Full Range

[zman01]

Bigun,

Thank you for your detailed response. Not to speak ill of the Fostex driver you mentioned, but as you hinted, there might be other FR drivers better suited to HT duty, even in the 4-5" range. The OP stated that budget is of concern (isn't it for all of us DIYers!) an option might be the MA-CHR-70.3. -it will not beat 2-way floorstanding speakers with 6" woofers when it comes to loudness or dynamic range, but I believe they can best the Fostex as HT fronts because of Mark's overall design, greater (4mm) x-max, and HF extension.

There is a design called "Half Towers" in a P10 plan set:
http://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/P10free/microTower-maps-290412.pdf

For their size these play surprisingly well in my experience. Another option for fronts can be the Pensil R70.3: http://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/pensils/Pensil-R70s3-map.pdf. I have no experience with the Pensil's though. I came across a user's post who had built the larger Woden Mercia: http://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/woden/Mercia-MLTL-0v92-151209.pdf, and he stated that they can go down into the 40s (post #6, #8)http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/214239-best-markaudio-driver-my-home-theater.html

A simple FR centre speaker design can be found in the "Home Theatre Appendix": http://frugal-phile.com/boxlib/P10free/MT-HT-Appendix-191209.pdf, while rears can be fashioned from a Half Tower or even a mMars design.

As you mentioned, 2 (or even multiple) sub-woofers are recommended.

Yet still, I think I'm going to build much bigger speakers next.

Me too! Specially for my metal and rock albums.

- Zia

 

[chris661]

Bigun, you could try doing a FAST with your Fostex drivers by adding a 5-6" midbass and crossing ~200-500Hz.

I did this with a FE126eN and a W6-1139 (Tang Band) per side, and have been happy ever since: they do what FR drivers do in the midrange, but when the low frequencies come along, you can be sure of something decent there, too.

I use bi-amping to make up for the mismatch in sensitivities. 10 channels of amplification would likely be prohibitive, so methinks look for a different driver of higher sensitivity. Even then, you'd likely need to pad down the Fostexes a little.

Chris

 

[fakeout]

If you add two woofers to a fullrange, what is that called (I mean 3 drivers per side)? (If no one minds the odd question.)

 

[chris661]

Depends.

If both woofers are covering the same range (as I suspect you mean), with a proper LP/HP crossover to get the FR unit, you've got a 2-way.
If you only LP the woofers and let the FR driver player FR, you've got a 1.5 way.

 

[fakeout]

Oh, I meant like MTM (or is that just a term on Parts Express)? (Maybe WFW?)

 

[ODougbo]

A very nice full range - easy to work with - very reasonable cost: Fostex 125wk

The New Sheriff in Town - Fostex 125wk Full Range

 

[chris661]

Oh, I meant like MTM (or is that just a term on Parts Express)? (Maybe WFW?)

If you use WFW, people will know what you mean.

 

[planet10]

If you add two woofers to a fullrange, what is that called (I mean 3 drivers per side)? (If no one minds the odd question.)

Or called a FAST.

dave

 

[planet10]

Oh, I meant like MTM (or is that just a term on Parts Express)? (Maybe WFW?)

I just call it an MTM FAST.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/css/176790-el166-mtm-ml-tl.html

dave

 

[ODougbo]

Best bang for the buck 125wk's

Yuilly,

5 x eveything adds up fast, I think you would find this a very good deal/value.

What equipment do you have on hand? Table saw/Radial Arm? Some say these are difficult; I didn't think it was bad and rather enjoyed building them.

P10 has plans on his website.

 

[ODougbo]

If the buget is really - really tight, I'd would go here:

Madisound Speaker Store

Specs: build 2 - 3 lites boxes, I'd go 2.5l

 

[von Ah]

awesome 2-way?

Bigun, you could try doing a FAST with your [fullrange] drivers by adding a 5-6" midbass and crossing ~200-500Hz.

This is the idea steadily gaining amplitude in my fragmented mind lately. I have some bargain-basement BIC DV62si speakers I have been thinking of re-engineering for my crazy devices.

Dave made this suggestion to someone way back... And I want to give it a go. I already have some W3-881 to try, but need to decide on the woofer. The 6.5" TB subwoofer looks about perfect in 11L...

 

[tvrgeek]

Those BMB's look pretty nice to make good use of the FOSTEX as a mid. They are about the flattest midrange I have measured. Now they just need a tweeter. I have several in mind. If crossed at 5K, we have a lot of choices.

 

[tvrgeek]

If you use WFW, people will know what you mean.

We do need to remember, all MTM is not De'Apollito spec. He makes specific use of the phase and driver interference to manage dispersion. Quite reasonable to apply here.

 

[planet10]

Those BMB's look pretty nice to make good use of the FOSTEX as a mid. They are about the flattest midrange I have measured.

The new FF85wk (wKeN in my cse) are a step up from the already fantastic FF85k.

dave

 

[chris661]

This is the idea steadily gaining amplitude in my fragmented mind lately. I have some bargain-basement BIC DV62si speakers I have been thinking of re-engineering for my crazy devices.

Dave made this suggestion to someone way back... And I want to give it a go. I already have some W3-881 to try, but need to decide on the woofer. The 6.5" TB subwoofer looks about perfect in 11L...

I use the TB 6.5" woofer in a 11L ported cabinet. (2" port, ~11" long - gives ~42Hz tuning)

Goes high enough to meet a small wide-band, and low enough to keep me happy without dedicated subwoofers.
In the interests of economy, it'd be wise to go for the ferrite version - neodymium is still prohibitively expensive IMO.

 

[von Ah]

Thanks for the tip! Did you make an internal, smaller enclosure for the Fostex? The dirt-cheap method for me may involve a stuffed 1L seltzer bottle...
Yes, I was looking only at the ferrite version. If I were lucky (and even more cheap), I would find two of the recent buy-out 6.5" subwoofers and give them a whirl...

 

[zman01]

Ferrite version of TB W6-1139 is nice - I've tried my pair in >1cu ft cube in FAST configuration.

 

[chris661]

Thanks for the tip! Did you make an internal, smaller enclosure for the Fostex? The dirt-cheap method for me may involve a stuffed 1L seltzer bottle...
Yes, I was looking only at the ferrite version. If I were lucky (and even more cheap), I would find two of the recent buy-out 6.5" subwoofers and give them a whirl...

Here's my speakers

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/211913-fostex-tang-band.html
The Fostex driver sits in ~2L sealed, with plenty of polyester stuffing.

They mostly sit on my desk, but occasionally they're taken downstairs for a film - the surround sound died so a powerful stereo is the next best thing.

Chris