hi folks,
Just sharing my newest build. Pioneer B20FU in a sealed box. 1.3cu ft is the volume. About 34" high. Inside some poly fill and I stapled some heavy felt padding around the top 12".
Such an easy and rewarding project - the sound is easy to listen to. bass full and musical. I have the little dayton tweeters to add, but so far I like them as they are. If I add the tweeters, they would need an L-pad for sure....
I am driving them with my JE labs 2a3 (finished back in January)and I could not be happier.
I recommend these for first time full range builders...easy and very nice. I got all the info from zillaspeak's great web site.
best,
jeff
Just sharing my newest build. Pioneer B20FU in a sealed box. 1.3cu ft is the volume. About 34" high. Inside some poly fill and I stapled some heavy felt padding around the top 12".
Such an easy and rewarding project - the sound is easy to listen to. bass full and musical. I have the little dayton tweeters to add, but so far I like them as they are. If I add the tweeters, they would need an L-pad for sure....
I am driving them with my JE labs 2a3 (finished back in January)and I could not be happier.
I recommend these for first time full range builders...easy and very nice. I got all the info from zillaspeak's great web site.
best,
jeff
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>>> I got all the info from zillaspeak's great web site...
Thanks! I am so happy you like the speakers. Very easy to build! I really can't take credit for the design other than actually building it and putting the page together on the web to share. The driver works well in sealed boxes from .75 to 1.5 cf... over 2 cf and i think a ported cabinet works best. Just get them close to ear height and enjoy. The B20, while not perfect, offers a lot of non fatiguing, crossoverless sound. But this is at the expense of detail and speed. Adding a tweeter only enhances the overall sound.
Every few weeks it seems someone builds a pair of these and emails me how much they like them... sometimes they don't like them LOL... but at least they are inexpensive enough to try as a DIY project to better understand and appreciate 'wide range' drivers and how they minimize listening fatigue by removing the crossover from critical frequencies. Fostex are better overall as are some others but those brands also have certain characteristics that music lovers may not like (Fostex for example are brighter and more forward sounding and maybe less relaxing to listen to... but some crave their detail and speed).
Btw, the ZillaSpeak website will 'expire' in April. I will try to move everything to
www.ZillaAudio.com
into the DIY section over the next few weeks. I only want to maintain one website.
http://www.zillaaudio.com/pioneerb20-piezo.htm
http://www.zillaaudio.com/pioneerb20-3cubox.htm
Thanks! I am so happy you like the speakers. Very easy to build! I really can't take credit for the design other than actually building it and putting the page together on the web to share. The driver works well in sealed boxes from .75 to 1.5 cf... over 2 cf and i think a ported cabinet works best. Just get them close to ear height and enjoy. The B20, while not perfect, offers a lot of non fatiguing, crossoverless sound. But this is at the expense of detail and speed. Adding a tweeter only enhances the overall sound.
Every few weeks it seems someone builds a pair of these and emails me how much they like them... sometimes they don't like them LOL... but at least they are inexpensive enough to try as a DIY project to better understand and appreciate 'wide range' drivers and how they minimize listening fatigue by removing the crossover from critical frequencies. Fostex are better overall as are some others but those brands also have certain characteristics that music lovers may not like (Fostex for example are brighter and more forward sounding and maybe less relaxing to listen to... but some crave their detail and speed).
Btw, the ZillaSpeak website will 'expire' in April. I will try to move everything to
www.ZillaAudio.com
into the DIY section over the next few weeks. I only want to maintain one website.
http://www.zillaaudio.com/pioneerb20-piezo.htm
http://www.zillaaudio.com/pioneerb20-3cubox.htm
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Modifications of B20
I have been working with the B20 for some time now- attached is some documentation of modifications performed.
I have been working with the B20 for some time now- attached is some documentation of modifications performed.
First project for a noob?
I've been toying with the idea of building a box like this as a first project, and have some different dimensions in order to get them back into corners, but with the driver high enough to clear end tables.
With PE carrying these at $19 each, it sounds like a good starter project, anyway.
First off, will they be okay 3-5 inches from the corners?
Second, will these dimensions work?
I've been toying with the idea of building a box like this as a first project, and have some different dimensions in order to get them back into corners, but with the driver high enough to clear end tables.
With PE carrying these at $19 each, it sounds like a good starter project, anyway.First off, will they be okay 3-5 inches from the corners?
Second, will these dimensions work?
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>>> First off, will they be okay 3-5 inches from the corners?
>>> Second, will these dimensions work?
Yes and yes! Looks good. Some are playing with porting ideas that may enhance bass response but that doesn't mean you can't build what you have there without getting great results. Which tweeter are you using the little dayton press fit? If you are i will get a pair too and play.
>>> Second, will these dimensions work?
Yes and yes! Looks good. Some are playing with porting ideas that may enhance bass response but that doesn't mean you can't build what you have there without getting great results. Which tweeter are you using the little dayton press fit? If you are i will get a pair too and play.
The box aspect ratio is sufficiently far from a cube that it will have some half-wave TL characteristics (tuned to ~170 Hz if my calcs are correct)
dave
Yes, I'm using the Dayton ND16FA-6 with the 2.0 uF cap, and if I'm reading this right, I'll need an L-pad to go with that?
I actually would like that, but have NO CLUE about the design of such things. Here's the extent of how new to this I am: I've never even thought of building my own speakers until I recently started purchasing 1970s audio gear. I loved all my old gear back in the day and still have the JBL 4311s I bought in high school, but started listening to them more critically, and just wasn't liking what I heard. Other than the bass.
I actually like the "sound" of them, but there is very limited soundstage, if I have the term correct. They are also hard to get up high enough to listen to, yet look unobtrusive in the living room.I have a couple of problems though. I have pretty severe tinitus, which is so loud that I can hear it at highway speeds with the windows down. This is combined with a large dropout in my hearing from the high midrange and trebles (which I why I'm heading straight for a tweeter in the package). So, I like to listen on the loud side to get over my built-in noise floor. I don't have any gear for measuring, but I'd say I listen at a level where it would be quite hard to communicate with someone else in the room, 100-105 dB or more?
I also have a ton of spare time (believe me it IS a problem), and just enough money to put a little aside for a pair of economy speakers (and an old component now and then).
I loved Jeff's description of this driver in the cabinets he experimented with, and decided to give it a try. I was considering the Frugal Horn Mk3's but figured these would fit better in my corners and it wins in terms of frugality as well, especially as a first project.
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Better to use WinISD Pro alpha or Unibox for basic cube or rectangular cabs and programs like Hornresp, AkAbak, MJK's MathCad software, etc. that can model high aspect ratio cabs otherwise the vent will be too long and in some cases too small in area, mis-tuning the cab.
GM
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