Monitor-size ls with punch?

[Keltern]

Hi!

I've been drooling over images of Usher-drivers the last few days, but since the shipment costs from partsexpress.com are so expensive, it seems it won't be very realistic to base a relatively budget, first time build.

Perhaps some of you can help me choose a project, since I don't have the knowledge to calculate a speaker from scratch, and I'd prefer the components to be relatively cheap.

One speaker that has caught my eye, is the Extremon-speaker from humblehomemadehifi.com, which in my eyes, holds all the right elements, when it comes to how such a speaker should perform and look like.

But it seems that the Adire Extremis 6.8 is also quite hard to get hold of in this country, so I've kind of put that one to rest as well...

Do you have any ideas to what i should do/build this summer? :P

[Shim]

Try these guys, Eltek AS, they're right down the street from you or at least closer than Ohio.
http://www.mamut.com/controls/shop/s...walias=dynabel
Scroll down the frame on the left side, they carry Peerless/Vifa, Scan Speak, Seas and more. They even have a few kits although I can't say what since I can't read a word of Norwegian

[Keltern]

Yes, eltek/dynabel has a few drivers that are interesting! But they seem so got d*** expensive when I look at prices over the border for instance..

That's what made me look at drivers on partsexpress, but since there's no powerbuy schedualed, it's going to be very expensive as well!

But I guess handling/shipping fees are lower from england for example than from ohio.. Just not sure how much! Most of the time the shipping costs just as much as the drivers them selves! Hehe!

On eltek the prices are as good as double what they are in other countries, and the selection isn't one to shout hurrah for either..

[CeramicMan]

Have you looked at http://www.hifisound.de/ ?

The prices in euros might not be as appealing but it might work out cheaper overall if VAT is deductible and the shipping is cheaper.

[Keltern]

Hehe! A lot of high pricing going on there! ^^

Not too much interesting either, as I see it.. Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't find anything but expensive kits?

I've thought more and more of the Extremon, but it looks like it can become an expensive affair as well..

Can't understand why Norway has to cope with these starved out selections of drivers?

[Keltern]

Hmmm..

2 Extremis 6.8 - £58.00 (each) - £116.00
Subtotal - £116.00
Carriage - £25.00
VAT - £0.00
Total - £141.00

Can £25 and no VAT really be correct?

I read somewhere that such audio products are toll-free here in norway, can that be correct as well?

£140 isn't too bad actually, if I can rely on the info given when ordering on their site! ^^ madaboutsound.com that is.

[Willitwork]

Originally posted by Keltern
Monitor-size with punch?

The monitor size speakers with the most punch I have ever built using relatively affordable drivers were these:

http://audioclone.free.fr/asababy.html

The site is in French but the schematics are pretty self-explanatory. Even with my very basic grasping of French I had no trouble at all building them with the help of this 3-D rendering:

http://audioclone.free.fr/babyvue.html

They clone the ASA Monitor Baby, a French commercial speaker I have never seen since it's only sold in Europe. They use affordable Vifa drivers and the crossover is built with Solen caps and air-core coils, and Lynk resistors (you can also use Mills). The resulting crossover is rather large, only "flaw" I found with it. Also even though it says that the Vifa HT-270 tweeter should be used the driver pictured in the schematics is the D-27 and judging from the performance the D-27 is indeed the tweeter that crossover was designed for.

These speakers deliver a tight, punchy bass that is truly unusual for a speaker of that size, the imaging very accurate and each instrument is clearly heard. Neutral midrange performance is best suited for rock, pop, jazz and electronica. They sound a bit dry with chamber orchestra music though.

There is also a larger version of the same speaker called the Big Baby that uses a serial filter instead:

http://audioclone.free.fr/BIG%20BABY.gif

Big Baby serial crossover:

http://audioclone.free.fr/new%20baby.gif

Unfortunately these drivers are not available in North America anymore but there may still be some left in Europe.