BK12 versus FH3 for FE126En without a corner...

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I do not have a corner to place these (and it is questionable what may end up behind them, so the rear facing horn of the FH3 (and Austin 126) have me a bit worried.

The wife has nixed the Metronome, Saburo and Chang horns, so I'm pretty much left with the BK12 style of horn... or the little half Changs.

Given a center wall placement, do you think the BK12 holds up better than the FH3 in the same location? Are there other similar folded horns that I should be looking at? Or a cyburg needle style enclosure that works well with the FE126En?

Your guidance is much appreciated.
 
I am sure others will chime in, but my understanding is that you will need a fairly large cabinet (i.e. Saburo, Kongo or the Changs) to coax bass out a driver like FE126EN. Users of the FH3 can testify to usable LF if placed in corners - which in your case is not available.

So given the circumstances would you consider investing in a new pair of drivers? Various models of Mark Audio and Tang Band drivers should work without corner reinforcement in the FH3.

I have used the CSS EL-70 and Alp 7.3 in FH3 - plenty of LF given cabinet size, and overall sound is good too.
 
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Can t do Changs with 126, what about a Frugal with the triangle sets at the back so you don't need a corner. this should help a lot. just a 8x8x8 triangle box or baffle at back.??????? I really like my Frugals with the 126en and when i had them set with a deflector in the back, they worked perfect, similar to corner loading.. JON
 
No experiences with the BK12? I'm wondering if that with some good attention to the horn shapes (using curved internal paths and flared vent) can help boost its performance - if it needs boosting) and a bsc circuit to balance it a bit.

Jimbro - she was pretty specific in her requirements list, and does not want any speakers taller than her 5' height. And the Austin 126 was nixed for being "just plain ugly." :)

I supposed I could work the austin's internal shape into a squared cabinet to pretty it up, but I'm still worried about the rear vent in general.
 
The madisound BK12m is a reasonable box for what it is & achieves its intended performance goals. Smoothing it will make things worse, you'll just encourage unwanted midrange output through the horn. There is no vent, so nothing to flare.

One of the objects of having a back-horn in the first place is to avoid compensation circuits; it shouldn't require one in most circumstances. However, you may be better off selling the 126s & buying a more versatile unit given that you are obviously very restricted in what you can use.
 
vent = mouth

Interesting, I would never have guessed that a smoother horn path would decrease performance... I always assumed (which I shouldn't do) that the stepped angles in so many of these DIY horns were a compromise for manufacturing ease.

I'm at a point now where I think I need to build a reasonably performing box, as designed, to get a feel for what to expect sound wise, before I start diving into King's work sheets and theory and experimenting.

But maybe you are right about the 126 being too limited a driver. I'll have to ponder. Do you have any recommendations in the same general price range as the 126? (so probably no Alpair or Sigmas).
 
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But maybe you are right about the 126 being too limited a driver. I'll have to ponder. Do you have any recommendations in the same general price range as the 126? (so probably no Alpair or Sigmas).

CSS EL70 - slightly cheaper than FE126EN. This driver is made by Mark Fenlon of Mark Audio. If you prefer bright sound then you might consider the CHR-70.3.
 
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>>> I always assumed (which I shouldn't do) that the stepped angles in so many of these DIY horns were a compromise for manufacturing ease.

They are AND they sound better. Diminishing the mids once you have your horns built is part of the fine tuning.

I like corners :)

If you don't have corners than i would consider a design that could sit closer to the wall. For example,

http://audiowood.com/gallery/images/JordanSpeakers3.jpg
 
vent = mouth

Interesting, I would never have guessed that a smoother horn path would decrease performance... I always assumed (which I shouldn't do) that the stepped angles in so many of these DIY horns were a compromise for manufacturing ease.

It might be in some cases, it's a functional part of the design / low pass filter in most of my designs.

But maybe you are right about the 126 being too limited a driver. I'll have to ponder. Do you have any recommendations in the same general price range as the 126? (so probably no Alpair or Sigmas).

Fostex FF125wk, CSS EL70, MA CHR70 all come to mind. There are various Tang Band units too; a few are almost always on some kind of offer, so whatever looks reasonable in your price bracket.
 
It sounds like you're constrained from using corners in which the FH3/FE126E will do it's best, or any rear mouthed BLH. I'll venture to answer the initial question - I've heard both the BK12 and the FH3 with this driver, and AFAIC the latter enclosure is a better performer.

period

But back to your situation - is height an issue? If not, you might want to consider Pensil family ( versions for CHP/CHR70 and Alpair 7.3) , or if you're inclined towards a Fostex, a simple MLTL with FF125WK shouldn't be too much different than that in overall form factor.
 
You mean like this Chris?

Box for FF125wk. Internal HxWxD = 35.5in x 5.5in x 9in. Zd. = 7.125in. Vent 5.5in wide x 1.875in tall. Stuff cabinet 0.65lbs ft^3 dacron or similar & adjust to preference from there. A removable back will make that easier.
 

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>>> Box for FF125wk. Internal HxWxD = 35.5in x 5.5in x 9in. Zd. = 7.125in. Vent 5.5in wide x 1.875in tall.

Scott, your sim looks like it would provide some weight to the sound... Nice! I also notice you tune many of your cabinets to around 70Hz for Fostex drivers this size regardless of the physical size of the cabinet. Would you recommend a sub for these rather than stretching their bass response (and potentially spoiling their overall performance)... or do you prefer them 'as is' accepting them for what they are?
 
>>> Box for FF125wk. Internal HxWxD = 35.5in x 5.5in x 9in. Zd. = 7.125in. Vent 5.5in wide x 1.875in tall.

Scott, your sim looks like it would provide some weight to the sound... Nice! I also notice you tune many of your cabinets to around 70Hz for Fostex drivers this size regardless of the physical size of the cabinet. Would you recommend a sub for these rather than stretching their bass response (and potentially spoiling their overall performance)... or do you prefer them 'as is' accepting them for what they are?



actually, a bit of both I think


You mean like this Chris?

Box for FF125wk. Internal HxWxD = 35.5in x 5.5in x 9in. Zd. = 7.125in. Vent 5.5in wide x 1.875in tall. Stuff cabinet 0.65lbs ft^3 dacron or similar & adjust to preference from there. A removable back will make that easier.


gee - looks almost too simple, a guy could bash a pair of those out in a couple of hours
 
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