease those attributes? That sorta determines if you want to couple or decouple.

Of course then you have those odd hybrid pieces of gear that sorta do both at the same time. I dunno, I'm losing track of this analogy.