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How to EnABL

frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
I had a read through other threads and I noticed some drivers seemed to get additional treatments. For example a sort of triangle shape across the entire cone. Can you comment on this please? I'm guessing it's driver-specific, but how do I work out if the driver needs it?

Yes, something very specific for dealing with specific resonances or other issues. For instance the trifoil pattern we did with the FE12x drivers from 2000-2010 or the (more general) ZIG treatment on the surround/cone interface (on the back) of teh Fostex FExxx or FFxxxwk drivers.

Sometimes these extra tricks can be used to modify the driver performance in various ways.

dave
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
ms-system-442-jpg.1132437


The diagam looks like a typical isobarik configuration but wired (the arrows) in such a way as to cancal as much output as possible. It is just wrong.

Where did that come from?

dave
 
ms-system-442-jpg.1132437


The diagam looks like a typical isobarik configuration but wired (the arrows) in such a way as to cancal as much output as possible. It is just wrong.

Where did that come from?

dave
Hi Dave, this is the configuration of a late 80's speaker set: Mordaunt-Short System 442 - they were Mordaunt-Short's flagship at the time. They are quite unique. The central chamber is vented and the sound is actually quite good. Not epic maybe by modern standards, but they do excel in conveying emotion - which is why I resigned myself to upgrading them. Emotion is the reason I listen to music and I couldn't find any speakers in my budget that were so engaging. I tried Klipsch Heresy 3, Canton Digital, and a bunch of other respected speakers - all sounded flat next to these old Mordaunt-Shorts.
I believe the design was highly optimized for dealing with unwanted vibration - the drivers were bolted directly to a rigid internal skeleton from which the enclousre was “hung” via compliant gaskets. The driver frames were heavily clamped together, and there is a bolt running through the magnets that further clamps them.
Their designer, Phil Ward, is still around, I'm sure he would be happy to explain his reasons. Here is his blog: https://musicandmiscellany.com/2016/06/21/have-we-forgotten-the-enclosure/
 

TNT

Member
Joined 2003
Paid Member
Have you heard any properly EnABLed drivers? If not your opinion is just speculation.

Your comment would be appropriat efor this thread https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/enabl-technical-discussion.119677/, not here.

dave
Yes - I did try - I could not hear or measure any change. It just messed up the driver. Occams razor says that adding this tiny amount of mass to a wobbly cone just most probably dont make any change. It just looks exotic and one gets hypnotised to believe one hear "it"... This is the currently active thread on the subject and I choose to give an alternative view on the concept so that it is not taken for an absolute fact that it makes a positive change. At the time, it was, to say the least, controversial...

//
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
I could not hear or measure any change.

So you do not have the ears, equipment to reveal the differences, or you did not listen for the right things. Took me many hours the first time to nail down the differences, now that i know what to listen to it takes less than 30 sec with the right program. That does not mean it does not work, just that you could not hear it.

dave

PS: do youhave any pictures of your EnABL job.
 

TNT

Member
Joined 2003
Paid Member
So it took you, with special ears, 2-3 hours to find out that there where a difference. And now when you are "trained", still 30 seconds. I think that speaks for it self. Sorry, no pictures. I suppose I didn't feel there was any reason to document it. I think I was a bit ashamed that I even tried it to be frank and really didn't want to advertise it.

//
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
30 sec is just in case, usually a couple flicks of the AB switch.

We can listen for many things, but not all if we concentrate. You have to listen for the right things. I could discern what i heard before, once i heard the differenc eit stuck.

Sort of like this picture. Not EnABL is looking down into the valley thru the clouds, EnABL and th eclouds go away and you can see more.

EnABL-valley.jpg


dave
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
I use Smith+Larson Woofer Testor 2 which comes with a small current amplifier and actually searches out the exact Fs, and the half-voltage spots on either side that are usef to calcualte teh shape of the resonance (the T/S numbers).

Tap test is completely different for a different purpose. It is used to determine where to put an EnABL ring-set.

dave