Thoughts and opinions about Fostex FF85WK

[SpirosZ]

Hi everyone!
I am very new in this forum and I am very excited already.
I have only build car subwoofers and (car) door/kicker panels in the past and this is going to be my first attempt to home HiFi DIY.
I have read the past few days quite a few threads and have settled on the FF85WK in a FAST configuration.
Which woofer you think would be best to cover the 40-150/300Hz? I need it to be fast and tight but I don't need it to play really low as I plan to also use a subwoofer below 60-80Hz
I plan to build 3 of those for L,C,R, plus 2 or 4 more (probably different ones) for surrounds (the surrounds can be larger so I can use them full range) in a home theater system .
I am also thinking about using two drivers, one facing forward and one facing upwards and experiment with room acoustics and maybe try a spherical reflector on the top driver (idea stolen from the Duevel speakers) and make them omni-directional.
Going omni-directional with full range drivers is also my plan for the surround speakers.
My current HiFi system is a Naim CD3, Nait 3, Naim IBL which is fine but lacks bass and it is not really suitable for HT (and I can't find a matching center speaker anyway)
I have an Arcam Xeta2 surround processor/3channel amplifier but plan to buy an old unused Pioneer VSA 2014IS I found (new boxed, previously at 830euros now a bargain at 200euros clearance price) to power them.
The system will be used 80% movies 20% music but that may change if I really like how they sound with music.
In the past I had a pair of Klipsch HeresyII which I really liked when I first heard them playing through a low power tube amp but it was less enjoyable with the Naim amplifier so I sold it. Too bad though because I sold it before I find something else that I like more.
Since then I cannot find a speaker that i really like because every speaker I hear sounds either too slow or too thin or dull.
I like fast and tight low end and I appreciate extended LF response but I also like lifelike voices and airy highs. High frequency extension is really low on my priorities ( I seem to hear much less above 14-15k) but I don't think I can tolerate mid high harshness.
My biggest problem will be driver availability in Greece.
I can only buy drivers available in Europe so I would prefer a suggestion for non-American woofers.
For now I plan to get only a pair of FF85WK, brake them in for a few days, and try them in a cardboard box to see if I like their sound in mid-highs.
I have high hopes for those little drivers but if they don't meet my expectations I can use them in the car as dash speakers.

[tuxedocivic]

Budget?

[SpirosZ]

I would like to stay under 150euros/pair BUT I can appreciate the value of a high quality driver if it is vastly superior. I am a big VFM fan though so if I can find something that comes really close and costs less than half I will chose that.
Paying double for 10% improvement is what I want to avoid.
Size can be anything between 6 and 10 inch as long as it can be housed in a relatively small enclosure preferably under 45lt (sealed?).

[tuxedocivic]

Can you get the seas L26 over there for a decent price?

[soundaatma]

A less expensive but actually much better for a small sealed bass unit for FAST application upto 300-500 Hz would be the Dayton Audio RSS265HF-4 10" Reference HF Subwoofer 4.
This has mildly lower efficiency and higher Qts than the SEAS L26, making it actually better for a small sealed unit.

[tuxedocivic]

Ya but wondering if he can get Dayton easily in Europe. The Dayton stuff would make for good FASTs though.

[SpirosZ]

I found both the Dayton and the Seas but it sems that both go well above the intended budget.
They both look like high quality drivers though.
The cost could be justified if they would serve as subwoofers but I don't know if a subwoofer with a 300hz cross is a good idea.
The initial plan was to get a pair of woofers to cover the 40-150/300Hz area of the front speakers, cut them off at 80Hz for home theater use and let one good 12" sub take over for the bottom two octaves.
When playing music i could just swich off the sub if bass is too much and let the main speakers play full range. (I find HT and music to have different requirements from subwoofers.)
I'll keep them in mind though.

[SpirosZ]

I just found a shop with some variety. I haven't check if they ship to Greece though.
Europe Audio • Subwoofers • 10"

[tuxedocivic]

Can you get SB acoustics there? They have some 8" woofer for something like $75 each USD.

You should move some of your budget into more subs than just 1. I use 4 x 12" subs for music and its excellent. Multiple subs smooth the bass modes. And gives additional output for HT use.

[planet10]

We really like the FF85wk (of 22 pair thru here, something like half have been sucked up for internal use).

We have used it (or its precursor) with SDX7, EL166, Peerless 830870 with proven results, next up is the Silver Flute W14,

I would avoid subwoofers, you want a good midbass for your application. There are a ton of very good candidates. The problem is not a matter of availability but wading thru them all to find something most suited to your applicationYou want something that produces decent bottom, and goes up to at least 1kHz (higher doesn't hurt -- the Peerless goes up somewhere north of 5 kHz) with any breakup modes well above that.

SEAS, Peerless, Vifa, Monacor, VIFA, SilverFlute, SB Acoustics, probably some there i haven't even heard about (don't forget obscure former east block manufacturers). Some vintage units will probably work fine -- i have some 12" Fosters in the queue.

dave