Attaching fabric to the soft top

[TooDissing]

Description

The speaker front, where the drivers are mounted – i.e. the baffle – must be covered by fabric. This is done to solve two things:

1. to cover up the drivers as not everyone share the same visual appeal for speaker drivers
2. to visually "finish" the cabinet as this helps to close the "open" linoleum side

The fabric or cloth are to be mounted to a frame. This frame we call a soft top.

It must be fairly simply to remove the fabric for cleaning, repair or replacement. So gluing doesn't seem to be an option.

Definition of Done

• Cloth can be attached to the soft top
• The cloth is flush with the sides of the cabinet
• doesn't touch drivers when playing (at no volume)
• the cloth is removable without damaging it and can be reattached

Documentation

The soft top frame and cloth parts description must be updated as well as the assembly process.

[TooDissing]

If we create a type of "speaker sock" that fits over the soft top frame, then it might make sense to create a groove on the back of this frame to catch all the "overhang" as well as the stitching.
There should be plenty of room as the drivers aren't placed all that close to the sides.

Then we can maybe even avoid adding an elastic band inside the needed fold?

[MarcAlHauToe]

How about making the speaker so that it accepts all kinds of fabric as its softcover?

This way the user, or his wife, is able to customize the look of the speaker by swapping the softcover with any style of fabric of their own choosing.

You could add a cutting template for the fabric, as a help to the buyer, so it is easy to cut new softcover.

This could greatly increase the WAF of the speaker.

[TooDissing]

How about making the speaker so that it accepts all kinds of fabric as its softcover?

This way the user, or his wife, is able to customize the look of the speaker by swapping the softcover with any style of fabric of their own choosing.

You could add a cutting template for the fabric, as a help to the buyer, so it is easy to cut new softcover.

This could greatly increase the WAF of the speaker.

That is a pretty good idea - to even further enable customization for the look and feel.
We are still considering how to best mount the fabric, but we for sure needs to make it easy to replace it. Either to change the colors or just to clean it.
We will for sure also make any developed template available as part of this project.

[albjerre]

Does it have to be fabric?
What about a thin wooden cover with laser cut perforations in it? Or a thin 3D printed perforated plastic cover made with plant based PLA plastic?

[TooDissing]

Does it have to be fabric?
What about a thin wooden cover with laser cut perforations in it? Or a thin 3D printed perforated plastic cover made with plant based PLA plastic?

Fabric seems to the be easier option, as it require less post processing that 3D print, but as we will be using a simple snap-on mounting system for the soft top, customizations are possible :-)

And for the perforated wood I think that it will be hard to make it in such a way, that these perforations only have limited impact on the acoustics.
I have seen these perforated wood panels used in acoustic panels, which helps limit/diffuse the airflow.

[albjerre]

Fabric seems to the be easier option, as it require less post processing that 3D print, but as we will be using a simple snap-on mounting system for the soft top, customizations are possible :-)

I could try to make a test with a
3D printed cover using the same holes size as on a Sonos One speaker. I don't necessarily think it will require post processing.

[TooDissing]

Fabric seems to the be easier option, as it require less post processing that 3D print, but as we will be using a simple snap-on mounting system for the soft top, customizations are possible :-)

I could try to make a test with a 3D printed cover using the same holes size as on a Sonos One speaker. I don't necessarily think it will require post processing.

That would be cool! We are planning on using these snap fasteners: https://www.monacor.dk/produkter/kabinet-tilbehoer/vnr/124250/. The female one will be mounted in the baffle.
I'd better add the to the list of parts.