Metal cabinet for statements

[spadez]

Hi,

I was wondering if it would be possible to build the statements cabinet out of aluminium. It is far easier for me to get access to metal and work with metal, and I think the end result could look pretty cool.

I was also wondering if it would affect the crossover at all, would I be able to keep the same components or would it need to be tweaked in order to stop the speakers sounding "tinny".

Any help, advice or ideas would be much appreciated,

James

[impala454]

Sure it's possible, but it would not sound good at all. The material you build the box out of needs to be dead to sound, and aluminum is just the opposite. Maybe if you want the look, you could cover it with aluminum on the outside? I can't speak to the effects that would have, though I'm sure someone else could chime in.

[Jonasz]

I think it could work just fine, some of the finest speakers out there like Magico are made out of metal.

http://magico.net/Technology/Enclosures/Enclosures_01.php

[spadez]

That's the thing, it would be far more rigid than mdf. I could use some good sound dampening on the inside.

http://www.stereophile.com/interviews/508int/

"I built my first aluminum speaker 10 years ago. Aluminum is a far more appropriate material for a box than MDF, which is the worst thing you can use. A box should be both well damped and stiff; MDF is very damped, but it is not very stiff. The box should also have mass. But since MDF is structured of resin and glue, it's not really hard. When you attach a driver to an MDF box, because it's a damped material, the MDF swallows up a lot of the energy the driver is putting out. It stores the energy, which builds up until you hear the box flexing. When you hear a driver in a well-damped aluminum enclosure, you hear things you never heard before, because all the energy is free to come out into the room."

[Face]

Sure it's possible, but it would not sound good at all. The material you build the box out of needs to be dead to sound, and aluminum is just the opposite. Maybe if you want the look, you could cover it with aluminum on the outside? I can't speak to the effects that would have, though I'm sure someone else could chime in.

If the Al is thick enough, he'll be more than fine.

[wkhanna]

I have done a fair amount of machining in my time.
From old Bridgeports to Mazak 7-axis CNC.
What grade of aluminum where you planning to use?
I read the Stereophile review a while ago, does it say what type they use?

Your fastening method will be critical.
Typically, drill & tap with machine screws.
It could be quite a tedious task, but not impossible by any means.

Alcoa developed a thermally activated adhesive for automobile unit-body assembly that cured during the paint-bake process.
Some type of material that could be applied on the joints may be available that would help prevent possible resonances at the joints.
Depending on the cabinet size, I would be looking at one fastener every two to three inches.

[impala454]

I guess my initial thought was more so thinking of how most aluminum boxes are made, with very thin aluminum. In that case, the stereophile article is contradicting itself. An MDF box would be way more rigid than an aluminum box at reasonable thicknesses of aluminum. If the OP is talking about building a box out of aluminum at the same thicknesses as a typical MDF box, well that's a whole different story. Good luck with the machine work on that though. Might want to invest in a forklift as well if you're planning to build full sized statements with thick aluminum.

That said, seems like it'd be pretty neat though if it was done well. Reminds me of these: http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthr...ite+statements