I just finished my first build: a 25L dual chamber bass reflex for the W5-1611. After playing around with Jeff Bagby's baffle/room simulator, and using the flat 5 design as a starting point, I eventually built a cabinet with a 20" wide baffle. I hoped to push the baffle step down to where boundary effects boost the sound anyway.
My carpenter friend advised me as I left, "don't plug them in until you've applied the finish, or it will never get done!" Oh well.
Naturally I couldn't wait to go through that trouble so I threw some damping in and ran the wires through the port. This is the first time I've gotten to hear the W5s running full range without a sub. So far the sound is as I'd hoped. To me the sound appears quite balanced, although I can hear some resonances which show through on piano recordings most. Bass and dynamics are sufficient for most music, but I'm still planning to add some 1 ohm resistors and see if I can't get them down to 40hz as was recommended by Hobby Hi-Fi. As of now they cannot produce the lowest notes on some of the electronica i tested them with, nor do they even seem inclined to try. But overall I expect these speakers to sound their best on small ensemble acoustic music and jazz where big dynamics and deep bass are not all-important.
I learned a lot about good cabinet making with this project, most notably that making a good cabinet is time consuming! Also, apple ply is expensive stuff.
My carpenter friend advised me as I left, "don't plug them in until you've applied the finish, or it will never get done!" Oh well.
Naturally I couldn't wait to go through that trouble so I threw some damping in and ran the wires through the port. This is the first time I've gotten to hear the W5s running full range without a sub. So far the sound is as I'd hoped. To me the sound appears quite balanced, although I can hear some resonances which show through on piano recordings most. Bass and dynamics are sufficient for most music, but I'm still planning to add some 1 ohm resistors and see if I can't get them down to 40hz as was recommended by Hobby Hi-Fi. As of now they cannot produce the lowest notes on some of the electronica i tested them with, nor do they even seem inclined to try. But overall I expect these speakers to sound their best on small ensemble acoustic music and jazz where big dynamics and deep bass are not all-important.I learned a lot about good cabinet making with this project, most notably that making a good cabinet is time consuming! Also, apple ply is expensive stuff.
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>>> although I can hear some resonances which show through on piano recordings most.
They look very nice. I think other's have commented on resonances with different drivers in double reflex designs. If your intention is to use a sub one day perhaps a simpler, smaller ported box might work better and without the resonances you currently hear. Enjoy them! Btw, i have tried many boxes with the same driver over the years. It's part of getting a better understanding how different cabinets contribute to the overall sound... dbr, bh, ob, ported, sealed... tqwt... the list goes on!
Zilla
They look very nice. I think other's have commented on resonances with different drivers in double reflex designs. If your intention is to use a sub one day perhaps a simpler, smaller ported box might work better and without the resonances you currently hear. Enjoy them! Btw, i have tried many boxes with the same driver over the years. It's part of getting a better understanding how different cabinets contribute to the overall sound... dbr, bh, ob, ported, sealed... tqwt... the list goes on!
Zilla
Thanks Ultrakaz, that was the point entirely!
Zilla, the resonances I refer to are rather high up the audio spectrum so I doubt they are attributable to the ports; but are they a result of the cabinet walls or the driver? I'm not yet sure. (The cabinet is not at all large and it has two horizontal braces.)
At this point I've lined the walls with a combination of egg crate foam and 5/8" foam from madisound, and even added a bit of acousta-stuf. After completing the damping and starting up one speaker by itself, I get the impression that the bass has deepened somewhat. I honestly doubt that I'll experiment much with the damping at this point.
Zilla, the resonances I refer to are rather high up the audio spectrum so I doubt they are attributable to the ports; but are they a result of the cabinet walls or the driver? I'm not yet sure. (The cabinet is not at all large and it has two horizontal braces.)
At this point I've lined the walls with a combination of egg crate foam and 5/8" foam from madisound, and even added a bit of acousta-stuf. After completing the damping and starting up one speaker by itself, I get the impression that the bass has deepened somewhat. I honestly doubt that I'll experiment much with the damping at this point.
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Yes, they're still floating (merely taped), and the back is still unsealed! So I suppose the sound I'm getting now is still quite compromised. I intend to buy some blu tack to seal the driver and the back to the cabinet and make it air-tight. But before I glue down the damping, seal the cab, and install the binding posts, I gotta finish the damn thing! Oof...I hate waiting.
Any leaks in vented cabs, especially multiple resonant chamber alignments, pretty much totally ruins the tuning [raises Fb], so adjusting damping is generally a waste of time and will tend to be over-damped once the cab is sealed up. Also, just taping in a driver adds a major extra loss of acoustic efficiency, further over-damping the system, so little wonder there's no bass to speak of.
GM
GM
Thanks for making that clear GM. In that case I'll take my listening experiences to this point with a healthy dose of kosher salt. I'll make an update after the cabinet is finished and the drivers/back are installed properly.
Zia dada, mujhe lagta hain mera speaker ek hafte mein taiyar honge! Mauf Kijiye, main "Dilliwalla" hoon.
Congrats on your build!
So Chaz, when are you going to say "Speaker hoye geche"?
-Zia
Zia dada, mujhe lagta hain mera speaker ek hafte mein taiyar honge! Mauf Kijiye, main "Dilliwalla" hoon.
Thanks for making that clear GM. In that case I'll take my listening experiences to this point with a healthy dose of kosher salt. I'll make an update after the cabinet is finished and the drivers/back are installed properly.
Zia dada, mujhe lagta hain mera speaker ek hafte mein taiyar honge! Mauf Kijiye, main "Dilliwalla" hoon.
Chaz, most of that was Hindi, not Bangla
... look forward to your update in a week's time.-Zia
I ran out today and bought screws for the drivers, spray-on glue, and water-based polyurethane for the finish. Might even have these things done by tomorrow. But before I glue the damping, I want to know if I have the right idea here. I basically lined the side walls with the foam and then used egg crate for the front and back. Is this wise? I also have a little yellow felt material from some old-school speakers that I could use, perhaps around the driver. I also have a lot of acousta-stuf.
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It looks like there might be enough plywood in the dadoes for rear panel to allow for its removal to adjust damping / fill levels. Until that's certain, I'd be inclined to suggest a thin foam weatherstripping gasket and #6 x 1 3/4" wood screws for "temporary" attachment of rear panel. Then when you're satisfied you can give'er.
I'm not personally a fan of acoustic foams in speaker boxes - preferring the 1/2" Ultratouch, something like your "old school" yellow felt (probably cotton or flax based?) or teased mineral wool (rockwool, etc) but you should be fine.
Thanks for the advice Chrisb. I will probably stick with the foam for this project since it's what I've got, but if I do utilize the yellow felt, where would be the best place to put it (keeping in mind that I don't have enough to line the whole cabinet)?
Quick update: two coats of polyurethane have been applied, with the third coming soon. Should have the speakers up and running for real by tonight.
Quick update: two coats of polyurethane have been applied, with the third coming soon. Should have the speakers up and running for real by tonight.
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Thanks for the advice Chrisb. I will probably stick with the foam for this project since it's what I've got, but if I do utilize the yellow felt, where would be the best place to put it (keeping in mind that I don't have enough to line the whole cabinet)?
Quick update: two coats of polyurethane have been applied, with the third coming soon. Should have the speakers up and running for real by tonight.
I'd start with as many surfaces in the section the driver is mounted in as material allows for .
BTW, I just now took an enlarged look at the joinery on the plywood boxes - kudos to the wood-basher -
Well, they're done (for real this time). Got three coats of polyurethane finish on yesterday, bolted the drivers in, and sealed the back. Even though the damping was ostensibly temporary with the option for adjusting later, I honestly doubt these things are going to be opened back up in the near future. They really do sound good. The very lowest bass is still lacking somewhat, and while I may just be bumping against the limit of what this driver can do I want to try adding the one ohm resistor to see what affect that has. Is it okay to just connect it at a binding post as a temporary test? And if so (or even not), do I connect it to the positive or negative terminal or doesn't it matter?
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Has the question been asked of how many hours on this driver? I'd be inclined to give it a few hundred hours of playing time before further tweaking for bass output levels. This is not really all that hard to do if you can leave it running all day while at work etc.
I doubt that it matters on which pole the temporary or permanent series R might be affixed, but keep them both the same.
enjoy
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