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Magna Cum Laude

Magna Cum Laude
Design Goals
Driver Selection
Enclosure Design
Enclosure Assembly
Crossover Design
Conclusion
Parts List
About the Designer
- Enclosure Construction & Assembly -

The enclosures for these speakers are constructed of 3/4" MDF, and it takes almost two full sheets of material. The overall cabinet is a simple three-dimensional rectangle, with only a few extra construction features to add complexity. First is the midrange enclosure, which as I mentioned previously runs the full depth of the cabinet, so is essentially a hollow square tube. This was built separately and then installed as the front and rear panels were secured.

Due to the 3/4" roundover I planned on using along the front edges, I also added some secondary 3/4" cleats to the front edges of the sides, top, and bottom. This provides extra joint strength and bracing of the front baffle. I cut some of my scrap material down to create cross bracing between the front, rear, and sides.

The cabinet finish I chose was the Band-It melamine pro duct, which I like because of its durability and attractive looks. The birch and black finishes would create a nice contrast between the front baffle and sides. However, for a speaker this size, the melamine can get quite costly and the iron-on application is quite time consuming. If I was building this without as much concern for the looks, I would use either peel-and-stick vinyl or a simple painted finish. As it was, wrapping the melamine around the front roundover was quite difficult and required a heat gun, iron, some precise trimming, and very hot hands.