1st impressions of my lone Sachiko

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This is the eagerly awaited audition of my just completed Sachiko double mouthed horn and my first introduction to back loaded horns and the Fostex FE206E.

I glued the last side on my first Sachiko double mouth horn yesterday evening. This evening I manhandled the completed enclosure off the saw horse platform where I assembled the speaker and with help of my complaining wife (she doesn't understand) I placed the speaker in my daughters vacant bedroom / den. I connected an iPod mini to my Scott 299 and turned on the amp. I heard a low 120Hz background hum. This is to be expected from a 50 year old tube amp and efficient speakers.

I sat down and listened to Miles Davis - Kind of Blue. I may be stating the obvious, but I was immediately reminded that wind instruments are played by someone blowing air through a horn. Paul Cambers' double bass really came across as a hollowed bodied acoustic instrument. I took notice to the subtleties of the drums. The sticks hitting hard against surfaces were new sounds to me on this recording. The high end of FE206E exceeded my expectations with the cymbals. The studio room acoustics also became apparent. The are a little ragged in the mid-range, but I gather this is to be expected from an FE206E with just one hour of use.

Next was Vivaldi - The Four Seasons. Itzack Perlman soloist. This showed off the speed and dynamics of the speaker. This reminded me of a friend's vintage Magnaplanars.

Finally I played King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic. WOW! The opening chimes and percussion instruments were very detailed. Once again, I was hearing new sounds that I'd not heard before such as birds chirping and wind. The warm sound of 'Book of Saturday' was a real pleasure. This track has nice electric bass and the Sachikos did not disappoint with their bass reproduction.

I have a sore back from moving this 6 foot beast around, but I'm very happy so far. Tonight I listened to MP3s played mono through one enclosure. A better source in Stereo can only be an improvement.


TT
 
If you like them now, just wait 'til you get them broken in!

I built a pair of Half Changs w/ the FE206 (instead of the recommended FE207) for our daughter & son-in-law. I love the sound.

After they are broken in, then let us know how how they have changed. And whether you are considering baffle step correction.

And, oh ya--WHERE ARE THE PICTURES??

Cheers, Jim
 
BSC?! Sachiko is a high-gain canenoid design with +8db over nominal up to the effective mass-corner (also roughly the same as the step loss frequency), plus a large load onto the rear of the cone, bringing the extreme HF down. Lack of low-end gain is the last thing these boxes suffer from. If anyone complains about weak LF, they haven't built it right. ;)

I was round at a mate's place yesterday. Dave-the-bass had brought his Saburo's along (similar design concept, but for the 4 1/2in FE126E). Victorian house, ~ 12ft x 12ft x 15ft room. 1 1/2w & Massive Attack's Inertia Creeps had the jam-jars in a large oak cabinet at the other end of the room rattling. :devilr:
 
They do pump out a fair amount of bass. What they do convey very well is the texture or timbre of the lower notes. The opening bass on Alice in Chains - 'Swing on This' sounds great through the Sachiko.

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I built with local birch ply. Not the best quality and I had some issues with warpage, but it turned out better than I thought it would.

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Due to my over impetuousness, it is not fully finished and needs further sanding and 2 more coats of polyurethane. At least I can listen to it while I glue up it's sibling.

Thanks to all involved with the design.

TT
 
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