L-100 Audio Fidelity Modification?

[johnhb]

I heard that there was an article in an audio magazine in the late 80s that described a project to upgrade a pair of L-100s which would also apply to the 4311/12s. I recall something about stuffing the port with foam? Does anyone know anything about the publication or the article and where one might get a copy of it?

[AudioGeek]

I don't recall the article you mention, but I do know that some bass reflex and transmission line speaker cabs can benefit from being loaded to simulate an acoustic suspension cab.

It depends on the speaker and your listening preferences. Why not go ahead and plug up the ports with something, and see if you like the response any better? You may lose a dB or two in efficiency/output, but otherwise it won't hurt anything.

It's when you put an AS woofer in a ported cab that causes trouble, because usually a sealed box woofer's suspension isn't stiff enough to hold back the cone. You end up bottoming out the VC's and the woofer can quickly be rendered into toast.

[DavidF]

Don't know the article, but the idea of stuffing the port seems to be an effort to increase the damping on the woofer, i.e. to reduce (tame) the mid-bass emphasis. This will give that effect but the caveat is that it cuts the overall bass response and changes the balance of the system response. One interesting alternative I have not yet taken the time to try is using many soda straws (length of the straws is variable depending upon desired effect) to fill in the port. This gives the effect of increasing resistance while still allowing the port influence on response to take place. More on this at the Northcreek Audio site. http://www.northcreekmusic.com.

DavidF