Yes, my plan for the Manzanita-Being-Extra is to rear-mount the eighteen for appearances' sake.
The woodworking may get tricky, I'll laminate the baffle from 1/2"&1/4" BB to keep it close to
the 19" overall width, only 1/4" thick on the sides at 9& 3 o'clock(otherwise 3/4").
1.5" front, 1/2" in front of the gasket.
The woodworking may get tricky, I'll laminate the baffle from 1/2"&1/4" BB to keep it close to
the 19" overall width, only 1/4" thick on the sides at 9& 3 o'clock(otherwise 3/4").
1.5" front, 1/2" in front of the gasket.
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First listening test. I do lack some bass, they seem not to go so low, but the elements are new, so I assume the suspensions are stiff. Anyone with a similar experience, that the bass is increasing after a while of running in?
They DO excel on acoustic music and Jazz. Pop & Rock is harder. Some sound ok, some really awful...
They DO excel on acoustic music and Jazz. Pop & Rock is harder. Some sound ok, some really awful...
It's been many year since my pair were built but I recall the tweeters needing some time to smooth out. If the tweeters are still a bit rough they'll make the speaker sound bright. Let 'em cook for a bit.
And as Pano said, do play with their placement. Bass changes quite a bit depending on placement.
And as Pano said, do play with their placement. Bass changes quite a bit depending on placement.
Nice and clean.
Way too close to front wall, at least double that distance is needed.
So, after a few days twisting my mind, I put the speakers in my garage and set them up for a break-in. Hooked them up and they did not sound very well... Just on a hunch, I switched polarity on the right one at the amp. And behold, the bass suddenly appeared. It sounded quite good in the bass region, and if they sound like that in my living room I will be happy. There are still issues though, the mid and treble is harsh, and I belive that will be better after break-in as people here confirm that on their Vifas. Hope so. I did not have any good media to play with, just my phone connected to the amp. This is not very good, and when I turned on the fm tuner in the amp, it sounded a lot better. I will have to make some adjustments to get the Vifa levels correct and I am thinking of doing it the easy way by adding a L-pad to the Vifas. So right now, they have been on a constant radio program with music and talk for about 12hours. I will give them about 100 hours of breaking in before I take them into my living room for a test listening again.
Good, I'm glad you got that problem sorted. 
Be sure to double check all your wiring.
Yes, break in will make some difference, but it will be nothing compared to tuning the crossover and proper room placement. Those are not difficult things to do, but must be done. The L-pad is a good idea. You can also play with the of the capacitor in series with the Vifa.
Be sure to double check all your wiring.Yes, break in will make some difference, but it will be nothing compared to tuning the crossover and proper room placement. Those are not difficult things to do, but must be done. The L-pad is a good idea. You can also play with the of the capacitor in series with the Vifa.
Greeting all. I have been following this thread for quite some time and would really like to start a build. My room, however, does present some placement restrictions. While width is not an issue, I can likely get the baffle no more than 2.5-3 feet from the back wall. In doing so, I will have an equilateral triangle to the listening position of about 6 feet per side. This works well for my current MJK Fostex MLTL's, but I am concerned about the appropriateness of this layout for the Mazanita's.
I understand that the Mazanita's are a forgiving design, but can anyone comment on the magnitude of impact of being so close to the rear wall and/or suggest any build modifications to minimize it?
I understand that the Mazanita's are a forgiving design, but can anyone comment on the magnitude of impact of being so close to the rear wall and/or suggest any build modifications to minimize it?
Back from 100h break-in of the speakers. I did not have the possibility to play so loud, so the Peerless suspensions may still be stiff. I put them up in my livingroom and they sound quite well now. The Vifas has smoothed out and the bass is quite present. I dare to say they cope quite well against my Wharferdale diamond 225 . A few things need sorting, though. The Vifas are louder in my room, that is a fact and I will get four L-pads to be able to seamless adjust the level with those. Too much hassle to change resistors on and off...
Moreover, I will put the speakers on SD-feets to isolate the speaker from the floor to get a more defined bass.
Lastly, I need more oomph to get the best from them. My Cyrus with 25w is good on low levels, but as it gets louder it shows its limitations. Rock music needs more power. That said, it starts to be time for paint and a front grille soon...
Moreover, I will put the speakers on SD-feets to isolate the speaker from the floor to get a more defined bass.
Lastly, I need more oomph to get the best from them. My Cyrus with 25w is good on low levels, but as it gets louder it shows its limitations. Rock music needs more power. That said, it starts to be time for paint and a front grille soon...
You need one L-Pad per Vifa.
With a crossover this simple, I'd just get a few resistors and tweak values. But it L-Pads are quicker for you, then try them. It sounds like you want to attenuate the Vifa, so higher resistance values would be the first thing to try. You can also experiment with smaller cap values to move up the Vifa cross point, and also try different resistor values on the shelf filter to tilt the Vifa up or down.
With a crossover this simple, I'd just get a few resistors and tweak values. But it L-Pads are quicker for you, then try them. It sounds like you want to attenuate the Vifa, so higher resistance values would be the first thing to try. You can also experiment with smaller cap values to move up the Vifa cross point, and also try different resistor values on the shelf filter to tilt the Vifa up or down.
Fantastic work, folks! I have read through this post at least twice and want to have a go. Money being tight, I have the usual annoying questions as I would like to try and use some of my inventory of compulsive purchases that I have made over the past two years.
I have two pairs of 830667, the 8" little brother of your Peerless 12". I have a pair in a 45L BR enclosure and they sound really good but they are not very efficient. They are listed as having a bit more X-max than the 12 incher. Can I mount two, wired in parallel on the baffle and use a 10Mh inductor instead? I was planning to use the PS95 for the top end but I can buy the TC9 if necessary. My baffle width can be as wide as 18" as I am repurposing an oak dining table leaf that I salvaged. I am happy to spend on crossover parts, it's just the drivers that I would prefer to keep. I also have a pair of the GRS-10 inch with the foam surround that are available, if necessary. Thank you in advance. This will go slowly but I will post photos once I get started.
I have two pairs of 830667, the 8" little brother of your Peerless 12". I have a pair in a 45L BR enclosure and they sound really good but they are not very efficient. They are listed as having a bit more X-max than the 12 incher. Can I mount two, wired in parallel on the baffle and use a 10Mh inductor instead? I was planning to use the PS95 for the top end but I can buy the TC9 if necessary. My baffle width can be as wide as 18" as I am repurposing an oak dining table leaf that I salvaged. I am happy to spend on crossover parts, it's just the drivers that I would prefer to keep. I also have a pair of the GRS-10 inch with the foam surround that are available, if necessary. Thank you in advance. This will go slowly but I will post photos once I get started.