fostex new speaker; & treatment of a coral flat 8

[then_dude]

hello everybody,

i have a ft1600mkII, it is a mltl fe167e; my roommate wants one, so i'm planning to sell of this speaker. the conus is treated and there are planet10 phase plugs in it. (great step up)

A)now, i had already bought a fe127e for my pc speaker. and i thought using a The Classic Golden-Ratio fonken. But planet10 was working on another enclosure: so maybe it is already there but not published ?

B)i'm not gonna use the 127e for my main rig, not enough bass i think. So i have in mind a few drivers: fe167e or a 206/207e driver. i could go more expensive (like a 120, or the sigma models) but why ? if a fe167e plays as good (if treated).

So a few questions: a 166mm fostex or a 208mm fostex : the smaller gives better midrange, but less bass. the bigger might be short in the highs ?

the enclosure i'm looking for can be anything. So a fonken 167 looks great, but i "spawn family model" is also an option: the woodwoorking must be simple, but when it comes down to size, i can accept hugh speakers.

So what would you build ? and why, (at this moment i think i might build a fonken 167: a decent design, not to big and good sound).


ps: i still have a coral flat 8; but need a good enclosure: the BR which it is in is to sharp (needs more demping i guess). They say the coral plays super in a horn, but those horns are a pain to build. anyone with a good enclosure for that. And does anyone has already treated a coral with modpodge ? or tried to get rid of the dust cap, cause it is aluminium ? the corals have the same problem as the fe167 : way to shouty with the dust cap: after super great succes with the fe167, i wanna try it also with the corals

thanks people

[BTW]

Yes remove the dust cap for the Flat 8 ..It really opens up the highs.. It's a very good mod..

[then_dude]

aha, but how,

with a surgical blade ? can it cut that easy through the metal ?

i suppose you have done this mod BTW, so maybe you have done a cone treatment, or do you have them in a certain enclosure ?

thanks a lot BTW

[BTW]

Originally Posted by then_dude

aha, but how,

with a surgical blade ? can it cut that easy through the metal ?

i suppose you have done this mod BTW, so maybe you have done a cone treatment, or do you have them in a certain enclosure ?

thanks a lot BTW

Yes, use a very sharp blade to puncture the dust cap then slowly remove the dust cap..

I don't do any cone mods eg painting etc... I like the keep the drivers in as orginal condition as possible.. It was my friend who did the dust cap mod and we A/B...... huge improvements after removal of dust cap.. Anyway the tone should improve after the dust cap removal, don't think you'll want to treat the cone any further...


The Australia Coral East Marine's website had the cabinet plans for the Beta 8 ... that's the box we have used with vey good results.

[planet10]

Originally Posted by then_dude

A)now, i had already bought a fe127e for my pc speaker. and i thought using a The Classic Golden-Ratio fonken. But planet10 was working on another enclosure: so maybe it is already there but not published ?

The only FE127 box i'm working on right now is the FonkenPrime... and except for one small optinal modification, is creating plan versions for differing material thicknesses, adding cutting & damping plans and assembly diagrams. All stuff that will make them easier to build. There will be a small fee for the more complete set of plans, the current plans will remain free (much like Bob Brines does for the FT1600.

The Fonken167 1v1 plans are nearing completion, i'll need some beta testers, but these will end up similar to FonkenPrime 1v1 plans.

dave

[then_dude]

thanks guys

@btw
i'll give it a try to remove the dustcap, and might put in a pahse plug, the beta models have one, so i'm gonna try that to. painting, well i'll see, but my flat's are not new, on the contrary they are old and could use some painting i guess, so that the the paper cone doesn't come apart.

are you saing that you put a flat 8 in a beta horn backloaded setup ? or did you put a flat in a beta BR of closed ?

@planet10
aha, the fonkenprime is a small fonken with the venting on the side like the big fonkens ?
i don't mind paying a small fee for a design, i have bought bob brines his as well, beside he and you are giving very good support, that's nice too.
okee, i'll watch the big fonkens too.


but until then i might build a new enclosure for the flat 8. a smack horn is one of the candidates, i have red online that it sounds good. But a spawn-familiy is even easier and would be my lucky shot. i'm gonna start looking for those specs, so that maybe you can advice me what to do.

does anyone can help me out on the the fe167 fe206 issue; well more generly the 166 and 208mm drivers ?

thanks a lot people

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by then_dude

thanks guys


@planet10
aha, the fonkenprime is a small fonken with the venting on the side like the big fonkens ?

Even I get confused looking at the entire catalog table of contents.

In order left to right

"prime" - as in the first of the Fostex series with the resistive slot ports, 13 liters/ shown with FE127E
"milli" - approx 4.5 liters - FE127E
"micro" - approx 2 liters - FF85K

i don't mind paying a small fee for a design, i have bought bob brines his as well, beside he and you are giving very good support, that's nice too.
okee, i'll watch the big fonkens too.

As with many other enclosure architectures, this one is scalable to driver's dimensions and T/S parameters (within reason). So in addition to a taller floorstanding version of the Prime for FE167E (23 liters working volume ) there are other -'ken designs for Mark Audio and CSS drivers.

Try as I might, I haven't been able to build all of them

yet

but until then i might build a new enclosure for the flat 8. a smack horn is one of the candidates, i have red online that it sounds good. But a spawn-familiy is even easier and would be my lucky shot. i'm gonna start looking for those specs, so that maybe you can advice me what to do.

does anyone can help me out on the the fe167 fe206 issue; well more generly the 166 and 208mm drivers ?

thanks a lot people

The drivers you named (167 and 206) are significantly different that formulating an answer really comes back to a check list that includes:

- room size & domestic considerations regarding enclosure size and primary listening positions
- listening habits
- preferred amplifier type (if any)

To repeat what I've mentioned before, I have 3 main operating systems at home, in quite different sized rooms, and used for different purposes.
- 200sq ft man-cave ; main speakers either FE127E or FE167E in prime enclosures - amps range from 2A3 or 300B DHT monoblocks to Jolida 302 EL34 PP triode
- 320sq ft family room; 2 Channel TV system - FE167E floorstanding Fonken - amp is Kingrex T20U
- 400+sq ft living/dining room; CSS EL70 dual driver "Castle Micro-tower" - amp is some generic '80s vintage 30 or so watt Sony 2 channel receiver.

None ever get played loud enough to hurt the gear or the listener, and since my teen-age son moved out, the need has never been felt for "more volume/bass, etc.

but as ever, your driving habits and mileage may vary

[BTW]

Originally Posted by then_dude

thanks guys

@btw
i'll give it a try to remove the dustcap, and might put in a pahse plug, the beta models have one, so i'm gonna try that to. painting, well i'll see, but my flat's are not new, on the contrary they are old and could use some painting i guess, so that the the paper cone doesn't come apart.

are you saing that you put a flat 8 in a beta horn backloaded setup ? or did you put a flat in a beta BR of closed ?


thanks a lot people

Sorry I wasn't too clear... I meant the Beta 8 BR box.. I've heard the Beta 10 in the BR box and BLH box as well.... IMHO I think the Corals do better in BR cabinets

[then_dude]

thanks BTW, that is great information
i have already the coral flats in a BR, it was on diyparadise; it is not one of the factury models, but it was designed for it, so not a problem.
may i ask you what did you use as demping material ? i use buble plastic, still i think that might be to minimalistic (that's what they use on diyparadise) but i will remove the dustcap first.


@ chrisb
thanks to, for the information

well i decided to go for the best full range setup i can go.
so all options are open, offcourse money is an issue, i know i can spent a lot of money on a 206Esigma and a t90a tweeter. so some other questions

1)a modded fe167e does it comes close to a 168Esigma.
2)or modded 206e 207e does it comes close to a 20Xsigma?

at this moment, from what i have red all night, i'm leaning to a big horn with a 168Esigma. but i would like to read what the pro's have to say on this.

a)does the fonken sound better or not (with the same driver : and that has to be the 167e i think cause the 168 is really made for horns)
b)well what would you do, when space isn't an issue. the fonken 167e or a BIB/spawn/.... with a 168sigma
c)a friend of mine wants a speaker to, i thought of a 207 in a big blh with a tweeter, can i replace the expensive tweeter with a ft17h ?

a lot of questions i know,
thanks people

[then_dude]

i have been reading more and more :-)

and i stopped at ronhorns, like the A166; everybody is raving about it, so this might be the one for me; but the woodworking isn't straightforward. So a few questions about it

1)is it possible to build this horn differently ? more straigt and bigger, but easier to build ?
2)does anyone know how it compares to the much easier to build fonken?

thanks a lot guys;