Viva la Vifa! Curvy Cabinet DCR with TC9FD

I used an old Sony speaker I had on hand, as the tcf9d is on back order at PE. I'll replace it when they come in. I lined the speaker baffle with a strip of 1" cotton batting that I pulled as wide open as I could to dampen reflections and put a small amount of polyfill in both chambers. I will also post some pictures of my Nautaloss I on that thread.
 

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xrk, I tried it with my phone and it sounded great! The bass was very substantial, and the mid-range was very present. Of, course, I don't hear highs much at all, but what was on the particular piece I played was strong, too. I'm very satisfied, but will probably replace the speakers on this and its match with a better one, like the tc9fd, or even the 6.5" poly cone. The speaker hole is too big now for the tc9fd, and I don't want it to look patched. I actually had the 6.5" in mind when I chose the width of the speaker baffle -6.5", with 8" as the width of the widest point of the baffles. Thanks again for your guidance.
 
xrk, I just received a $25 coupon from PE, and am going to replace the Sony speakers in my Viva la Vifa! speakers. They will be used as TV speakers through a TPA3116D2 amp running at moderate volume. They will be placed about 6" from the wall and centered on the 10.5' wall next to the flat-screen TV on an 3' wide, 4' tall, 21" deep armoire in a 10.5x12' crowded carpeted bedroom, and be listened to from a point 5' away, centered. I am a complete tyro, and know nothing about using speaker specs in making my selection, so I need your help. I don't want to spend more than about $20 more than the $25 coupon for everything, including the $7 shipping. I would like your help in learning what speakers you recommend, what parts I need for any electronics needed (and how to wire them), and what other electronics (resistors, coils and capacitors) I should get to have on hand for future builds. My hearing range is compromised, being only 20-8Hkz, with constant loud tinnitus at 4978Hz (the exact note of D#8). My foamcore Vivas are the standard internal size, with the width of the widest point being 8" and front baffle being 6.5" as the only deviations. I can cut an access door in them to get to the internals if necessary, or as a last resort, will build a new set. There is no padding on any wall, and moderate polyfill in both chambers (about 1 and 2 cups if hand-compressed into tight balls). I just ordered some 2x4" melamine pads, and have on hand polyfill, some 1" cotton felt and foamcore panels. I want as much bass as possible. I have generic tweeters that would reach down into the 4kHz range, if needed. I have used your designs to comprise my entire audio collection, with a pair of 9x12x7.5" FC Nautaloss I and a pair of FC 12x7x7.5" XKi. You are my audio guru, and I so appreciate the invaluable help you have already given me, and would appreciate any help you could give me with this.
 
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Thanks for kind word. Glad the speakers are working out for you!

I think you should try to make the 0.53x foamcore Karlsonator with the $18 budget Dayton PA130-8. You will love them. They only go up to 13kHz and that is perfectly “full range” for your needs. They are sensitive too so work well with a smaller amp like TPA3116.

Try the TDA8932 monoblock modules. About $3 on AliExpress. Use a 19v laptop brick for power. They have better bass than TPA3116 IMO.

You need two of these for stereo:
Low Power TDA8932 35W Digital Amplifier Board Module Mono Power H74|digital amplifier board|amplifier modulepower module - AliExpress

Here are the PA130-8 drivers:
Dayton Audio PA130-8 5" Full Range PA Driver
 
Xrk, thanks for the prompt and informative reply, but my armoire just barely has enough room for the Viva's with part of them hanging off the edge, so the .53 Karlsonator will be too big. In fact, I will probably need to add bottoms that extend out a bit from the speakers so I can clamp them to the armoire so they don't fall off. I should have included that info in my post. I have just ordered the pcb 1mh inductors and 10 ohm resistors for the electronics, and as soon as the PE coupon actually gets here (April 1), I will order the TC9Fd's. I went back and thoroughly re-read this thread, and since you designed the Viva around these speakers and circuit, that is what I went with. Thank you so much for your help on this and all my speakers. I now have the best music I have heard in a very long time. The total weight of all 6 of my speakers weigh less than one standard wooden one, and they each sound better. You are THE MAN!
 
I and my son-in-law's mother both live with my daughter and her family, so the garage is full of our stuff, so a good bit of my workshop is in my bedroom. That means that pretty much every square inch of it is taken up. The only place for the TV speakers is either hanging off the edge by the TV or under the edge of the TV. Under the edge is actually the best place, as the gap there is exactly the right height for the speakers to fit on their sides. Against one side of the armoire (TV cabinet) is where the right channel stereo speaker is. Believe me, I've weighed all my options, and the Viva's are the only options I have.
 
These look really cool! I was thinking, if you made the front and back, top divider and bottom in 12 mm mdf, added one thin window brace per side and use two layers of foamcore with butyl caulk between for the curved part, wouldn't that make for a pretty sturdy little speaker? You could even glue up the sides curved over the cabinet with straps and glue them to the "skeleton" later. A little putty, a lot of sanding, and a coat or three of matte black spray paint followed by som polyurethane (maybe poly on the inside to stiffen more, followed by lagging?). Good stuff! Has anyone tried to model this for different drivers?

Btw not saying I'll do this today or tomorrow though... :D
 
xrk, I solved my dilemma. I put a 1x8"x4.5' board across the top of the armoire, and the xki's sit on top of it nicely. As you can see, the right speaker for the stereo sits right against the side of the armoire, and other stuff is right against the other side. My tc9fd's haven't arrived yet, so I don't know how they sound in that position, but they look good there. Thanks so much for all your help in my endeavors.
 

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Founder of XSA-Labs
Joined 2012
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These look really cool! I was thinking, if you made the front and back, top divider and bottom in 12 mm mdf, added one thin window brace per side and use two layers of foamcore with butyl caulk between for the curved part, wouldn't that make for a pretty sturdy little speaker? You could even glue up the sides curved over the cabinet with straps and glue them to the "skeleton" later. A little putty, a lot of sanding, and a coat or three of matte black spray paint followed by som polyurethane (maybe poly on the inside to stiffen more, followed by lagging?). Good stuff! Has anyone tried to model this for different drivers?

Btw not saying I'll do this today or tomorrow though... :D

That would work well. You could even use bendy plywood. Probably no need to make constrained layer damping. Just add layer of foil covered mass loaded butyl sheets to the inside. On the outside, cover with thin wood veneer. This can be modeled with other drivers, of course. There is a DCR Akabak script in the Akabak howto thread.

@jaxboy: looks great! Nice solution.