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DIY Speakers

Voigt Pipe cabinet for the Mark Audio Pluvia7 PHD

August 4, 2023

The success of the bass-reflex cabinet for the Cube Audio F8 Magus and the curiosity about the sonic capabilities of the Mark Audio drivers lead me to this project.

My first Voigt Pipe

I've known and listened to various Voigt Pipe designs and build decades ago but their shapes and sizes do not interest me. Looking at the different cabinet designs in the web, I got interested with the DDVP-10 by spc.jpn.org

Th size is just perfect, as tall as my bass-reflex Cube Audio F8 Magus, and about half the width. I will be able to set both side by side.

I contacted my usual source for 18mm veneered plywood and submitted the cutlist for a pair of DDVP-10 which you can also find here.

The drivers

I chose the Asian Edition (paper cone), the Mark Audio PLUVIA 7 PHD from Sound Imports. I highly recommend this company for your DIY needs.

Boards, boards, boards...

For this project, I chose the 18mm thick American Mahogany plyboards. Their dark color attracted me and they look good as they arrived from my supplier

This is the mock up of how it will be assembled. Up next is to run the CNC code on my Snapmaker A250 for the speaker hole.

CNC ala Snapmaker

Why not? It's doing what it's supposed to do and make my life easier and more enjoyable. This is now a routine for me, Fusion 360 for design and Snapmaker A250 to execute what I need.

Unlike the Cube Audio F8 Magus, the Pluvia 7 is flushed to the front panel and is nicely done with the Snapmaker A250.

As instructed, felt wool on the upper portion, and polyester wool behind the front panel.

I ordered a meter of Canare 2S9F for the internal wiring. For the binding posts, I bought these heavy duty rhodium-plated copper 45mm binding posts.

All I need now is at least two days for the glue to cure and I will hear how good (or bad) this project is.

Sound check

The Mark Audio Pluvia 7 PHD offers a different presentation compared to the Cube Audio F8 Magus, both of which are paper cone drivers. I want to attribute the sonic characteristic to the box being a folded horn/Voigt pipe, but I may be making wild assumptions.

The perceived bass produced by the DDVP-10 x Pluvia 7 PHD is enjoyable and fools my brain into thinking that I really hear plenty of bass. Not only that, BABYMETA, Nightwish, and many of the same genre albums sound really good even at low volumes (I play music no more than 80dB).