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In the Forum: Horn-Loaded Speakers
In the Thread: Macondo Frame modification.
Post Subject: Macondo Frame modification.Posted by Romy the Cat on: 12/22/2006

Since my new tweeter will be arriving in a month or so I am slowing completing the ideas of finalizing the frame of my Macondo. Whoever dealt with 4-ways horn-lodes know that framing of this thing is quite tough. It should be functional and none-abusive at the same time and it is quite hard to accomplish. Also, horns do feel the presence of frames and fewer frames is always better. A horn just handing in open air – is absolutely the best.

I really satisfied and very comfortable with the way how in Macondo upperbass horn and MF horn mounted. The upperbass horn sites in the custom profiled wood assemble, filed with sand. It is very firm, very heavy and it does perfect foundation for Macondo.

SecondTrans.jpg

There is a custom fame made for MF. I spent quote a time to design and to make it. I find it quite elegant looking and very functional as it does allow the reflections to bypass itself and do not bounce them back. The MF horn is hard-coupled to the MF frame but the MF frame is decoupled form the upperbass horn and sits in the upperbass horn under own weight. To insult the injury I have 40 point lead blob sitting inside the MF frame. A tweeter will be sitting above and behind the MF horn, on own mounting harness. I do not have it yet but everything will be quite straight forward there…

So, the entire assembly is feely might be moved in it’s search of the  DPoLS (there are carpet sliders under the bass horn frame). However, the lower MF horn (LMF) screws the entire picture.

When I added the lower-mid-frequency channel - LMFC (or as I called it “the fundamentals channel”) I really did not want to put any frame in front of the MF of HF channels and I ended up mounting the LMFC from behind. It works very well sonically, but it makes the entire Macondo very-very difficult to move as now I need to move the Macondo assembly and then, separately, to move the tripod with LMFC, along with all that complex system of contra-weights and LMFC alignment.

MacondoFrame1.gif

So, my idea is to make the entire 4-ways Macondo to be uni-moble and still to keep all Macondo’s accomplishments not compromised. What I am thinking is to put under the bass frame a plate with harnesses to hold the bass frame. On the back side of the bottom plate I would have a shoe in witch I vertical profiled rod will go. This vertical bar will run all the way up and will be lying in the back of the upperbass horn.

MacondoFrame2.gif

MacondoFrame3.GIF

It is very simaple to visualize everything form picture. I like the idea and the only concern I have is that the vertical rod (and partially if it will loaded is as it is on the last image) might bend or curve. Perhaps by selection of a correct profile for the rod or the rod’s material, I would be able to prevent curving but… still it will be ~7” tall – and will be caring quite a mass…. Perhaps I would come up with gaskets between the back of upperbass horn and that vertical rod that would allow to offset the rod’s bending and to keep the axe of LMFC channel parallel to the MF? However if the rod bends then most likely the depth of the banding will be changing with time… I need some consulting with metallurgists….

Rgs,
Romy the caT

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