FE206E : disapointed

[mbon]

Thanks for all answers, yes i only use the FE206E above 300 Hz wich the frequency where open baffle show limits, the FE206 is not filtered ans does not use DCX2496, maybe I should try but I choose fullrange driver to bypass any kind of filter. I'm understanding that a notch filter is necessary, the DCX is surely the best option to do that, I'll try.

[Vix]

I was also disapointed with FE 206 E. The sound was so harsh that I couldn't stand listening to it on-axis. I was using them in sealed boxes, with two sealed subs. That was a mistake. Then I tried several things:
1. Employ a BSC with 3 mH inductor and 10-15ohm resistor. Sounded better, but still not right.
2. Tried to build something similar to Deckware's "Gizmo". It is a 50w mains transformer with 12V secondary wired in series with the speakers, and with 22 Kohm pot across the 220 V primary. Try this! Interesting result.
3. I have modified my ZEN into a transconductance amp. This was the most sucessful for improving the sound of Fostex. However, I have returned to the original ZEN because I coulndn't really use a transconductance amp without modifying crossovers, something which I didn't want.
Now I am in a proces of building ML TL boxes as described by Martin J.King: http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project05/Project05.html
I hope this will improve things...
As for your case, you can try a solution 2. However, that will reduce efficiency....
Unfortunately, there seem to be no free lunch....

[Nelson Pass]

Originally posted by mbon
But sound is awfull, bright, voice as not nice, some frequency have peak of resonance.

They are like that, even after break-in and even after use put
them in a rear loaded horn.

You can see some curves and stuff on the FE206E on the article
on "Current Source Amplifiers and High Efficiency/Full Range
Speaker", part of which recently appeared in AudioXpress, and
the full text at www.firstwatt.com

Active or passive equalization can help on this, and if you find
in the end that you still don't like the 206, try the 166.

[Timn8ter]

Now I am in a proces of building ML TL boxes as described by Martin J.King.....I hope this will improve things

I think you'll find a big difference with this enclosure and the BSC circuit.

[MJK]

Hi Vix,

Now I am in a proces of building ML TL boxes as described by Martin J.King: http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project05/Project05.html

I have had a lot of very very positive feedback on this design. One of the people I work with has built a pair and he and his wife love them. He is now building a second pair with Lowther PM6C drivers for a different room in his home. Please let me know how things turn out and send a picture for my gallery.

[Jimmy_The_Clown]

I've got a pair of FE206e in cabinets built from decware's HDT plans. They sound awfully nice. Imaging is amazing and bass is really tight and fast. The bass even makes me happy with hip hop and rap.

My only two complaints are that they're quite beamy (off axis loses all high end). And they don't have the magical hair raising quality I've heard on some other speakers (Legacy Audio) especially in regards to female vocals, but I'm hoping thats more because of my mediocre source and using a simple, cheap inverted gainclone.

I'd be interested to see if anyone has tried the Decware mod. They cut off the dust cover and place a metal crafstmen socket onto the actual pole piece. Acts as a whizzer. Supposedly it helps the higher end and makes the driver less beamy.

Everything I've read on the driver seems to point towards using horn enclosures. Might want to go that route or maybe look at the HDT's from Decware.

-JTC

[MJK]

JTC,

I'd be interested to see if anyone has tried the Decware mod. They cut off the dust cover and place a metal crafstmen socket onto the actual pole piece. Acts as a whizzer. Supposedly it helps the higher end and makes the driver less beamy.

If you cut the whizzer off I think that you would loose all high frequency response. You might try damping the whizzer cone with cottom balls or small foam strips.

I think adding a phase plug would be your best bet. There is a link from my site showing some examples of phase plugs in a Lowther DX3 driver and the impact on the SPL response. If you mount a wooden dowel in the center of the driver, on the ploe piece, then you could try different lengths of dowels or adding different flared pieces to change the shape. Cut the tops off of plastic soda bottles and slide them on the dowel changing the axial position to see what can be achieved. Sounds simple and is reversible. Cutting off the whizzer seems like an extreme last ditch effort type of move.

[Timn8ter]

Cutting off the whizzer seems like an extreme last ditch effort type of move.

I agree!

[Jimmy_The_Clown]

Whoops. I meant that the socket acts as a phase plug. You leave the whizzer intact and merely cut the dust cover off in order to mount the socket to the pole piece as a phase plug.

There's a whitepaper about it on the decware site. Steve makes some claims about it changing the magnetic field of the magnet since you are using a metal phase plug. Also some claims about the square opening in the phase plug cancelling out some undesirable frequencies. If you're interested I can go digging for the paper?

-JTC

[rcavictim]

I'd sae that must change the metric of the driver.