DIY Sub enclosure shape? (1 Viewer)

[Rob Lloyd]

As most of you probably know by now I'm going to build my 1st sub. I started thinking about box design. Now you sonotube people - did you use a tube because it was easier than building a cube or is there a sonic reason? This question leads to:
In thinking about building a cube, how would an hexagon be? Aesthetically I think it might look cool and increase the WAF. As long as the volume didn't change would the sound?
I know it's obviously harder to build but not impossible w/ the right tools and careful joint planning.
Or is this just crazy talk?
-Rob

 

[Patrick Sun]

It's be easier to build a sonosub and then put a hexagon facade around it. The unique cylindrical shape of the tube makes the structure pretty strong and tight (as long as the top and bottom endcaps are attached correctly). Going with a hexagonal shape would really require more work than it's worth and you'd need some bracing on the inside.
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[Kyle Richardson]

Sonically you would be fine. I think most people that use sonotube use it because it is quick and easy. If you take your time to make it right (airtight) a hexigonal shape wouldn't be a problem.
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[Jack Gilvey]

There are sonic and practical reasons to go with a cylinder. It is easy to use , of course, but since a circle already has the maximum area for a certain circumference, it really can't bulge anywhere. The paper sonotune material is also quite "dead", so there's not much resonance to speak of. It takes quite a bit of strength/bracing to make a wooden traditional cabinet as rigid as a sonotube. Get the endcaps right, and you're almost there.

 

[JerryD]

If you like the Hex look, why not do both? I mean use the sonotube and build a hex facade around it just for appearance. You could do two layer endcaps with a round inner layer and a hex outer layer and attach the six exterior panels to the outer caps. The six panels wouldn't have to be extremely stiff or air tight. There are many benefits to high SAF.
The important thing with the enclosure is that it doesn't flex (so the engergy from the drivers motor goes into sound, not useless motion) and that it doesn't resonate (so it doesn't make sounds you don't want). Sonotube is a relatively easy, quick and efficient way to make an enclosure with these characteristics. Flat sides in an enclosure have to be very stiff and/or have lots of bracing to do as well as the cylinder and they end up weighing more.