Audio Nirvana 8" double vented

[vmac011]

Just finished Audio Nirvana 8" with double vent cabinet.

Outside dimensions (mm) : H900 X W286 X D250
Inner vent (mm): H50 X W250 X D150
Outside vent (mm) : H25 X W250 X D100 - flared radius 10 mm
Box made of 18mm MDF screwed and glued
Padding 100 mm acrylic wool on front baffle. 10mm Acoustic mat on rear panel just behind the speaker (w250 X h300).

Sound test:
Sound is very detailed and mellow. With my friends solid state amp, the sound was even more detailed and crisp without being too bright. As with any large full range driver, voices sound particulary good. They are very well suited for kid of music I am listening such as Rippingtons, Acoustic Alchemy, Lee Ritenour etc. I was amazed with life like sound of Stevie Wonder's harmonica in song Velas (Quincy Jones - The Dude). But it's not all good news. I could live with some more bass. Slap base form Mark King (level 42) is reproduced OK, but classical base (or electric with rotosound strings) is somewhat below the par. Nothing serious though, +3db on tone controll correct this shortfall (Single ended non-feedback purists are feeling nauseous after this). Heavy metal, rock and similar doesn't sound too good on these speakers. These babies don't like Fuzz, Phat Overdrive, Tube Screamers for some reason (Big Muff, however, sounds fine). Don't take wrong, strings sound exeptionaly well when played solo (Santana, Steely Dan even Nickleback), but when they are trashed together through distorsion pedals and overclocked Marshalls, the spekers sound is mediocre.

Final rating: 4 out of 5

BTW, you can buy these drivers from Common Sense Audio (good service, quick but pricy delivery). http://www.nirvanaspeakers.com/nirvana.html

Questions?
Suggestions?

[vmac011]

Few more pic's

[vmac011]

Front and sides

[vmac011]

Speaker driver (love that accordion suspension)

[vmac011]

Finished speakers

[squalor]

I think your woodworking looks great. Your room looks great too. I even like the music you tested with.
I'm kinda new here so please pardon all my questions. Is Audio Nirvana new to the market ? Why do more people not use them ? The I see specs are very close to Fostex. Commonsense Audio is a sponsor here too.
Was your cabinet one of the plans on the site ? Is that wood veneer or vinyl ? How much was the shipping ? What amp and source do you use ? I wonder if the 6" would work IB in a car door ?

[zygibajt]

These drivers are suppose to be Fostex replacement. They are cheaper and are said to be better (said by the guys who are selling them ).

They look very similar to Fostex, though. The basket looks exactly the same. There is same plastic ring and the cone looks really identical to Fostex, except it's black and the dust cup lucks small net. The surround suspension is diffrent, though.

I think same company is manufacturing drivers for them and for Fostex...or Fostex is producing them

Have anyone comapred them to Fostex?

Bartek

[GM]

http://www.audioroundtable.com/Singl...ages/1395.html

[vmac011]

To squalor:

The finish on the enclosure is metallic acrylic (water based) paint for interior decoration. Sample pot cost 5 bucks here in Australia. But first, I've sprayed primer. Let it dry for a day then send it with 180 grade paper. Metallic paint is rolled on with sponge roller - 2 coats 4 hours apart. Front baffle is finished with 2 coats of black mat spray from $2 shop. Drivers cost me A$185 with postage and enclosures further $100. Exceptionally good sound for less then A$300. I am not sure why Commonsense is keeping low profile. Maybe they are under whiteness protection program (LOL). The idea for cabinet is inspired by Visaton and Fostex enclosures with mods to accommodate different driver parameters. The cabinet plans that I received with the drivers are very similar as far as outside dimensions is concern. When you look inside, that's where any similarity ends. Commonsense is proposing TL with simple 8cm diameter vent to the front.
Looking at 6" parameters, I would probably install them on the car's rear shelf, but not in the door.
My amp is old Sony (STK chip inside) found in the rubbish. It wouldn't be in the rubbish for no reason - it sounds bad. I am in the process of making Gain clone with balanced input fed by 8 X NOS DAC (tda1543). Due to family commitments, the progress is rather slow. The source is cheap DVD player. As you can see nothing flashy.

To zygibajt:

I agree that Nirvana looks disturbingly similar to Fostex. I never heard Fostex so I don't have point of reference. In theory Fostex should have better bass due to rubber suspension while Nirvana should shine in mids and highs. Nirvana drivers are made in China. Shaking off the prejudice about country of origin, Nirvana's are made remarkably well. I am also curious how they compare with Fostex.

[Bob Brines]

Originally posted by vmac011
To squalor:


To zygibajt:

I agree that Nirvana looks disturbingly similar to Fostex. I never heard Fostex so I don't have point of reference. In theory Fostex should have better bass due to rubber suspension while Nirvana should shine in mids and highs. Nirvana drivers are made in China. Shaking off the prejudice about country of origin, Nirvana's are made remarkably well. I am also curious how they compare with Fostex.

At this point, the review crashes.

The AN6 I have differs in every detail from the FE167E. The frame is different in all dimensions including the mounting circle. The AN magnet is the soft refrigerator magnet material while the Fostex is ceramic. The cone material is a different paper. The AN has a pleated paper surround while the Fostex has an impregnated cloth inverted half-roll surround. The AN is made in China, while the Fostex is made in CHINA -- the entire FE series production was moved to China in the last year.

Now I don't know why theory requires a rubber surround give better bass than a pleated surround, not that this is relevant, or why the AN should perform better in the upper end. My observations are that the two drivers perform about the same at the bottom while the AN suffers from more mid-range shout. The AN screams cheapness -- every corner cut. Why, with that huge magnet, does the AN6 have the same BL product as the FE167E?

The American market is driven by price with near total disregard to quality. I think that the AN6/FE167E comparison is a reflection of this. If you feel that OK is good enough, then go with the AN6. If fit/finish and overall appearance are important, go with the FE167E. I feel that the FE167E has a somewhat better overall sound as well.

IMO -- YMMV

Bob