FE166En+FT17H "Concerti clone" (lots of pics!!)

[jazzclassics]

After listened to it for two months, I think there are some rough edges of this design that need to be removed in the future. I mean fine tune the cabinet design to the driver. There are some big peaks and valleys at some low frequency. When I played the test sine wave signal with these pair of speakers I can hear it clearly. I can also hear resonance when replaying instruments such as bass and cello.

[jazzclassics]

Originally Posted by Dzius

Crossover is doing very well I recomend it. I tried many other setups but this one plus First Watt F3 is probably the best. Baffle step correction is a matter of room acoustic and personal taste of course. I'm planing to test direct connection FT17 to the amp output with 1.68uF cap and 3ohm resistor in series too (just for research) . Nonetheless these speakers are just fabulous judging it by ears. They play live music not just reproduce it. You can't figure it out of measurments or specs. I invited friends who are musicians the other day to confront my stuff with their instrument sound memory. After playing many differente pieces of music their final opinion was very good.

Hi Dzius, I am very interested in your listening test that involved musicians. What kind of music have you used in the listening test? What are the instruments in the music? My experience with these speaks is that they have unflat response at low frequency. I am wondering if you encounted the same problem.

[Dzius]

Originally Posted by jazzclassics

My experience with these speaks is that they have unflat response at low frequency.

You'are absolutely right.I made similar test with sine wave. Nonetheless the way they play make impressions similar to human ear like listening to real thing, at least partly.

Originally Posted by jazzclassics

I can also hear resonance when replaying instruments such as bass and cello

We my friends we listened almost every genre of music and I had similar reservation about cello and I asked that particular question if it sounded real ? After tuning loudness to level of real instrument the answer was that was very close.
No one speaker can produce living concert of classical instruments but in case of this ones they are very close in instrument character. Those resonances were the reason why I strengthed the side panels and everything around speaker compression chamber at the same time. There is an improvment in the matter but not definite cure.

[jazzclassics]

Hi Dzius, thank you very much for your reply. I am glad to know that you have similar listening experience. While still considering this a good pair of speakers, I think some improvements could be made to this design. Just like what you did, I also re-enforced the side panels of the cabinets. Maybe putting sound absorbent materials at particular places of these cabinets might help. I yet have to try.

[Gary the Grey]

Originally Posted by jazzclassics

Hi Dzius, thank you very much for your reply. I am glad to know that you have similar listening experience. While still considering this a good pair of speakers, I think some improvements could be made to this design. Just like what you did, I also re-enforced the side panels of the cabinets. Maybe putting sound absorbent materials at particular places of these cabinets might help. I yet have to try.

What if I built them with 1 inch sides, tops and bottoms and 1 1/2 inch front baffles?

As a general rule I don't like speakers with lightly built cabinets. But I have never built, or heard, back loaded horn design speakers. Is it usual to get bass in the low thirties with a speaker that has a free air resonance of @ 55?

I think somewhere in this post it was mentioned that 35 Hz was heard.
If low bass is the goal, why not use something like the FE206En?

[Scottmoose]

Changing the build material thickness will only affect the resonant behaviour of the panels rather than the box output. In a competent design, it shouldn't be an issue in the first place. Doubling thickness drops panel Fs to .707x that of the original.

Yes, you can go significantly below Fs with a horn variation, although there are major caveats involved. Depends on the driver / cabinet in question. Mid 30Hz regions from this is probably asking a bit much & likely getting significant help from the room.

It needs a bigger box which can be a deal breaker for some.

[Dzius]

Thank you Scott.
Gary the Grey my speaker cabinets weigth 37 kg each and are pretty big as for my living room (and are at the border of wife acceptance factor). If you have a look at my photos attached to previous posts you'll find that I made what could be done to make side panels and front baffle stiff without getting exccess weigth.
FE206En will require even bigger and heavier cabinets.
Low bass is not a goal solely but sound of music which makes me very happy instead..

[jazzclassics]

Originally Posted by Gary the Grey

What if I built them with 1 inch sides, tops and bottoms and 1 1/2 inch front baffles?

As a general rule I don't like speakers with lightly built cabinets. But I have never built, or heard, back loaded horn design speakers. Is it usual to get bass in the low thirties with a speaker that has a free air resonance of @ 55?

I think somewhere in this post it was mentioned that 35 Hz was heard.
If low bass is the goal, why not use something like the FE206En?

Hi Gary, I think Scott and Dzius has answered your questions. I build the speakers with 1inch side panel and the speakers weight 41Kg each right now. I think that is the biggest and heaveiest speaker that I would like to keep. FE206 do not have a high freq response as good as FE166En. That is the major reason I chose FE166En. If you care more about base than treble then FE206 may be a good choice for you.

[jazzclassics]

Originally Posted by Dzius

Thank you Scott.
Gary the Grey my speaker cabinets weigth 37 kg each and are pretty big as for my living room (and are at the border of wife acceptance factor). If you have a look at my photos attached to previous posts you'll find that I made what could be done to make side panels and front baffle stiff without getting exccess weigth.
FE206En will require even bigger and heavier cabinets.
Low bass is not a goal solely but sound of music which makes me very happy instead..

These speakers, when turned on with full power make my sofa tremble. I like to play Diana Krall with these speakers, I feel like that I have moved the stage to my home and Diana and the band is just in front of me. I think the FE166En driver is marvolous. Maybe I will build another pair with some other design such as bass-reflex.

[zman01]

Originally Posted by jazzclassics

I think the FE166En driver is marvolous. Maybe I will build another pair with some other design such as bass-reflex.

Jazzclassics,

AFAIK the FE166En is not suitable for bass reflex - it is more suited to BLH as you have built.