Volt 8" and Fane FR

[inrank]

got yet another idea , but has anyone used either the Volt LS201 or the Fane STU5FR?

thiniking of using two LS201's in seperate 15L ish enclosures and the Fane STU5FR running full range in OB with a helper tweeter on the very top....

in a sort of MTFM (mid-tweeter-full range-mid) with the fullrange in the middle

for an all british speaker

http://www.spectrumaudio.de/breit/faneSTU5FR.html
Ls201 from wilmslow audio...

a pic...



thanks for the replys in advance, wont be able to reply myself until same time tommorow...

[philpoole]

My Dad has an old passive sub based on a Volt 8". Its possibly the best sub I've heard in a Hifi. He's running it with Chartwells (basically BBC monitors before Rogers made them).

Based on my experiences with that sub, I have a 10" Volt driver lying around that I want to build an enclosure for one day. Unfortunately, I have a few ongoing projects before I get to build it. Hohum.

Quite a few REL subs use Volt drivers as well. If you go to their web site and go to their product images, you can play 'spot the volt'.

Alas, as part of a full spectrum speaker, I can't comment. But they are lovely (in my opinion).

[Scottmoose]

This is all getting very difficult to follow. May I gently suggest that rather than starting a large number of threads you condense them into one? You've been firing loads of ideas out, but you can't keep on like this. I say this because I want to help, not to sound unpleasent or criticise.

So firstly, please: no more threads. Stick with one of them and pool all your ideas there. If you want the different things condensing into one, I'm sure Dave or one of the other moderators will be happy to help.

Right, next thing. We've all been where you are now in the past, I'm sure, and you've fallen into the trap that most of us do at some point. You're throwing out a (very) large number of random ideas and hoping something will stick. This is exactly the wrong way to go about it. I speak from experience, and an honest desire to help.

Before we go any further at all, you need to accept something: specifically that no one speaker system will do it all, and give you everything. You have to prioritise. This will help you narrow your final solution down dramatically, rather than glancing through a driver catalogue and hoping for the best.

So the way to do this is to sit back, grab a glass of your favourite vintage, relax, and think, and think carefully. Keep a notebook with you if it helps, to jot down ideas. This is not supposed to be stressful thinking, but the relaxed, comfortable sort.

The questions you need to ask are these.
-What sort of music do I listen to?

-What sort of room will the speaker be going into (size, furnishings, position etc).

-How large a system can I cope with?

-What sonic attributes do I most prize (midband purity, treble or bass extension etc) and which would I be willing to sacrifice in order to get those I like most? Try to remember when doing that not to get a set of contradictory requirements, like 'I want a small speaker with enough bass to blow the windows out' -we all know that isn't going to happen!

-How loudly do I listen?

-Are aesthetics important?

-Is there a type of speaker (TL, OB, Reflex, sealed etc) that I really, really wish to build?

-What is the rest of my system like? This is important: if you have, say, a Naim amplifier, you are unlikely to find a Lowther an ideal combination for e.g.

Once you've accepted the above and come up with some clear, concise answers to the questions, you will find yourself in a much better position to move forward. If you can clearly state an answer to each -doesn't have to be particularly lengthy in your next post, we can probably help some more. Until then -no more system ideas! Banish the lot from your mind, and begin from scratch, in the way that is outlined above.

Best
Scott

[inrank]

hi, sorry lol.

let me do a summary...

music- i listen to a mix, mainly indie, classic rock, folk rock, easy listening. ( Mark Knopfler (Straits and Solo) Queen, Coldplay, The Feeling, Offspring, Notting Hillbilies, Billy Joel, Dido, Beatles, Dr Hook, Simon and Garfunkel and rangom stuff like ELO, Scissor Sisters etc)

room- my room is about 10.5 ft square but with high ceilings and a bay window, i can pull the speakers out by say 1-2 feet when listening.

size- i am not to bothered by size when in my room, but when i have to take them home and bring them back they will have to fit in a smallish hatchback, so if it can be dismantled that would be good.

sonic attributes - well, what i think i am missing in most of my experiences is a mid range that reaches out, especially with vocals (very important), in terms of bass, i am not a bass head, i wouldrather have a really tight and punchy bass than have extended buy slightly boomy.

volume- well i mostly listen to music at low to reasonable levels (30-35 out of 80 on my primare amp with 90dB speakers) but i would like it so that if i did go louder i would not get the feeling that is is stressed.

aesthetics- yes, but i could tollerate a wide baffle etc. in terms of design, i quite like retro style speakers and things like the AVI trio and Brio (not just as they use volt units) and older tannoys, larger jbl's and ATC's (none of which have dipole midrange lol). would like to have somthing quite 'different' to most standard speakers though
dont mind an architectual look, bolts, joints etc, see how its put together etc.

type of speaker- well i want the OB fror at least the mid and top, but i dont want any active bass, so i think ported for the bass is the best idea in a relativly small box (as for the volts etc).

rest iof system- i have a primare a20 amp and a rega planet mk1 cdp (might get a primare cdp soon though)

in summary, i think i want somthing that will be like a old Rolls Royce, with 'enough' power, grace, and overall satisfying but good solid no noncence engineering! ( if that makes sence)

p.s i already have a whole sketch book of ideas and i am very patriotic (hence the idea lol)

hope this helps, an obsessive designer needs help

[inrank]

forgot to add i like imaging, presence and i want it to sound 'big' aswell!

budget around £400 for drivers.

[Scottmoose]

Well that helps. Some of those requirements we're going to struggle with -you can't do it all for that sort of money, if at all. (money helps -I know the feeling as I never have any at all).

FWIW, as you clearly want OB, I suggest that you start off simple -you can always expand later. Remember: KISS. Don't make life more complicated than it has to be. And as I've mentioned before, I really think the best compromise in your position would be a Dark Star variation. Visaton B200, depending on the size baffle you go with (see one of your other threads, or the monster Dark Star thread on Audio Circle for more), you'll get plenty of bass -not the lowest, but easily sufficent to do justice to most rock (and I'm a rocker -my geat love is progressive rock, which doesn't exactly lack LF, so I'm exacting when it comes to this side of things). It's midrange is excellent, airy, spacious and the highs pretty good -better still when you mod them with Dave's phase plugs.

Forget extra drivers etc. until you hear them on a nice baffle with hinged side-pieces. I can assure you, you won't be disappointed. They make music. Possibly not as exacting in 'hifi' terms, but if you wanted that, you'd have bought yourself a pair of BBC LS35as or some other studio monitor. Detail and tone in spadefuls.

That would be my first step. After that, you could think about adding a bass driver, but I'd leave that aside and try them initially without -lots of owners find they simply don't need it. MDF is cheap to experiment with.

I honestly believe this will be your best option; better still, it's simple (which is always a bonus) and they look great when finished nicely, plus, they're flexible enough to allow you to add things should you wish to at a later date.

[inrank]

ok, you seem to be the expert so i will take all of your advice onboard.

i have seen on the dark star thread, that people are using equalisers with their b200's, how much can you boost the lower octaves while still playing it loudly and not over stress it?

and also, i have heard that phase plugs improve the b200 aswell, is this true? like on the planet 10 site...

[Scottmoose]

Yes, the phase plugs will make an already great driver even better, taking some of the B200s rising response away. As for Eq, providing you're not trying to go too low for a given baffle size, the driver has loads of excursion so you can use a fair amount -start at say 3db.

[JandG]

I would solve your problem by just getting the B200's, about 260.00 plus shipping I think. Get a baffle size from someone for starteers & make them as goofy & all out strange as you wish.. the rules really are ment to be broken...I dought in a room of that size you need anything but the B200's. You can add from there if you wish , bass aug... & more air with ribbons or what ever,, but I would give the single point source a go for months & months,,,I bet the magic is as simple as cutting the ply-mdf or..? mount & fire it up..Done & you will probablly sh...t yourself....I listen to the same as Scott with a wimpy fe103a, with active bass & ribbon help of course, but it does the midrange magic like no tommorrow, More music does get thru when all the BS is out of the picture...I am seriousely addicted to widerange drivers used with active bottom end & 1st order single cap help on top.. this is where I will stay for a while..your list says single B200 in OB all over it,,,less than $300.00 & your done for now....Keep it simple brother...

[inrank]

ok, i know i shouldnt be, but i have had another idea done a lot of thinking and i dont think i want such a big baffle in my room, and so have been looking at basszilla style systems, especially this one, http://boozhoundlabs.com/fx120-alpha10/.

the only thing is that i have read that it is hard to have the crossover point at around 300Hz, but he has seemed to do it with a single inductor...

in this setup could the fx120 or fe126e or fe108sigma play loud while still running full-range? or can i cross them at 300Hz? and which out of those is best?

sorry. lol!