Fostex 108EZ
Hi Uvellani & all,
Jump right in, IMHO the 108EZ are excellent in the BIBs....I fully recommend. My initial reservations with the sound have been sorted with some furniture arrangement (read, putting the BIBs against the wall). Have ordered a mic kit from madaboutsound and once I put it together and work out how to take measurments I'll post them.
They have been running now for a couple of weeks, they have superceded the Index IIs. Happy enough with the MDF build that I have glued up the sides and started the veneering...
hopefully I'll finish this weekend, pictures on Monday. If you are interested in the dimensions of my build please feel free to email wac38_mac_com (replacing _ with @ and .)
Best,
Wilson
Hi Uvellani & all,
Jump right in, IMHO the 108EZ are excellent in the BIBs....I fully recommend. My initial reservations with the sound have been sorted with some furniture arrangement (read, putting the BIBs against the wall). Have ordered a mic kit from madaboutsound and once I put it together and work out how to take measurments I'll post them.
They have been running now for a couple of weeks, they have superceded the Index IIs. Happy enough with the MDF build that I have glued up the sides and started the veneering...
hopefully I'll finish this weekend, pictures on Monday. If you are interested in the dimensions of my build please feel free to email wac38_mac_com (replacing _ with @ and .)Best,
Wilson
The Fostex FE108/168EZ are fantastic in the BIB. I luv my 168 BIB's, which as an added bonus offer an honest 94db, and nice throaty and warm sound. Lovely looking speakers, Terry. A+++
I have a prototype Music Reference SET amp coming from Roger Modjeski next week, 3.5 watts using the 6EM7 vertical sweep (IDHT) tube. This dissimilar triode is basically a 6SL7 on one side, and the big side is basically identical to a 2A3. I am going to be very interested in seeing how this hand built, hand wound Tx wonder from one of the very best tube wizards extant, plays with the 168.
I have a prototype Music Reference SET amp coming from Roger Modjeski next week, 3.5 watts using the 6EM7 vertical sweep (IDHT) tube. This dissimilar triode is basically a 6SL7 on one side, and the big side is basically identical to a 2A3. I am going to be very interested in seeing how this hand built, hand wound Tx wonder from one of the very best tube wizards extant, plays with the 168.
Hi Oliver!!
After seeing what the BIB load for the Supravox 165LB looked like, ie: squat and big CSA, I decided to give the drivers to my brother, who built the BR boxes off the Supravox website. He really likes them, says they come to life after playing a few weeks in his living room. He is very pleased with them.
Sorry I have no BIB impressions of them. If I were to build another, I would try the HempTone BIB. This is a VERY sweet, musical, efficient driver requiring only a couple good watts to really sing well. A very well balanced machine with tremendously visceral lower register even in a 2.5ft^3 cabinet (Omega SuperHemp) I cannot recommend this driver more highly.
After seeing what the BIB load for the Supravox 165LB looked like, ie: squat and big CSA, I decided to give the drivers to my brother, who built the BR boxes off the Supravox website. He really likes them, says they come to life after playing a few weeks in his living room. He is very pleased with them.
Sorry I have no BIB impressions of them. If I were to build another, I would try the HempTone BIB. This is a VERY sweet, musical, efficient driver requiring only a couple good watts to really sing well. A very well balanced machine with tremendously visceral lower register even in a 2.5ft^3 cabinet (Omega SuperHemp) I cannot recommend this driver more highly.
dmason said:
I simulated it in MJK`s TL offset driver sheet and expected similar results as the HX160 because of similar specs, but obviously the BIB concept is very strongly dependent on Vas. The Supravox needs a huge mouth to produce a BIB-style response, but sensitivity gets far too high in bass. Better let`s talk about hemp when the smaller ones are out.
Cain & Cain I-BIB
I was at the HE2006 Show yesterday and had the chance to listen to Terry's new speakers throughout the day. First off, they are amazing looking. The finish quality on the woodworking and wood grain is really something to behold.
Secondly, they really give the impression of a tiny footprint. From the front, and even side, the main impression is "slender". Some of the most unimposing speakers I've ever seen. WAF factor is very, very, high. I've got a little experience in this department becaue I have Terry's I-Bens which are probably 3-4 times as wide and imposing. The fist and only thing my girlfriend said for a few months was "They're HUGE! What are we going to do with those things? They're HUGE!" She's gotten used to them since then.
The I-BIB is so slender, even a side glance is unimposing. They will not dominate a room they way larger horns do. Very, very, attractive. Perfect for those who have smaller rooms, apartments, condos, etc. Also, the semi-corner loading really helps keep them out of the way.
Now, on to the matter of real importance - how do they sound? Pretty damn good so far. There was a big difference in sound quality between when I got to the show Saturday at 11:00am and when I left at 6pm - intially good, but not much warmth. Since they were brand new, hot off the CNC machine and only arrived Thursday, the tiny Fostex 3"(?) were still breaking in.
I don't think there's any need for a supertweeter from what I could tell because treble extension is pretty damn good. Lots of detail, shimmer, and decay of cymbal brushes. The midrange is very, very, accurate and developed greater richness or body by the end of the day. At 11pm, the BIB's were "interesting", accurate, and detailed. No obvious bloat or distortions. By 6pm, they were fleshing out and getting pretty damn engaging for such a small driver and slender cabinet. Obviously, nowhere near as deep & rich as my Bens or other similar designs with much bigger drivers and cabinets. But in he right crcumstances, great. I'm going today, so we'll see if they continue to get better.
They definetly need a subwoofer and blended seamlessly with Terry's Bailey subwoofer, there really was no detectable transition point. The exhibitor, Paul Lim, of Imagine Hifi, said he thinks that's because of the BIB's steep rolloff in the bass region.
Paul was driving the I-BIB's with an $800 ALmarro A-205A EL84 set integrated. This little amp always sounds great with whatever speakers it's matched. The EL84 just has this "rightness" to it.
This is a very interesting design(at Terry's dimesions) that has fantastic potential for people with moderate to small sized rooms.
I am really impressed with what a 3" driver can do. The Fostex gets a pretty serious workout if you check the excursion on complex music.
I was at the HE2006 Show yesterday and had the chance to listen to Terry's new speakers throughout the day. First off, they are amazing looking. The finish quality on the woodworking and wood grain is really something to behold.
Secondly, they really give the impression of a tiny footprint. From the front, and even side, the main impression is "slender". Some of the most unimposing speakers I've ever seen. WAF factor is very, very, high. I've got a little experience in this department becaue I have Terry's I-Bens which are probably 3-4 times as wide and imposing. The fist and only thing my girlfriend said for a few months was "They're HUGE! What are we going to do with those things? They're HUGE!" She's gotten used to them since then.
The I-BIB is so slender, even a side glance is unimposing. They will not dominate a room they way larger horns do. Very, very, attractive. Perfect for those who have smaller rooms, apartments, condos, etc. Also, the semi-corner loading really helps keep them out of the way.
Now, on to the matter of real importance - how do they sound? Pretty damn good so far. There was a big difference in sound quality between when I got to the show Saturday at 11:00am and when I left at 6pm - intially good, but not much warmth. Since they were brand new, hot off the CNC machine and only arrived Thursday, the tiny Fostex 3"(?) were still breaking in.
I don't think there's any need for a supertweeter from what I could tell because treble extension is pretty damn good. Lots of detail, shimmer, and decay of cymbal brushes. The midrange is very, very, accurate and developed greater richness or body by the end of the day. At 11pm, the BIB's were "interesting", accurate, and detailed. No obvious bloat or distortions. By 6pm, they were fleshing out and getting pretty damn engaging for such a small driver and slender cabinet. Obviously, nowhere near as deep & rich as my Bens or other similar designs with much bigger drivers and cabinets. But in he right crcumstances, great. I'm going today, so we'll see if they continue to get better.
They definetly need a subwoofer and blended seamlessly with Terry's Bailey subwoofer, there really was no detectable transition point. The exhibitor, Paul Lim, of Imagine Hifi, said he thinks that's because of the BIB's steep rolloff in the bass region.
Paul was driving the I-BIB's with an $800 ALmarro A-205A EL84 set integrated. This little amp always sounds great with whatever speakers it's matched. The EL84 just has this "rightness" to it.
This is a very interesting design(at Terry's dimesions) that has fantastic potential for people with moderate to small sized rooms.
I am really impressed with what a 3" driver can do. The Fostex gets a pretty serious workout if you check the excursion on complex music.
Yes, I wish I had a camera to show, but the bottom angles from the front to back at an ~45 angle. Maybe a little shallower.
The thing that really needs to be appreciated is the focus that the Fostex driver and BIB's have. I'm not talking about imaging as much as notes, themselves. The are clearly defined without blurring or overhang.
dhenryp said:
So much for the magic of ceiling loading...
The floor will do basically the same job. I'm not trying to put words into Terry's mouth, but it looks to me like he's taken the most logical approach: a high[ish] Fs driver naturally has a shorter horn length, which, in a regular BIB, means the terminus will be further from the ceiling than is ideal for completing the horn mouth. They appear to be ~45in tall, which means that they are set to the usual 1/2 Fs or thereabouts. By flipping it, he's ensured that the terminus will always be at what he's determined to be the ideal distance from the reflectional boundary condition
Best
Scott
Hi,
GM's 165LB dims is indeed big (Sm=300"^2), but it's for max gain. Scott's dims are more manageable IMO even if there's less bass:
http://www.zillaspeak.com/BIB-Supravox.asp
However, I'm not sure if you already tried Scott's dims and wasn't really happy with it compared to your 168EZ BIB.
fred