Welded steel speaker enclosures?

[z-adamson]

I have a cnc plasma table and a tig welder.

I can easily knock something out.

Steel or aluminum for that matter. Up to 5/8in thick.

I have pondered a diy project like this for a while, but then I see that everyone uses wood and not steel and I figure there must be a reason for that.

What do you think?

Is there any reason that steel should not be used for a speaker enclosure?

 

[Silentnet]

It would be so goddamn heavy... But a neat idea. Curious.

 

[swechsler]

Reminded me of these. I say go for it, if you've got the time and inclination. I'd guess that the main reasons not to use steel are its weight (you need something thick enough that won't resonate) and the expense of steelworking vs woodworking. I will point out in general when speaker cabinets are made of metal, aluminum, not steel, is used (and they're generally cast, not welded).

 

[hjames]

Would you want to goop the insides up with straw and tarry goop
(like Weslake monitors do), to knock down potential resonance?
Some folks might even use something like spray-on truck bed-liner material
on the outside to do more of the same - de-resonating.

 

[R Swerdlow]

Is there any reason that steel should not be used for a speaker enclosure?

Steel speaker cabinets would certainly be rigid, but they would also have an inherent resonance frequency that would make the cabinets ring like bells when that frequency gets stimulated. Better to use a material that is a mixture of different particles or layers with different resonant frequencies. That's why most speakers have cabinets made with MDF (medium density fiberboard) or plywood.

Steel speaker cabinets might open up a whole new field of audiophile-grade rust-proofing .

 

[Silentnet]

I wonder if you could do like a steel main box with MDF braces and front baffle? Maybe line the interior with MDF too. Or at least like DynaMat.

 

[z-adamson]

I can cut and weld aluminum as well as I indicated.

Rust and weight problems taken care of.

 

[chip18sw]

Well I was getting ready to make a "snarky" remark like "if aluminum was so great" someone would have already done it??? But ... as I looked up from my keyboard ... uh there they were, aluminum boxed speakers! My pair of RS LX 5's stacked with Mach One's! LOL ... life is funny at times and as they say ... what's new is sometimes very old??

Good luck with your project.

 

[z-adamson]

Well I was getting ready to make a "snarky" remark like "if aluminum was so great" someone would have already done it??? But ... as I looked up from my keyboard ... uh there they were, aluminum boxed speakers! My pair of RS LX 5's stacked with Mach One's! LOL ... life is funny at times and as they say ... what's new is sometimes very old??

Good luck with your project.

It's been done.

But why hasnt the industry taken that route?

 

[darkblue94]

There have been some very fine speakers constructed from heavy cast aluminum.
The primary reason the industry hasn't jumped on that bandwagon is because they are difficult and expensive to manufacture, the market for something like that just isn't there and there are other materials and construction methods that are easier and less expensive to work with as well as easier to sell. The same holds true for concrete.

 

[grey]

Steel and aluminum is crazy expensive compared to MDF and HDF.

 

[z-adamson]

Would you want to goop the insides up with straw and tarry goop
(like Weslake monitors do), to knock down potential resonance?
Some folks might even use something like spray-on truck bed-liner material
on the outside to do more of the same - de-resonating.

Good ideas? I wasnt sure how to line it honestly.

 

[z-adamson]

Steel and aluminum is crazy expensive compared to MDF and HDF.

Not for me...

 

[chip18sw]

It's been done.

But why hasn't the industry taken that route?

This is an old thread from DIY but it might be helpful?? :
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/197129-metal-speaker-enclosures-bad-idea.html

 

[chip18sw]

There have been some very fine speakers constructed from heavy cast aluminum.
The primary reason the industry hasn't jumped on that bandwagon is because they are difficult and expensive to manufacture, the market for something like that just isn't there and there are other materials and construction methods that are easier and less expensive to work with as well as easier to sell. The same holds true for concrete.

Got any links???

 

[darkblue94]

No, I don't do links. Google is usually enough.

 

[Tronk]

Wouldn't it sound tinny?

 

[grey]

Not for me...

I need to meet your vendors.

It seems that everything I build rings like a bell if I tap on it. Cast plate seems like the best choice out of everything I have here. We can weld on reinforcing ribs of course. I've never given it much thought due to cost.

My personal direction is leaning towards sand filled enclosure walls.

 

[Nat]

There was a well reviewed British speaker in the 80s or 90s that used a steel enclosure. It was a column, if I recall correctly.
I suspect that the goal was not unlike that of other British speakers (including the LS35a) that used a relatively thin, high Q resonance enclosure that could be relatively easily damped (with bitumenous pads and so on), so that whatever resonances were still there would die out quickly. Heavier, lower Q enclosures vibrate less, but vibrate longer, and the vibration is much harder to damp. Damping with pads and so on is labor intensive and expensive, and apparently not everyone notices or cares about how long lasting resonances are long as they are low level. So the British approach is not that common.

 

[darkblue94]

I need to meet your vendors.

It seems that everything I build rings like a bell if I tap on it. Cast plate seems like the best choice out of everything I have here. We can weld on reinforcing ribs of course. I've never given it much thought due to cost.

My personal direction is leaning towards sand filled enclosure walls.

Cast concrete enclosures are cheap and fairly easy to make although they are heavy and usually make a big mess around the shop. They also have a lot fewer issues with ringing.