Lotus BVR/CHR-70 - Question about suitability

BL21DE3 · 10:32 AM

Hi Folks,

I'm looking to build a pair of speakers, having previously built a pair of two-way speakers, and I'm interested in going with a full range design this time. In particular I'm quite taken with the Lotus BVR designed by ScottMoose and using the Mark Audio CHR-70 drivers. However before plonking down the cash for the drivers etc. I thought it might be wise to canvas opinions from the more experienced builders/users of full range speakers as to the suitability of these drivers/designs to my room/amp/musical tastes.

Basically they would be used in a room of approx. 4.2m long by 3.5m wide, with the speakers firing across the width of the room and the listening position about 2 - 2.5m from the speakers. I'd be using my DIY all EL84 valve amp running in triode mode to drive the speakers, so about ~5W of output available. In terms of musical taste, 'eclectic' would be about the best description. I listen to everything from heavy metal/rock (i.e Iron Maiden/Them Crooked Vultures), jazz/funk (i.e Jimmy Smith/Poets of Rhythm), hip-hop (i.e Jurassic 5/DJ Shadow), blues (i.e Muddy Waters) to electronica/dance (i.e The Prodigy). I'm not looking for or expecting earth shattering bass from a full range design (especially since a lot of my listening is done in the evening when everyone else in my family is asleep) however I would like to cover the widest range of frequencies possible, at present my current speakers get down to about 80Hz so anywhere below this would be an improvement.

So basically it boils down to the simple question would the Lotus BVR be a suitable option considering my room, amp and musical tastes. Or is there a more appropriate CHR-70 design?

Regards,
Ewan

Scottmoose · 2nd December 2009, 11:31 AM

Well, no FR based system is ideal for the kind of material you favour; OTOH, I'm often to be found listening to the same myself, so providing you accept the limitations in advance, you should be fine. Room size is OK for them, you'll probably need to have the amp running flat out though as the CHR isn't the most efficient FR driver on the face of the planet, which might be an issue, as I would imagine distortion in your amp will be quite high at that point, albeit possibly of a euphonic nature. Lotus should give a useable 60Hz, and the twin drivers do give reasonable headroom as far as such speakers go.

BL21DE3 · 2nd December 2009, 12:19 PM

Thanks for the reply. With regards to the amp, I can always switch it over to run in either UL or Pentode mode so it would be capable of delivering 10-15 W, which I assume might suit the CHR-70 a bit better?

Regards,
Ewan

Scottmoose · 2nd December 2009, 12:33 PM

Probably. You can never have too much clean power.

BL21DE3 · 2nd December 2009, 01:28 PM

Guess it's time to give serious thought to the cut-list and look into ordering some CHR-70s

.

Regards,
Ewan

planet10 · 2nd December 2009, 04:16 PM

You could also consider building Lotus' fraternal twin, Coniston. The EL70 will give at least the equivalent of doubling the amount of power you have on tap vrs the CHR-70.

For your needs i'd recommend the 2 driver ^2 variations to give a more headroom at the bottom.

dave

BL21DE3 · 2nd December 2009, 06:52 PM

Thanks for the suggestion Dave. Unfortunately I don't know of any European stockists for the EL70 so I'd be looking at importing them and having been stung for import duty and handling charges on previous imports I'm loathed to do that (to be honest it was the handling fee imposed by the postal service rather than the import duty that I objected to paying, but that's a rant for another time

). The CHR70's on the other hand I can get quite easily from a couple of sources in Europe hence why I was considering the Lotus. And after both Scott and your comments regarding headroom I'm giving serious consideration to pushing the costs of the project out and going for the dual driver version.

Regards,
Ewan

Henkjan · 2nd December 2009, 07:29 PM

CSS is available from Germany and Holland

Aad · 2nd December 2009, 07:44 PM

Mad About Sound sells CSS in the UK don't they?

(SW is in Essex??)

BL21DE3 · 2nd December 2009, 07:59 PM

Thanks for the replies. The CSS stockists I know of in Germany (Breitbandlautsprecher und mehr - SpectrumAudio) don't list the EL70 and neither do Mad About Sound. Though I might drop them an email and see if they could get hold of them as a special order.

Out of interest Henkjan, which supplier in Holand stocks CSS drivers, I haven't come across one in my searches.

Regards,
Ewan

2nd December 2009, 10:26 AM	#1
BL21DE3 diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Saffron Walden	Lotus BVR/CHR-70 - Question about suitability Hi Folks, I'm looking to build a pair of speakers, having previously built a pair of two-way speakers, and I'm interested in going with a full range design this time. In particular I'm quite taken with the Lotus BVR designed by ScottMoose and using the Mark Audio CHR-70 drivers. However before plonking down the cash for the drivers etc. I thought it might be wise to canvas opinions from the more experienced builders/users of full range speakers as to the suitability of these drivers/designs to my room/amp/musical tastes. Basically they would be used in a room of approx. 4.2m long by 3.5m wide, with the speakers firing across the width of the room and the listening position about 2 - 2.5m from the speakers. I'd be using my DIY all EL84 valve amp running in triode mode to drive the speakers, so about ~5W of output available. In terms of musical taste, 'eclectic' would be about the best description. I listen to everything from heavy metal/rock (i.e Iron Maiden/Them Crooked Vultures), jazz/funk (i.e Jimmy Smith/Poets of Rhythm), hip-hop (i.e Jurassic 5/DJ Shadow), blues (i.e Muddy Waters) to electronica/dance (i.e The Prodigy). I'm not looking for or expecting earth shattering bass from a full range design (especially since a lot of my listening is done in the evening when everyone else in my family is asleep) however I would like to cover the widest range of frequencies possible, at present my current speakers get down to about 80Hz so anywhere below this would be an improvement. So basically it boils down to the simple question would the Lotus BVR be a suitable option considering my room, amp and musical tastes. Or is there a more appropriate CHR-70 design? Regards, Ewan Last edited by BL21DE3; 2nd December 2009 at 10:32 AM.

2nd December 2009, 04:16 PM	#6
planet10 frugal-phile(tm) diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Victoria, BC, NA, Sol III Blog Entries: 4	You could also consider building Lotus' fraternal twin, Coniston. The EL70 will give at least the equivalent of doubling the amount of power you have on tap vrs the CHR-70. For your needs i'd recommend the 2 driver ^2 variations to give a more headroom at the bottom. dave __________________ community sites t-linespeakers.org, frugal-horn.com ........ commercial site planet10-HiFi p10-hifi forum here at diyA

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2nd December 2009, 11:31 AM	#2
Scottmoose diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK	Well, no FR based system is ideal for the kind of material you favour; OTOH, I'm often to be found listening to the same myself, so providing you accept the limitations in advance, you should be fine. Room size is OK for them, you'll probably need to have the amp running flat out though as the CHR isn't the most efficient FR driver on the face of the planet, which might be an issue, as I would imagine distortion in your amp will be quite high at that point, albeit possibly of a euphonic nature. Lotus should give a useable 60Hz, and the twin drivers do give reasonable headroom as far as such speakers go.

2nd December 2009, 12:19 PM	#3
BL21DE3 diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Saffron Walden	Thanks for the reply. With regards to the amp, I can always switch it over to run in either UL or Pentode mode so it would be capable of delivering 10-15 W, which I assume might suit the CHR-70 a bit better? Regards, Ewan

2nd December 2009, 12:33 PM	#4
Scottmoose diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK	Probably. You can never have too much clean power.

2nd December 2009, 01:28 PM	#5
BL21DE3 diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Saffron Walden	Guess it's time to give serious thought to the cut-list and look into ordering some CHR-70s . Regards, Ewan

2nd December 2009, 06:52 PM	#7
BL21DE3 diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Saffron Walden	Thanks for the suggestion Dave. Unfortunately I don't know of any European stockists for the EL70 so I'd be looking at importing them and having been stung for import duty and handling charges on previous imports I'm loathed to do that (to be honest it was the handling fee imposed by the postal service rather than the import duty that I objected to paying, but that's a rant for another time ). The CHR70's on the other hand I can get quite easily from a couple of sources in Europe hence why I was considering the Lotus. And after both Scott and your comments regarding headroom I'm giving serious consideration to pushing the costs of the project out and going for the dual driver version. Regards, Ewan

2nd December 2009, 07:29 PM	#8
Henkjan diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Berkel en Rodenrijs	CSS is available from Germany and Holland

2nd December 2009, 07:44 PM	#9
Aad diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2007	Mad About Sound sells CSS in the UK don't they? (SW is in Essex??)

2nd December 2009, 07:59 PM	#10
BL21DE3 diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Saffron Walden	Thanks for the replies. The CSS stockists I know of in Germany (Breitbandlautsprecher und mehr - SpectrumAudio) don't list the EL70 and neither do Mad About Sound. Though I might drop them an email and see if they could get hold of them as a special order. Out of interest Henkjan, which supplier in Holand stocks CSS drivers, I haven't come across one in my searches. Regards, Ewan

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