Fostex for my specific needs.

[Highef]

Hello All,

I have always heard about fostex full ranges here. I'm a fan of high efficiency full range speakers. I own a pair of philips AD3800M.
I was planning to move to lowther or fostex. I have heard lowther DX3 (in pipe voigt cabinets) and enjoyed a lot.
I would like your help to assist me in choosing a fostex drivers according to the following specifications:

- I listen jazz fusion, jazz and some rock (like steely dan) in low/medium volume.
- I use 18-watt tube amplifiers and maybe move to 5-Watt single-ended
- The driver must have high efficiency
- I use a horn tweeter and I'm able to tune it accordingly, there is no problem regarding that.
- My room is small (13m2 / 140 ft2), dedicated and with very effective acoustic treatment.
- Budget up to around US$ 800,00 for both drivers.

The most important: I use a transmission-line subwoofer for the basses. I have a specific crossover made for my needs by a local artisan and I can tune it if needed to match the new driver.
So, low frequency is not that important (but medium-lows are!) and I know that it would affect a lot the enclosure needed for the driver. Can it be sealed? What is recommended volume and driver? If I go sealed can I lost some medium-lows ?

I would appreciate any help.

thank you!

Highef

[Glowbug]

Sigma 208ESs would get my vote. Since you're using a tweet, the beamyness you get with the larger driver would potentially be avoided somewhat.

As for the cabinet, I'd look into the Frugel-Horn designs: http://www.frugel-horn.com. I know you said you don't want a ton of low frequencies, but having the potential for some stout midbass/subbass might make integrating your TL easier if it doesn't have to be crossed over as high.

[chrisb]

140 sq ft is a fairly small room - indeed, fully 1/3 smaller than a space in which I find a pair of FE127E and 8 watts of 300B SET is quite adequate for listening tastes and habits similar to those described.

I'd suggest that you consider smaller than the 8" - both for the size of required enclosure and dispersion characteristics.

- i.e. the FE168 E Sigma in Hiro

http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeaker...mages/Hiro.gif

(to be honest, you might not have enough room to fully integrate the output from all three sources any of the full sized dual mouth designs)


FE167E in MLTL or

http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeaker...167-walnut.jpg


I know for sure this one works in rooms as small as 200 sq ft or several times larger

or

http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeaker...f-Chili-3D.gif

I haven't heard a pair of these, but the smaller sibling of this format for FE127E (i.e. Brynn) is very nice.

[Highef]

Thank you for the answers.
What do you think about Fonken + FE127E? It is easy to build and the driver is cheap.

thanks
Highef

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by Highef

Thank you for the answers.
What do you think about Fonken + FE127E? It is easy to build and the driver is cheap.

thanks
Highef

Well, as the original and probably still most prolific builder of this particular design, I'm hardly unbiased.

Not to question or disparage your woodworking skills, but it's a bit more complicated a build than it might look - there's no voodoo in there, but just a lot of fiddly work.

Still near the top of the very short list of favorite speakers I've built

For my particular taste, the stock FE127E is more natural and less fatiguing than the FE126E, and with the EnABL treatment is truly transformed, well worth the cost - but you should search for testimonials from other listeners for validation of that point.

BTW, there is a larger version of this design for the FE167E - but frankly, for me, the larger driver lacks more than a touch of the "magic" of the 127's mid-range, which I think would be quite noticeable in your small room.

[Highef]

Key Chris,
thank you for the help.
My room is dedicated, physically small yes but acoustically large.
I haven't had time for researching about Fonken and 127E. Is there a place where I can find detailed schematics and testimonials about Fonken + 127E? What is EnABL?

thanks
Highef

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by Highef

Key Chris,
thank you for the help.
My room is dedicated, physically small yes but acoustically large.
I haven't had time for researching about Fonken and 127E. Is there a place where I can find detailed schematics and testimonials about Fonken + 127E?

http://www.planet10-hifi.com/fonken.html

What is EnABL?

thanks
Highef

a can of worms,



EnABL Processes

http://www.planet10-hifi.com/fostex.html

http://www.planet10-hifi.com/driver-reviews.html



As for reviews of the Fonkens proper, there are a few scattered around, including this one:
http://www.affordableaudio.org/Fonkens.pdf

(pre-EnABL)

and comments elsewhere on this forum by other builders.

Chris

[ttan98]

Chrisb,

you have lots of experience with Fostex drivers, I have a pair of FE167E and I found the sound reproduction is a "little" thin compared to convention drivers like Usher, etc. How it that so? do you find it as well? I don't EnABL my drivers. How do I alleviate this effect ie can add a little more "body" to the sound.

Cheers.

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by ttan98

Chrisb,

you have lots of experience with Fostex drivers,

I assure you, there are many folks on this forum, and elsewhere that have much more extensive experience with Fostex and other drivers than myself, but I do tend to wear my heart on my sleeve

I have a pair of FE167E and I found the sound reproduction is a "little" thin compared to conventional drivers like Usher, etc. How it that so? do you find it as well?

Few of us have had the opportunity to hear every brand and type of loudspeaker driver extant (or extinct ) , and to be honest, the only Usher driver that I can explicitly recall was a cheaper tweeter as part of a not very well integrated DIY 2-way, so I'd prefer to reserve judgment on the brand. Like many DIYer's, yourself probably included, I have heard, owned and built systems with a variety of "conventional" drivers ( and for that matter, some out of the mainstream)

If by "thin", you mean lacking a sense of body, weight or mass, that is certainly not the first descriptor that I'd use for the FE167E driver itself- in conjunction with what amplifier(s) and source material / format?
It's been my personal experience that the FE and Sigma series blossom with low power tubed amps (in my case 2A3 and 300B SET and EL84 class A P/P triode and triode connected SE). For example, the same driver and enclosure (FE167E in 23 liter floorstanding Fonken) with a class T amp of triple or more rated power definitely exhibits less body and dimensionality than the 2A3

I don't EnABL my drivers. How do I alleviate this effect ie can add a little more "body" to the sound.

Cheers.

Actually I don't have the patience to attempt EnABL myself either - but I can certainly blast together a modest speaker enclosure in about the same amount of elapsed time it takes Dave to complete the multi step process (and most of the time in either is waiting for glue or paint, etc. to dry)

I wouldn't count on the EnABL process to add "body" in the sense of "weight", as much as focus the spacial coherency, delineate (and separate) inner detail and texture

[Bob Brines]

Originally Posted by ttan98

Chrisb,

you have lots of experience with Fostex drivers, I have a pair of FE167E and I found the sound reproduction is a "little" thin compared to convention drivers like Usher, etc. How it that so? do you find it as well? I don't EnABL my drivers. How do I alleviate this effect ie can add a little more "body" to the sound.

Cheers.

I find the FE167E the most honest and uncolored of the Fostex drivers I've heard. Did you use a BSC filter with this driver? If not it will sound thin. You Usher has a cross-over that incorporates a BSC filter, no?

Bob