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Author Topic:  Open backed speaker cab
Gerry Brown

 

From:
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 5:09 am    
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Are there guidelines for the optimal percentage and location of open space on the back side of an open backed speaker cab? I'm building a cab for a 15" speaker.
Thanks,
Gerry
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David Nugent

 

From:
Gum Spring, Va.
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 5:16 am    
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Gerry..Only a suggestion, but you might design the cab with the back piece in three separate sections. That would enable it to function either as a fully enclosed or open back unit depending on the job requirements.
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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 6:49 am    
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I built a cabinet for an Eminence EPS-15C. I built it the size of a Nashville 112 except 1" taller to accommodate the 15" speaker. The two back panels (top and bottom) were 3" each.

It was built to those dimensions as I had a Danny Bentley built hard cover for a Nashville 112 that I wanted to use. It was 1" too short but still worked OK. Not very scientific but the EPS-15C sounded great on both E9th and C6th.

The overall dimensions are:
21" wide
18" high
10" deep



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Gerry Brown

 

From:
Asheville, North Carolina, USA
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 7:52 am     Open backed speaker cab
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David, Thanks. That's an easy solution and gives some flexibility.

Jack- I'm assuming there is no downside to making the cab a bit smaller than that. I'll be driving this with your old Steeleaire rackmount.
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Bill A. Moore


From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 8:21 am    
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I have not built a 15" cab, but a couple of 12's and a 10" combo back have shown an increase in bass response. I cut an oval the length of the speaker, and the width, 1/4 of the size.






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Godfrey Arthur

 

From:
3rd Rock
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 8:42 am    
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Quote:
Are there guidelines for the optimal percentage and location of open space on the back side of an open backed speaker cab?


As with anything to do with speaker cab design, it always depends on the speaker itself. An open back is a port and it would take some trial and error to dial-in anything to do with this.

Guesstimating's operative word is "guess."

If you don't have a cabinet with a specific size, speaker used, rear port size, style, location made by someone who went through all the preliminaries of hitting the sweet spot for that open back with the particular speaker(s), you're playing pin the tail on the donkey.


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Jack Stoner


From:
Kansas City, MO
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 9:06 am    
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Gerry, That was what I used with the Steelaire Rack amp. Great sound, and even our lead guitar picker who is a "must have Fender" type liked it.

I supposed you could make it 18X18X10 but I wouldn't go any smaller or thinner. Too thin and you run into too many highs like one steel amp.
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Jerry Overstreet


From:
Louisville Ky
Post  Posted 17 Oct 2019 9:29 am    
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enclosure design just isn't that critical in open back musical instrument speaker cabinests. If you build it just big enough for the speaker, you'll be fine. The larger the enclosure, the more bottom generally.

You can almost always compensate and/or tweak everything in eq.

Jack has given you some good suggestions for dimensions.

I've built them in various sizes and can't tell much difference in the sound by comparing designs.

Here's one in a kick back design. I built this one so I can eliminate a speaker stand. It's barely big enough for this 15" BW, but it sounds just fine. It's closed back with a convertible 1" vent in the back and about a 2" port in the front.
One might think the angled baffle and smaller internal area would inhibit and/or suffer from less air movement but I'm not seeing any undesirable effects.
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