What is recommended for securing the EOS-8 waveguide to the baffle? Does it need to be air-tight? Edit: I hadn't completely unwrapped the waveguide yet. I see now that it has four holes for screws, and from doing some digging around in seos12 build threads it appears the gasket I thought was for the woofer is actually for the back of the waveguide. So I guess I just put the gasket on the back of it and screw it down when I'm ready for final mounting. Can someone confirm that is correct? Does the woofer not need a gasket in this case?
I wasn't sure either, but I've had good results and I think I made some good choices. I built Cheap Thrills Here's what I did. I used the supplied gasket material to seal the waveguide - I've read that this is in fact the intention (from Erich) First, I test fit everything with the backing still on the gasket, to make sure I knew how it would fit. Then I removed the backing gradually, as I set the gasket onto the face of the baffle. The adhesive is not strong, but holds nicely if you give it a little bit of a stretch as you lay it down - like electrical tape. You'll see that I had a little extra to trim, because of the stretching. I also tried to position the gasket directly under the screw holes - not inside or outside, but I'm not sure that makes a difference. Then I laid the waveguide back in, and used a small drill bit to predrill through the waveguide screw holes into the baffle. (Are you comfortable choosing a bit to predrill with?) Obviously, you want to be very careful here. Then I removed the waveguide and got rid of the shavings from the holes. The holes were hard to see because of the gasket, but since the cutout in the baffle is so close a fit, the holes lines up nicely. Then you want to screw it down by hand - don't use a power tool. A couple other tips - as you line it up and screw it down, get all the screws in position and started before you snug any of them. The fit is precise enough that you probably will get it right, but best to make sure everything is lined up before tightening. Second, they don't need to be super tight - you can easily strip screws in MDF by hand. Any gasket (whether in a speaker or an engine or whatever) is tight enough once it has deformed - so once the waveguide or woofer is pressing down into it, you're done. If you place your free hand's finger over the seem, you'll feel the waveguide sit down into the gasket - just get it square and evenly seated all around. I decided to use similar foam weather strip for my woofer, but sometimes you will find that the woofer has some foam on the back of the flange already. Fred
Thank you, Fred. That's exactly the information I was looking for. I'm fine with pre-drilling holes, and choosing the right bit for it. I just wasn't sure the gasket was for the waveguide. Until I saw the screw holes, I was thinking it had to be put in place with some kind of silicone sealer/glue. Now I have a pretty good idea how it goes together, and your pictures cleared up any remaining confusion. The help is appreciated.