Resonance -- let's get this hammered out!
Ok folks... I know very little about resonance other than the following:
1. Space in front of your speaker is just as important as space behind it.
2. There is a certain amount of cavity that is "ideal" given any speaker setup. Although that is tough to find, and what we're talking about.
Does anyone out there have some really good data on how to go about creating a very "tuned" resonance cavity? I know Erv has hinted toward it in his .pdf, but naturally this is a detailed subject.
I can safely say that resonance plays a *GIGANTOR* role in making an identical speaker in saber X... sound far, far better than saber Y.
It's true that a better speaker = a better speaker... but you can also have:
* Average speaker + GREAT setup = FANTASTIC sound
vs.
* Fantastic spaker + POOR setup = Average sound
Thoughts? Best to reply here if you really know what the heck is going on with sound. I've already done a bunch of experimental "amateur" tests that simply are via my ears... using an apples to apples comparison of the same speaker in like 5 differing resonance setups.
Sound & Resonance... *PHEW!!!!*
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Goodman
Have any of the original posters completed any tests?
To a certain extent--yes. I had two different styles of "iPod-ish" speakers if you will. One has been in the darkside Flange III (red LED) for some time, and... since it's a 45mm jobby and it can SOLELY fit in the end cap (1.5" sink tube w/ screw cap)... there is literally no extra room to add resonance in the pommel direction...
However... it's PLENTY loud and crisp and clear... and it DOES have plenty of resonance back "up the saber, in the hilt" since I have all the little "cheese grater holes"--for the speaker/indicator LEDs--in that hilt.
An example of it when it's "close to the camera speaker":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOFqzLO-_rc
It sounds stellar, and blows away everything in earshot. And God help you if you're in a small room... I mean I can't even hear myself think, it's just insane and actually pretty darn ANNOYING when you get right down to it. It drowns out the TV... background noise... my g/f asking me questions... LOL! ... it can drown out pretty much anything. But I just don't even care, I mean... God I hate turning it on in a small room! It's... LOUD. Obnoxiously so. :rolleyes: I dunno. It might actually be TOO much. I didn't think I'd ever say that, but whatever... mine ears doth bleed...
Alright... then the next test was a different iPod-ish speaker that would go in the "lightside" Flange III (green LED). This one couldn't use a 45mm for several reasons, but... whatever--the important thing you need to know is... this speaker was more like 30mm or something--I'm not sure. But it's a lot smaller in diameter than the 45, and actually about 0.5" LONGER. Heavy as heck too.
So then it's like... well... "is this going to be as loud and 'comparative' as the 45mm one in the darkside Flange III?"... and the answer is... YES--to a certain extent...
This speaker has the ability to have a bit more resonance "out the pommel" than the other one... and the resonance "up the saber" is similar to that of the darkside one.
They are almost equivalent in volume output and overall feel, with the 45mm winning by a little bit. A LITTLE bit. What I discovered was... I don't think it's all THAT important to go for a 45mm iPod-ish speaker over a 30mm-ish one... since the overall result is extremely close.
That being said--the 30mm-ish one is LONGER than the 45mm one.
Finally... it DID take some tweaks with making the speaker sit "just so" to get the optimum sound quality + resonance, and... I wasn't able to divine any kind of formulaic way for it.
Though I'm not a Cornell/Harvard sound graduate with honors or something. :) Maybe they can figure things out otherwise, but... I say we have only these general ideas:
* Speaker needs to sit tightly... sit STILL!
* Resonance cavity that is around or = to the speaker's OD to be both "in front" and "in back" of the speaker... is ideal
* Those cavities should be at least ~1" or so... and sometimes more is better... and sometimes a little less! But certainly not < 0.125" or something stupid.
* "iPod-ish" speakers can be an exception since... well... they have built-in resonance cavities (to a certain extent). I mean just look at them. :)
* Little "cheese grater" or "speaker grille" holes all about the hilt both "in front" and "in back" of the speaker will allow the sound to escape in a more pleasing and dynamic way... vs. just having an open pommel speaker grille or whatever you want to call it.
* Varying the size of the "hilt holes" is probably a good idea, seeing how sound behaves (waves = peaks, troughs, amplitude, etc.).
* Having SOLELY a pommel speaker grille will cause the sound to be VERY uni-directional (duh) and also be very ear-piercing (duh!).
* That being said--try having NO holes for sound to escape (not even in the pommel) and you see how assy it will sound. Or should I say... it's like an indefinite "mute" setting, hahahahahah
* Two speakers right next to one another serve almost NO purpose... they would at LEAST have to be something like 12" from one another. At LEAST. Probably more.
Uh... and as Forrest Gump might say... "Huh... well thaht's all ah have to say about that..."
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Goodman
If not, for what it's worth I'll be conducting a comparison between an MR speaker, a TCSS, and a 3W speaker. I'll be basing the comparisons on the directions given throughout this thread back in 2007, using different types of chamber materials, backing materials, sealing methods, and front/rear spacing.
That would be pretty cool. God knows, I would never want to do something so involved... sound drives me BONKERS as it is. There's just so much possible variance and so many different sounds, environments and all sorts of stuff... it's like... sometimes I get so sick of sound I just wanna pull my nuts right off and start chewing on them... (!!!!!! :?: :?: :confused: !!)
hahahah, just kidding... but seriously... sometimes working with sound will just make ya go crazy, hahhahaha