Hello, this is my first post here and I am really new at electronics and audio DIY.
A couple months ago a friend gave me a pair of inexpensive car speakers he wasn't using. I bought a cheap Lepai Mosfet amplifier, constructed very simple boxes with plywood and tried the speakers. They sounded much better than I expected, so I thought that there should be better looking and better sounding designs. I started googling and ended up here.
I've been reading previous posts for a couple of weeks an realized that there was much more to speakers design than I thought. I also realized that car speakers doesn't seem to be the best choice for home applications. But there are fairly diverging opinions about how suitable are them.
So, I have the speakers, I have the wood and I want to build a pair of slender colums like the Needle or (better still) Fonken floorstanders. I understand that they were designed for specific speakers, but those are not available here in Peru and by now my budget is too wasted to import them.
The question is: can I expect decent performance copying one of those designs and adapting them for these speakers? which one may be better? Alternatives? I don't need very high volume and like to hear music as naturally as possible, not heavy loaded with bass.
The characteristics of the speakers are:
4" 3-way speaker
400 W Max.
4 ohm
Frequency: 100-20kHz
Sensitivity: 88dB/W/M
Magnet: 5.3oz
Voice coil: 25mm
Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks,
Gonzalo
A couple months ago a friend gave me a pair of inexpensive car speakers he wasn't using. I bought a cheap Lepai Mosfet amplifier, constructed very simple boxes with plywood and tried the speakers. They sounded much better than I expected, so I thought that there should be better looking and better sounding designs. I started googling and ended up here.
I've been reading previous posts for a couple of weeks an realized that there was much more to speakers design than I thought. I also realized that car speakers doesn't seem to be the best choice for home applications. But there are fairly diverging opinions about how suitable are them.
So, I have the speakers, I have the wood and I want to build a pair of slender colums like the Needle or (better still) Fonken floorstanders. I understand that they were designed for specific speakers, but those are not available here in Peru and by now my budget is too wasted to import them.
The question is: can I expect decent performance copying one of those designs and adapting them for these speakers? which one may be better? Alternatives? I don't need very high volume and like to hear music as naturally as possible, not heavy loaded with bass.
The characteristics of the speakers are:
4" 3-way speaker
400 W Max.
4 ohm
Frequency: 100-20kHz
Sensitivity: 88dB/W/M
Magnet: 5.3oz
Voice coil: 25mm
Any advise is appreciated.
Thanks,
Gonzalo
Gonzalo:
While many of the enclosures on the Planet10 website which derived from the original mini-onken/Fonken designs were optimized for our own particular favorite model of driver (i.e. the Fostex FE127E), there is a fair degree of latitude in the make / models than will deliver satisfying performance.
Indeed, the options can be overwhelming - I've only been involved in DIY speaker building for about 10yrs, but I think it's fair to say that there's an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.
Anyway, there are driver parameters other than those listed in your post (i.e. Thiele Small or TSP) that would be helpful in modeling their suitability for the type of enclosure you have in mind.
If not, as noted above, there are any number of relatively inexpensive wide-bandwidth drivers suitable to your application - and many of the DIYers here that are likely to proffer advice have their own short list of favorites.
Which of these would be available via international shipping to Peru, or the associated expense is another matter.
While many of the enclosures on the Planet10 website which derived from the original mini-onken/Fonken designs were optimized for our own particular favorite model of driver (i.e. the Fostex FE127E), there is a fair degree of latitude in the make / models than will deliver satisfying performance.
Indeed, the options can be overwhelming - I've only been involved in DIY speaker building for about 10yrs, but I think it's fair to say that there's an embarrassment of riches from which to choose.
Anyway, there are driver parameters other than those listed in your post (i.e. Thiele Small or TSP) that would be helpful in modeling their suitability for the type of enclosure you have in mind.
If not, as noted above, there are any number of relatively inexpensive wide-bandwidth drivers suitable to your application - and many of the DIYers here that are likely to proffer advice have their own short list of favorites.
Which of these would be available via international shipping to Peru, or the associated expense is another matter.
often on the magnet or somewhere on the speaker you can find a model number or something, even if the brand is not signed you can try googling for that code and see if something comes out. if they are car-thing 3-way then the only important parameters to model a box will be the woofer's parameters.
The premium speakers in the newer Volvos are OEM'ed by Dynaudio. Not sure what the base system is, though. My folks have an '01 V70, and whatever they used in that definitely isn't anything worthwhile.
Thanks for all your contributions!
I've checked the box and the speakers, took note of everything and googled, no signs of the Thiele Small parameters.
The brand is Celestium (not Celestion), made in China, and the model is CS-MI88.
Building the cabinet is no problem, I have the wood, the tools and the urge to have a project going on (things are getting tought at my job, and a personal project is cheaper than a shrink).
I think I can build the cabinets targeting a good pair of speakers but use them temporarily with these until I am able to get the right ones. So a floorstander it will be!
I've checked the box and the speakers, took note of everything and googled, no signs of the Thiele Small parameters.
The brand is Celestium (not Celestion), made in China, and the model is CS-MI88.
Building the cabinet is no problem, I have the wood, the tools and the urge to have a project going on (things are getting tought at my job, and a personal project is cheaper than a shrink).
I think I can build the cabinets targeting a good pair of speakers but use them temporarily with these until I am able to get the right ones. So a floorstander it will be!
Part of the philosophy of Dave's enclosure designs is careful bracing of the driver magnet assembly to the rear and (generally at least 3) adjoining cabinet panels. The bracing members should be integral to the cabinet, not added on after main construction. If your plans are to start with an existing or budget priced driver and upgrade later, cut the bracing to fit the driver with the deepest motor assembly. It's much easier to add a few blocks or shims to accommodate a shallower driver at a later date.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.