Sexy DIY Speakers

Dean, you knocked those up in day!?! I probably read that bit wrong but if not then my god you work quick.

Looks like you could fit a 10 or 12 inch on that baffle.

If you've got about £200 to spend on each driver also look towards B&C:

The 10"
http://www.bcspeakers.com/index.php?sez=1&categoria=3&id_descrizione=32&prodotto=55

For £235 from here: http://www.bluearan.co.uk/menu/inde..._200W_Coaxial_Driver_8Ohm&browsemode=category

 

thanks for the link, they look good but also I think they were designed as pa speakers ?
has anybody had any experience with these drivers?

how about these? https://secure.wilmslow-audio.co.uk...d/103?osCsid=4703420ef0949740f878c67d16fc0e53
they seem to fit the bill and look the part.

I don't really want a crossover at all if I can help it, just one cap on the supertweeter if poss. something like a 1uf maybe to start with ?

 

well I did a bit yesterday and finished them off today probably about 8 hours in total, they are pretty easy to build to be honest

I like the look of those, cheers. I will google for more info edit just looked they are nearly 280 plus vat (saves up)

the baffles are 15" wide and 49.5" tall, btw

 

There is little to distinguish good studio drivers and good PA drivers. Just because you have no doubt heard some crap PA systems, don’t let that put you off the pro drivers.

IMO you will be better off with a driver designed as a coax than a wide range driver and a 1st order filter on a super tweeter. Far better off.

 

Since this is turning into a bit of a DIY gallery, here's my latest ones:

 

I just thought it would be a simple approach, ie sealed box, full range = no calculations

I have no test equipment for designing a decent crossover, and I have messed about with them before it is easy to make one that sounds ok but near on impossible to get it right just by ear and trial and error, lat time I ended up buying about twenty different caps and half a dozen coils before I was happy

if I did go with a coax, could I not just get a high efficiency woofer and mount a decent car type tweeter in the middle on some outrigger type affair? if I could match impedances that is.

 

they are stunning, did you paint them yourself ? how did you prep the wood ?

I was thinking fibreglass resin painted on thin then filler primer etc ?

I think my speakers are too big to veneer properly, they would look like logs

 

Of course you could, but it makes a lot more sense to use a driver designed as a coax doesn't it? The manufacture could even tell you what crossover components to use I expect.

 

yes I suppose it would, I can work out which crossover to use in theory as they would but it hardly ever sounds right first time doing it like that.

are those fostex drivers a lot worse than using a coax?
I thought I would get a bit more spl doing away with the crossover ?

are there any drivers you can think of with a hole in the magnet and a horn in the middle? with a compression driver in the back.

just an idea I had

kind of like these I posted http://www.iconicspkrs.com/compoundspeakers.html

 

Yes, all the coax drivers I have been recommending As the compression driver, horn and woofer (the woofer IS the horn) will be the ones designed by that manufacture, and designed as one coaxial driver unit they can easily tell you exactly what crossover components to use. The only thing you might want to add would be baffle step correction for some more bass but then again you might not. Either way it is easy.

 

yes that makes sense, I just like the look of the ones I posted, but as you said the woofer will do the same job pretty much, I never thought of it like that really.

what are the drawbacks of using the fostex or lowther types ?
I am not against coax speakers I just really don't want a crossover if I can help it.

cheers for all the advise btw

 

Fostex aren't much good in a sealed enclosure. What I mean by that is you won't have much bass. They ideally like some of that extra loading provided by horn, tranmission line or vented alignments. If you do want to go with Fostex then I recommend you look around the net at the many established designs and build one of those.

A good place to start are these:

http://www.frugal-horn.com/
http://www.t-linespeakers.org/

Alternatively you could EQ the Fostex to boost the low end in a sealed box but you'd lose headroom and increase distortion that way - this is not a good thing for a fullrange driver, especially Fostex since they have little excursion.

 

I like these

http://homepage.mac.com/planet10/TLS/projects/davidduke/images/seriphim-single-tn.jpg

I have looked about and apparently some are saying sealed is ok as long as it is big (how big is big ?) I know tl's work better (more efficient) but sometimes people say they can sound a bit shouty in the mids and have poor bass timing, I like sealed boxes in general the bass just sounds better tight, I also prefer a 10 or 8" speaker to a 12 as they sound faster and more punchy to me, I am not too bothered by the bass as long as it is there, what I mean is I don't need it earth shaking but it has to be audible.

 

I don't know about that. Maybe but you'd still be selling the driver short on what it has to offer in a well suited alignment.

I've heard some sealed alignment sound what your describing too. Its all down to competent implementation. You can get excellent results with any alignment providing you know compromises and strengths of each to work around issues and get the best from them.

Ignore what you've read is what I'm trying to say. Sealed doesn't guarantee anything if the driver isn't suited to that loading, the same for the other alignments too.

I'd just like to add that a 21" is every bit as 'fast' as a 5". Risetime on the impulse response describe how quick a driver starts and moving mass has little to do with it, the real issue for what your talking about is VC inductance.

It should be there on the Fostex but frankly I can think of a lot better drivers. Your trying to shoe horn something into that box and that really is a bad way of designing.

If you want to go with Fostex then forget those cabinets you have and build on of the Frugal horn designs - these are very good.

 

ok then I have decided

I will buy the fostex drivers try them in the cabinets I have made, if they sound crap in any way then I will also construct a horn loaded design and compare the two.
in truth I will probably buy the coaxes you suggested or at least one to compare that too

I know it is a silly way of going about things but that is half the fun

thanks for all the help.
I will in the end probably try a few designs as I get discount on timber and I like the building nearly as much as listening

I might also try the 6.5 ins eminence coaxial speakers as I need some smallish speakers for the computer, I tunes etc.

 

Excellent. Its a good idea to buy a couple of drivers that interest you. You don't have to buy in pairs either, just one can give you a pretty good idea of tonality, distortion, SPL and bass depth. Works out twice as cheap that way or you can try twice as many whichever way you want to look at it. Pick your fav then mail me and Simon the rest.

 

thats the way I see it too
plus the other reason I am willing to go out on a limb is that they already sound a lot better than my previous effort, and as I said I can always reduce the volume of the cabs with concrete or lead.
or cut ports in there etc etc etc

 

I do it with everything, look at my car....





engine in the back, too big, etc etc

 

Glad you have decided, but please do try one of the coax like the 8" emience, as they offer a VERY differnt (and IMO better) sound to a full range single driver. They also suit your cabinet more. Enjoy

 

Sorry Dean but Simon's right. I know you're building a sealed box but you really need to take into account:

The driver's performance in said enclosure.(we are talking a Q between 0.707 and 0.5if poss IMO)

The BSC(Baffle step compensation)you're willing to inflict.

the problems if the cabinet's not airtight.

Aside from that, i wish you the best of luck dude.
Look forward 2 hearing the results Dean.