Fast, fun, Inexpensive OB project

[Pano]

This is all well and good, very worthy of discussion. But it does not belong here, this is a building thread, not a theory thread.

A thread about OB crossovers, EQ and amp interaction is a great idea, but this isn't that thread. Cheers!

[John Bsuch]

Shortwave, good to see you have completed the project. Looking forward to your assesment after break in.

That takes a few hours and both the Vifa and the Peerless sweeten up considerably with time.

Pano's power requirement comments are right on. You will find the Manzanita power hungry for sure. It is very revealing when it comes to amplifiers. Both power wise and sonically.

Can you tell us a bit about your listening room and what your musical preferences are?

I have been doing a lot of measurements on the Manzinita the last few days. Comparing it to several different designs. At 36 - 40" from the rear wall in a medium to large size room it measures very flat. Measuring at 8-12 feet on axis. They sound best to me with the Vifa mid-tweeter about 38- 42" off the floor with a slight tow in torward the listening position.

Do you have any measement software? If so, would like to know how your pair measure in your listening environment.

Thanks again for taking the leap and sharing your construction process - efforts.

[shortwave]

John,



First off I have to say that I’m very pleased with your design. I have a total of about six hours of listening time on them and think their great.



A note on my gear I’m using. It’s not high end. I’m trying to get there. My CD player is a 12 year old JVC. I’m using a 386 based chip amp I made. I initially listened to the OB’s in my unused main finished room in my basement (12 x30) with a cement floor. Nothing serious, it was just to see if everything was OK and I just moved my chair around and angled the OB’s just to see while having a beverage or two. Big sound to say the least! An increase in clarity and resolution I was very happy to hear.


Tonight I had them in a 12 x 10 carpeted room. I had them on 14” stands (all I got until I can make some taller ones) and sat down on the floor to align with the middle of the baffle. I wanted to see what some of my FLAC files sounded like (digital source through a DAC). I listen to most anything. I guess I prefer rock. Tonight it was a one of my favorite boots, a UFO live show from 93’, followed by another boot from Van Halen 75’ and 77’. Then some acoustic Beatles from 69’ and 70’ follow by their famous or infamous rooftop concert. What I noticed is that both speakers seem sharing the load so to speak. Again more clarity and resolution then I have heard before. I wish I had more solid information for you but I don’t have any type of measuring gear. I did measure the resistance through each side at 6.5 and 6.6 ohms. Does that sound right?


For the cost, time and effort to build these, and as a newbie to speaker making, I would not hesitate to recommend building a pair.

[John Bsuch]

Shortwave...

Glad you are pleased with your new babies! Your comments are typical from those who have listened to them. One thing nice about a small OB is it sounds similar in many different environments. Sounds the best outside actually!

Thanks for providing your listen room info and first impressions. And of course your positive concluding remark. And 6-8 ohms is what you should see.

Trust the Manzanita's will provide you years of enjoyment and if anything does happen to go bad, you know how to fix-em!! That means nothing will go bad!

[kec]

Are the published driver cutouts correct?

Vifa TC9FD18-08 - 78mm/3.07"
Peerless - 275mm/10.82"

I've got the parts on order and the baltic birch on hand ready to cut.

[woof]

I understand the urge to get started, but experience (read bad) tells me to wait for the drivers and measure yourself. Manufacturer variances are the norm with the exception of the very high end drivers. Even then I have seen differences that made a pre-cut baffle useless. YMMV.

[shortwave]

Originally Posted by kec

Are the published driver cutouts correct?

Vifa TC9FD18-08 - 78mm/3.07"
Peerless - 275mm/10.82"

I've got the parts on order and the baltic birch on hand ready to cut.

I cut the Vifa at 3 1/16 inch. It fit perfect.

I cut the Peerless at 11 inch. The hole might be 1/16 too big for a snug fit but the gasket on the speaker fits perfect onto the plywood surface. When you get the Peerless you'll see the gasket and where the speakers mounts. Anyway, I cut hole in thin scrape to verify fit before I touched the finish plywood. Good luck.

[kec]

Originally Posted by woof

I understand the urge to get started, but experience (read bad) tells me to wait for the drivers and measure yourself. Manufacturer variances are the norm with the exception of the very high end drivers. Even then I have seen differences that made a pre-cut baffle useless. YMMV.

Yes, I would agree especially flush mounting the drivers. But, since these are front mount and several have made these, I thought they could give the dimensions they used.

Thanks shortwave!

[kec]

Got the Manzanitas running. In a word, WOW!

These are in a small room - 12' x 15', so far 30" out from the rear wall. Bass is very nice, moderate level with a stock Lepai (don't laugh). I'm going to try it with one of my Sure's.

JB, thanks for this design. I know you spent a lot of time on this and the results show. I always wanted to try an OB but they were always too big. This one is just right.

[Pano]

Great! Thanks for the report. Throw some more power at them, they can take it. You'll probably like the result. Although I found it possible to drive them with a Lepai, 30WPC or better made them happier.