fostex fe108es in "swans"

[LilMik]

hello all,

today i received my third pair of this sweet little driver. one pair is playing in the metronoms and one pair is playing in 5l vented cabs, i use them as computerspeakers .

with my new drivers i would like to built a "swan-enclosure". but there are so many "swan-enclosures" out there, and most of them don't work with the fe108es. can someone give me a hint what "swan-enclosure" is especially designed for the fe108es?

(and where could i find a plan that one can actually read/unterstand ?)

yours sincerely
mike

[901Fixer]

I do believe the preferred enclosure for the FE108 series is the Aiko model of Spawn. I'm not sure if it is on the Frugel-Horn.com website or if I found the plans from another thread, do a search. Pretty simple design, looks nifty as well.

[chrisb]

Originally posted by 901Fixer
I do believe the preferred enclosure for the FE108 series is the Aiko model of Spawn. I'm not sure if it is on the Frugel-Horn.com website or if I found the plans from another thread, do a search. Pretty simple design, looks nifty as well.

Well, maybe "preferred" by those who've heard this driver in several more conventional BLH (i.e. Buschorn MK I & MKII, ) BIBs, etc, but not necessarily any of the Swan family.

In other words, site conditions take precedence over shop drawings, YMMV, etc.

[serenechaos]

LilMik,

Are you talking about the FE108EZ "Sigma”? (current production)
Or the FE 108ES II? (limited run; discontinued)

Nagaoka designed a number of Swans, or variations, for different drivers. They're in the books, & on line, but I can send you links & dimensions for whichever of those drivers.
As I recall, the FE108EZ was the original Swan,
the FE 108ES II I believe was mostly changed in the "head" volume for the larger motor.

I built a pair of the later; they're quite nice after lengthy break-in, in the right room.
I haven't heard Aiko; can't compare, or say what's "preferred."

[Kofi Annan]

I put my 108E Sigmas in a pair of swans, but I found the bass to be a bit too boomy. They were much better with a pair of 103s, believe it or not. Bass was just right with them.

Kofi

[serenechaos]

very room dependent, very placement dependent.
VERY.

I was actually going to pull the drivers out, and use mine for firewood.
Was using them as a second system in the "amp building room," downright unlistenable.
Put them in another (well damped) room, side by side with a pair of nice TLs to show someone how horrible they were, and they were totally different...
Well out from the walls, on carpet, bookshelves all around, EL84 SET or PP amp.
But that's the FE 108ES II in the Super, not the regular swan, I don't know how much difference that makes.
Also, heavier cable made a big difference over cat 5...

And what work best I'm afraid to even try to explain...
Even though a few weeks ago some friends were here, and said I should take pictures & post it here...
Somewhat of a JBL Paragon Kludge.
Turning the Swans sideways, so they face each other.
Putting a Paragon front horn in front of the drivers.
The horns/drivers are then aimed @ a curved, nine-foot long piece of wood, acting like the reflector in front of a Paragon.
Paragon link: http://www.audioheritage.org/html/pe...lf/paragon.htm
The sound is distributed evenly throught the room, bass isn't boomy @ all, but weak in the bottom octave, a pair of subs coming in ~60 Hz helps.
A pair of 2405 JBL ribbon tweeters crossed in @ 10K also makes a noticable difference.

[LilMik]

Originally posted by serenechaos
LilMik,

Are you talking about the FE108EZ "Sigma”? (current production)
Or the FE 108ES II? (limited run; discontinued)

Nagaoka designed a number of Swans, or variations, for different drivers. They're in the books, & on line, but I can send you links & dimensions for whichever of those drivers.

hello serenechaos,

i am talking about the "normal" version, FE108E Sigma.

links and dimensions for this driver would be nice .

i already read that the nagaokes can sound pretty bad, but i also read that they can sound pretty good. my thought is, why not give it a try. my bedroom is not very big, but well damped. if they don't sound good, i can still use them as a piece of modern art . my living room, also well dampened and much larger than my bedroom, is unfortunately a no-go since my girlfriend doesn't like "big and ugly" speakers ...

...women, what do they know .

Yours Sincerely
mike

[serenechaos]

Yes, they can sound pretty good.
I far prefer them to Buschorns, BIBs, & such.
They've become my wife's favorite speakers.
(She still calls them "the geese." but she likes geese...

As to "looks," after you've lived with them a while, they look more like very small speakers on wooden stands, than strange shaped things, so you might want to think about when considering finishing. I've since wondered what it would look like to finish the base (body & neck) darker, or to match a room?
I finished mine with shellac inside & out, doing the insides is supposed to help.

Link:
http://translate.google.com/translat...hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Use the menu on the left for The first Swan, Swan a, Description, dimensions, cutting sheet, assembly sequence, etc.

also: http://homepage3.nifty.com/spida/eng-page9-1-3.htm
part way down, then click on links @ bottom of page.

http://homepage3.nifty.com/spida/eng-page7.htm < be sure to ck this one, it has history, good picts, etc.
more links @ bottom

r

[rray786]

my living room, also well dampened and much larger than my bedroom, is unfortunately a no-go since my girlfriend doesn't like "big and ugly" speakers ...

...women, what do they know .

Yours Sincerely
mike

Hi Mike

Well, I don’t know what plans you should use with the 108 but I do have a few suggestions.

You can make that swan quite beautiful if you push the CC forward and add false panels. You can see this on post of mine in the FE166ES-R section. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showt...708#post611708 (Post #5) Every woman that has seen this speaker loves it! BTW, do NOT add river rock as I did...it makes the sound worse. Use void-fee plywood and don’t coat the interior with anything. (ICYI, you won’t be able to add trim. I was able to add trim because the rock required widening of the CC.) Do not add any dampening material to the throat or CC - it sucks the life out of the sound. If you get a boomy bass, try using damping material in the mouth only. If all else fails, try using active EQ. Even my rock coated swans sound quite good with active EQ. (But nothing sounds as good as my OB system.) BTW, I think my modified swan would look awesome with 1/2 inch roundover on the joints and covered with black epoxy or black laquer.

Good luck with your project!

Sincerely,
Rich