for what it's worth...
Here's what I've built since I found this forum a few months ago.
The Spotted Gum box hides a Sureelectronics 2*15w amp.
The FRS8 Needles are chipboard with 2mm Aroco veneers French Polished.
FE166E BIBS are 18mm Hoop Pine exterior ply painted with water based house paint (big mistake).
Currently building TABQAs for TB W3-871S.
A modified Trends and Fubar II USB DAC make up the rest of my low-fi set up.
I appreciate the help of those who took the time to answer my noob questions... usually by pointing out the obvious.
Cheers Mack
Here's what I've built since I found this forum a few months ago.
The Spotted Gum box hides a Sureelectronics 2*15w amp.
The FRS8 Needles are chipboard with 2mm Aroco veneers French Polished.
FE166E BIBS are 18mm Hoop Pine exterior ply painted with water based house paint (big mistake).
Currently building TABQAs for TB W3-871S.
A modified Trends and Fubar II USB DAC make up the rest of my low-fi set up.
I appreciate the help of those who took the time to answer my noob questions... usually by pointing out the obvious.
Cheers Mack
Attachments
FE126e modified BIBs
Hi all, here's my first set of fullrange speakers, based around the FE126e and BIB design.
They started as completely standard BIBs based on the Excel calculator. After reading about the discrepancies between the published and measured specs on the 126e, and about the importance of baffle-step loss correction in thin cabinets, I made some modifications, adding wings and shortening the length of the BIB line.
The wings used to be symmetrical before I noticed some extra "fullness" in the lower midrange, and then read the messages about the asymmetrical baffle calculations done using The Edge software. So, I simply chopped one wing off. They're weird looking now, but they sound good. Here's what I've ended up with:
- Cut off 4 inches from the point of the horn and resealed.
- Cut the back off to the new line length, at an angle, and angled the cut so the mouth size is bigger to match the line length and mouth size specified by the worksheet
- Added a single side wing to correct for baffle step loss
- Removed all polyester damping material. Could not come up with anything that stopped midrange but let bass through.
- Added a single layer of "eggcrate" foam (the stuff they sell to put on mattresses) at the bottom of the speaker, and one layer directly behind the driver. The speakers are skinny and deep (not the recommended 1.414 ratio). Inside dimensions are 5" x 12". This lets me mount the driver with no extra piece of wood to get it away from the slanted piece. I also theorized that this would place the driver further into the room while still letting the bass horn touch the back wall. In practice, I don't know that this has helped at all.
- Placed one of the speakers in a corner, about 6 inches from the corner, touching the back wall and toed in at least 30 degrees. Placed the other one in a corner formed by my TV cabinet and the wall.
I have had them like this for 2 weeks now, and am very satisfied. Bass performance is strong at 100 Hz, probably about 1/2 at 60 Hz, and still audible at 40 Hz. I augment them ever so slightly with an 8" sub, which really only kicks in at higher volumes. The sound is very balanced and full, there is no "shoutiness" or thinness to the tone. I'm enjoying them very much. I did an immense amount of tweaking to get rid of the thinness - the wings, corner placement and eggcrate foam all contributed to solving this problem.
I think the shorter line length, as opposed to the stock length, controls the driver excursion better, though - in the big boxes, I could see a lot of driver movement, with the smaller ones, the movement is almost nothing, even at high volumes.
It has taken a fair bit of effort, but I am (currently) happy with the results. I have tested with many genres of music at a range of volumes, and would comfortably pronounce them "done", except for an aesthetic piece at the bottom to visually balance out the single wing. I may experiment with ductseal on the driver or possible cone doping, but I find that at this point, I can listen to them quite happily without noticing anything wrong. Thanks for everyone's help on this forum!
Blog posting in case blogger doesn't like image hotlinking:
http://iestynlewis.blogspot.com
Hi all, here's my first set of fullrange speakers, based around the FE126e and BIB design.
They started as completely standard BIBs based on the Excel calculator. After reading about the discrepancies between the published and measured specs on the 126e, and about the importance of baffle-step loss correction in thin cabinets, I made some modifications, adding wings and shortening the length of the BIB line.
The wings used to be symmetrical before I noticed some extra "fullness" in the lower midrange, and then read the messages about the asymmetrical baffle calculations done using The Edge software. So, I simply chopped one wing off. They're weird looking now, but they sound good. Here's what I've ended up with:
- Cut off 4 inches from the point of the horn and resealed.
- Cut the back off to the new line length, at an angle, and angled the cut so the mouth size is bigger to match the line length and mouth size specified by the worksheet
- Added a single side wing to correct for baffle step loss
- Removed all polyester damping material. Could not come up with anything that stopped midrange but let bass through.
- Added a single layer of "eggcrate" foam (the stuff they sell to put on mattresses) at the bottom of the speaker, and one layer directly behind the driver. The speakers are skinny and deep (not the recommended 1.414 ratio). Inside dimensions are 5" x 12". This lets me mount the driver with no extra piece of wood to get it away from the slanted piece. I also theorized that this would place the driver further into the room while still letting the bass horn touch the back wall. In practice, I don't know that this has helped at all.
- Placed one of the speakers in a corner, about 6 inches from the corner, touching the back wall and toed in at least 30 degrees. Placed the other one in a corner formed by my TV cabinet and the wall.
I have had them like this for 2 weeks now, and am very satisfied. Bass performance is strong at 100 Hz, probably about 1/2 at 60 Hz, and still audible at 40 Hz. I augment them ever so slightly with an 8" sub, which really only kicks in at higher volumes. The sound is very balanced and full, there is no "shoutiness" or thinness to the tone. I'm enjoying them very much. I did an immense amount of tweaking to get rid of the thinness - the wings, corner placement and eggcrate foam all contributed to solving this problem.
I think the shorter line length, as opposed to the stock length, controls the driver excursion better, though - in the big boxes, I could see a lot of driver movement, with the smaller ones, the movement is almost nothing, even at high volumes.
It has taken a fair bit of effort, but I am (currently) happy with the results. I have tested with many genres of music at a range of volumes, and would comfortably pronounce them "done", except for an aesthetic piece at the bottom to visually balance out the single wing. I may experiment with ductseal on the driver or possible cone doping, but I find that at this point, I can listen to them quite happily without noticing anything wrong. Thanks for everyone's help on this forum!
Blog posting in case blogger doesn't like image hotlinking:
http://iestynlewis.blogspot.com
Here are a few pics of my first Full Range project. It was a joint project that my girlfriend and I did together and ultimately the speakers are for her. She's not the type to complain about all my kit as she enjoys it too, but getting the significant other involved seems like a good way to avoid complaints!
They are Fostex FE127E in a 9.5L Bass Reflex box. It's a little smaller than ideal, but the smaller size was preferred and the effect on the response is not too detrimental. There are also point to point lm1875 amps built into the left speaker.
I had hoped these wouldn't need any sort of BSC as they are likely to end up placed with their backs against a wall, but they do seem to overemphasize vocals/mids. They will almost always be played from a computer though so I have fiddled around with the iTunes EQ a bit to fill out the bass which lacks a little and to tone down the midrange a bit and they sound much better.
They are Fostex FE127E in a 9.5L Bass Reflex box. It's a little smaller than ideal, but the smaller size was preferred and the effect on the response is not too detrimental. There are also point to point lm1875 amps built into the left speaker.
I had hoped these wouldn't need any sort of BSC as they are likely to end up placed with their backs against a wall, but they do seem to overemphasize vocals/mids. They will almost always be played from a computer though so I have fiddled around with the iTunes EQ a bit to fill out the bass which lacks a little and to tone down the midrange a bit and they sound much better.
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An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
CarderSound Madisons
My speakers are the wonderful CarderSound Madisons. I had them upgraded from stock by having Rosewood veneer installed and gold/silver/copper alloy wires that's 24K gold plated added internally. I also plan on changing the stock Fostex FE206E's with a pair of NIB FE206ES-R's I have laying around but, not before I have Dave at Planet 10 EnABel them for me first. I'm also planning on trying a pair of JBL 2310 "acoustic lenses" in front of the Fostex drivers. I don't know if I'll like this or not ---{only time will tell}--- but, I know JBL sold a starter Hartsfield speaker which used a single fullrange 8 inch driver behind their lens. So who knows maybe I will like how it sounds??!!!???
My source in an Italian BlueNote Stibbert CDP withe the aftermarket Sound Fusion vibration cancelling columns installed. My amp, also Italian, is a Mastersound Reference 845. In an effort to get the absolute best performance from this 135LB behemoth I went on an extremely extensive tube rolling trek that lasted over a 3 year period.
I started by replacing with the stock 12AU7 tubes. To do this I tried as many types of 12AU7 tube I could locate such as the 12AU7A, 12AU7WA, 5814, 5814A, 5963, 6067, 6189, 6680, 7730, B749, CK5814, CV4003, CV491, E82CC, ECC802, ECC802S, ECC82 & M8136, from as many different manufacturers I could obtain which included Amperex, Bugle Boy, Brimar, Cifte, Electro Harmonix, GE, Haltron, Marconi, Mazda, Mullard, Philips, Raytheon, RCA, RFT, RT, Siemens, Sylvania, Telefunken, Tesla, Tungsram & Tungsol, before I finally settled on the french Mazda "chrome-plate" 6189 or 12AU7WA if you prefer as sounding the "best" to me.
Next I pulled the stock 5687 and replaced them with Bendix 6900 tubes. I can honestly say I've never heard such a dramatic change in sound when tube swapping as I did when I replaced the 5687's with the 6900's. This type of change in sound was more like replacing a $2K-$4K component than swapping tubes! I was flabbergasted at the level of improvement that made.
Finally I replaced the stock 845's with Shuguang 845B's.
Presently I'm using my friend Mike Rs newly designed ICs and speakerwires. These replaced my Z-Squared Au/Au ICs and Nordost BlueHeaven speakerwire.
All I can say is I've never been happier with how my system sounds! I literally cannot wait to get home from work at night so I can play some "tunes!" The hobby has become fun again. I'm listening to the music and not listening for what my system is doing wrong. It's like when I was 16 and only the music mattered. This is what it's really all about! SETs and Single Full Range Speakers together forever!
Thetubeguy1954
My speakers are the wonderful CarderSound Madisons. I had them upgraded from stock by having Rosewood veneer installed and gold/silver/copper alloy wires that's 24K gold plated added internally. I also plan on changing the stock Fostex FE206E's with a pair of NIB FE206ES-R's I have laying around but, not before I have Dave at Planet 10 EnABel them for me first. I'm also planning on trying a pair of JBL 2310 "acoustic lenses" in front of the Fostex drivers. I don't know if I'll like this or not ---{only time will tell}--- but, I know JBL sold a starter Hartsfield speaker which used a single fullrange 8 inch driver behind their lens. So who knows maybe I will like how it sounds??!!!???
My source in an Italian BlueNote Stibbert CDP withe the aftermarket Sound Fusion vibration cancelling columns installed. My amp, also Italian, is a Mastersound Reference 845. In an effort to get the absolute best performance from this 135LB behemoth I went on an extremely extensive tube rolling trek that lasted over a 3 year period.
I started by replacing with the stock 12AU7 tubes. To do this I tried as many types of 12AU7 tube I could locate such as the 12AU7A, 12AU7WA, 5814, 5814A, 5963, 6067, 6189, 6680, 7730, B749, CK5814, CV4003, CV491, E82CC, ECC802, ECC802S, ECC82 & M8136, from as many different manufacturers I could obtain which included Amperex, Bugle Boy, Brimar, Cifte, Electro Harmonix, GE, Haltron, Marconi, Mazda, Mullard, Philips, Raytheon, RCA, RFT, RT, Siemens, Sylvania, Telefunken, Tesla, Tungsram & Tungsol, before I finally settled on the french Mazda "chrome-plate" 6189 or 12AU7WA if you prefer as sounding the "best" to me.
Next I pulled the stock 5687 and replaced them with Bendix 6900 tubes. I can honestly say I've never heard such a dramatic change in sound when tube swapping as I did when I replaced the 5687's with the 6900's. This type of change in sound was more like replacing a $2K-$4K component than swapping tubes! I was flabbergasted at the level of improvement that made.
Finally I replaced the stock 845's with Shuguang 845B's.
Presently I'm using my friend Mike Rs newly designed ICs and speakerwires. These replaced my Z-Squared Au/Au ICs and Nordost BlueHeaven speakerwire.
All I can say is I've never been happier with how my system sounds! I literally cannot wait to get home from work at night so I can play some "tunes!" The hobby has become fun again. I'm listening to the music and not listening for what my system is doing wrong. It's like when I was 16 and only the music mattered. This is what it's really all about! SETs and Single Full Range Speakers together forever!
Thetubeguy1954
Attachments
These are some OB's I whipped up last night. I was just browsing the photo gallery and got inspired. The drivers are from some old pannasonic BR's. The sound was very much improved and much more spacious. I need to make them look nice though, because they are made of the plywood that I used to solder over!
Attachments
Here is my last project. SONIDO 8" fullrange speaker in a 40 litre vented box. This is an amplified (active) speaker box. The amp is a JLH 10 watts A class type.
The speaker model: SONIDO SWR-200.
The SONIDO is a small hungarian manufacturer and make very good fullrange drivers.
SONIDO homepage
The speaker model: SONIDO SWR-200.
The SONIDO is a small hungarian manufacturer and make very good fullrange drivers.
SONIDO homepage
Attachments
JX92S in MLTL 48 cabinets
Just finished these up over the weekend. Jordan JX92s in the MLTL 48 cabinet from the Jordan DIY page. Constructed from solid oak project boards from Home Depot (yes, yes, I know...), flush mounted drivers, stuffed with a little bit of fiberglass insulation on the top.
Sound is superb at listening session levels. At background levels I think they are outdone by paper-cone high efficiency full range drivers, however, once the volume goes up, the Jordans come into their own.
Just finished these up over the weekend. Jordan JX92s in the MLTL 48 cabinet from the Jordan DIY page. Constructed from solid oak project boards from Home Depot (yes, yes, I know...), flush mounted drivers, stuffed with a little bit of fiberglass insulation on the top.
Sound is superb at listening session levels. At background levels I think they are outdone by paper-cone high efficiency full range drivers, however, once the volume goes up, the Jordans come into their own.