Rich_P
Auditioning
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2003
- Messages
- 9
I've done quite a few car audio installs, and i'd like to try my hand at DIY home speakers. I have a strong urge to make some sort of crazy enclosure. Right now i'm seriously contemplating trying to make a replica of the B&W Nautilus Prestige. Probably not the best idea for my first home speaker enclosure, eh? hehe... what can i say, i like a challenge.
Honestly, i'm not super concerned about the sound quality of these things. Right now i'm looking for mostly aesthetics (by now i probably have a lot of people rolling their eyes!), since i actually already have many thousands of dollars of home theater speakers that i'm satisfied with. That being said, i don't want it to sound HORRIBLE! So here's my first question - what type of material would i use to produce that shell shape? I searched around on this forum and didn't see much talk of fiberglass - which would be (somewhat) easy to form into that shape. Would a fiberglass enclosure on its own be stiff enough? I'm used to reinforcing fiberglass enclosures with MDF or some other material, but that might be difficult with that kind of crazy shape. Any suggestions? Just make it extremely thick walled?
My second question is about the Nautilus itself - can anyone tell me anything about that shape? Is it actually like a spiral tube, or is the shell just an odd shaped single volume? Does it have a port somewhere? I would assume that there's more to it than just its volume - are the exact dimensions and curves crucial to its sound? I understand that my driver selection will obviously affect the exact measurments of everything, but i'm just beginning my planning phase, so i'm looking mostly for general suggestions here. However, if anyone wants to suggest some driver selections totalling under $2k i wouldn't complain! Keep in mind that the cones will be visible, and thus i'm looking for attractive components.
Thanks ahead of time for your help guys...
-Rich
Honestly, i'm not super concerned about the sound quality of these things. Right now i'm looking for mostly aesthetics (by now i probably have a lot of people rolling their eyes!), since i actually already have many thousands of dollars of home theater speakers that i'm satisfied with. That being said, i don't want it to sound HORRIBLE! So here's my first question - what type of material would i use to produce that shell shape? I searched around on this forum and didn't see much talk of fiberglass - which would be (somewhat) easy to form into that shape. Would a fiberglass enclosure on its own be stiff enough? I'm used to reinforcing fiberglass enclosures with MDF or some other material, but that might be difficult with that kind of crazy shape. Any suggestions? Just make it extremely thick walled?
My second question is about the Nautilus itself - can anyone tell me anything about that shape? Is it actually like a spiral tube, or is the shell just an odd shaped single volume? Does it have a port somewhere? I would assume that there's more to it than just its volume - are the exact dimensions and curves crucial to its sound? I understand that my driver selection will obviously affect the exact measurments of everything, but i'm just beginning my planning phase, so i'm looking mostly for general suggestions here. However, if anyone wants to suggest some driver selections totalling under $2k i wouldn't complain! Keep in mind that the cones will be visible, and thus i'm looking for attractive components.
Thanks ahead of time for your help guys...
-Rich