Phoenix Gold Phorum

I know that Lexan is stronger, but I have no idea about the acoustic properties. If one were going to use a 3/8" piece of lexan for a window on a subwoofer enclosure, would it generally vibrate the same, more, or less than a 3/8" piece of plexiglass? Is there another material that is clear and performs better than either of those?

Kirghiz wrote:Is there another material that is clear and performs better than either of those?

Glass

joerg wrote:

Kirghiz wrote:Is there another material that is clear and performs better than either of those?

Glass

Well, yeah lol, but I was kinda going for something that doesn't break quite as easily.

A glass shop can get you tempered glass any size you want that won't break easy, just like a side window in a car.

Last I knew, Lexan is just a brand name for polycarbonate, which is stronger (impact resistant) than Plexiglas which is a brand name for acrylic.

Get laminated glass, as it's known down under.. basically, it's 2 glass sheets laminated together with a sheet of "film" between them..

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Damo95 wrote:Get laminated glass, as it's known down under.. basically, it's 2 glass sheets laminated together with a sheet of "film" between them..

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I second this. laminated would be far stronger then a single ply and resists flexing than most other glasses, I guess tempered laminated would be the way to go..

Would never recommend glass for a car enclosure. If it isn't clamped down perfectly you run the risk of cracking it much easier then with acrylic. We saw that on the install that one guy was doing not long ago.

As for the acoustical properties of them I have not heard of any difference. 3/8" is about the min I would recommend for a small piece but if its any bigger then the woofer I would go with 1/2" to prevent flexing.

ttocs wrote:Would never recommend glass for a car enclosure. If it isn't clamped down perfectly you run the risk of cracking it much easier then with acrylic. We saw that on the install that one guy was doing not long ago.

As for the acoustical properties of them I have not heard of any difference. 3/8" is about the min I would recommend for a small piece but if its any bigger then the woofer I would go with 1/2" to prevent flexing.

Yeah, I've got 3/8" now, but I was thinking I might need to look at heavier, like 1/2 or 5/8. I wasn't really liking the idea of glass because I can just see it shattering.

Acoustically they are no different, they are both hard smooth surfaces with very high acoustic reflection. Panel flex is not a byproduct of acoustic property, it is a product of stress resistance & the output of the sub is a result of the box build as a whole, with or without weak links.

Structurally, they may be different but I think the argument of "stronger" is incorrect.
Lexan is "stronger" & less prone to breaking because it will absorb impact better (ie softer & more flexible) where plexi (generic acrylic) will break easier because it is actually more rigid.
Lexan gives to allow energy absorption, plexi doesn't & thus breaks with less impact.
A thin lexan window will flex like crazy & not break, a thin plexi window will flex like crazy & most likely crack in half. A thick lexan window may still flex while a thick plexi window will not.

My vote goes plexi/acrylic because it is more rigid & cheaper, just go thick so it won't flex & break.

& there is a big difference between tempered glass & laminated, & laminated is nowhere as strong as tempered unless it is laminated tempered glass. Lol
I wouldn't think twice about tempered glass as long as its mounted uniformly & solidly. It is not only strong but designed to shatter into tiny pieces when broken, it doesn't shard like plain glass, which is another reason why cars & tall buildings require it. If in an accident it may cut you up sure, but it won't impale you.

Tempered glass is also fairly impact resistant on the surface its the edges of tempered glass that you have to be careful with. I accidently dropped a piece of 3/4" hardwood about 3feet long a couple months ago in a cabin i was working on. It fell over an upstairs banister rail and hit a tempered glass tv stand dead on the short end of board. It fell like 10ft the glass was around 5/16" thick. No effect on glass. Thank god!