Isolation Cabinet

[Nimitz]

I'm thinking of building an isolation cabinet so I can crank my tube amp in my apartment without blowing the old battle axe out downstairs.

Any experiences, do's and do not do's, positive and negatives, building guides, materials ect... would be mucho appreciated.

[Nightbat]

I've been thinking about doing the same for quite a few years

My perfect setup would be a 2x12, with 2 different speakers and if possible, with 2 different mics

Just in case, I would line the case with nonflammable acoustic foam and use some kind of fire retardant paint,
I'm guessing running a speaker at full blast which you can't see smoking might otherwise become a problem

What I've also been contemplating is a movable Mic rig inside, so it's possible to change the position of the mic without having to open the case
(since you want to be looking for the sweet spot at full blast, there will be no complaints or hearing damage)
I figured an easy and solid solution to create something that can move on 4 axes and angle the mic is good old Lego®, I believe they currently have motorized systems that can even be controlled with your PC

Next there's the problem of Air, that of having no place to go in a closed box will make the cone work against itself
I think the only solution to that, is to port the cab (since porting the isolation box will lead to sound bleeding out), Personally, I'd make a port in which I could vary the size so I can adjust the stiffness of the cone(s)
Another probable solution (though I'm not an expert on this matter) is either use just 1 speaker in a 2x12, making the other a movable membrane,
or even wiring that 2nd speaker out of phase ("She's gone from Suck to Blow")

Lastly I'd also put it on wheels, since you need rather dense building materials to achieve the best sound isolation, quickly making it a pretty hefty MFer

I guess the biggest challenge for me would be to make a box within dimension that I can still fit it through a door

[Nimitz]

("She's gone from Suck to Blow")

Yes, fire is a concern... lots of good ideas thanks

[Kisonen]

Two Notes Torpedo Live is worth checking out instead of building isolation cab. Not very cheap though.

[ed]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFxH9sVe3Ls self made

http://www.randallamplifiers.com/product/usm-iso12c/ randall isolation cabinet

[Nightbat]

Two Notes Torpedo Live is worth checking out instead of building isolation cab. Not very cheap though.

I have one issue with IRs

...what if you use a facemelting Cab IR and you turn down your guitar or amp volume?
in a real speaker, this will create a very different dynamic than a "sample" of a cab pushed into breaking up

[Newc]

Watched a YT vid on this a few years back. IIRC dude used 3/4" plywood inner shell with a foam layer sandwiched between that and the outer shell.

It was also about 4x the size of the cabinet so you'd actually have room for the sound waves, so you definitely need floor space. Or a closet that you never intend to use.

Anyhoo, for obvious reasons, an iso cab can't be airtight, but they do reduce the sound drastically - if you do it right, 10 sounds like 2 or 3. However, as was stated, they do produce heat.

You definitely want it to have feet that have as minimal floor contact as possible, as those will transfer vibration.

[Nightbat]

Anyhoo, for obvious reasons, an iso cab can't be airtight

Well, it can, but you have to pull some tricks like opening the cab to prevent overpressure

[Newc]

...then it's not airtight...

You could put in a valve that opens when the pressure gets too high. Point it down and out the bottom back into a smaller add-on cab so you don't get a loud burst when it pops. Maybe even blow it through a foam pad or heavy blanket flap. Or a cuckoo. That'd be awesome, if totally inappropriate.

"Dude, this is the crushinest Death Metal I've ever heard. Wait, is that a cuckoo?"
"Nah, brah, you're hearin' shit."

[Nightbat]

...then it's not airtight...

The Isobox would be

I understand you'd be 'banging the lid' if there is no way for the pressure to go, but if you port the cab so that the speaker sucks as much air into the cab as it pumps out, you get an equilibrium
Of course, chances are that the speaker will not have enough resistance/stiffness and start to fart out at higher dBs