Kits?

Just looking at ideas for now as I'd like to build some DIY speakers later in the summer. I'm thinking along the lines of floorstanding, large cone area, interesting cabinet like TL or horns etc for extention. I've seen some Dynaudio and Focal drivers which look promising.

Alternatively I could have smaller standmounters and add extention with subs, maybe crown amps and EQ to keep it tidy.

If you have any links to proven designs / kits / forums / any ideas that would be food for thought then great....

 

I always fancied having a go at these ...

http://www.nutshellhifi.com/Arieltxt1.html

or the simpler TQWT...

http://www.melhuish.org/audio/DIYTQ11.html

 

For TL's try IPL. I have a pair of the older version s3 (ribbon tweeter) speakers and I think they are fabulous. Easy to drive, DEEP tuneful fast bass, excellent clarity etc.
http://www.iplacoustics.co.uk/INDEX.htm

 

Julian has some IPL's, Im sure he'll be along. I think they sound great.

I think Wilmslow's kits may be very good, but I havent heard them in a domestic setting, just in a poor-sounding demo room.

Audionote speaker kits are available from hificollective, which are very sensitive and have the benefit of needing hardly any power to drive.

Theres loads of others of course..

 

I think I know what you would like

I built a pair of open baffle speakers with the tweeter from the AML1 and the top of the line 12" woofer from Eminence - now called the DEFINIMAX 4012HO.

The Seas Millennium would take the place of the AML1 tweeter very nicely.

Use an active 4th order Xover at 1.3KHz. Something like the Behringer analogue active Xovers would do the job.

You then need an active circuit to compensate for the open baffle bass roll-off. These are easily designed and simulated in 'The Edge'. Easy to make too, just an op-amp and a few bits.

I got bass down to around 35Hz from mine and they sounding fooking great. Better than the AML1! Fantastic dynamics, using the 12" up to 1.3KHz and the imaging was better than the AML1 even though it had the same tweeter, because of the wider baffle.

Don't be worried about using the Definimax up to 1.3KHz, it is the top of its range but it is clean, clean, clean. Big boys like JBL and TAD do similar things, though they cross more like 800-900Hz with 15" woofers.

You can then add a sub if you think you need it. I don't think you will. You could, if you wanted, use two woofers per speaker and a passive filter to roll the second driver in from around 100Hz only which would help fill in the low end roll-off and give more power handling. I don't think it is really needed though.

I am actually tempted to keep this design to myself since it worked so well. I picture that it may become a product in the future. But what the heck, share and enjoy!

Here is a picture of the ones I knocked up.

 

I also wanted to mention these 'david' speakers.

I'd LOVE to hear a pair of these beasts..

http://www.billfitzmaurice.com/David.html

 

The IPL look interesting. Particuarly the 10" TL.

Your project sounds interesting Tenson! Although a side order of hefty sub sounds in order.

I would like the main speakers to still dig deep so that a sub would intergrate in a more seemless fashion. I miss my old dynaudio's too. They were smooth and natural sounding to me.

Are there any kits with slightly sexier drive units? Some of these look a bit buget orientated...?

I fancy a whopping great JBL or precision devices driver in a TL. Huge cone area with minimal excursion requirements, so it really breathes effortlessly. I don't want that forced sub sound.

 

4wd - have you looked at the 'david' link?

the horn loaded bass in that thing will make a sub sound restricted, even a big un.

 

Okay then, if you want more esoteric drivers and you are set on having a sub anyway...

Use the same 2-way open baffle design as above but use the Supravox 285GMF open baffle version (not advertised but they will custom make them, probably around £300 each) along with the Hi-Vi RT2Pro isoplanar tweeters . 4th order active Xover around 2-3KHz. No need for the bass compensation.

http://www.supravox.fr/haut_parleurs/285_GMF.htm
http://www.swanspeaker.com/product/htm/view.asp?id=12

The Supravox may look 'old' but it supposedly has the midrange in a 12" driver and very dynamic fluid bass too. Dynamics will be terrific, with 99dB efficiency. Probably less than that for an open-baffle version but still pretty high. People who like live and dynamic rave about this driver.

The RT2Pro tweeter is the top-flight Hi-Vi isoplanar ribbon tweeter. It is the big brother of the one used in the $30,000 Ascendo Z system. With a claimed 99dB efficiency it allows you to match it up to the Supravox with no problems. (You don't want to try padding the woofer down to the level of a normal tweeter!)

You can then cross to a big F-OFF sub at around 50-60Hz.

You ain't going to get much more dogs bollocks, unforced, dynamic and detailed, live sound than that will bring you

Damn.. I'm making myself want to build a pair!

 

By the way, if you build them, I want to come and listen okay

 

I do like the David, although it seems to miss one element out.... my high end driver fetishism.



Tenson has that base well and truly covered I see. Nice :MILD: Is that chassis cast or stamped? How much are those drivers? An open baffle will be so easy to make too.

That just leaves the x-over. How would you handle this? - passive I presume. How much would something suitable cost?

 

You mean the tweeters? They are about $150 each + P&P and local tax. Available from Solen (who deliver blindingly fast I might add!).

Crossover I would go with a 4th order active. Something like the Behringer CX3400 would do the job and should allow you to pass sub-bass to a subwoofer. It may not be the best sounding Xover in the world but it ain't at all bad and can get you to a good level. Once you know you like it and the settings to use you could get Marchand to make you something better.

Not to put you down but if you have not built speakers before you wouldn't want to do a passive system. Especially if you don't have any measurement rig, which I guess you don’t?

4th order filters are pretty steep and allow you to get a good match without much worry. You then just adjust the level of each driver till it sounds right. You might even use a simple SPL meter and a tone on either side of the Xover point to get the levels matched.

The rigidity of the baffle is important in an open baffle by the way. So go for thick, thick ,thick baffle. Birch ply 1-2" thick is good. Or even better, solid aluminium with a good layer of bitumen damping on the back. Alternatively 1" acrylic for that transparent sound

Forgot to say, you need to talk to Real Hi-Fi to get hold of an open baffle version of the Supravox. Also tell them the width and height of your baffle.

 

follow the link in my sig (my kit then at the bottom of that post the speaker build diary) for my ipl build diary. i love the sound i get from mine.

 

The 'David' Can be built with a variety of drive units, from 'Raven Ribbons' to other esoteric drive units.

People on the forum have done so, have a read of some of the posts.

The low cost drive units in the advert are there to show that you 'can' build the design for under £500.

 

I do like those IPL's. I suspect the TL will be ideal for me in some respects. Are there any versions with tasty driver options? (Not saying yours are not, as I don't know what they are)...