Sonotube questions

Jay_Garcia · 06-12-2003, 02:28 PM

I have been looking for sonotube locally around Tampa,FL and found a place called Tampa Tubes. The guy there was very helpful, and he said they have a 15" diameter tube which is 3/8" thick that they can cut to length. I asked what it was made of and he said "paper". Is this the sonotube stuff or something that is an acceptable substitution? I plan on trying a 15" dia by about 18" column for 54L volume. TIA.

Jeremy Stockwell · 06-12-2003, 02:52 PM

Yeah, sonotube is made of paper. LOTS of paper wrapped up very tightly and glued to effectively become a single round piece of bass-producing loveliness.

Seriously, for normal people, sonotube is a cement form for making pillars of concrete for lamp posts, barriers, deck footings, etc. Obviously, if it can hold hundreds of pounds of cement, it can deal with the pressures of a sub-driver. It's made of paper because it's light, cheap, and can be easily torn from the cement once dried.

You've found the right stuff.

Any ideas on what driver you're going to use? FYI a 15" driver won't easily attach in a 15" sonotube.

JKS

Jay_Garcia · 06-12-2003, 04:05 PM

I plan on using the Shiva, sealed @ 54L internal volume stuffed with a little polyfill. Rough estimates are 15" diameter x ~25" total height (including 3" legs and 1.5" for top and bottom MDF caps). Hopefully this should sound great for audio and pretty decent for home theater. Any suggestions are definetly appreciated!!

Are the sonotubes normally 3/8" thick?

TimForman · 06-12-2003, 06:32 PM

Yes, "sonotube" is usually 3/8" thick but it can vary slightly. I'm curious as to why you choose the 54 L sealed enclosure. Small size? Tight bass for classical music? Sealed enclosures are great for music in most cases but may not give you the extension you'd like for movies.

Jay_Garcia · 06-12-2003, 07:05 PM

The 54L size is partly due to size constraints and also because we mostly listen to music, we maybe catch a movie once a week. I dont want to go over 24-25" in height as I am using the enclosure for two functions - 1) the sub & 2) end-table for the wife!

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TimForman · 06-12-2003, 07:26 PM

The end table look has a very high SAF. Keep in mind that subs will perform better sitting in a corner than right next to you. For some the performance is acceptable. For me it wasn't and I moved my "coffee table" sub into a corner. Experimenting with placement is something to keep in mind.

Jay_Garcia · 06-12-2003, 07:35 PM

Actually, the end table is in the corner - if this little ascii helps --- The sub is in between the couch and the love seat in the corner of the room (the 0). At least where I plan to have it anyways... I could always take a digital pic if that would help. Keep the suggestions coming!! Thanks!!

Couch
------- 0

| L S
| o e
| v a
e t

-----
TV

Jay_Garcia · 06-12-2003, 07:37 PM

Ok, I can't get the little diagram to come out right, but just pretend the line for the love seat goes vertical down from the 0.

Jay_Garcia · 06-15-2003, 02:36 PM

Well, the largest diameter tube they went up to was 14", so I got some of that. Since I am now going to have to make my tube a little taller, I am wondering if I should make this ported while I am at it. I was thinking of doing a 2(qty.) 2" PVC ports, with a length of 17 1/4 " which would tune the box to 20hz. Does this sound like a good idea?

TimForman · 06-15-2003, 02:57 PM

Are you still going with the end table idea? Are you trying to have the ports and the driver down firing? What internal volume are you going for now?

Jay_Garcia · 06-15-2003, 03:36 PM

I was going to try and leave volume the same. Ports on top, driver down firing. It doesnt have to be a "functional" end table, just look like one

TimForman · 06-15-2003, 09:12 PM

I think you're going to want a higher volume enclosure for a vented application. If you want to leave it at 54 liter better stick to a sealed enclosure.