mbutzkies said:
I'm very new to DIYing amplifiers and I've only built and heard Rod Elliots ESP P101 aside from the AKSA 55N+. The P101 was very detailed actually that was its downfall, it seemed to be too eager to push the treble and upper mids into your face making the sound slighty grainy or least that was my impression when using revealing speaker such as the ones I've built here.
I can offer a much more rounded view of commerical amplifiers though since I've owned a few over the years. My personal favourite was an AVI Lab Series Integrated, a superb little amp that had loads of detail but all the while managed to sound natural and 'full' - I would be happy to have used that amplifier for these speaker but at £1500 each its rather expensive for 3 of them to triamp the speakers.
Others of note included Parasound HCA-855A, Roksan Kandy Mk2, Cyrus 8vs, a couple of older Arcams and a superb Naim 135 poweramp that was a really great amp and one that I regret selling despite it now being a 20 year old design.
I've had others but these were pretty much run of the mill and nothing worth talking about.
The AKSA 55N+ is certainly better than 99% of them and although the memory is a funny thing I'd bet money that its better than AVI or Naim 135 which were favourites up until the AKSA.
Its been quite sometime since I updated the progress on this project. Work is still going on and overall I'm happy with how things are shaping up though I've made yet more changes to the design and although these are only slight they neccesitated rebuilding virtually 70% of the cabinet again. In other words I didn't have anything better to do 
The biggest change in terms of work had been the complete rebuild of the bass cabinets. I've done this because the old ones were really designed for the Seas W22's I was using before the ATC's. The new cabinets have a net volume of 50ltr and are sealed instead of ported. I also took the opportunity to add some improved bracing behind the driver.
Here's a shot of the construction:
Notice the panels that fit into the sides, in particular note the fit - itrs virtually perfect Took me an age and a fair amount of wasted MDF to get them that tight. Going sealed meant that I really need a solid cabinet and these small details all add up to make a very solid cabinet.
Next up for change was the plinth/base of the speakers. I'd originally invisaged mounting the amplifier into the bases and made them quite large. In short they looked a little stupid and I'd abandoned the idea in favour of mounting the amplifiers in traditional cases.
I don't have a shot of the original bases but here's the drawing I did to show what's changed:
They are now much more plain and significantly less thick. An altogether better looking design IMO.
Speaking of amplifier's, I've now got my modified AKSA 55N+ up and running. I've also opened up another avenue after ordering a few of Greg Ball's Simple Killer Amp or a.k.a. SKA/GB150. So I'll have a couple of the very best DIY amps to select from when I tri-amp the speakers. I must say that I really do like the AKSA's I have now but Greg's design introduces a completely new amplifier topology and near record setting distortion levels. Eitherway it's going to be fun pitching these two designs against each other.
Here's a shot of the AKSA's running , note the Blackgate N super E mod in the center of the PCB's. This gave noticable improvements to imaging and bass.
And the cases:
So what does it look like right now? Take a look:
The biggest change in terms of work had been the complete rebuild of the bass cabinets. I've done this because the old ones were really designed for the Seas W22's I was using before the ATC's. The new cabinets have a net volume of 50ltr and are sealed instead of ported. I also took the opportunity to add some improved bracing behind the driver.
Here's a shot of the construction:
Notice the panels that fit into the sides, in particular note the fit - itrs virtually perfect
Took me an age and a fair amount of wasted MDF to get them that tight. Going sealed meant that I really need a solid cabinet and these small details all add up to make a very solid cabinet.Next up for change was the plinth/base of the speakers. I'd originally invisaged mounting the amplifier into the bases and made them quite large. In short they looked a little stupid and I'd abandoned the idea in favour of mounting the amplifiers in traditional cases.
I don't have a shot of the original bases but here's the drawing I did to show what's changed:
They are now much more plain and significantly less thick. An altogether better looking design IMO.
Speaking of amplifier's, I've now got my modified AKSA 55N+ up and running. I've also opened up another avenue after ordering a few of Greg Ball's Simple Killer Amp or a.k.a. SKA/GB150. So I'll have a couple of the very best DIY amps to select from when I tri-amp the speakers. I must say that I really do like the AKSA's I have now but Greg's design introduces a completely new amplifier topology and near record setting distortion levels. Eitherway it's going to be fun pitching these two designs against each other.
Here's a shot of the AKSA's running , note the Blackgate N super E mod in the center of the PCB's. This gave noticable improvements to imaging and bass.
And the cases:
So what does it look like right now? Take a look:
Vikash said:The plinths are much better now - because they're a lot less busy and your eyes focus more on that stunning cabinet.
Thanks Vikash, I was never happy with the old ones. They looked out of place and took something away from the overall look I wanted. The new ones, whilst simple, are much more suited to the look I want.
I'm not sure. Thinking about it now I guess I just enjoy it. There's no doubt that finished speakers are a great moment but its nearly as much fun just working the MDF.
I guess what I'm saying is that it isn't a chore.
Hehe. Yeah I actually really love the building part. It's very satisfying getting your hands dirty and seeing something born out of it. I'm just a bit of a pansy and hate going into the cold garage at this time of year
Not to mention the amount of time is takes to pull the car out, get the table saw and benches out etc. I've learned quite quicklly to measure thrice, cut once.
I can see where you've used he wood hardener and the bits you've sanded down. I started sanding my cabs the other day after aplying about 4 coats. Man that uses up a lot of sand paper! Do you do this with the orbital or by hand? I'm always scared of going too far without realising with sanding power tools.
Not to mention the amount of time is takes to pull the car out, get the table saw and benches out etc. I've learned quite quicklly to measure thrice, cut once.
I can see where you've used he wood hardener and the bits you've sanded down. I started sanding my cabs the other day after aplying about 4 coats. Man that uses up a lot of sand paper! Do you do this with the orbital or by hand? I'm always scared of going too far without realising with sanding power tools.
pinkmouse said:
Thanks Al
I have indeed considered the whole issue of making them stand up safely. Each base are contructed from 4 x 18mm MDF sheets. The bottom of the bass cabinet is 36mm thick and the screws that bolt the two together are large 12 x 4 types.
Its not obvious in the pictures but there's also a weight relief in the form of a rear foot that connects to the rear of the cabinet and then joins to the base.
Screws can be quite brittle if subjected to sideways loading. Go for coach bolts instead, and if you can still get to the bottom of the boxes, stick a piece of hardwood or ply in there as well, to give the bolts something real to bite.
The rear pole will help, but I'm thinking of sideways knocks leading to toppling over, and it would be a real shame with all the work you've put in.
The rear pole will help, but I'm thinking of sideways knocks leading to toppling over, and it would be a real shame with all the work you've put in.
Vikash said:Hehe. Yeah I actually really love the building part. It's very satisfying getting your hands dirty and seeing something born out of it. I'm just a bit of a pansy and hate going into the cold garage at this time of year
Not to mention the amount of time is takes to pull the car out, get the table saw and benches out etc. I've learned quite quicklly to measure thrice, cut once.
I can see where you've used he wood hardener and the bits you've sanded down. I started sanding my cabs the other day after aplying about 4 coats. Man that uses up a lot of sand paper! Do you do this with the orbital or by hand? I'm always scared of going too far without realising with sanding power tools.
I used to do it by hand but soon got fed up of that! It also affects the gloss finish if you hand sand in the form of more ripples.
I now use an orbital sander for the large panels and a small detail sander for the bevels or where more control is needed.
Its very tough to *really* mess up with the power sanders. First tip would be use light abrasives rather than stuff intended for chopping rocks in half
Another point would be to go slowly but keep the sander moving and keep checking by hand until you can feel that you have a real smooth surface.
You'd be very surprised at just how much quicker and easier it makes things. There are times when hand sanding is essential but for the bulk preperation work the orbital and detail sanders are more than useful.
Vikash said:Hehe. Yeah I actually really love the building part. It's very satisfying getting your hands dirty and seeing something born out of it. I'm just a bit of a pansy and hate going into the cold garage at this time of year
Not to mention the amount of time is takes to pull the car out, get the table saw and benches out etc. I've learned quite quicklly to measure thrice, cut once.
I agree that its freezing on most evenings at the moment.
Luckily I've got a large overcoat that makes an eskimo look like he's wearing 'the summer selection', a nice patio heater and a Gazebo to work under. I take your point about getting everything setup too, its a real pain in the backside, not least because you can hardly move in that coat I was talking about.
Hi again all
I've decided to go ahead and build the subs that will partner the Perceive's. I've got 2 x 15" Volt Radials that I was planning to use but I think that's a waste of their talents and the boxes will be pretty huge to get as low as I want and I've only got a smallish room. Instead I've decided to save them for a high efficiency 3-way project that I've got an eye towards later this year (thinking Volt Radials with 2 x ATC supers and the new Supravox 98dB tweeter in an TMMW) but that's another story.
So with the Volts out of the picture, I need to look yet again for something more suitable for my requirements as of now. What I need is relatively small, say 2 cu ft. max, low fs of around 20hz, decent excursion and I'll be building a stereo pair of subs.
I think that a couple of 12" drivers will suit my needs best since I'm after a compact cabinet. I've always had a soft spot for the Peerless XLS10 and considered using 4 of them in two cabinets. I also found some data on the new 12" Dayton RS sub:
http://www.mfk-projects.com/rs_12_hi-fi.htm
And it looks very nice for money, the distortion level's are especially low for a 12" and some of the best I've seen. I worked it out and the cost to ship a couple over here would be around £200 inclusive. That's a great deal IMO.
What are other thoughts?
I've decided to go ahead and build the subs that will partner the Perceive's. I've got 2 x 15" Volt Radials that I was planning to use but I think that's a waste of their talents and the boxes will be pretty huge to get as low as I want and I've only got a smallish room. Instead I've decided to save them for a high efficiency 3-way project that I've got an eye towards later this year (thinking Volt Radials with 2 x ATC supers and the new Supravox 98dB tweeter in an TMMW) but that's another story.
So with the Volts out of the picture, I need to look yet again for something more suitable for my requirements as of now. What I need is relatively small, say 2 cu ft. max, low fs of around 20hz, decent excursion and I'll be building a stereo pair of subs.
I think that a couple of 12" drivers will suit my needs best since I'm after a compact cabinet. I've always had a soft spot for the Peerless XLS10 and considered using 4 of them in two cabinets. I also found some data on the new 12" Dayton RS sub:
http://www.mfk-projects.com/rs_12_hi-fi.htm
And it looks very nice for money, the distortion level's are especially low for a 12" and some of the best I've seen. I worked it out and the cost to ship a couple over here would be around £200 inclusive. That's a great deal IMO.
What are other thoughts?
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