Hi folks, I’m looking for a little advice. I’m hoping to construct a 3-way mono ‘boom box’ using the 2.1 plate amp and some leftover drivers from a project to build some ‘proper’ speakers for my ‘proper stereo’ system.
I was going to replicate some of the design from my proper speakers, i.e., a 72 L enclosure and a port.
My two questions are:
I would like to make my boombox as light as possible as it probably will be moved upstairs and down. To make the enclosure I was going to use the ‘golden ratio’ of 42 x 26 x 68 cm. How thin could I realistically go in plywood or MDF without compromising the sound too much?
My second question, I’ve seen a lot of really nice looking boxes on this forum that have the drivers sunk quite deeply into the baffle. That appeals to me as it would offer some protection for the drivers and the possibility of laminating two thin boards to make the driver baffle, which would be appreciated as I don’t have access to a router, just a variable hole saw and a hand fret saw.
Any tips would be gratefully received!
Hi Kirky,
I really like your comment “proper stereo” I had a good chuckle over that 
, as you are no doubt aware, Arylic gear has its place for ‘mid-fi’ applications only.
From my speaker building experiences I’ve found “the thicker - the better”, the thinnest I have ever used is 16mm, but regularly use around 25mm for bookshelf size enclosures.
I had some good results laminating 6mm MDF onto 12mm ply, sort of the best of both materials, it was a bit messy and used a lot of adhesive (I swear by Titebond Ultimate)
I rout my the enclosure faces for the driver flanges and make jigs for non-circular drivers. As you say, you could laminate to achieve the same result.
Happy building!
Hi Steve, thank you for your tips! I like the idea of laminating ply and MDF, could be pretty practical!
I hope that I can achieve mid-fi reproduction, given that my box will be mono only and likely placed into locations that will introduce room issues.
PK