Harris Technologies Speaker Enclosure Design Program Manual

Design Wizard
Design Wizard
BassBox Pro includes a powerful Design
Wizard to help new users quickly design a
speaker. It can start with either the driver
or box and it will walk you through BassBox Pro as it prompts you for information
in an orderly progression. In this way it
serves as a “smart” assistant to help you
use the program.
BassBox Pro is a powerful speaker enclosure design program.
It is used around the world by professional and amateur speaker system
designers to design worldclass speaker boxes. BassBox Pro is very versatile
and can be used to design speakers for a wide variety of applications including
home hi-fi, home theater, car, truck, van, pro sound reinforcement, recording
studio monitors, stage monitors, PA, musical instruments, etc.
Easy to Learn and Use
Welcome Window
BassBox Pro has many features that
make it very easy to learn and use.
For example, when the program is first
run, a Welcome window will appear to
help you configure the program and
introduce you to its online manual.
The online manual is extensive and
contains most of the same information
as the beautiful 364 page printed
manual. Both the online and printed
manuals are the best in the industry
and include a “Box Designer’s Guide”,
“Sample Designs” and “BassBox Pro
Reference”.
Main Window
BassBox Pro Main Window
The centerpiece of BassBox Pro
is its resizable main window that
includes a summary of all open
designs. Up to 10 designs can
be open simultaneously. A mini
preview graph is provided for
each design to show its
amplitude response. These
preview graphs are automatically updated whenever a design
is altered, providing “real time”
feedback. A small picture beside
each mini graph displays the
box type that has been selected (closed, vented, bandpass or passive
radiator). A summary of the driver and box parameters is listed in a text box.
Largest Driver Database
Online Manual
BassBox Pro also includes a “balloon”
help feature (shown below). When the
mouse hovers over a control or label,
a small text box will appear to provide
a definition or explanation of the object
below.
Three Step Box Design
There are many ways to begin a design with BassBox Pro, including the use of
its innovative Design Wizard. In general, speaker design involves these steps:
1 Enter the driver
parameters such as Fs,
Vas and Qts. BassBox
Pro’s driver database
contains parameters for
thousands of drivers.
2 Calculate the box volume
and tuning. This is very
easy with the program’s
helpful “Suggest” button.
3 Evaluate the performance
with the graphs. This can
include the effects of the
acoustical environment.
For example, BassBox
Pro can estimate how the
speaker will sound to
passengers in a car.
Each box design can be saved and re-opened or re-used later. As many as ten
different designs can be open at the same time. Box designs can also be
duplicated so that driver or box information does not need to be re-entered.
BassBox Pro includes the world’s largest database of
driver parameters! Users can add, edit or delete drivers
and it can be searched by manufacturer, model name,
parameters and suitability for a closed or vented box.
Driver Properties
Three Views of the Driver Properties Window
Information about a driver is
contained in the Driver Properties
window. Like many windows in
BassBox Pro, it uses tabs to
organize the information. Three of
its six tabs are displayed at right.
The first example shows the
“Configuration” tab where the
number of drivers and their
mechanical and electrical
configurations are set.
The second example shows the
“Parameters” tab containing the
driver’s Thiele-Small and
electromechanical parameters.
“Net” parameters are displayed
when more than one driver is
specified. If the driver has a dual
voice coil, separate parameters
can be entered for each of the
three voice coil wiring methods
(separate, parallel and series). An
“expert mode” is available to
automatically analyze driver
parameters for errors.
The third example shows the
“Dimensions” tab containing the
driver’s outer shape, piston type,
dimensions and volume settings.
A driver illustration with dynamic
dimension labels is provided to
simplify dimension entry.
Not shown are the “Description”,
“Response” and “External” tabs.
© 2011 by Harris Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Harris Tech reserves the right to make changes without prior notice. BassBox is a trademark of Harris Technologies, Inc. Other trademarks belong to their respective companies.
Design Many Different Box Types & Shapes
Acoustic Properties
BassBox Pro models a wide variety of box types including closed, vented,
vented with active HP EQ filter (B6), single-tuned and double-tuned bandpass
and passive radiator boxes as shown below:
BassBox Pro accepts two types of
acoustic data. It can be entered
manually or imported from several
measurement systems (B&K, CLIO,
IMP, LMS, JBL/SIA Smaart, MLSSA,
Sample Champion, TEF-20 and
TrueRTA). The data is added to
some graphs to improve accuracy.
Car/ Room Acoustic Properties Window
The acoustic response of the listening environment is entered into the
Car/Room Acoustic Properties window (shown above). For example, the acoustic response of a vehicle interior
can be entered to show how a speaker will sound to passengers in a car.
The normalized acoustic response of the driver is entered into the “Response”
tab of the Driver Properties window (not shown). The driver’s acoustic
response is normalized to its predicted Thiele-Small response.
Performance
Twenty-two different box shapes are available as shown below:
Custom Amplitude Response Graph
BassBox Pro provides 9 graphs
to evaluate the performance of
a speaker design. The Normalized Amplitude Response,
System Impedance, Phase
Response and Group Delay
graphs are provided for smallsignal analysis. The Custom
Amplitude Response, Maximum Acoustic Power, Maximum Electric Input Power, Cone Displacement and
Vent Air Velocity graphs are provided for large-signal analysis.
The graphs include numerous options. There are two graph modes: a combination graph window which displays graphs one at a time for computers with
low VGA resolutions and separate graph windows for simultaneously displaying multiple graphs for computers with higher XGA resolutions.
Box Properties
The information about the box is
contained in the Box Properties
window. Three tabs are displayed
at right. They depict a singletuned bandpass box with three
chambers (using 2 drivers).
The first example shows the “Box
Design” tab where the box type,
shape, volume, tuning and
dimensions are set. Notice that it
includes a scaled drawing of the
box. This drawing automatically
updates in “real time” whenever
the box is changed.
Three Views of the Box Properties Window
The graphs can also display the estimated piston band on-axis amplitude rise
of a driver and the estimated diffraction response shelf (for select box shapes)
that can arise from the front-panel circumference of the box.
Other options include two vertical and two horizontal scales, 7 graph memories, a cursor and an export (copy) function via the Windows clipboard.
Custom Printouts
Custom printouts can be created which include the box
and driver parameters, a three-dimensional box drawing
with internal and external dimensions, a parts list with
box parts drawings, dimensions and cut angles, an
English fraction-to-decimal table, a wiring diagram with
an external network parts list and nine graphs. A custom
logo or graphic can be included in the title block.
The second example shows the
“Vents” tab which contains the
vent parameters and dimensions.
The vent parameters include the
number of vents, their shape and
end type. If a passive radiator box
is selected, this tab will appear
as the “Passive Rad.” tab.
Multiple, identical passive
radiators can be specified and
the program will automatically
display their “net” parameters.
Test Procedures
The third example shows the
“Parts List” tab with a scaled
drawing of each box part, a list of
dimensions and, if appropriate,
cut angles.
BassBox Pro includes:
Not shown are the “Description”,
“Damping” and “Interior” tabs.
Driver and passive radiator test procedures are included in the program to help
you measure most Thiele-Small parameter. (Requires test equipment.)
Passive Network
A passive network (HP, BP or LP filter, impedance EQ network and/or L-pad)
can be entered or imported from X•over Pro to display the system response.
Compatibility
BassBox 6 Pro can open speaker design files from BassBox 6 Lite and older
versions of BassBox (versions 5.1, 5.0, 4.0 and 3.0).
A CD-R with the BassBox Pro program, driver database and online manual. A 364 page printed manual.
System Requirements
Requires Microsoft® Windows® and has broad compatibility with 32-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista,
XP, 2000, NT4, Me and 98. It also runs under many 64-bit versions of Windows. The program requires
at least 36 Mbytes of free hard drive space and a CD-R compatible CD, DVD or Blur-ray drive. Also,
the Arial and Symbol TrueType fonts must be installed (both fonts are a standard feature of Windows).
Main Window continued...
A mini preview graph is located in the upper right corner of X•over Pro’s main
window. It displays the amplitude response if the Thiele-Small parameters are
available for the drivers and provides “real time” feedback of design changes.
A “Filters” and an “EQ” tab are located below the mini preview graph. They list
the values of all capacitors, inductors and resistors in the schematic and
enable users to manually change them. Standard values can also be substituted for the calculated values of all components in the design.
Largest Driver Database
X•over Pro is an innovative passive network design program. It
can help you design a 2-way or 3-way passive crossover network, a high-pass,
band-pass or low-pass filter, an impedance equalization network, an L-pad and
a series or parallel notch filter. With its internal Thiele-Small modeling engine
and impedance equalization, X•over Pro provides professional results without
requiring you to make complex measurements of each driver.
Easy to Learn and Use
Welcome Window
X•over Pro has many features that
make it very easy to learn and use.
For example, when the program is first
run, a Welcome window will appear to
help you configure the program and
introduce you to its online manual.
The online manual is extensive and
contains most of the same information
as the beautiful 243 page printed
manual. Both the online and printed
manuals are the best in the industry
and include a “Crossover Network
Designer’s Guide” and “X•over Pro
Reference”.
Online Manual
X•over Pro includes the world’s largest database
of driver parameters! It includes both open back
drivers (like woofers) and sealed back drivers (like
tweeters). Users can add, edit or delete drivers and it can
be searched by manufacturer, model name and driver/box parameters.
Driver Properties
Driver Properties Window
Driver information is entered,
imported or loaded into the Driver
Properties window shown at right.
It uses six tabs to organize the
information.
X•over Pro scales its capabilities
to fit the quantity of driver information entered. A crossover
network, filter or L-pad can be
designed with just the nominal
impedance value of each driver.
With sufficient Thiele-Small
parameters, the program can also design impedance equalization networks
and it can display the response in its four performance graphs.
Performance
Normalized Amplitude Response Graph
X•over Pro provides 4 graphs
to evaluate the performance of
a crossover network design.
This includes the Normalized
Amplitude Response, System
Impedance, Phase Response
and Group Delay graphs.
X•over Pro also includes a “balloon”
help feature (shown below). When the
mouse hovers over a control or label,
a small text box will appear to provide
a definition or explanation of the object
below.
The graphs include numerous
options. There are two graph modes: a combination graph window displays
graphs one at a time for low VGA resolutions and separate graph windows
simultaneously display multiple graphs for higher XGA resolutions.
Other options include two vertical scales, 7 graph memories, a “net” plot line, a
cursor and an export (copy) function via the Windows clipboard.
Helpful Tools
Many Popular Crossover Networks & Filters
X•over Pro designs passive 2-way and 3-way crossover networks and separate low-pass, band-pass and high-pass filters. Users can choose 1st, 2nd, 3rd
and 4th-order “ladder” filter topologies. The crossover networks use the popular “parallel” topology. 2-way crossover networks and separate low-pass and
high-pass filters offer Bessel, Butterworth, Chebychev, Gaussian, Legendre,
Linear-Phase and Linkwitz-Riley filter types. 3-way crossover networks and
separate band-pass filters offer All-Pass Crossover (APC) and Constant-Power
Crossover (CPC) filter types.
X•over Pro includes several tool windows such as: a Filter Component
Resistance Estimator to estimate ESR and DCR, a Parallel-Series Value
Calculator, a Color Value Decoder and a Notch Filter Designer.
Custom Printouts
Custom printouts can be created which include a list of
all capacitors, inductors, resistors and their values, a
schematic depicting the details of both the component
wiring and driver wiring, the driver and box parameters
and four graphs. A custom logo or graphic can be
imported and printed in the title block.
X•over Pro Main Window
Main Window
The centerpiece of X•over Pro
is its resizable main window
containing many of the filter
settings for the crossover network and a schematic depicting
the crossover network/filters,
impedance equalization network, L-pads and driver wiring.
Four display options are provided for the schematic.
continued above...
Compatibility
X•over 3 Pro can open older X•over files (versions 2.1, 2.0 and 1.0). It can also
import driver/box data from BassBox Pro/Lite.
X•over Pro includes:
A CD-R with the X•over Pro program, driver database
and online manual. A 243 page printed manual.
System Requirements
Requires Microsoft® Windows® and has broad compatibility with 32-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista,
XP, 2000, NT4, Me and 98. It also runs under many 64-bit versions of Windows. The program requires
at least 31 Mbytes of free hard drive space and a CD-R compatible CD, DVD or Blur-ray drive. Also,
the Arial and Symbol TrueType fonts must be installed (both fonts are a standard feature of Windows).
Design Properties
Design Properties Window
Driver and box information are
entered in the Design
Properties window. The data
is organized with eight tabs.
The “Box” tab with a scaled
box drawing is shown at right.
BassBox Lite is a streamlined or “Lite” version of BassBox Pro
without a driver database. It offers 85% of the most powerful speaker box design features of the Pro version while using a condensed user interface that
combines the graphs with the main window. BassBox Lite offers additional cost
savings by providing an extensive online manual instead of a printed manual.
Easy to Learn and Use
Twelve popular box shapes are available (shown below):
Welcome Window
BassBox Lite has many features that
make it very easy to learn and use.
For example, when the program is first
run, a Welcome window will appear to
help you configure the program and
introduce you to its online manual.
The online manual is extensive and
well illustrated. It is installed with the
program and it can be used by itself or
it can be opened from within the
program. It includes a “Box Designer’s
Guide” with sample designs and a
comprehensive “BassBox Lite
Reference”.
Data only needs to be entered
once. Then it can be saved
and re-used later in new
designs. Driver data can also
be imported into an open
design from another BassBox
Lite speaker design file without affecting the box data of the open design.
Main Window
BassBox Lite Main Window
The focus of BassBox Lite is
its compact main window with
a summary of all open
designs and the performance
graphs. Up to four designs
can be open simultaneously.
Online Manual
BassBox Lite also includes a “balloon”
help feature (shown below). When the
mouse hovers over a control or label,
a small text box will appear to provide
a definition or explanation of the object
below.
A mini preview graph is provided for each design to show
its amplitude response. They
provide “real time” feedback of
design changes. A small
picture beside them displays
the selected box type (closed,
vented, bandpass or passive radiator). A summary of the design parameters is
listed below. Nine large graphs are viewed one at a time at the bottom of the
main window. These are the same graphs available in BassBox Pro.
Acoustic Properties
The bass boost of several acoustical environments can be estimated.
Compatibility
System Requirements
Requires Microsoft® Windows® and has broad compatibility with 32-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista,
XP, 2000, NT4, Me and 98. It also runs under many 64-bit versions of Windows. The program requires
at least 23 Mbytes of free hard drive space and a CD-R compatible CD, DVD or Blur-ray drive. Also,
the Arial and Symbol TrueType fonts must be installed (both fonts are a standard feature of Windows).
BassBox 6 Lite can open most speaker design files from BassBox 6 Pro and
older versions of BassBox (versions 5.1, 5.0, 4.0 and 3.0).
BassBox Lite includes:
A CD-R with the BassBox Lite program and thorough online manual.
The HT Typeface Collection is a collection of four audio font sets. They
can help to draw attention B to your printed materials by adding highquality graphics W to your reports, proposals and letters. The sample
schematic shown below depicts a signal source [, a 4th-order low-pass
filter 4 (two series inductors a and two parallel capacitors v), an Lpad (one series and one parallel resistor ,) and a driver g. It was
created with the “HT Schematic” font.
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Samples of each of the collection’s four audio font sets are displayed at right.
“HT Speakers” font samples:
All four font sets are provided in both the TrueType® and Adobe® Postscript ®
Type 1 formats for Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, NT4, NT3, Me, 98, 95 and
3.1. They are provided on CD-R w and include a printed “Key Map” showing
how the keyboard is used with each font set.
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The HT Typeface Collection License Agreement allows the font sets to be installed on up to five computers if they are owned or leased by the licensee.
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“HT Microphones” font samples:
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