Re: Ether
I'm actually surprised to see these drivers are getting some coverage in here. I'm no Alexandro, but since I own a pair of these I can share a little bit of my experience with them. My adventure into the world of full range drivers started a couple of years ago. I've spent a fortune, but hey, there's really no price tag on anything that brings you joy. I have owned virtually any fostex fullrange driver at different points of time. Tang Bang's, Visaton's, Philips and more. Never bought a Lowther, not my taste. Never tried Mark Audio either, though I've heard from reliable sources they're great value for money. Of my bunch the best ones IMHO are Tang Bang 1772 and the Fostex F alnico series. I also like very much the old 207 Sigma, but it's too soft at the top for my taste.
As for Ether 7, it's by far the most expensive driver I've ever purchased. At 1,200 euro per piece they're not exactly a steal, and they're surely out of reach to the most DIY'ers, except the most passionate ones. Was it worth it? I would say yes. They beat hands down all the other drivers in my collection. I have no doubts in my mind they're the best pair of drivers I've owned. In short, I like 6 things about them - 1) most impressive of all, the sound clarity is great, I've listened to them in an empty room, bare walls, and they don't annoy me a bit, 2) the mids are mellow, the treble is silky, 3) the soundstage is nuts, 4) high frequency dispersion is nuts too, I can literally move a meter left or right and the treble remains on the same level, 5) they can go really loud without significant distortion, 6) they're manufactured in my country and this makes me somewhat proud. I would never have taken a blind shot and buy a pair at this price point, but since I had a chance to listen to them beforehand I realized these were real good and was happy to depart with a hefty amount of money.
Some credit to the top contenders though - F alnico series retrieve great detail, but they lack some spark at the top, especially the 4.5 incher. They sound a little dull and very laid back. Tang Bangs W8-1772 on the other hand are fast and entertaining, but they just can't match the clarity, not even close.
I first had Ether 7 in those enclosures - see the image - inspired by Scott's Kirishima's but with mouths on the back side (praise to MJK - without him my journey wouldn't have been so entertaining). In these the bass was too monstrous, overpowering all the other frequencies. Even though I tried hard, I couldn't tame it without subduing the lower midrange. I didn't realize before that you just couldn't stop the low end bass - it simply penetrates everything!
So it was an overkill... Eventually I saved some money, caught a pre-expo discount and bought finished Centaur floor firing horns - much smaller, moveable and the base is just enough - see the other image.
So that's my experience with Either 7, hope it was useful. I'd be very interested to see if Bob Brines acquires a pair of these for testing and measurement...
I'm actually surprised to see these drivers are getting some coverage in here. I'm no Alexandro, but since I own a pair of these I can share a little bit of my experience with them. My adventure into the world of full range drivers started a couple of years ago. I've spent a fortune, but hey, there's really no price tag on anything that brings you joy. I have owned virtually any fostex fullrange driver at different points of time. Tang Bang's, Visaton's, Philips and more. Never bought a Lowther, not my taste. Never tried Mark Audio either, though I've heard from reliable sources they're great value for money. Of my bunch the best ones IMHO are Tang Bang 1772 and the Fostex F alnico series. I also like very much the old 207 Sigma, but it's too soft at the top for my taste.
As for Ether 7, it's by far the most expensive driver I've ever purchased. At 1,200 euro per piece they're not exactly a steal, and they're surely out of reach to the most DIY'ers, except the most passionate ones. Was it worth it? I would say yes. They beat hands down all the other drivers in my collection. I have no doubts in my mind they're the best pair of drivers I've owned. In short, I like 6 things about them - 1) most impressive of all, the sound clarity is great, I've listened to them in an empty room, bare walls, and they don't annoy me a bit, 2) the mids are mellow, the treble is silky, 3) the soundstage is nuts, 4) high frequency dispersion is nuts too, I can literally move a meter left or right and the treble remains on the same level, 5) they can go really loud without significant distortion, 6) they're manufactured in my country and this makes me somewhat proud. I would never have taken a blind shot and buy a pair at this price point, but since I had a chance to listen to them beforehand I realized these were real good and was happy to depart with a hefty amount of money.
Some credit to the top contenders though - F alnico series retrieve great detail, but they lack some spark at the top, especially the 4.5 incher. They sound a little dull and very laid back. Tang Bangs W8-1772 on the other hand are fast and entertaining, but they just can't match the clarity, not even close.
I first had Ether 7 in those enclosures - see the image - inspired by Scott's Kirishima's but with mouths on the back side (praise to MJK - without him my journey wouldn't have been so entertaining). In these the bass was too monstrous, overpowering all the other frequencies. Even though I tried hard, I couldn't tame it without subduing the lower midrange. I didn't realize before that you just couldn't stop the low end bass - it simply penetrates everything!
So it was an overkill... Eventually I saved some money, caught a pre-expo discount and bought finished Centaur floor firing horns - much smaller, moveable and the base is just enough - see the other image.So that's my experience with Either 7, hope it was useful. I'd be very interested to see if Bob Brines acquires a pair of these for testing and measurement...
Attachments
No, its like constant cross section TL with 1/3 displacement of the driver location (like this: S.A.M. "Saburov Audio Manufacture")
Plywood + wall nut veneer + tung oil.
One more DIY enclosure with Ether 7.1.12 from Etheraudio.
8.80m backloaded horn lenght. 18Hz low end
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
From where we started, and where we are with pictures ---{the language is Bulgarian}--- can be seen here: BGAUDIO.ORG
Hello Kiril!
I saw these U-horns on a Russian site once. Do you have access to the plans? I'd love to have a pair built for me here in the USA.
Thetubeguy1954 (Tom Scata)
Hello again Makoto!
Don't worry about your English I understood everything you said. Besides you at least speak some English, I speak no Japanese! Thanks again for your input.
Thetubeguy1954 (Tom Scata)
Mosaic full-range based on Tabaq
These are my just finsihed new cabinets for the living room:
The whole thing tilts back 6 degrees, which I measured to my listening position, so I became just alined with the speaker when sitting.
The speakers are Vifa TG9FD, the cabinet is based on the titled quarterwave design with little modifications like the tilting.
The baffle is made of merbau wooden mosaics.
These are my just finsihed new cabinets for the living room:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The whole thing tilts back 6 degrees, which I measured to my listening position, so I became just alined with the speaker when sitting.
The speakers are Vifa TG9FD, the cabinet is based on the titled quarterwave design with little modifications like the tilting.
The baffle is made of merbau wooden mosaics.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
One more DIY enclosure with Ether 7.1.12 from Etheraudio.
8.80m backloaded horn lenght. 18Hz low end
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
From where we started, and where we are with pictures (as laguage is bulgarian: can be seen here:
BGAUDIO.ORG Audio Portal • ??? ?????? - ?????????? ?? ???? ?????
I get to make a new phrase! Ceiling porn!
If someone is interested in it, it is modular, and there are several technical documents from the BBC which describe characteristics, building and measurements done.
Here is the link
Gaston
It must have the lowest waf of all time I think it's quite cool looking though. Here's a beatiful example.
I think it's quite cool looking though. Here's a beatiful example.An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
One more DIY enclosure with Ether 7.1.12 from Etheraudio.
8.80m backloaded horn lenght. 18Hz low end
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
From where we started, and where we are with pictures (as laguage is bulgarian: can be seen here:
BGAUDIO.ORG Audio Portal • ??? ?????? - ?????????? ?? ???? ?????
are there build plans for these speakers?
I like the idea of including lights into that ceiling... nice touch!
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Build plans for U-horn
Yes, there is
U-horn by Etheraudio
We have also *.dwg and *.dxf 3D models in case you're interested
Regards,
Kiril
Yes, there is
U-horn by Etheraudio
We have also *.dwg and *.dxf 3D models in case you're interested
Regards,
Kiril
