I've attempted to model larger enclosures in WinISD and VituixCAD, but it seems difficult to scale the design to 8l net (with the port at 52Hz) without either:
a) changing the width of the baffle
b) overlapping multiple resonance frequencies
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Even with a much more generous sizing at 9.2l the issue remains (though the overlaps occur at higher frequencies).
The goal here would be to reduce distortion at a higher output (96dB) relative to the base design, so I'm concerned about the impact of these resonances at higher volumes.
I don't have any experience designing speakers though, so perhaps it's less of a problem than I think it is.
Would there be any downsides - other than reducing output below 50Hz - to adopting a tuning frequency above 54Hz with an ~8-8.5l volume? The distribution of modes seems more favorable to me:
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The extra output above 50Hz also suits my goals, and the 5% criterion for the port is easily met at 96 dB:
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It is a very good practice to look at the distribution of the modes in the box.
I am not familiar with the tool you are using (Vcad) so I don’t know if it takes into account tangential modes
i.e. modes with multiple bounces before looping back in phase) but the 4 colors look like
H/D/L + something else (port itself?), I might be wrong though.
Anyway as long as you have modes that are not all overlapping and high enough in frequency this should not be a problem with a decent internal damping material.
For example:
https://p-cdn.rockwool.com/syssitea...oard-insulation-techdata.pdf?f=20230123192603
Above 500Hz and even more so 1000Hz, the damping material should provide enough absorption to curb the box resonances contribution as long as it is applied correctly i.e. not only on the wall (where is does not do its best) but in the middle of the box as @Xmechanic did.
Low voltage impedance measurements of the LF driver in the box with no Xover with and without the damping will help to visualize the impact/issues/improvements:
example of impedance with resonances:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...s/boston-acoustics-a-25-speaker-review.17625/
You need to settle on a port diameter that you can actually make.
Standard PVC tubes have discrete diameters so it may be tricky to find one that can work.
The easy thing is indeed to use 1x or 2xMBR35 or 1xMBR50 so you can tune the port to suit your room/taste.
So make sure to procure a correct damping material and make sure that the first few resonances are not overlapping.
The Rockwhool is rigide so you can cut and it will be easy to fit even with funny shapes and fill part of the “center” of the box.
Have a close look at the excursion of the driver with power (WinISD can show maxSPL).
A digression
If one wants to maximize power handling and SPL let’s say for a 2.1 or Home Theater configuration then
Box: 4.6L net (with actual resistor of the filter that would need to be changed)
FB~83.5Hz 2xMBR35 (14.5cm, 19.2cm2) or 1xMBR35 (cut down to 6.4cm after starting from a longer value ;-), 9.6cm2)
NOT optional Active 2nd order High-pass filter set to 95Hz with a Q of 0.62 (Home Theater amplifier?) can be simulated with WinISD (SOS HP filter)
This will provide close to optimal power handing / max SPL with no port issue. All the LF (below 80Hz) duties would then be fulfilled by one or multiple SWs.
96dB (above 120Hz) would barely exceed 1mm excursion on the LF driver, well within its capabilities.
In fact, the system becomes thermally limited i.e. the driver will burn before bottoming/breaking with about 101dB for 40W.
One would need to be careful not to damage the speaker because there will be no warning up until the driver is burnt.