Did I stuff my Tempest properly? (1 Viewer)

[JamesThompson]

I now have the DIY bug and have been reading up on building some bookshelf speakers. During the reading I see a couple spots that point out, during stuffing, be sure not to "impede the airflow between woofer and port".

Does this rule also apply for vented subs? My Tempest is an Adire Alignment with the suggested 64oz of poly-fil. With that amount of poly-fil, I'm certain that the ends of the ports are jamming into the stuffing.

Here is a pic of the stuffing :



Did I do this correctly?

- James

 

[Owen Bartley]

James,

I stuffed my ported Tempest at first, then realized after talking to a few people that it might be better NOT to stuff a ported enclosure. (pics on my site linked in my sig) I switched over and lined the walls instead, and I couldn't really tell a huge difference, but I think I got more output without the stuffing. There may be advocates of stuffing ported boxes, if so, I would like to know if I was right the first time. FWIW, I'm very happy with the performance now.

 

[ThomasW]

Does this rule also apply for vented subs?

A ported sub IS a vented sub.

Generally speaking one uses damping material to 'line' the walls of ported/vented cabinets and to 'stuff' sealed cabs.

However in the case of the designs specific to Adire Audio do as they suggest, but keep the damping material well away from the interior port opening

 

[JamesThompson]

The ports are flared with 11" center tubes, and basically fit into the two chambers on the right-hand side of the pic. I'm sure the ends of the ports are plunged into the poly-fil.

This weekend I'll have some time to open her up again and shift the stuffing around.

Another related question...when the sub it operating, should I feel ANY air movement from the ports? I felt earlier and the ports have NO air movement at all.

Forgive all the questions, I've never had a sub this honking big. :b

- JamesT

 

[dave alan]

There should be a clear path from the back of the driver to the port opening.

If you 'jam' fill gainst the port mouth, you'll end up with an aperiodic damped, sealed box, instead of a ported box.

 

[Kyle Richardson]

You probably wont feel much air movement until you hit the lowest notes. You dont want a lot of air movement so thats a good thing

 

[Frank Carter]

You'll feel more and more air as you reach closer to the tuning point.

 

[Jonny K]

Ok, I've built my own Tempest and have "been there, done that". For this reason, I think I can give you good advice. Regarding stuffing, do as Adire recommends - stuff the proper quantity of stuffing (as instructed by Adire) into the box. Don't worry if there is stuffing at the ends of the ports. The stuff will be everywhere - just fluff it about and distribute it evenly. As long as it isn't stuffed in a thick packed ball at the end of the port, I don't think there is any issue with having stuffing between the ports and driver.

As for feeling the air moving from the ports...I asked this same question myself when I built my tempest. Turns out that you won't feel air (or much of it) from the ports. The flared ports have some sort of special characteristic such that air will move without you feeling it.

My Tempest sub is built with the Adire Alignment using the exact instructions from the website. I feel no air moving in front of the ports (except very minor movement during intense bass). My sub is stuffed with polyfil in a random manner, with no consideration for the space between the driver and ports. And in the end, my tempest is an insane bass machine that actually gives me a headache after a few hours of listening. I think that's evidence enough.