In this design I have defied a couple of common conceptions about speaker construction. I couldn't find any examples of entire enclosures made from acrylic. Of course the auto enthusiasts often add windows to their bandpass enclosures, but that represents a small fraction of the total area. Also I have used no internal damping material or batting. I don't recall seeing any other designs without some sort of damping material.
Why acrylic? Perhaps the question should be why not acrylic? Think of all the work which goes into a transmission line enclosure, only to be hidden behind MDF? I do admit that transparent electronics are somewhat trendy (i.e. IMAC), but at least I didn't make the Anatomy One pink!
Another issue with the acrylic is it is relatively thin at 1/4". This defies the common logic that thicker is better. I could have used 1/2" material, it is available and roughly twice the cost. But in the interest of science (not to mention that I am cheap) I chose to try the thinner material and evaluate the results. I have been listening to the prototype all day (dang, all my MP3s in mono!), and I have yet to hear any vibration or coloration.
At this point I must admit I am not a hyper-critical listner. But all my co-workers, none of whom confess to having a golden ear, thought this little speaker was doing pretty well. Today was a special Saturday cleanup day so blasting music was entirely appropriate. The only amplifier I had was a MAX4297 Class D 2W board. This has been running for over 6 hours on 3 AA alkalines.