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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Rakeshorns
Post Subject: Reflections on design process of LVFramePosted by oxric on: 12/7/2011
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 JKnechtel wrote:
Rakesh,
I think your in the UK, amiright?  I see you are.  Never mind, was going to ask who your woodworker was.   I need to find someone similar here.  If your willing to share your plans for you stands, let me know.  I really like the look of the stand idea you have.   Still brainstorming here.   Josh


Elsewhere Josh also wrote:

 JKnechtel wrote:

I have large midbass horns and midrange horns made by elevenhorns.   I am still trying to figure out a stand idea.  I've read many creative ideas but I still haven't found the idea that inspires me.   I do like the all wood direction that Rakeshorn took.    I know Romy went metal based on aesthetics of not seeing the stands.  Personally I kind of like the aesthetics of Jesses'.   
Basically this thread is just a request for ideas, brainstorming as it was.






Hi Josh,

In response to your query, I was nearly tempted to start a new thread devoted to my frames as I think they are close to being so perfectly modular as to be able to accommodate most designs of multi-channel horn systems. It required a fair amount of thinking of what was required and I spent over the past few months several hours discussing my requirements with Russ Collinson. What was essential for making my frame design a success was having someone who could discuss ideas and quickly distinguish between the plausible and the impractical.

As for plans, whilst I am normally happy to provide plans, drawings and inventory list of everything I do for public use because I do not make a living out of this hobby, I would rather not do so on this occasion as the final result is so much the responsibility of the person with the real talent with wood and that is Russ. A design like this is inherently dangerous unless you know what you are doing and I do not have the slightest clue how Russ managed to get the strength required without the use of the triangular metal plates as Romy recommended and as I myself felt might be necessary.

In anything I do, I try to have as complete control as possible over every single design element. I will say this much however in the case of the design of Rakeshorns, especially of the LVFrame. Some design elements I left to Russ’s entire discretion and he came up with his own solutions. The two most important ones had to do with the strength of the frame structure and the adjustability of the UB115 horns in the horizontal and vertical planes. I like to be in full control of design and normally would never have left such important design decisions to the discretion of absolutely anyone. Russ gave me the confidence from the start that I could leave even the most critical decisions in his capable hands. With Russ, I went over what I required (in the case of the frame primarily safety for the children, and elegant minimalist looks and in the case of the cradle, fair amount of adjustability whilst being unobtrusive) and only today I have finally understood the solutions he came up with. I am astounded how his design here answered every single requirement of mine and managed to look better than I would have dared imagine possible.

In the end I decided not to start that new thread because I also think that one cannot dissociate the design of the frame from that of the entire acoustic system. In the photos that I have posted, you will have seen that there are a number of other ideas which are alluded to (see the rod samples), which will further be incorporated in the horns that will be custom made for this frame. I do however have other simpler ready-made horns which can be accommodated within this design without too much fuss.

In your search for the perfect frame, the most important requirement  is an ally, someone who is both an individual with the right skill set, but also a friend who will not mind discussing ideas and providing you with a harsh dose of reality every now and then. For me that was Russ.  Although he is somewhat a long way from you, I know that shipping abroad is actually not as bad as it sounds even for these horns and frames. I was surprised by just how decently priced shipping was when someone from Australia asked Russ to quote shipping of the large horns to his address there. My advice would be to talk to Russ and he will know exactly how best to modify the design of the LVFrame to accommodate your gorgeous horns by Jeffrey Jackson. I am quite willing to help you design the supporting rig to go with the frame if you like what I have designed although it is not implemented as yet  (for free of course).

About ‘brainstorming,’ although the term works well in most professional fields, I am slightly concerned about this approach applied to the design of a frame for an acoustic system like the one you have in mind. The suggestion is that a group of fairly disparate people with different requirements and priorities will come up with ideas and solutions from which the initiator will be able to pick the most promising ones. I am not too sure whether that approach would have worked in my case and I am very happy that I was able to approach the whole subject using my own understanding of my requirements as my only guide to the final design. Being clear about my requirements meant it was not possible on occasion to get distracted when other solutions presented themselves as I could see in a fraction of a second how they did not fit in with some of these requirements.

Josh, I do not know if any of this long post is any help to you or anyone else considering embarking on a similar project but I hope that having just gone through the still unfinished design of the UB115 horns and LVFrame that my reflections on my recent endeavours might be of some value.

Best regards
Rakesh

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