[Crossoverless]

I wonder how they sound?

http://design-milk.com/really-solid-sound-Daniel-ballous-cinder-speakers/

[Russell Dawkins]

That's a clever idea!

[JLM]

I like them, very dorm room/ikea friendly.

Porting may not be necessary as blocks are quite porous.  (Would make it a aperiodic design.)

[srb]

I appreciate the fact wanting to keep it simple with everything pre-assembled and pre-wired to the front baffle and only having to bolt it together - but having the connection  jack on the side of the baffle is ..... baffling.

 

Maybe just take it one step further and have binding posts pre-assembled on the rear panel with a wire pigtail/connector that plugs into a front baffle pigtail connector.

Steve

[Russell Dawkins]

Maybe just take it one step further and have binding posts pre-assembled on the rear panel with a wire pigtail/connector that plugs into a front baffle pigtail connector.

Steve

I agree completely.

Also, I wonder what he did about the web that usually goes through the middle of the block. I guess it must be at least partially removed so the entire interior would be in play.

[S Clark]

 But doing it the way it's designed, all you have to do is glue it up.  No soldering, no drilling, no hardware mounting.  Makes a lot of sense to me, even though it's a bit odd and non traditional. 

[srb]

Odd and non-traditional is OK, but having a plug and wire coming out of the side of a front baffle is just plain stupid - I can't find any other way to put it.

I'm now envisioning a complete DIY with hardwood front baffle and rear panel and a black or dark grey painted CMU.

Even better would be something like a chiseled face CMU or the York Products Gemstone Plus CMU (filled and polished), but I'm guessing probably only the front face (and maybe one end for corner units) are finished?

Steve

[S Clark]

Odd and non-traditional is OK, but having a plug and wire coming out of the side of a front baffle is just plain stupid - I can't find any other way to put it.

But taking the wiring out the back would mean soldering or connecting wires to the terminals.  The way it's designed, it's a completely solder and wiring free speaker kit.  If that's stupid, then I guess
 

[srb]

But taking the wiring out the back would mean soldering or connecting wires to the terminals.  The way it's designed, it's a completely solder and wiring free speaker kit.

No, as I proposed in a previous post it would still be completely solder and wiring free.  Just as the front baffle is pre-assembled, so would the simple rear panel with posts installed and soldered to a pigtail with plug connector.

Just plug the connectors together and bolt the panels together.

Steve

[Armaegis]

If that's $150 for two preassembled speaker panels... that's really not so bad. Lots of hipster appeal.

On a semi-related but much more expensive thought, I often drive past this place that makes granite/marble countertops, and I wonder to myself if they'd make good enclosures (or baffles).

[JLM]

Audioengine A2+ sell for $250/pair with amps and DAC, and are much smaller with no DIY required.  So the kit price would have to come down to interest me.


To me part of the appeal of the whole concept is to use the simply/rough blocks.

I'm sure some snap together connectors could be used to move the binding posts to the back.

BTW, cinder block is available as an "O" versus the typical "8" internal shape.

Stone (granite/marble) cabinets would be very heavy, subject to cracking/chipping/breaking, and extremely sonically reflective (would need to be lined with lots of damping material).  Some manufacturers have used synthetic stone (Norh, and Green Mountain to name two off the top of my head).

[S Clark]

No, as I proposed in a previous post it would still be completely solder and wiring free.  Just as the front baffle is pre-assembled, so would the simple rear panel with posts installed and soldered to a pigtail with plug connector.

Just plug the connectors together and bolt the panels together.

Steve

Ok, now i've got what you are thinking.  Yep, that would be pretty simple.

[HAL]

Even simpler would be putting ring terminals on the wire to the crossover and just put a nut on the 5-way binding post lug.  Then all they have to do is use a socket driver to tighten the nuts on the posts.  No soldering involved, the ring terminals can be pre crimped on the wires.

My favorites are the Superior Electric 30 amp gold plated brass 5-way pairs and they are not expensive, but might be for this kit.  About $37 for two pairs.

Just put them with cinderblock and wood plank racks and the look is complete.  Even cinderblock stands if needed.

Shades of the '70s experience.

[Don_S]

But doing it the way it's designed, all you have to do is glue it up.  No soldering, no drilling, no hardware mounting.  Makes a lot of sense to me, even though it's a bit odd and non traditional.

What is there to glue?  Looks like the front and back panels are fastened together with long bolts.

[undertowogt1]

These look really cool. Wonder If they sound any good

[Russell Dawkins]

I take back my approval!

I still think a cheap cement speaker is a good idea, but I think this one is no better thought out than the other projects on the designer's apparently dormant (latest news April 2013) homepage:. http://danielballou.com/#index

If he decided to have the input on the edge of the baffle, why not at least make a mirror imaged pair? Having both inputs coming in from the right looks unnecessarily ridiculous.
It looks, from the assembly GIF:   http://danielballou.com/#cinder-speakers    like he is not suggesting removing the center web of the block, but instead has an edge around the rear panel to provide a slot for the lower volume to connect with the upper which has the port. I don't see any indication that acoustic absorption of any kind is intended to be used either. 

Oh well, maybe someone will do this better— I still think the fundamental idea has merit, but I don't see any reason to believe these sound good.

[srb]

It looks, from the assembly GIF like he is not suggesting removing the center web of the block, but instead has an edge around the rear panel to provide a slot for the lower volume to connect with the upper which has the port.

I was wondering about that.  Although the block is "porous", I didn't think it was porous enough to allow for actual "airflow".

I was playing around with the idea of a smaller desktop nearfield speaker using an 8" x 8" x 8" CMU and a 4" full-range driver.

Internal volume (based on an actual 7-5/8" x 7-5/8" x 7-5/8" block with 1-1/4" wall thickness) works out to be ~ .116 cu. ft. / 3.28 liters, which seems workable for several available 4" drivers.

Steve

[S Clark]

What is there to glue?  Looks like the front and back panels are fastened together with long bolts.

If you want the port to function as designed, other air leaks need to be minimized.  A bead of caulking would be a good solution for fitting the baffles to the rough concrete.

[Russell Dawkins]

If you want the port to function as designed, other air leaks need to be minimized.  A bead of caulking would be a good solution for fitting the baffles to the rough concrete.

It looks like he is employing some sort of gasket - the black O-ring-looking thing around near the periphery of both the front and back panels. Looking at the very rough texture of the cement brick edges, though, it would seem something like thin self-adhesive foam weather sealing might be necessary.

[dB Cooper]

Might also be a good idea to move the speaks more than 6" from the TT....