"Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets

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tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #20 on: 1 Nov 2015, 05:51 pm »
Thank you for posting the update. This had slipped my mind. (happens to me a lot it seems)

I like how this looks, but I don't have a clue how much this might cost for a pair. Are you comfortable putting a probable cost for the pair in this thread either or in a PM? A ballpark price is fine at this point. My next pair of speakers will have 6.5" to 8" midwoofers in a two-way monitor. Im still debating different speakers' merits. 

Michael
We're still asessing the material and shop hours needed to build these boathull cabinets but even these small cabinets eat up close to $200 of raw materials. Then there's the custom CAD design work and toolpath layout, CNC time, jig building, assembly, sanding, veneering and finishing.


There's also the inefficiency of custom one-off designs vs. the more efficient production building of a fixed design.


For budgeting purposes figure on at least $1k for a small custom pair sans drivers or crossovers and that's probably optimistic.  :o


There's a good reason nearly all speakers are simple rectangular boxes of mdf.

tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #21 on: 2 Nov 2015, 03:59 pm »
Zebra wood veneer selected for the top, bottom and baffle. Should look quite sharp when done with both the horizontal and vertical lines and complimentary wood tones.


FullRangeMan

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #22 on: 2 Nov 2015, 05:10 pm »
Nice photos. Just a idea:
The best enclousure shape is the sphere, do
you wouldnt like to make spherical enclosures
with resin or fiberglass?
It seems less expensive.

tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #23 on: 2 Nov 2015, 06:55 pm »
Nice photos. Just a idea:
The best enclousure shape is the sphere, do
you wouldnt like to make spherical enclosures
with resin or fiberglass?
It seems less expensive.

While a sphere may be indeed be acoustically ideal, I find the whole idea of making big resin/fiberglass "beachball" enclosures very unpleasant and aesthetically unsatisfying. And while the material costs may indeed prove to be less than wood I suspect the labor costs would be higher when you start talking about building up layers. Plus you'd be working with harsh stinky stuff. And as I think about it, achieving a flawless smooth sphere could be tough to accomplish in practice. Perhaps someone with a background in fiberglass boat building and/or bodywork would have a better sense of how this could be done effectively.

undertow

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #24 on: 2 Nov 2015, 06:57 pm »
Just curious why cut the "Brace" in a separate panel to insert? Why not just make it a single piece simply cutting it into the same piece of ply used for that external "U" as well? Seems you would end up with an even more solid construction, and simply remove the fitment variations in the end.

Thanks

tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #25 on: 2 Nov 2015, 07:04 pm »
Just curious why would you cut the "Brace" in a separate panel to insert? Why not just make it a single piece simply cutting it into the same piece of ply used for that external "U" as well? Seems you would end up with an even more solid construction, and simply remove the fitment variations in the end.
Thanks

An excellent point! Although once properly glued in place a conforming brace would be arguably indistinguishable from an integral continuous "slice" from a structural standpoint. The real answer in this instance is I didn't know exactly where the internal brace was going to be located since there's still some back on forth on a few design details so a flexible "put it anywhere" brace was the way to go. As it turns out I may need to redesign the brace to accommodate the port so good thing it's not already permanently built into the stack or glued in place.

undertow

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #26 on: 2 Nov 2015, 07:06 pm »
I agree... I guess though with a larger cabinet it would be a big time saver to just cut multiple braces using them integral to each piece if you know they will be out of the way. Nice cabinets.

JLM

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #27 on: 3 Dec 2015, 09:16 pm »
Any shape that reflects back-waves back towards the driver(s) is a less desirable than one that directs the back-waves away from the driver.  The back-waves will transmit through the driver (the thinnest, most acoustics transparent part of the cabinet - except for a port), causing a muffled/delayed copy of the front-wave to smear the intended sound.  Non-parallel front/rear baffles is one solution.

craig sawyers

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #28 on: 4 Dec 2015, 10:40 am »
I was surprised that Ellipson were still going - although for recent times their speakers are spherical, the ones I remember from the dim and distant past were in fact elliptical (hence the company name)

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0d/17/29/0d1729f8acfaf27aee1dcbfc69131e4a.jpg

tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #29 on: 4 Dec 2015, 03:40 pm »
I agree... I guess though with a larger cabinet it would be a big time saver to just cut multiple braces using them integral to each piece if you know they will be out of the way. Nice cabinets.


Next time around, we'll definitely take this approach.  :thumb:

FullRangeMan

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #30 on: 4 Dec 2015, 03:49 pm »
I was surprised that Ellipson were still going - although for recent times their speakers are spherical, the ones I remember from the dim and distant past were in fact elliptical (hence the company name)

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0d/17/29/0d1729f8acfaf27aee1dcbfc69131e4a.jpg
Wow fantastique enclousure, its 6'' fullrange, fiberglass?

tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #31 on: 4 Dec 2015, 04:14 pm »
I was surprised that Ellipson were still going - although for recent times their speakers are spherical, the ones I remember from the dim and distant past were in fact elliptical (hence the company name)

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/0d/17/29/0d1729f8acfaf27aee1dcbfc69131e4a.jpg


I have to say, these may be the ugliest speakers I've ever seen. For me personally, even if these were the best sounding speakers ever made, I'd cringe every time I opened my eyes and had to look at them. Something right out of the 1960's Jetsons. I like contemporary styling by OMG these are awful.  :lol:

gregfisk

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #32 on: 4 Dec 2015, 06:31 pm »

I have to say, these may be the ugliest speakers I've ever seen. For me personally, even if these were the best sounding speakers ever made, I'd cringe every time I opened my eyes and had to look at them. Something right out of the 1960's Jetsons. I like contemporary styling by OMG these are awful.  :lol:

Definitely from the 60's visually, in shape and color. I like modern designs of that time period but you're right Morten, these are down right ugly IMO!

usp1

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #33 on: 4 Dec 2015, 06:44 pm »
I know this is picky but..... why are these called "boat hull construction"? Aren't boat hulls constructed with longitudinal strips?

 

tortugaranger

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #34 on: 4 Dec 2015, 06:50 pm »
I know this is picky but..... why are these called "boat hull construction"? Aren't boat hulls constructed with longitudinal strips?


It's not the construction method per se, it's the cross sectional shape (minus a keel, bow and stern...but I digress). I'm big on boats and I think "boathull" sounds way cooler than concave, parabolic, or some other geometric adjective. Take a boat, chop off it's bow and stern, cut a hole in the deck, mount a driver, stand it up on end....boathull speaker.   :thumb:

usp1

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #35 on: 5 Dec 2015, 01:39 am »

It's not the construction method per se, it's the cross sectional shape (minus a keel, bow and stern...but I digress). I'm big on boats and I think "boathull" sounds way cooler than concave, parabolic, or some other geometric adjective. Take a boat, chop off it's bow and stern, cut a hole in the deck, mount a driver, stand it up on end....boathull speaker.   :thumb:

 :D  Very cool.  Your speakers, if left unveneefred will have the same cool look as some of the Penaudio speakers which have a similar laminated look.

Just curious if true "boat hull" construction would be easier or sturdy enough for speakers. I may be mistaken but the Swan Diva speakers apparently are constructed this way. 

JLM

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #36 on: 5 Dec 2015, 09:23 am »
Many boats are designed with ribs for strength, though not pure/continuous ribbing. 

This construction method is very reminiscent of AC's own Vapor Audio.


Note that Gallo (the original "round sound" guys) use a special fill material to cut down on the back-wave reflections in their sealed designs.

A modern 2-way spin off the spherical shape can be found in the ported Munro Sonic Egg 100 and 150 speakers. 

Carl V

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #37 on: 5 Dec 2015, 02:39 pm »
http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/waveform.htm

A business assoc. had a pair of these back in the day....dam good sound.

the spherical & elliptical shape has been around for a few years.

JLM

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #38 on: 5 Dec 2015, 03:35 pm »
http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/waveform.htm

A business assoc. had a pair of these back in the day....dam good sound.

the spherical & elliptical shape has been around for a few years.


I remember hearing the Waveform Mach Solo.  Wasn't terribly impressed, but the room was a near perfect cube (and as you'd guess the bass was boomy).   :roll:

stvnharr

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Re: "Boathull" custom milled speakers/cabinets
« Reply #39 on: 5 Dec 2015, 04:32 pm »
http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/waveform.htm

A business assoc. had a pair of these back in the day....dam good sound.

the spherical & elliptical shape has been around for a few years.

I once owned a pair of Mach Solos long ago, buying one of the last full price pairs before John had his "closing up half price sale" in September 2000. I wish I still had them. But they were large and I needed to get small, so I sold them. I thought, and still think, of them as the best designed speakers to ever come along. There was nothing fancy about the drivers though, and that was a real pity.
Since then, nobody has designed a speaker with any of the design features that made these so good.