I have been reading this thread quite keenly. Like cjkpjk, I'm thinking of building a Fonken Floorstander II with the EL70 as well. I will be travelling to the US shortly, and am also trying to finalize the drivers and cabinet design (something simple to make) so that I can purchase the drivers during my trip. This will also be my first speaker DIY attempt, so please bear with me if my questions are very newbie-level or have been answered before.
1. Will the EL70 pair well with the Fonken Floorstander II design, with or without some modifications? If modifications are necessary, can someone please guide me on what changes are necessary?
2. Does the EL70 have sufficient sensitivity to be paired with a T-amp? I currently have a Topping TA2020 that I plan to drive the speaker with. As per the amp ratings, I can probably expect 6-7 watts of clean amplification power after which it starts distorting. I'm also looking for decent (but not overly loud) SPL levels with hopefully decent mids and bass.
3. Are there any alternatives to EL70, if this is not sensitive enough for my amp? I ask this because the original spec driver (FE127E) for the Fonken floorstander II is no longer being sold.
4. Will I be able to use EL70 in the micro-Fonken (or u-fonken)? I ask this because I am a complete newbie to DIY speakers, and am not sure if it be easier if I attempted a micro-Fonken or a Del Sol.
Any help or guidance that any of the forum members can provide will be of immense help to me.
Thanks!
arun
Dave can fill in some of the blanks, but my pennies worth-
- Sensitivity of either the EL70 or CHR70 is definitely much lower than the late FE127E, and whether 6-7watts is enough for your particular application is very subjective - but I'd be inclined to suggest it would be marginal
- It's been a while since we last visited the FS Fonken design with FE127E, and based on experience with the recent Mark Audio drivers, I think the latter deserve a bit more time refining an existing enclosure design. As we've found with both the "milli" series and the first prototypes of what I think is named the dMar-Ken70, with appropriate adjustments (to port dimensions), and aside from the above noted sensitivity differences, the Mark Audio drivers work very well indeed in this series of enclosures.
- The uFonken is tailored to the FF85K, which is to the best of my knowledge still available (there is also a larger version with 2 FF85K per enclosure). So far I haven't heard a Mark Audio driver with quite the goose-bump factor as this amazing little creature, but I'm sure Mr Fenlon is not standing still....
- Sensitivity of either the EL70 or CHR70 is definitely much lower than the late FE127E, and whether 6-7watts is enough for your particular application is very subjective - but I'd be inclined to suggest it would be marginal
- It's been a while since we last visited the FS Fonken design with FE127E, and based on experience with the recent Mark Audio drivers, I think the latter deserve a bit more time refining an existing enclosure design. As we've found with both the "milli" series and the first prototypes of what I think is named the dMar-Ken70, with appropriate adjustments (to port dimensions), and aside from the above noted sensitivity differences, the Mark Audio drivers work very well indeed in this series of enclosures.
- The uFonken is tailored to the FF85K, which is to the best of my knowledge still available (there is also a larger version with 2 FF85K per enclosure). So far I haven't heard a Mark Audio driver with quite the goose-bump factor as this amazing little creature, but I'm sure Mr Fenlon is not standing still....
As suggested early, the halfTower is essentially a floorstander version for the EL70. That the FS Fonken Mk II works as well as has been reported has to be down to the higher tolerenace of the high aspect ratio port to the changes in T/S.
EL70 is about 3 dB down from the FE127eN, you may find it borderline, much depends on room.
I still have FE127eN
To extend what Chris says... uFonken just fits the 3" driver it is designed for. The 4" EL70 would hang out the edges (ie it is too big to even physically fit in the box). There is a millSize box for the EL70 thou (think LS3/5A size)
dave
Thank you very much for your replies and for answering my questions, Chris, Cjkpkj, and Dave! Based on what you are saying, the EL70 will not be efficient enough for my amp, and I think I will stick to the original design spec of using FE127en. I really like the Fonken Floorstander design.. I think it is very elegant and space saving to boot.
Just out of curiosity, what are your views on using the TangBand W4-1320SD driver as a potential future replacement for FE127 in this design?
Just out of curiosity, what are your views on using the TangBand W4-1320SD driver as a potential future replacement for FE127 in this design?
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