Hello! I have these speakers:
2pcs HiEnd 4inch Full Range Speaker Defy Lowther Fostex New SE Edition | eBay
I want to build desk speakers. Can you recommend enclosure for these speakers? I'm new to this, so please, excuse my ignorance!
Thanks in advance!
2pcs HiEnd 4inch Full Range Speaker Defy Lowther Fostex New SE Edition | eBay
I want to build desk speakers. Can you recommend enclosure for these speakers? I'm new to this, so please, excuse my ignorance!
Thanks in advance!
I have a few reservations over the marketing claims 
but leaving that aside, they should go in FH3 for example, and no doubt X could come up with a Karlsonator variation if you fancied something on those lines. Otherwise, a straightforward BR or compact TL variation would be possible; based on the stated spec. they should be relatively flexible in that sense.
but leaving that aside, they should go in FH3 for example, and no doubt X could come up with a Karlsonator variation if you fancied something on those lines. Otherwise, a straightforward BR or compact TL variation would be possible; based on the stated spec. they should be relatively flexible in that sense.
Ahh the whizzer coned AIR/Airborne/AirXXX never seem to go away...
They look really cool, and I would love to get one to play with if they were super cheap - but they aren't quite cheap. The specs are not impressive and really, I wouldn't do anymore than put them in an OB or a sealed box with a FAST woofer support. A Qts of 0.68 and sensitivity of 86dB is nothing special. A Tang Band bamboo cone with no whizzer and Nd motor will sound better.
The response has a +12dB step at 7kHz which will make for some nice ringing and sibillant voice.
Edit: Scottmoose beat me to it and he was more generous. I suppose it might work in a Karlsonator but that large Vas and high Qts would make a bloated box.
They look really cool, and I would love to get one to play with if they were super cheap - but they aren't quite cheap. The specs are not impressive and really, I wouldn't do anymore than put them in an OB or a sealed box with a FAST woofer support. A Qts of 0.68 and sensitivity of 86dB is nothing special. A Tang Band bamboo cone with no whizzer and Nd motor will sound better.
The response has a +12dB step at 7kHz which will make for some nice ringing and sibillant voice.
Edit: Scottmoose beat me to it and he was more generous. I suppose it might work in a Karlsonator but that large Vas and high Qts would make a bloated box.
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Well, in many ways it's a slightly old-fashioned driver, at least in terms of the baseline EM spec. We've largely moved toward drivers with higher levels of damping and a lower volume compliance these days -primarily a result of people wanting smaller boxes, although I suspect the pendulum is swinging back a little (hope so).
Be that as it may. To be honest, I don't like whizzer cones much at the best of times, and I'm certainly not a fan of them on drivers of < 5in, because they really shouldn't be necessary, and the off-axis advantages a smaller unit can have may be lost through the phase shifts & whizzer blanking off sections of the main cone. The same can be said about [so-called] phase plugs for that matter, although usually to a lesser degree. Mostly it's pandering to fashion. Similar to the magnet -the frame looks fairly generic, so it's not getting much advantage from the smaller neo motor in terms of airflow. Probably a bit, so 'every little helps'.
From the data sheet layout, these look to be out of the Guide Sound factory in Taiwan, so they should be built reasonably, whatever reservations I have over the design itself. As far as the sound quality itself goes -YMMV, as always. Acoustics being what it is, what doesn't look great on a 1m on-axis FR may (may ) work / sound better in practice, depending on the context. As far as this one goes, it certainly has some issues. The old 98c tweak with a bit of damping around the base of the whizzer might take out some of the hash around 7KHz, which is probably a reflection. And shifting a few degrees off axis (not too many, or there might be more issues than it resolves given the configuration) may help balance out the top end somewhat. A lot of whizzer-cone units were developed on that assumption, since it does tend to make for a wider practical horizontal / vertical listening arc, at the price of it being a bit hot on axis. I haven't had much to do with Karlson variations, but I suspect that might be of some benefit, albeit the box would no doubt be larger than some other units in this size bracket. Overall, I'm not convinced it's a bargain, and there are a few other 4in units I'd rather have -but I've seen worse.
Be that as it may.
To be honest, I don't like whizzer cones much at the best of times, and I'm certainly not a fan of them on drivers of < 5in, because they really shouldn't be necessary, and the off-axis advantages a smaller unit can have may be lost through the phase shifts & whizzer blanking off sections of the main cone. The same can be said about [so-called] phase plugs for that matter, although usually to a lesser degree. Mostly it's pandering to fashion. Similar to the magnet -the frame looks fairly generic, so it's not getting much advantage from the smaller neo motor in terms of airflow. Probably a bit, so 'every little helps'.From the data sheet layout, these look to be out of the Guide Sound factory in Taiwan, so they should be built reasonably, whatever reservations I have over the design itself. As far as the sound quality itself goes -YMMV, as always. Acoustics being what it is, what doesn't look great on a 1m on-axis FR may (may
) work / sound better in practice, depending on the context. As far as this one goes, it certainly has some issues. The old 98c tweak with a bit of damping around the base of the whizzer might take out some of the hash around 7KHz, which is probably a reflection. And shifting a few degrees off axis (not too many, or there might be more issues than it resolves given the configuration) may help balance out the top end somewhat. A lot of whizzer-cone units were developed on that assumption, since it does tend to make for a wider practical horizontal / vertical listening arc, at the price of it being a bit hot on axis. I haven't had much to do with Karlson variations, but I suspect that might be of some benefit, albeit the box would no doubt be larger than some other units in this size bracket. Overall, I'm not convinced it's a bargain, and there are a few other 4in units I'd rather have -but I've seen worse.
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Yes, Guide Sound was a Taiwan based company, but they have since moved production and most of their offices to China. For your info: About
No, I do not have those units. I don't know if they were ever produced in Taiwan before, but unless that model is a few years old, then I would venture it was never produced here.
Unfortunately, Taiwan is losing a lot of factories to China.
Another case is Tang Band. A successful taiwanese company that has moved its production to China. Taiwan is still holding on the the head office... but for how long?
No, I do not have those units. I don't know if they were ever produced in Taiwan before, but unless that model is a few years old, then I would venture it was never produced here.
Unfortunately, Taiwan is losing a lot of factories to China.
Another case is Tang Band. A successful taiwanese company that has moved its production to China. Taiwan is still holding on the the head office... but for how long?
As a former member of the manufacture's forum who is still active in the business would likely assert - with appropriate QC and design, the provenance of production should almost not matter.
Unfortunately that perfect world is a fairy tale, so YMMV
Having said that, a couple of years ago I made a bespoke pair of enclosures for another forum member for a pair of Airborne "wood" ( i.e. reconstituted veneer) coned units. The drivers were quite nicely built, and sounded great - excellent bass. While not capable of the same insane party levels as some of his larger PA systems, I think mr W might still be playing them at more intimate levels- I'm sure I saw some Barry White in his collection, buried behind the JB.
No, I made that last part up.
Or did I, Cal?
Unfortunately that perfect world is a fairy tale, so YMMV
Having said that, a couple of years ago I made a bespoke pair of enclosures for another forum member for a pair of Airborne "wood" ( i.e. reconstituted veneer) coned units. The drivers were quite nicely built, and sounded great - excellent bass. While not capable of the same insane party levels as some of his larger PA systems, I think mr W might still be playing them at more intimate levels- I'm sure I saw some Barry White in his collection, buried behind the JB.
No, I made that last part up.
Or did I, Cal?
Vented Box Calculator
Thank you guys!
Here the results for a vented box enclosure from mh-audio.nl - Vented System
Dia : 9.1 cm Diameter across the speaker cone including half of the cone-suspension
fs : 65.9 Hz Resonant frequency of the driver
Qms : 10.04 Q mechanical - needed to calculate Qts
Qes : 0.714 Q electrical - needed to calculate Qts
Qts : 0.667 Total Q of the driver Calculate Qts
Vas : 10.06 liters Equivalent volume of compliance
Vb : 47.2 liters Desired volume for the enclosure
Calculated inside Dimensions
Width = 36.14 cm
14.23 inches
Height = 58.47 cm
23.02 inches
Depth = 22.33 cm
8.79 inches
Volume Vb =47.2 liters
2880.24 in3
Dp : 2.73 cm
Diameter of port(s)
Port area = 5.85 cm2
0.91 in2
Port length(s) = 0.31 cm
0.12 inches
Is It OK?
Thank you guys!
Here the results for a vented box enclosure from mh-audio.nl - Vented System
Dia : 9.1 cm Diameter across the speaker cone including half of the cone-suspension
fs : 65.9 Hz Resonant frequency of the driver
Qms : 10.04 Q mechanical - needed to calculate Qts
Qes : 0.714 Q electrical - needed to calculate Qts
Qts : 0.667 Total Q of the driver Calculate Qts
Vas : 10.06 liters Equivalent volume of compliance
Vb : 47.2 liters Desired volume for the enclosure
Calculated inside Dimensions
Width = 36.14 cm
14.23 inches
Height = 58.47 cm
23.02 inches
Depth = 22.33 cm
8.79 inches
Volume Vb =47.2 liters
2880.24 in3
Dp : 2.73 cm
Diameter of port(s)
Port area = 5.85 cm2
0.91 in2
Port length(s) = 0.31 cm
0.12 inches
Is It OK?
This is my 4" enclosure. It's also my 3" all the way up to 12" enclosure. This is where I'd use these drivers. If I don't like the sound I put them in the closet and leave them there.
Otherwise, since you already have these drivers, I'd recommend a small sealed box that suits your desk and add a powered subwoofer. I bet they sound good enough (maybe great) and they certainly look very nice.
Godzilla
Otherwise, since you already have these drivers, I'd recommend a small sealed box that suits your desk and add a powered subwoofer. I bet they sound good enough (maybe great) and they certainly look very nice.
Godzilla
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Yes, unfortunately they don't like small boxes... Maybe these speakers are not a good solution for computer speakers... I will consider other options...
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