need help : fullrange speakers project

[punk]

Hi everybody.
I need some ideas and hints about the floorstanding speakers I'm going to build.
This time I'd want to use a fullrange driver. I'm quite familiar with 2-way speaker building but know very little about fullrange speakers. Except that I like how they sound
Let me tell you first some "musts" of this project :

- has to be a (quite) simple project. I live far away from home and have very few tools here.I also don't want to spend months optimizing 3-ways loudspeakers
- budget LESS than 250 $ including everything!
- mechanical assembly should be simple... not a lowther fidelio -like cabinet
- nad 3225PE amp is what I have here
- small listening room

I dont' want 40 hz at -1dB and not even 20kHz, I just want a dynamic, detailed sound, I like the sound of good paper cones and the warm sound of voices and midrange frequencies.

Now the questions :
1) Which driver for my budget? the well-known and appreciated Fostex FE's? I heard fostex FE83 series in different cabinets and I think they sound well. But what about the Tang Band speakers ...they definitely look good and are much cheaper.?

2) cabinet/configuration ? here I really don't know what to do...a fe83 in TQWT or a fe103sigma in reflex ? My "reference" is a fe83 in TQWT of a friend of mine, but I guess there are other good choices.

Please give me some suggestions.
Thank you in advance.

Lorenzo

[Bull]

Do you mean fullrange as single driver speakers in a cabinet,the ones with dual cone[whizzer cone] or without.
If you don't care about anything below 40hz,like you said,and any thing as high as 20khz.
But you didn't explain what music your playing and at what volume level and how much mid bass you want.

Fullrange single driver speakers are alright for light music such as classical,jazz,pop,folk.But where you want more bass such as for garage,drum and bass,reggae,hard dance,hip hop; fullrange single driver speakers are no use.
Also at high volumes the smaller fullrange speakers can distort on the bass notes;bigger fullrange speakers such as the Eminence Beta 12LT 12 inch dual cone fullrange,produce more bass and handle it much better than small 6 inch fullrange speakers.
The Eminence Beta 12LT is rated 225 w rms, 45hz-10khz and sounds good in a ported or sealed enclosure.The Beta12LT has a good frequency responce for a fullrange driver.
If the size of driver is too big for your room or taste,then something like and 8 inch fullrange dual cone made by VOLT would be suitable,rated 100w rms,70hz-10khz

A sealed enclosure for either the fullrange speakers is good at low-medium volume but at high volumes it can damage the speaker,due to trapped air pressures pushing on the speaker cone.So a simple ported enclosure using either the two fullrange drivers i recommended is the best idea.

The good and bad points of fullrange single driver speakers:

good; compact,sound natural,no crossover needed.

bad; distort on heavy bass[depending on the driver],and have limited high frequency response,not as detailed and clear as having a seperate treble.

[punk]

Originally posted by Bull
Do you mean fullrange as single driver speakers in a cabinet,the ones with dual cone[whizzer cone] or without.
If you don't care about anything below 40hz,like you said,and any thing as high as 20khz.
But you didn't explain what music your playing and at what volume level and how much mid bass you want.

thx for your answer.
I forgot to mention that I absolutely don't need high volume levels. I manly listen to pop melodic-rock music in my *small* room.
I was thinking about small speakers, let's say up to 16-20 cm, I don't care if they have a double cone or not. I think they can deliver the sweet kind of sound I like without distortion.

Do you think there are 8" or 10 " fullrange drivers capable of a similar sound at a reasonable price? If they perform well in the high-midrange frequencies and don't require a 200 litres cabinet I would consider them a good deal.

bye
Lorenzo

[usekgb]

If you're looking for a pair of decent sounding full ranges, you should check out some of the stuffed pipe projects that people have been doing with small Fostex speakers. You won't get high volumes or deep bass, but you will get a fairly even response and a smooth bass roll-off. I think there is a link to some of these projects on Madisound's page at www.madisound.com.
As far as the Eminence speakers go, I wouldn't recommend them for Hi-Fi speakers. They are wonderful for stage monitors where good fidelity isn't an issue, but not for the home system. (Unless you like the sound of a loud PA system in your living room)

Hope This Help,
Zach

[punk]

Originally posted by usekgb
If you're looking for a pair of decent sounding full ranges, you should check out some of the stuffed pipe projects that people have been doing with small Fostex speakers. You won't get high volumes or deep bass, but you will get a fairly even response and a smooth bass roll-off. I think there is a link to some of these projects on Madisound's page at www.madisound.com.
As far as the Eminence speakers go, I wouldn't recommend them for Hi-Fi speakers. They are wonderful for stage monitors where good fidelity isn't an issue, but not for the home system. (Unless you like the sound of a loud PA system in your living room)

Hope This Help,
Zach

Thx, Zach.
I've been reading a lot about fostex drivers and I definitely think that it's worth trying. As my first experiment, a simple voigt pipe or a TL will be fine.
Now I'm looking for the best driver; the candidates are :

FE103E
FE108sigma
perhaps FE164

If anybody could tell me about how they sound this would be really appreciated

Bye!

Lawrence

[MJK]

Lawrence,

Of the three Fostex units you list, I can recommend the FE-164 without any reservations. You can see sevaral examples of this driver in ML TQWT designs at my website. Nothing but positive feedback, which can be checked through my gallery. E-mail links are shown below each FE-164 ML TQWT picture.

Hope that helps,

[stokessd]

you might also want to consider the Jordan JX-92, it's a 5.5" overachiever which sounds quite good to my ears. I built a TL enclosure around them which seems to get my feet tapping.

see:

http://quadesl.com/tidytl.shtml

Sheldon

[punk]

Originally posted by stokessd
you might also want to consider the Jordan JX-92, it's a 5.5" overachiever which sounds quite good to my ears. I built a TL enclosure around them which seems to get my feet tapping.

see:

http://quadesl.com/tidytl.shtml

Sheldon

This is defintely the kind of loudspeaker I'd like to build. They look fantastic.

Is the Jordan JX-92 really better than a fostex FE164/FE103 sigma? I mean, the price difference is not really small!
Which one has the best dynamic range in your opinion ? This and midrange clarity are the critical factors to me.

thx & goodbye

Lawrence

P.S.... can you email me the details of your wooden cabinets ? I love them !

[navin]

what about tang band. the FE164 are good but in a differnt class.

[Steve Eddy]

I'd seriously consider the Fostex FE103Es in the Fostex rear-loaded horn enclosure. The drivers are a great value and the enclosure is made simply using slab construction.

I think they'd make a great nearfield speaker for a small room.

se