Open baffle candidate???

[sandyhooker]

Have a pair of Radio Shack FULL RANGERS with the folowing characteristics determined with a Peak Instruments device.

FS 48
Vas 1.4 cu ft
8 ohm
QTS 0.42
qMS 3.07
efficiency 91.6 db 1w/1m

They are well made 6" with cloth surrounds and a whizzer cone.

The box states "Acoustic suspension"...

They sound good unbaffled .

Want to use them on the other end of an LM1875 amp connected to a computer via an M-Audio 5.1 card.

Would like to keep it very simple.

Your suggestions would be well received!!

[chrisb]

depending on your skill with a jig-saw or router, you could satisfy yourself how well they'd work (for you) on OB - in less time that it takes to compile a consensus herein

the worst that could happen is that a helper woofer might be needed.

(hint, "consensus" and audio forum are almost mutually exclusive concepts )

[rjbond3rd]

Qts is decent for OB. I would just proceed cautiously with the volume knob. (By the way, almost anything can be made to work on OB, including very low Qts woofers).

[cuibono]

I second the "build it and find out" - its very easy to. A couple of notes - you probably don't have enough displacement to get much bass (driver Sd * Xmax); second, the highs probably will beam and sound a little rough. Just speaking from experience - but OB should sound good anyways.

If you want, try adding a Dayton ND20FB tweeter (at $13/pair) - if you mount them well, they are very smooth. And then, when you want more bass, you might try this woofer, at about $110 pair, should get you plenty of bass. I've got a pair coming in the mail, I'll share my findings when they get here.

[rjbond3rd]

... almost anything can be made to work on OB, including very low Qts woofers...

Oops, I meant to say "very low Qts drivers" meaning fullrangers. I would not be in a rush to use a low Qts woofer on OB.

[sandyhooker]

Thanks everyone .... I will indeed try the OB approach... I've built many speakers over the years but have no idea where to start with OB concept. This was'nt meant to be a great listening chamber just some decent sound while sitting at the computer. Thought there might be some criteria regarding size and shape.

[cuibono]

WRT shape, just avoid putting the driver in the center of a circle. Rectangles work well. WRT size, there is a trade off - larger = more bass, smaller = smoother treble.

Beware that OBs do best with multiple feet behind them - I too would like to use them next to my computer (or in the car), but we'd run into problems with the back wave canceling the front wave in the midrange (comb filtering). But still no harm in trying.

Siegfrid Linkwitz (linkwitzlab.com) and John Kreskovsky (musicanddesign.com) are good place to go for solid info.