Boxing Instructions

It is really hard to believe what these speakers have to offer in terms of sound volume and therefore listening pleasure: crystal-clear but silky-soft highs, rich mid-range tones and brilliant basses. And all this in elegant, very slim, maple-veneered chipboard housings.

Sound experts have known for a long time: The reproduction quality of a loudspeaker does not necessarily depend on its volume. Rather, the perfect coordination of the individual components with each other is of crucial importance for optimal listening pleasure. These components include the speakers (in our example, tweeters, mid-range speakers and woofers) and, on the other hand, the crossover that is precisely tailored to this chassis combination. Ideally, the crossover is designed so that the transitions between the individual speakers are not audible, or at least hardly audible.

Another criterion for optimizing the sound quality are the shape and size of the bass reflex channel, which is usually located in the lower area of a box on the back, as well as the connection terminals that are wired directly to the crossover. However, the entire technology can be worked out and perfected, without the right housing with the ideal volume, it is practically worthless. And we want to go into this case in the following before we turn back to the special features of the technology. Because we have had our instructions for speaker construction fine- tuned by the sound professional - for optimal sound!

Speaker wooden cabinet

At first glance, the structure of the VOX 200 Light (that's the name of the box at Visaton) looks quite complicated. However, if you use our box building instructions as a template for the workflow and the technical information of the drawings, nothing should stand in the way of a successful replica. The bass reflex channel is located in the lower part of the housing. It consists of the base plate, an intermediate floor and a web. In the middle area there are two stiffeners that are intended to prevent the side walls from swinging. In the upper part of the cabinet, behind the baffle cutout for the mid / high range unit, the closed cabinet required for the midrange speakers is arranged.

Three holes are to be drilled in the rear wall of the midrange housing, through which the connecting cables between the three chassis and the crossover are led. These holes are then to be sealed well with commercially available silicone so as not to endanger the closed character of the housing and at the same time to avoid sound pressure losses.

You should be familiar with the device when working with the router on the front panel. Guiding the compass plate on the narrow board is not that easy. A nail serves as the center of the circle. When milling the circles, add a half or a millimeter. If a chassis does not fit into the cutout later, a clean correction is hardly possible anymore. Milling the flat dowel slots (especially on the surfaces of the side walls) requires patience and arithmetic work, because the material centers have to be repeatedly hit. So you'd better calculate too much than too little before starting the router in the wrong place.

Build the speaker housing yourself

The special feature of the box is the installation of the woofer in a side wall. The boxes are set up in mirror image, ie the woofer sits once on the right and once on the left side wall. When setting up, both woofers should point inwards from the listener. The actual mounting plate is glued behind the square cutouts in the corresponding side wall. The bass can be inserted so deep that it can be covered flush with the covering frame.

For damping, one of the three mats is placed in the midrange cabinet and the rest is distributed throughout the volume. Only the space above the tunnel opening (rear of the baffle) up to the lowest stiffening remains free. Practical tip: If the woofer is too strong due to the installation, the bass level can be lowered by stuffing the area mentioned up to the tunnel opening.

Source: himself is the man