Dear fellow Diyaudio members,
Have you heard Audio Nirvana speakers? Especially their 8" Drivers, How does it compare to the sound of Fostex 8" drivers.
And To be specific, Which do you think is better, The AN Super 8 cast frame or the Fostex Fe208en.
CommonSense Audio
https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=45_241_308&products_id=8769
Have you heard Audio Nirvana speakers? Especially their 8" Drivers, How does it compare to the sound of Fostex 8" drivers.
And To be specific, Which do you think is better, The AN Super 8 cast frame or the Fostex Fe208en.
CommonSense Audio
https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=45_241_308&products_id=8769
I have the Super 8 cast frames and like them. I also have a pair of Fostex 207's. Both pairs are new and need to be fully broken it. I think I like the AN's slightly more than the Fostex speakers although the AN are somewhat looked down upon here.
I find both sets of speakers are mid-range forward and each does a reasonably good job on the bass end. The top end on the AN's sounds much brighter to me.
I find both sets of speakers are mid-range forward and each does a reasonably good job on the bass end. The top end on the AN's sounds much brighter to me.
To the best of my knowledge, there isn't an FE208En. However, there's the just-launched FE206En, and the old whizzerless wide-band FE208ESigma, which is still available, and a superb unit, though specifically designed to be partnered with one of their supertweeters (T90a, T900a or T500a) above ~12KHz.
How long's a piece of string? The AN's published specs. have regularly been shown to be way off from what people have measured from their own units, so until I see any evidence to suggest this has changed, I won't have anything to do with them. In fairness, Fostex's specs. are also sometimes questionable, although usually rather closer to the claims. FWIW, spec. aside, the AN's I've heard tend to have a more sharply upward-tilted response than the 206, which can give the impression of more HF extension, which in practice is actually similar.
The (defunct) FE207E is about done by 14KHz; it was primarily assumed to be used in HT systems so they backed the top end off compared to its 206E stablemate (now replaced by the similar 206En), giving it a slightly flatter balance.
How long's a piece of string? The AN's published specs. have regularly been shown to be way off from what people have measured from their own units, so until I see any evidence to suggest this has changed, I won't have anything to do with them. In fairness, Fostex's specs. are also sometimes questionable, although usually rather closer to the claims. FWIW, spec. aside, the AN's I've heard tend to have a more sharply upward-tilted response than the 206, which can give the impression of more HF extension, which in practice is actually similar.
The (defunct) FE207E is about done by 14KHz; it was primarily assumed to be used in HT systems so they backed the top end off compared to its 206E stablemate (now replaced by the similar 206En), giving it a slightly flatter balance.
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As I totally understand the standpoint of specs.. but I also understand that regardless of specs, it has to sound good... and I have yet to hear a fostex that I wanted to listen to more then a song or 2 on and really enjoy what I have heard from the AN drivers..
now take what you want from my own personal opinion because that's all it is...
now take what you want from my own personal opinion because that's all it is...
I have the 8 inch cast frame AN speakers in their recommended enclosure (the one with the top mounted additional 8 inch (not cast frame) and they sound great. Deep bass response, clean highs. I don't have any experience with Fostex, but I do have quite many other speakers, and they perform well for what they are designed for.
As I totally understand the standpoint of specs.. but I also understand that regardless of specs, it has to sound good... and I have yet to hear a fostex that I wanted to listen to more then a song or 2 on and really enjoy what I have heard from the AN drivers..
now take what you want from my own personal opinion because that's all it is...
I'm on the same page. I hit the resale button on the 206/166 pretty quick. Just too darned harsh and irritating-sounding. Better in this regard than Lowther, but still not nearly good enough. The AN, while not perfect, is WAY better. I can actually listen to them. And the phase plug is quite the performer.
I am also firmly in the AN camp, although never having heard a proper fostex full ranger, i cannot comment on those.
The ANs are very very good for what they are worth. Who cares about specs, published or measured, as long as it sounds good. Even if you get a speaker to measure close to the published specs, its no fun if it sounds bad.
Also, please be aware that if you choose to go down the path of small aluminimum cone drivers with large xmax, they have a different sound from the light-paper cone-large-magnet-low Qts type drivers. I for one prefer the sound of the light, high sensitivity paper cones.
The ANs are very very good for what they are worth. Who cares about specs, published or measured, as long as it sounds good. Even if you get a speaker to measure close to the published specs, its no fun if it sounds bad.
Also, please be aware that if you choose to go down the path of small aluminimum cone drivers with large xmax, they have a different sound from the light-paper cone-large-magnet-low Qts type drivers. I for one prefer the sound of the light, high sensitivity paper cones.
I care, because it can screw up your latter point (viz. whether it 'sounds good', whatever that means). Suppose some poor sod buys a pair of units in good faith, designs and constructs a speaker for them based on the published data, and only afterward discovers the things are a mile away from what was claimed, resulting in his new speaker sounding like a skelleton falling down a fire escape. They have just wasted a large amount of their precious time and money, which they may not have much of in the first place. True, some people think this doesn't matter; for myself I regard it as completely unacceptable, and I fail to see why AN should be regarded as exempt from criticism of this kind.
Indeed they do sound different (be surprising if they didn't). I didn't realise drivers of that nature were under discussion here though. Besides, it doesn't make any difference if a driver has 0.0000001mm linear deflection and the cone is made from the tanned foreskin of baboons raised on a diet of iceberg-lettice, honey and single-malt whiskey: irrespective of the company, the driver type or the materials employed in it, manufacturer data should be trustworthy. Period.
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"skelleton falling down a fire escape"
...that is now etched in my mind forever
....along with the "tanned foreskin of baboons"
Not sure i want that one in my mind forever....
"skelleton falling down a fire escape"
...that is now etched in my mind forever
HAHA! , Whatta coincidence!
Few hours ago, I was checking and fixing a problematic AC line near a firescape, When I open the junction box, A mouse skeleton fell. It made me laugh there. LOL
I used a pair of AN cast 10" drivers in a pair of 11' TL enclosures. After adding a zobel network the sound became absolutely charming. I cheated by adding a touch of bass EQ, hooked up my little 3 watt class A amp and invited the "golden ears" (my wife) to a listening session. She's hard to impress and perhaps the most blunt person I've ever met (next to her father); a smile formed and she said these were the best speakers I'd ever built.
I like AN drivers.
I played a drum solo and was impressed to hear a high degree of bass and see the speaker cone remain virtually motionless. It quivered, that's it, just quivered and yet I heard wonderful drums, including the bass kick drum. The imaging came across so well that I could point out with ease where the various drums and hi-hats were located (both vertically and horizontally)--I've never been able to do that before.
I like AN drivers.
I played a drum solo and was impressed to hear a high degree of bass and see the speaker cone remain virtually motionless. It quivered, that's it, just quivered and yet I heard wonderful drums, including the bass kick drum. The imaging came across so well that I could point out with ease where the various drums and hi-hats were located (both vertically and horizontally)--I've never been able to do that before.
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Hello,
i tested and listen and measured the AN8" and FE206E and a few other
to compair, look my different horn constructions on my HP.
imho i think the AN8" ist a bit "better" not so harsh in the treble as
the Fostex, i think it depends on the membran material.
But also a good solution would be the Sica 38/1100 and for classic
listener the B200 Visaton.
i tested and listen and measured the AN8" and FE206E and a few other
to compair, look my different horn constructions on my HP.
imho i think the AN8" ist a bit "better" not so harsh in the treble as
the Fostex, i think it depends on the membran material.
But also a good solution would be the Sica 38/1100 and for classic
listener the B200 Visaton.
Hi Freddi,
You can see a picture on my web site; click on the name "carpenter" above my avatar to see what the enclosure looks like. It's basically 4 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 17 inches deep. The area behind the driver is 2+ times the cone area, while the port tapers down to match the cone area. No walls are parallel, though it may appear so--there's inner baffles to insure very few standing waves.
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