My first fullrange project - FR125s

Foxx510 · 16th July 2007, 11:11 AM

Well after hearing so many good reports I thought I would try a set of the CSS FR125s. I normally listen to a set of JBL4412a, with which I have a love hate relationship. They are really loud, and some cds sound great on them. But mostly they sound hard, shouty and boxy, the tweeters are pretty awful.

I made a couple of 7l BR boxes for the fr125s, rear ported. I calculated the vents in WINISD around 50hz, but they turned out much lower, around 35hz. They will eventually be aperiodic or sealed, running with subs.

I have chemical sensitivities, so I am not allowed to work with mdf or plywood. Thus the cabinets are reclaimed hardwood. I haven't made boxes for 10 years or so, so they are a little rough. Cutting it all with a handsaw didn't help the squareness either. I've now learned that hardwood is terrible for speaker cabinets, it really sings! Looks nice though...

How do they sound? I think I can live with these, for a while anyway. Vocals sound really nice. They will need some BSC or a notch filter, they are a bit thin sounding on some cds. Might be the 1k hump that Vikash found in his design. (any assistance in this area would be appreciated, I'll be using active circuits) Bass is amazing for a small driver, but only at very low volumes. I'll need to high pass these to make them usable for my normal listening levels.

I like how they disappear, and the top end is really easy on the ear. It means I can listen to cds now that I couldn't stand on the JBLs. They were dictating what kind of cds I was listening too, and that was no good.

I don't like the off axis performance however, they beam really badly, whether that will be a problem in the long run I'm not sure.

They are for certain one hell of a bargain. Getting this kind of sound out of a $220AUD box is quite amazing. (Thanks to Dan at Darcher Audio for supplying the drivers)

Adam

OzMikeH · 16th July 2007, 11:44 AM

You call that rough? You've done a very good job I think, especially with a handsaw. You've even rebated the driver.

Sorry I can't help you with the beaming issue, you may want to check out the Mamboni/ENABL thread, a little bit of paint shouldn't hurt the drivers and the theories make sense. It should smooth the rough edges off at least.
You probably know already but you should avoid pine, it has a lot of formaldehyde.

Try putting a cardboard box over them to protect the cones then a thick blanket over the whole lot and give them a good thrashing for a day or so. I thought driver run-in was rubbish until I had a pair of fostex fullrangers.

Nice job Adam,

Cal Weldon · 16th July 2007, 04:35 PM

Simple elegance is still elegance. Nice work Adam.

chrisb · 16th July 2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OzMikeH
You call that rough? You've done a very good job I think, especially with a handsaw. You've even rebated the driver.

Sorry I can't help you with the beaming issue, you may want to check out the Mamboni/ENABL thread, a little bit of paint shouldn't hurt the drivers and the theories make sense. It should smooth the rough edges off at least.
You probably know already but you should avoid pine, it has a lot of formaldehyde.

Try putting a cardboard box over them to protect the cones then a thick blanket over the whole lot and give them a good thrashing for a day or so. I thought driver run-in was rubbish until I had a pair of fostex fullrangers.

Nice job Adam,

for the break-in period, if you wire out of phase and place the drivers face to face, you can run a lot more "power" through them

Ask Dave D @ planet10 about his experience with cone treatment on the FR/WR125 drivers.

zacster · 16th July 2007, 07:53 PM

That box has a beautiful rustic Arts & Crafts look to it.

pdan · 16th July 2007, 09:38 PM

Beautiful!

MD-effers eat your hearts out!

Cilla

Cal Weldon · 16th July 2007, 10:14 PM

Agreed

BHTX · 16th July 2007, 10:51 PM

I like it.

Yeah, I'm not surprised about the beaming issue. I'm sure they still sound good though.
I'd love to try a pair of these in an OB with augmentation.
..No extra cash to spend right now tho.

Nice job!

Foxx510 · 16th July 2007, 11:43 PM

Thanks guys. I'll hook them up to the pc today and try some eq to see what is making them sound thin. Can't wait to get them working with the subs.

Foxx510 · 17th July 2007, 06:08 AM

Had a play around with some eq, they just need a bit of BSC from around 600hz, roughly 4db. Time to build some filters.

16th July 2007, 11:11 AM	#1
Foxx510 diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	My first fullrange project - FR125s Well after hearing so many good reports I thought I would try a set of the CSS FR125s. I normally listen to a set of JBL4412a, with which I have a love hate relationship. They are really loud, and some cds sound great on them. But mostly they sound hard, shouty and boxy, the tweeters are pretty awful. I made a couple of 7l BR boxes for the fr125s, rear ported. I calculated the vents in WINISD around 50hz, but they turned out much lower, around 35hz. They will eventually be aperiodic or sealed, running with subs. I have chemical sensitivities, so I am not allowed to work with mdf or plywood. Thus the cabinets are reclaimed hardwood. I haven't made boxes for 10 years or so, so they are a little rough. Cutting it all with a handsaw didn't help the squareness either. I've now learned that hardwood is terrible for speaker cabinets, it really sings! Looks nice though... How do they sound? I think I can live with these, for a while anyway. Vocals sound really nice. They will need some BSC or a notch filter, they are a bit thin sounding on some cds. Might be the 1k hump that Vikash found in his design. (any assistance in this area would be appreciated, I'll be using active circuits) Bass is amazing for a small driver, but only at very low volumes. I'll need to high pass these to make them usable for my normal listening levels. I like how they disappear, and the top end is really easy on the ear. It means I can listen to cds now that I couldn't stand on the JBLs. They were dictating what kind of cds I was listening too, and that was no good. I don't like the off axis performance however, they beam really badly, whether that will be a problem in the long run I'm not sure. They are for certain one hell of a bargain. Getting this kind of sound out of a $220AUD box is quite amazing. (Thanks to Dan at Darcher Audio for supplying the drivers) Adam

16th July 2007, 04:35 PM	#3
Cal Weldon Speakerholic diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: British Columbia	Simple elegance is still elegance. Nice work Adam. __________________ Next stop: Margaritaville Some of Cal's stuff \| Cal Weldon Consulting

16th July 2007, 10:14 PM	#7
Cal Weldon Speakerholic diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: British Columbia	Agreed __________________ Next stop: Margaritaville Some of Cal's stuff \| Cal Weldon Consulting

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16th July 2007, 11:44 AM	#2
OzMikeH diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2007	You call that rough? You've done a very good job I think, especially with a handsaw. You've even rebated the driver. Sorry I can't help you with the beaming issue, you may want to check out the Mamboni/ENABL thread, a little bit of paint shouldn't hurt the drivers and the theories make sense. It should smooth the rough edges off at least. You probably know already but you should avoid pine, it has a lot of formaldehyde. Try putting a cardboard box over them to protect the cones then a thick blanket over the whole lot and give them a good thrashing for a day or so. I thought driver run-in was rubbish until I had a pair of fostex fullrangers. Nice job Adam,

16th July 2007, 07:53 PM	#5
zacster diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: NYC	That box has a beautiful rustic Arts & Crafts look to it.

16th July 2007, 09:38 PM	#6
pdan diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2007	Beautiful! MD-effers eat your hearts out! Cilla

16th July 2007, 10:51 PM	#8
BHTX diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2006	I like it. Yeah, I'm not surprised about the beaming issue. I'm sure they still sound good though. I'd love to try a pair of these in an OB with augmentation. ..No extra cash to spend right now tho. Nice job!

16th July 2007, 11:43 PM	#9
Foxx510 diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	Thanks guys. I'll hook them up to the pc today and try some eq to see what is making them sound thin. Can't wait to get them working with the subs.

17th July 2007, 06:08 AM	#10
Foxx510 diyAudio Member Join Date: Nov 2006	Had a play around with some eq, they just need a bit of BSC from around 600hz, roughly 4db. Time to build some filters.

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