A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!

[emmdee]

Hi to all

I'm a noob of the First Order of Noobs, so forgive me if I appear thick! I was hunting the internet looking at stuff and found this page. For reasons of copyright I'll just add the link http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/bfb_e.html

This is an idea for a 45 litre ported homemade cabinet with a single Fostex 204. Reading it, amongst other things, made me ponder building a slightly modified version with a different design to help eliminate standing waves and using the Fostex 206e unit. I should stress that I'm a musician and music lover, not an audiophile or Physics Major, so a full range single driver speaker would represent the extent of my intellectual resources! Now, would a variation on the theme of the "box" speaker in the link be feasible in terms of padding and bracing of the cabinet and padding and grounding the driver, or is this actually a recipe for disaster?

I currently have a pair of fairly inexpensive B&Ws and a Yamaha amp, but I would like better/more expensive speakers without having to spend over £1000 and the thought of building my own is appealing. I could also use the money I saved to buy a better amp. So how's a single full range driver going to live up to a B&W (albeit near-bottom-of-the-range B&Ws)? Or should I start saving up for a pair of good B&W/Spendor/Quad instead?

Any help appreciated.
m.d.

[Bob Brines]

IMO the FE206E is a bad choice for a BR. the FE207E is a better choice. For a few £ more, consider the Tang Band W8-1772 in 40-45 liters. The TB has far less glare than the 206 and better top end than the 207.

BTW, there are no flies on Yamaha amps. You will be amazed at the difference a good single-driver speakers makes with ANY amp.

Bob

[picowallspeaker]

Maybe BR is the bad choice..! Never used those drivers nor built what I'm gonna suggest you : a tapered quarter wave box . It will be taller and it won't need stands.

[Godzilla]

>>> currently have a pair of fairly inexpensive B&Ws...

So do I. I found them in the trash. 7 inch woofer and a dome tweeter. I think it's this one:

http://www.kalani.net/HT/B&W%20DM610i.jpg

It sounds dull to me. An inexpensive Pioneer/Piezo outperforms it imo... and i have gotten an email from someone a few years ago that replaced his B&Ws with Pioneer/Piezo from this link.

http://www.fullrangedriver.com/singl...r/DIYBX16.html

>>> Or should I start saving up for a pair of good B&W/Spendor/Quad instead?

Those are all good speakers but if you can save money and buy a nice full range driver by Fostex or TB you will be able to build yourself something really special for a lot less money.

Godzilla

[Key]

Well personally I think you will have a hard time beating some good 2-ways with a fullrange - please don't e shoot me just an imho people. I would save up for some active bi-amped Quads. I've heard that the Pro models can actually be had for cheaper than the Hi Fi "Studio" models. But I can only find them on there site here http://quadindustrial.com/Products/S...6/Default.aspx

A cheaper alternative which I use because I am cheap like that. Wharfedale Diamond Pro Actives. Or if you are fine with using a passive speaker and a normal amp maybe the new Wharfedale Diamond 10.

I have been trying to come up with a DIY design that will beat these speakers in price/performace ratio. The best I can come up with is buying IAG speakers (which owns Quad, Castle, Wharfedale, Mission) and repurposing them into an entirely different design - maybe more of an active omni like Linkwitz's Pluto.

[GM]

I agree and if active, then no 'FR' speaker I've ever auditioned comes close with complex music or a movie soundtrack in a far-field app. Limited to a wide BW mid and it's a different story, though again, active rules. Add DSP and it's a whole new 'ballgame'.

GM

[ra7]

what is dsp?

[GM]

Digital Signal Processing

[emmdee]

Thanks you guys.

The speaker in that link I included seems to be just an empty box with a driver screwed in. My first instinct is that it would sound horrible, even using a pretty decent unit like a 204/206/207. I guess it could be redeemable if designed with some care, given an element of bracing, padding, and a few careful tweaks. Would anyone agree with that assessment?

I really like my Yamaha amp. It's actually not a true hi-fi amp, but a home cinema amp; I think it's really good considering how much you can pay for a reeeeeally good amp. The combination of Rotel cd player, Yamaha amp and B&W DM602 S3s in a room which is 12 x 10 x 8ft is fine, but the trouble with technology is that it's a never ending quest for "better" which can usually be read as "more expensive".

m.d.