Loudspeaker Arrival

Our speakers have arrived! Today I went home to get them and set them up. I tested them out and they sound great. I'm quite pleased with our purchase. I'm excited to take them back to school tomorrow and show them to the rest of the group. I'm sure they will also be happy with the quality of the speakers. Below is a picture of the speakers hooked up to a receiver that will be used to complete our project.

Toilet Flange Discovery

Throughout the design process, one of primary issues has been in navigating the transition from the vertical plane (the column) to the horizontal plane (the top and bottom plates) in a secure manner. This joint was crucial to maintaining the structural integrity of the stand and preserving the sound quality of the speaker while sitting on the stand.

The apparent solution to this dilemma came in the form of an unlikely piece of hardware: the PVC toilet flange. These flanges are able to fit snugly over top of a 3" PVC (or inside of a 4"PVC), and include holes on the structure where bolts or screws can be inserted to couple a plate to the structure. With the application of PVC primer and glue, this flange should effectively provide a workable surface onto which plates can  be attached firmly. 

Below are images of the flange itself, and how it interacts with a 3" PVC pipe section:

Iterations of Stand Design

After hours of deliberation both in lab and outside of class, and after reflecting on the various possibilities for stand structure design, we have decided on three different iterations to model in Fusion360. One will consist of a tripod base for easy leveling for different surfaces, while the other has a more standard rectangular base. These first two will have one 3" PVC functioning as the main structural component. The third design will consist of 3 smaller (2" diameter) PVC, arranged in a triangular pattern to function as the structure, with rectangular plates on the base.

Each team member will be in charge of creating one of these CAD models, in hopes that they will be finished by the weekend. We may also use Fusion360's built-in structure/stress analysis to test the dynamics acting on each of the designs. Overall, we hope to have a final decision on the stand design by this weekend, as the following weeking (4/23) is the date that we will be constructing the stands themselves.

Other issues to iron out are the scale/materials of the prototypes, and also a final deliberation on the material used for the plates at the top and the bottom of the stand (essentially determining whether steel is the best/most appropriate option for base material). Again, we hope to have these issues ironed out by the start of lab next week so that we can accurately formulate a list of necessary parts/materials needed when we visit a hardware store prior to construction.

Loudspeaker Purchase

We have officially purchased our loudspeakers that we will be using for testing. We decided to go with the lesser known ELAC B5's over the Bose 201's. After hours of research, we couldn't find anyone who was not thrilled with their purchase. The knowledge of customer satisfaction, the award they won last year, and the fact that they were designed by Andrew Jones put these speakers at the top of our list. They should arrive this week, so we will be able to begin playing with them and see how they sound.

Stand Research - Existing Designs

In an attempt to gain design inspiration and continue to gain familiarity with the speaker/speaker stand industry, I visited WorldWide Stereo, a dealer in high quality speaker and home theater systems and entertainment furniture. This visit provided invaluable knowledge regarding the design, materials, and properties of industry-standard stands.

Even though many speaker stand designs varied in their aesthetic qualities, they did have many similarities in various features. These included:

1. Similar height (stands stood 24 inches on average)
2. Rigidity - stiff structure, with bolts on the joints
3. Weight - gained through the choice of material (steel)
4. Stability - rubber stops or spikes ensured a firm connection with the floor
5. Isolation - rubber, foam, or cork was used on the surface on which the speaker stood

These factors will be heeded in the design of our custom speaker stand, which will begin this week.

Below are images of some speaker stands whose designs appeared both viable and effective, and could be used for inspiration in our project.