looking for advice on driver selection...

[armstrom]

I've spent several hours scouring the forums and there's a lot of great information, but I was hoping to get some specific suggestions of a full range driver to use in a specific application.

My goal is to build a small stereo SE tube amp as a gift for my father. I would also like to build him a small set of speakers to go with the amp. My woodworking skills are less than steller so I would like to find a driver that will provide good sound quality in a small enclosure. I have at my disposal some wooden "cubes" in two sizes. One is ~5.25" x 5.25" x 5" (about 2.25 L) and the other is 6.75" x 6.75" x 7" (just under 5.25L). These are the maximum sizes if I mount the baffle to the outer face of the 5" or 7" dimension. I can always recess the baffle into the box to reduce that dimension and either cut-down the box or add a frame with some grille cloth stretched across it.

So, here's what I would like out of a design:
-"decent" full-range frequency response. These will not be used with a subwoofer so I need something that can reach down a bit into the lower frequencies, but at the same time, my father isn't interested in crazy bass content.

-No super expensive drivers. I'm spending enough on the iron for the tube amp so I would like to get the most bang for my buck out of the drivers. If possible I would like to keep the driver budget below $50 or so for the pair. This seems possible considering all the good things I've heard about drivers in the $10-$20 range (brands like Aurasound, Hi-Vi and Tang Band)

-Simple sealed or ported cabinet. As I said, my woodworking skills are limited so a sealed cabinet would be the easiest, but I have no issue drilling a hole and adding a pvc port if that would greatly increase the resulting sound quality.

-I'm open to a 2-way system if I can fit both the woofer and the tweeter on the same 5.25" or 6.75" square baffle (small or large cube).

-Total impedance of each completed speaker should be 4 or 8 ohms since my OT's only have those impedances available.


I think that's about it. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give! I apologize in advance if this is one of those questions that has been asked a million times, I wasn't able to find any specific solutions to my problems by searching the forum.

Oh, I should mention that I'm open to "alternative" designs for the cabinets. I have spent some time looking at transmission line designs based on PVC pipe but I haven't found anything that would stay small. This system needs to be easily transportable (not "portable", but something that can be easily transported as my father does a lot of contract work and moves himself across the country every few years in his car).

Thanks!
-Matt Armstrong

[germpod]

I have never heard them, but on paper these drivers look like they fit your criteria.

https://www.madisound.com/store/prod...oducts_id=8802

[Tom V]

I built a pair of speakers with these. They are pleasant, good bass response in 5 liters, but not that refined.

The Mark Audio CHR-70's are far better speakers, and available for $75 the pair, but would want a bigger enclosure, more like 10 liters.

For 4.5 liters, give the credit card a good massage, and then order the Mark Audio Alpair 6.2 ($110 the pair). I haven't heard them, but want to do a build with them after hearing the CHR-70's.

[planet10]

Pushing your budget, but works very well in a 5-6 litre sealed box. Despite the low rated efficiency, i have one customer happily using a set with 3.5 w tube amp.

https://www.madisound.com/store/prod...oducts_id=8859

edit: I see Tom beat me to suggesting this driver. Without going to a TL or BVR 10 litres is the max i'd put these in. The 9 litre CHR-Ken is a real eye opener, but not for the faint of heart woodworker (above mention fellow, Don, has CHR-Ken (aslo search of dMar-Ken70))

dave

[germpod]

The only reason I was thinking about the Tang Band driver is it is 89dB, which is a bit more sensitive then the Mark Audio driver.

[doorman]

The CHR-70's, (eNABled) in the onken style CHR-Ken enclosures are a silly good option for those wanting a small standmount speaker that images exceptionally well, and with enough tight, controlled bass to retire my sub. YMMV , of course.
This with as little as 3 1/2 wpc!
A "Virtue audio one" with 30 wpc is also an excellent match.
This is one inexpensive driver that really deliver the goods!IMG_1104.jpg
Good Luck on your project!
Don

[armstrom]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback! It sounds like its worth the extra cash for to go with the CHR-70 drivers. The CHR-Ken type enclosures look good but I think they are beyond my woodworking skills/equipment. So, would the general consensus be to house a CHR-70 in the larger 5.25L cube as a sealed cabinet and adjust the fill to "taste"? How much room do I have to work with in that volume? It would be easiest for me to simply build a 6.25" x 6.25" square baffle and mount it flush with the front of the cube. With a sealed enclosure how critical are the dimensions?

Thanks again for the information!
-Matt

[Godzilla]

Tang Band W3-1053SC 3" Full Range Driver | Parts-Express.com

I always have good luck with TB drivers but never tried the Alpair's above. For the money and the size of speaker you want to build i would recommend just about any of the TB drivers and always wanted to try the one in the link above. I used the 315 and 319 in small sealed boxes with good results. The spl is lower at 85db per watt but tube amps always sound louder than their spec suggests and i think the overall balance of the TB drivers is about right for small projects like yours.

Just a suggestion.

[armstrom]

Originally Posted by Godzilla

Tang Band W3-1053SC 3" Full Range Driver | Parts-Express.com

I always have good luck with TB drivers but never tried the Alpair's above. For the money and the size of speaker you want to build i would recommend just about any of the TB drivers and always wanted to try the one in the link above. I used the 315 and 319 in small sealed boxes with good results. The spl is lower at 85db per watt but tube amps always sound louder than their spec suggests and i think the overall balance of the TB drivers is about right for small projects like yours.

Just a suggestion.

Which of my two cube sizes would you recommend with this smaller driver? Keep in mind I will not be using a sub so I don't want to totally kill the bottom end (even though I know the limitations I've placed on cabinet size and complexity makes that difficult).

[Godzilla]

The larger box would be better offering more bass.