This is a topic I have been wondering about for quite some time now. It might seem like an easy question to answer until you really start to think about it:
Imagine you had a speaker enclosure with a typical TMW configuration. Behind the baffle, you have a small enclosure that separates the midrange and tweeter from the rest of the enclosure (as is commonly done).
What effect does the shape and size (volume) of the enclosure behind a dedicated midrange have on it?
Possible shapes I have come up with:
1. Simple box (lets assume we follow the golden ratio for the inside dimensions)
2. Tube
3. Tube tapering smaller towards the back
Bearing in mind that the soundfield coming from the front of the midrange will never "see" the enclosure behind it, as the midrange enclosure is inside the speaker cab.
This is different than the B&W 800 series that uses a midrange enclosure which tapers smaller towards the back, but can be "seen" by the soundfield coming from the front of the driver.
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The volume in a sealed enclosure obviously determines the Q of the enclosure. Imagine I had a midrange driver with a Qts of 0.25. What would the percieved difference in sound be if I had this driver in a enclosure with a low Q as apposed to one with a high Q?
I have played around a bit with dampening materials and the percieved sound thereof. To me, it seems that the less dampening material you use in the midrange enclosure, the "brighter" or more "alive" (if there is such a thing) the midrange sounds. My best guess is that this is a direct result of the enclosure Q changing. Would this then mean that adjusting the volume (and hence the Q) of the enclosure will have a similar effect?
Please let me know what you think. What are the trade-offs with midrange enclosure construction I should be aware of?
Imagine you had a speaker enclosure with a typical TMW configuration. Behind the baffle, you have a small enclosure that separates the midrange and tweeter from the rest of the enclosure (as is commonly done).
What effect does the shape and size (volume) of the enclosure behind a dedicated midrange have on it?
Possible shapes I have come up with:
1. Simple box (lets assume we follow the golden ratio for the inside dimensions)
2. Tube
3. Tube tapering smaller towards the back
Bearing in mind that the soundfield coming from the front of the midrange will never "see" the enclosure behind it, as the midrange enclosure is inside the speaker cab.
This is different than the B&W 800 series that uses a midrange enclosure which tapers smaller towards the back, but can be "seen" by the soundfield coming from the front of the driver.
---------------------------------
The volume in a sealed enclosure obviously determines the Q of the enclosure. Imagine I had a midrange driver with a Qts of 0.25. What would the percieved difference in sound be if I had this driver in a enclosure with a low Q as apposed to one with a high Q?
I have played around a bit with dampening materials and the percieved sound thereof. To me, it seems that the less dampening material you use in the midrange enclosure, the "brighter" or more "alive" (if there is such a thing) the midrange sounds. My best guess is that this is a direct result of the enclosure Q changing. Would this then mean that adjusting the volume (and hence the Q) of the enclosure will have a similar effect?
Please let me know what you think. What are the trade-offs with midrange enclosure construction I should be aware of?
