First DIY build - wall mounted speakers for T-amp?

[lostandconfused]

Hi people - first post, looking for some advice on first venture into diy audio!

I've just moved to Canadia from the UK having sold all of my old hifi gear, and am going back to basics with my new system - priorities are cheap (CDN $300), natural & warm sounding, efficient (i.e. not using a 1000W surround receiver to listen to jazz), high WAF.

First component acquired is a GenII T-Amp and I now need some nice easy-to-drive speakers. Couldn't find much in stores, so googled a bit and found this site - inspirational (also planet10 and diyaudioprojects.com - phenomenal stuff)!. Anyway, speakers need to be:

• Efficient (simple, natural, easy to drive, so 90db/1w/1m+?)
• Well rounded, warm sound (i.e. not too bright, with some bass) - jazz, classical and indie rock'n'roll for me
• Under $250
• Buildable without a table-saw
• Wall mounted (out of reach of kids/cats; high WAF) - note: not able to mount in-wall (old lath + plaster walls)
• Sound good in a 14' X 12' living room (speakers on 12' wall)

So far, these two designs seem to be the contenders:

Fonkens - http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeaker...-1v01a-map.pdf

Fostex FE12E Bass Reflex - Fostex FE127E DIY Bass Reflex Bookshelf Speakers

Questions are -

1. If wall mounted, can I get away without a BSC?
2. Given they'll be on a wall, is it worth going the extra mile for the Fonken cabinet build (seems harder), and/or shelling out more for EnABL'd drivers?
3. Which of these designs would, in theory give a better low-end performance (assuming that's going to be the weakpoint of a full-range speaker)?

Right... long first post - sorry! Happy Christmas all...

[chrisb]

Contact Dave via PM - he has a few variations for wall mounted designs (as opposed to built-ins) that have been "modeled" but not to my knowledge built yet.


the buildable without a table saw could be the tricky part - but a flat-pak kit is certainly do-able - however, you will need a few clamps for some of these designs. (can't have too many clamps)

[loninappleton]

Does your workspace have room for a sawboard? Any of these projects will require some precise straight cuts. If it has to be dustless assembly, then a prebuilt or flat pack will work.

The FE127 is a good selection for projects. You can take it to larger more complex builds as you move into the hobby.

[planet10]

When you are mounting on a wall, keeping the depth as shallow as possible is a good goal.

For wall mount & ease of build, Fonken FloorStander Mk I (or Mk II without the voids) should be high on your list. Some of the details can be juggled to optimize for wall mount (change port exit, move driver down the baffle)

dave

[lostandconfused]

@chrisb, thanks - will pick Dave's brains. I haven't seen many examples of the shallow, square wall fonkens online, let alone up close and personal... was thinking that the bass reflex-ish enclosures would provide better bass, but I have zero experience in this area!

@loninappleton - sawboard (like this one?) - genius idea. Will go and make one for the straight edge cuts. The fonken build needs a fair amount of accurate 45 degree mitres as well though, and I seem to remember reading that this cut is done after assembling as a box... so might have to make a second sawboard for a mitre cut. Still - that sounds like a great idea!

[lostandconfused]

Originally Posted by planet10

...For wall mount & ease of build, Fonken FloorStander Mk I (or Mk II without the voids) should be high on your list. Some of the details can be juggled to optimize for wall mount (change port exit, move driver down the baffle)

Thanks Dave,

Mounting floorstanders on a wall sounds unorthodox, but the cabs do look easier to build (no mitres). I suppose the fact that they're shallow also improves things?

RE: detail juggling, I'm not exactly sure what would be "safe" to juggle. Are the "voids" the base part that would be filled with sand, or are you suggesting reducing the overall height of the cab?

Finally, would you advocate moving the port to the side or front of the cab?

So many questions! Thanks for the advice so far!

[planet10]

Originally Posted by lostandconfused

I suppose the fact that they're shallow also improves things?

yes.

RE: detail juggling, I'm not exactly sure what would be "safe" to juggle. Are the "voids" the base part that would be filled with sand
Finally, would you advocate moving the port to the side or front of the cab?

We'll help you juggle

Yes, that is the void. My 1st thot was to run the port right thru the end of the box.

dave

[Alex from Oz]

Probably not a realistic choice for a first build, but I've always been intrigued by Cornu spiral horns.
Have a look at these:
seb:diy:audio: Cornu Spiral Copy Horn
Cornu Spiral Copy Horn

Cheers,

Alex

[lostandconfused]

Originally Posted by Alex from Oz

seb:diy:audio: Cornu Spiral Copy Horn
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/84026-cornu-spiral-copy-horn.html#post973551

Egads man! Thanks, but perhaps something to attempt after I've conquered the challenge of cutting a straight line in plywood. Also, looks like it'd be a bit all-speaker-no-wall.

Originally Posted by planet10

My 1st thot was to run the port right thru the end of the box

Ah, so it would fire at the floor? Interessant, however ...

I took a more detailed look at the measurements compared to the wall space, and the 30" (for MKII) height (despite shallow depth, and having no void) is going to be problematic for WAF.

What about taking the standard fonken cabinet and making that shallower? Is that even legal? Or would that just sound bad?

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by lostandconfused

Ah, so it would fire at the floor? Interessant, however ...

I took a more detailed look at the measurements compared to the wall space, and the 30" (for MKII) height (despite shallow depth, and having no void) is going to be problematic for WAF.

What about taking the standard fonken cabinet and making that shallower? Is that even legal? Or would that just sound bad?

as mentioned in a previous post, Dave has already calculated at least a couple of variations of wall mount versions of this series, as well as for other drivers ( Mark/CSS etc)

if you're interested, he could probably dig some of those out - but it could take a while - he has literally thousands of pictures, renderings and fully detailed CAD drawing in his archives