Opinions on making new cabinates for these speakers?

[LFS19]

I produce and mix music for my job. My main audio monitors are these old KRK 9000b’s.
Absolutely fantastic speakers, but not the most aesthetically pleasing I think you’ll agree.
I’ve been considering making some new cabinates for them. The ones you see in the picture are chipboard and are dented in several places and have this pretty awful speckled paint job.

Never really done anything like this, so was wondering what you guys think of the feasibility of attempting new cabinate builds.
Of course, the actual cabinate has some impact on how they sound, too, so I’d have to get that bang on and choose the right wood as well.
Areas like the air intake at the bottom that goes very deep inside could be challenging...

Thanks!!

 

[John Brown]

Chipboard is reckoned to be a good choice for speaker cabinets, as I recall.
I'd be inclined to re-finish them, rather than start from scratch.
As you say yourself, the cabinet does have an effect on the sound, and speaker cabinet design is a bit of a black art.

Why not fill the dents and sand down before repainting in a colour and texture of your choice?

 

[CHJ]

If the sound balance you are getting is important to you and it's only the aesthetics of the appearance you wish to change I'd be tempted to just fit them inside a character wood finished shell.

Is cabinet well damped or does its exterior resonance play a part in your sound perception.

Perhaps a sound neutral (foam or fibre) sleeve between the shell and the existing speaker cabinet body.

 

[AndyT]

Have a look at this thread to see what can be done - but not by all of us, I suspect!

topic107122.html

 

[thetyreman]

don't do it!

acoustically treat your room instead, or get better/more neutral speakers.

 

[thick_mike]

The shape of the speakers has a big impact on the sound. The rounded edges are there deliberately to improve the tweeter sound and the different depths of the speakers front to back will be because of timing and or phase differences in the crossover circuit. If the aesthetics are bothering you, I would fill the dents with two pack filler and refinish with car paint.

 

[thetyreman]

yes the edges are rounded to prevent/minimise diffraction, and there was a lot of thought gone into that speaker design to minimise phase shifts, a refinishing job is the better option, but it'd loose value if not done to a high standard, maybe best to leave it alone.

 

[Beau]

I would try to rejuvenate the existing cabinet. Sure I saw someone on here create a fabulous paint finish on some speakers.