Aksonic Materials

Carlman · « **on:** 8 Jun 2004, 03:06 pm »

Do the Aksonics have to be made of wood?
Can they be made of Corian or other solid-surface material? I have a friend that does solid-surface counters. He can cut somewhat complex shapes. Just thought this might be neat.
Any problems?
-C

Carlman · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 Jun 2004, 01:11 pm »

One more question... can you use better/different/more expensive drivers (like SEAS) when building these speakers or does that open up a whole new can a worms?

Propstuff · « **Reply #2 on:** 10 Jun 2004, 01:04 am »

Generaly for speakers the more "dead" (less resonant) the material the better. I believe (don't quote me on this) that the Corian type materials are good in this respect.
They are certainly a lot denser than chipboard!

Quote

One more question... can you use better/different/more expensive drivers (like SEAS) when building these speakers

If you change drivers you will not have Aksonics anymore. You will be redesigning a speaker "from scratch".

cheers

AKSA · « **Reply #3 on:** 10 Jun 2004, 02:06 am »

Carl,

I have received your modules; thanks for sending them to me. I'll do them this weekend, let you know when they are on their way back to you.

Propstuff (Nicholas) is right. Corian should be fine for the AKSonics, but attaching panels could be an issue. The AKSonic uses battens and blind screws, and so if you can do this with Corian it should be fine. Adhesives are required too; they break up resonant modes.

If you change the drivers, you change the whole sound of the speaker, and you'd need to recalibrate (and possibly redesign) the crossovers. I don't recommend it.

The AKSonic is designed for high resolution and deep imaging. With a 6.5" driver, bass is excellent, but not visceral. For really deep bass with high impact you'd need a sub, but unless you listen to rock 'n roll or large orchestral the sub isn't strictly necessary.

Cheers,

Hugh

Carlman · « **Reply #4 on:** 10 Jun 2004, 02:57 am »

Quote from: AKSA

Carl,

I have received your modules; thanks for sending them to me. I'll do them this weekend, let you know when they are on their way back to you.

Propstuff (Nicholas) is right. Corian should be fine for the AKSonics, but attaching panels could be an issue. The AKSonic uses battens and blind screws, and so if you can do this with Corian it should be fine. Adhesives are required too; they break up resonant modes.

If you change the drivers, you change the whole sound of the speaker, and you'd n ...

Wow! that was fast! I was thinking I'd have plenty of time to think about whether I should build these Aksonics... and lump them in with the other work you're doing... However, I'm beginning to think I'm not going to have time... some stuff happened at work today that will keep me busy for a while.... so, no down time for me. Oh well...

Thanks for the info. I may revisit this later this year...

Propstuff · « **Reply #5 on:** 10 Jun 2004, 07:02 am »

Quote from: AKSA

The AKSonic uses battens and blind screws, and so if you can do this with Corian it should be fine. Adhesives are required too; they break up resonant modes.

Corian and its equivalents are (normally) Polyester Resin (the same family as fibreglassing resin) filled with various "mineral" materials. This means that anything that sticks to fibreglass resin will stick to it.
The normal procedure is to abrade the surface and then wash it with acetone. After this more polyester resin, or even car bog (essentially the same thing) will work as an adhesive.

There are caveats, but that would take a while.......

cheers
N.

AKSA · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Jun 2004, 12:09 am »

Chris,

I spoke to Ron Newbound, the designer of the AKSonic.

He said Corian would be fine, and sensational to look at!

But he suggested that rather than using wood screws, the (blind) holes should be carefully drilled and tapped, and metal screws inserted to hold it all together.

I think Nicholas' idea of using polyester adhesives is a good one too; in which case undersized holes with metal self tappers as used in autos perhaps to hold it together during glue curing. You could leave them in, of course.

Great care would need to be take not to overstress the material, as it may crack, and you should roughen the mating surfaces before gluing and take advice on the best adhesive. And keep a close eye on the length of the screws, lest they break through the front face of the speaker and ruin the appearance!

I understand Corian is vulnerable in hot environments. This makes it unsuited to Class A power amplifiers, but I would have thought ideal for speakers. And it is lovely to work; softer than aluminium, tougher than most woods.

It looks sensational, like something mystical out of Lord of the Rings!

Another alternative is a standard timber construction, surfaced with a 'stone', acrylic finish. This is how Nicholas has done his speakers, clearly visible in his avatar. They look like some kind of space age rock, I call them his tachyon generator, and whenever I visit I suggest he take them to 'Warp 7 Scottie!'

Cheers,

Hugh

Carlman · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Jun 2004, 03:45 am »

Well I'm not really trying to create monoliths like Space Odyssey 2000 but I do have a friend that does counter work. It just seems like the Aksonics are reasonably simple cuts and I could take a stab at it. Using assembly/bonding methods specific to the material was my assumption. The properties of the material just seemed well suited.

I have a pair of Green Mountain Audio Europa's that are made of faux marble material and they sound incredible. The cabinets are heavy and essentially inert. That would be my aim with the Aksonics. Maybe I could ask Roy (owner of GMA) to 'whip up a set' and see how they sound.....

Malcolm Fear · « **Reply #8 on:** 12 Jun 2004, 04:11 am »

Use any left over Corian as a support for equipment.
I use Corian shelving under all my gear. Makes a difference.

dayneger · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Nov 2004, 04:02 am »

I believe I read somewhere that Corian can be seamlessly welded together. Not sure how it works, but the effect would be great--as though the speaker were cast out of the material!

Cheers,

Dayne

Propstuff · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Nov 2004, 09:41 am »

The Corian type materials cannot be "welded". They are glued with resins which have been [coloured and] filled with materials to match the particular sheet type you're using. The joins are not perfect on close inspection, but at a distance [1-2metres] are pretty good if done well.

cheers,
N.

dayneger · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Nov 2004, 12:01 pm »

Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like someone got a little carried away in their advertising brochure. . .

By the way, I've always been very impressed by your creative and artistic interpretation/positioning of the crossover!

Dayne