Small(ish) DIY speaker to match GC??

[monkey_zu]

I accidently posted this in solid state , hopefully they forgive me
Maybe this thread can help...

Hi,

I've been lurking around the forum for just a couple of days gathering information on GC's, so hopefully my questions aren't too stupid...

First, I'm curious if anyone can recommend some DIY speakers that would suit the GC. Preferabley small standtop types. Not small on the scale of bose cubes, but something to match the small, minimalist style of the gainclone and with suitable effieciency as most reviews seem to lean towards.

Is it even possable to have high efficiency speakers in a small package (what dictates the efficiency, is it the driver itself, or mostly the box??).

One other question from looking at pictures of various gainclones; what is the benifit of the very long connecting rod for the stepped attenuator often used (esp buy those closely following the original case style)? Why not just make the case smaller rather than using such a long rod? Is it somehow better to have all this empty space at the front of the box...

Thanks,
MZ

[Nuuk]

Well, my speakers tend to be on the large side so I cannot suggest anything specific. I recommmend that you look at as many designs that you can until you find one the right size and efficiency. Aim for >92 db and you should have something that will work well with a GC.

Generally speaking though you go up in size as you get more efficiency!

The long spindles that you talk about allow the volume control and/or selector switch to be mounted much closer to the sockets on the rear of the case. This keeps internal wiring very short.

Sure, if you build your own case, you could just make the case shallower BUT then it may need to sit further forward on the shelf and require longer interconnects from the source!

And empty space in a box is sometimes welcome when you come on a forum like this and discover that you need to add a buffer, regulator circuit, or whatever is coming next!

[x. onasis]

Welcome Monkey_zu,

Check out these pages and then come back to the "loudspeaker section" and do a search on the Tangband. A great first project.

John's Site ....the W3 871S

Audax Mini - AP100Z0 and TM025F1:

[monkey_zu]

thanks for the advice.

i can get "responce" drivers through work, but none of them (mid-full range anyway) have efficiencies over 90db on the specs... does this mean the efficiency would never rise above this reguardless of enclosure?? ie, for overall efficiency over 92db, would i need to start with speakers that listed as at least that figure?? do the specs usually refer to 'free-air' sensitivity or in optimal enclosure?

[monkey_zu]

i know (again) i should probably look in another forum about this, but since i'm here ..... i do have some quite old sony speakers, unusually with square drivers , called APM-66sp. does anyone know anything about these?? would they be suitable for running from a GC (obviously i will try once it's built, but just curious in the mean time)?

[x. onasis]

I wouldn't worry at all about the sensitivity of your speakers with the GC. You'll just want decent speakers to take advantage of the detail they provide.

That said, I'm no electronics expert, and Nuuk knows far more about GC's than I'll ever pretend to.... I just don't get the 92dB recommendation, I can understand higher impedence speakers for an easier load, but only 1 Watt to a 90dB speaker is loud. Very loud for music listening.....unless my SPL meter is faulty.

I've built a few BGT kits and a 50K pot doesn't give me enough attenuation to turn it up to 1.5 (on a 10 scale) with my least efficient speakers (84 dB). A shunt resister is necessary with a 50K noble pot with detents, IMO. (no meter needed)

Deciding on speakers to DIY is more influenced by other factors such as cost, size, location, range of FR, and type of music than efficiency.