Fonken questions

[jayme]

I'm interested in trying a FR driver, and I am considering building a Fonken as a first speaker project.

1) In regards to the Fonken and amplifier output impedance, what is a suitable value/range? I'm going to be building a SE amp (which should have a nice high output impedance), but my VTL EL34 PP amp has an OI of 1.6ohms. Is that in the right range for the Fonken?

2) Has anyone designed a "low freqency box" to complement the Fonkens, much like the wilson watt/puppy two-box design?


P.S. Planet10, any update on the Fonken flat-paks?

(My woodworking skills are decent, but I left my table saw and router with my parents when I moved to NYC....)

[vinylkid58]

Your VTL EL34 PP amp (IT-85?) should sound fine with a pair of Fonkens. Not sure why you want to build an amp with high output impedance?

Read this.

BTW, my Fonkens sound much better running off the 4 ohm tap than the 8.

Try PM'ing Dave directly regarding flat packs.

Jeff

[jayme]

Originally posted by vinylkid58
Your VTL EL34 PP amp (IT-85?) should sound fine with a pair of Fonkens. Not sure why you want to build an amp with high output impedance?

Jeff

Oh...I'm not targeting a high output impedance, per se. I think it just more or less comes with the territory around SETs.

From the Planet10 website:
The Fonken likes small amps with highish output impedance like SETs, no-feedback push-pull. a whole new wave of single-ended SS, and the new small digital amplifiers. Becuase they are ~6 dB more efficient you can get away with not much power -- 2-20 watts is fine.

The miniOnken likes larger class A & Class AB PP amps with low output impedance -- typical receivers & solid state amplifiers as well as push-pull tubes amp with feedback.

My VTL ST-85 (great amp!) falls into the latter category, as it is a Class AB PP amp. But, 1.6ohms strikes me as a rather high output impedance, more in line with some of the SETs, I think.