D130 / 075 / N2400 Custom Box Job

[rrwalkertr]

Hi guys, I am looking at making some boxes for these speakers my dad has passed down to me. I want your opinions on a couple of things. First, box design = good sound? Will this box sound good or will the top corners cause problems? Second, which colors would you guys suggest? I am leaning toward a dark grey with white covers, i think black wont show much of the detail of the box. I can adjust the box to a certain volume and tweak the port sizes also. I have seen so many different size boxes for this setup I dont know which one to use. I think I am close to the box volume that i have here but I really want someone to guide me to the best volume. This box as is has right at 6965 cubic inches = 4.03 cubic feet. With this volume what should the port diameter be and if needed the port length (if im to understand correctly, thats the length of the tube you put in the port hole?). I am building two boxes now that i will probably stack, and two more later when i get those speakers and i might arrange them all together. Anyway, here are some images of my 3d Cad work. If you guys want some cad done on your speaker designs, just let me know.

[John W]

Very nice cad work! I like your box design, especially the way you’ve set up the angles around the tweeter to minimize baffle interference. After the training and experience you obviously have with this, how long does it take to put a drawing like this together?

Normally I’m all for working with the parts you have, but in this case I’d have to recommend against it. I’m sure the speakers would sound ok, but not excellent. You need a midrange. The D130s don’t go up high enough, or the 075s low enough. If the drivers have sentimental value, I’d restore the vintage cabinets to match the vintage sound, otherwise I think you’d do better to sell the originals and upgrade.

[rrwalkertr]

Thanks man. It took me only about 20 minutes to actually model the box and speakers. the one image that looks almost real took like 30 minutes to just render, all the other images only about 10 minutes to do all them. so i spent about an hour last night doing all that.

The speakers sound really good now, in the boxes they are in. I dont want to get rid of them, my dad bought these when he was a teenager. One day i will upgrade and build something new for those speakers, but for now, i really want to build a box that sounds good and showcases the tweeter more then anything, its a cool looking tweeter. From what you are saying, you think its the speaker combo more then the box design that wouldnt sound good? Thanks.

[Baron030]

It's a very interesting modern looking design.
You’re definitely making a visual design statement here.
I am going throwing this out as just an idea here.
Have you considered tilting the front face back slightly?
The JBL L300 would be an example of what I am suggesting.
Assuming that the 075s is going at about knee height above the floor, a slight upward tilt of the front panel would raise that driver's projected sweet spot up to ear levels height above the floor.
At one time, I used to sit on the floor, just to get my ears down to the same height as the 075s.
So, I know from experience that it will make a difference in how the 030 system sounds.

Baron030

[rrwalkertr]

i do understand what you are saying about the tilt, however if i stack the speakers like shown, one will be facing the ground and the other ear level. i might try to figure out a design simular to this would fix that, thanks bud. What thickness mdf should i use for these boxes? i was thinking 5/8 or 3/4, thanks.

[rrwalkertr]

tilting the top plane for the tweet would be ok, but i really dont like the look now of the box, and when stacked you are screwed on the upper speaker. i might look into this more and see what i can come up with for a happy medium.