Both good reads. Personally I'd suggest hitting up your library for a book on building speakers first. Radio Shack used to make one that was easy to follow yet gives you and understanding of the physics involved, and it had 8 or 10 plans for speakers (Of course using RS parts). It's a great way to look at several designs and see how they are constructed. You'll also learn how to use some basic equations based on standard speaker measurments (Thiele Small parameters). You kinda need a bit of background before Olson and Linkwitz IMHO.
Loudspeaker Design Cookbook
If you can find it cheaply (or borrow it) is not bad. But it is also not great. It does show the standard applications of T/S to standard boxes. Pre-google, pre-wikipedia, it was a must-own book.
Has anyone read: Benson, J.E., "Theory and Design of Loudspeaker Enclosures", Indianapolis, Howard Sams & Company ISBN 0-7906-1093-0 ?
( I also have How to Build Speaker Enclosures by Alexis Badmaieff which is an insight into how little was understood before Thiele & Small)
I have Vance Dickason's Loudspeaker Design Cookbook Old Colony Sound Laboratory - not sure which edition.
If you can find it cheaply (or borrow it) is not bad. But it is also not great. It does show the standard applications of T/S to standard boxes. Pre-google, pre-wikipedia, it was a must-own book.
Has anyone read: Benson, J.E., "Theory and Design of Loudspeaker Enclosures", Indianapolis, Howard Sams & Company ISBN 0-7906-1093-0 ?
( I also have How to Build Speaker Enclosures by Alexis Badmaieff which is an insight into how little was understood before Thiele & Small)
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I forgot about that one! Yes, excellent book to start with.
I think this topic is popular because driver selection involves every single aspect of speaker design and gets very technical very quickly. It's also incredibly subjective both in terms of listening environment (of course the most important aspect of system design) and the listener's preferences.
Lately I've been trying to find again a web page I saw ten or so years ago. It was a how to page on tube amp design and in it the writer talked about how output transformers were the most complex components of a typical amp circuit because of the various L,R and C relationships between its parts. Because of this he said that the place to start with any tube amp design was the choice of OT. Then the rest of the circuit could be designed with the idiosyncracies of that particular transformer in mind.
I had only just started to build circuits so I didn't have any ideas about what he was saying - I just followed the usual practice of picking the tube of the day and starting with that. I now think that fellow had something to learn from but I haven't been able to find his web page - probably gone by now.
The OP's question came up as I was thinking of all this and I started to wonder. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone starting with the cabinet and then looking for drivers to suit, nor of starting with a crossover. So I assumed the driver was it. I took a look earlier today and saw that some experienced people have recommended starting with the mid on an open baffle and listening to it for a while - which also makes sense. Bu t how would I find that driver if I was limited to going online and looking for it myself?
I realized my approach would be limited to figuring out who heard things the way I do / who I trust, then follow their recommendations. So I wondered if there was another way of getting a feel for the driver's sound qualities by looking at the specs. I guess there are generalizations about cone materials and other such distinguishing traits but it quickly starts to look like everything else ie. You can't know it til you try it out. . . . . . so ok, I get it, Dickason and Weems it is. Thanks guys!
I had only just started to build circuits so I didn't have any ideas about what he was saying - I just followed the usual practice of picking the tube of the day and starting with that. I now think that fellow had something to learn from but I haven't been able to find his web page - probably gone by now.
The OP's question came up as I was thinking of all this and I started to wonder. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone starting with the cabinet and then looking for drivers to suit, nor of starting with a crossover. So I assumed the driver was it. I took a look earlier today and saw that some experienced people have recommended starting with the mid on an open baffle and listening to it for a while - which also makes sense. Bu t how would I find that driver if I was limited to going online and looking for it myself?
I realized my approach would be limited to figuring out who heard things the way I do / who I trust, then follow their recommendations. So I wondered if there was another way of getting a feel for the driver's sound qualities by looking at the specs. I guess there are generalizations about cone materials and other such distinguishing traits but it quickly starts to look like everything else ie. You can't know it til you try it out. . . . . . so ok, I get it, Dickason and Weems it is. Thanks guys!
start with the grapes
To paraphase the vignerons of the world: it's all about the fruit. All we can do after that is avoid ruining it.
The drivers (or valves and transformers) are like the fruit, yeast and oak. They are where you start. It can only go down hill from there.
There are some known-good combinations (like Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and a little petit verdot & cabernet franc) where good grapes almost guarantee a good outcome. And some risky ones (Shiraz and Viognier) - good grapes still demand careful management for great results.
In that sense starting with a driver with bad cone break-up modes and strong resonances "compenstated for" by over damped surrounds all driven by a weak, asymmetric motor is like starting with fruit with rotten fruit with poor acid/tannin balance and no flavour.
So in that sense, the driver is it.
I'm typing listening to FE103Sigmas. No baffle, no box. Like sucking on early season chardonnay in chablis. Tart!
But there's something there......a design beckons!
To paraphase the vignerons of the world: it's all about the fruit. All we can do after that is avoid ruining it.
The drivers (or valves and transformers) are like the fruit, yeast and oak. They are where you start. It can only go down hill from there.
There are some known-good combinations (like Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and a little petit verdot & cabernet franc) where good grapes almost guarantee a good outcome. And some risky ones (Shiraz and Viognier) - good grapes still demand careful management for great results.
In that sense starting with a driver with bad cone break-up modes and strong resonances "compenstated for" by over damped surrounds all driven by a weak, asymmetric motor is like starting with fruit with rotten fruit with poor acid/tannin balance and no flavour.
So in that sense, the driver is it.
I'm typing listening to FE103Sigmas. No baffle, no box. Like sucking on early season chardonnay in chablis. Tart!
But there's something there......a design beckons!
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