One box concept for Pluto+: 'Plu-Tosh'

[Andersonix]

Dear DIY Audio community:

Presented for your appraisal is my solution for a one box enclosure for the Linkwitz Pluto+. The Plu-Tosh main enclosure has only two different parts: A 6 inch outer diameter half-cylinder and a triangle. The tweeter enclosure might be a short pipe covered with a foam sphere (like a microphone cover or similar). It can be rotated around the mounting hoop so it always remains at the correct orientation to the mid-woofer for good flexibility in locating the main enclosure in the room. There is ample room inside the enclosure for the active crossover and amps (but I would still build these in a separate box). A partition is needed between the mid-woofer and 10 inch woofer, and there's (mostly) room for it to run parallel to the front half-cylinder and in behind the woofer. I'll leave the details to your imagination. For scale, the 'floor mat' is 24 inches in diameter.

[Andersonix]

from the side

[Andersonix]

From the front: enclosure shown transparent to view driver clearances. Note angled tweeter.

[cuibono]

Hello Tosh

Interesting ideas! As I own Plutos, I think there are some things you should consider: as shown, the tweeter and woofer will not respond as if they were in regular Plutos - they need the pipe's enclosure volume/stuffing behind them. Otherwise, the active circuitry will have to be totally redone. Similarly, the pipes SL used play an important role in preventing the enclosure from acoustically radiating. I don't know anything about the sub, but would assume it would have to be housed in a physically separate air cavity than the woofer, otherwise they will interfere with each other. I'd assume you own the plans if you were thinking of building them. What I would suggest is to try and build the pipes into the enclosure you've drawn. But I don't know how to add the sub, as the pipes would not allow you to place the sub underneath them (the whole thing would be too tall).

A tip too - the active circuitry in my Plutos picked up EMI noise from the environment because they were not housed in a metal container. I set two different pairs in a number of different locations, but the hum/hiss didn't go away till I put the electronics in a metal chassis. I would suggest trying to house the container in the speaker cabinet (somewhere you can get them easily). Having them hang off the back of my speakers is not a plus..

Good luck,

Patrick

[cuibono]

PS - I would definitely recommend the Plutos - the are nice, refined speakers. They image excellently, and have a very good frequency response. My only reservations about them is that they don't portray the full soundstage depth, and they don't have the realistic open sound of open baffle speakers.

[Andersonix]

I should have made clear that the partition between the mid-woofer and 10 inch woofer runs the full height along the front parallel to the front half-cylinder, creating the volume and length of pipe needed for the mid-woofer (and obviously separate from the 10 inch woofer). The partition could even be made from another half-cylinder to create a complete pipe for the mid, if you insist on a circular cross section.
The tweeter only needs a small damped volume behind it, as its cross-over point is ~1kHz. SL used the pipe for simplicity and as a convenience to locate the tweeter, not for the length or volume it provides.

The Plutos (not Pluto+) I heard had nice depth of soundstage. Maybe yours need adjusting, cuibono.

[sdclc126]

Great looking speaker Tosh - I really like the look of everything blended together - gives a cohesive feel to it, as opposed to everything looking like a bunch of separate components thrown together. Very organic with the smooth curves. I would only try to blend the tweeter into it more, with another pipe as you alluded to, which I think would give it an even more seamless look.

[cuibono]

Originally posted by Tosh
The Plutos (not Pluto+) I heard had nice depth of soundstage.

I tried lots of different things. I've lived with them in at least 5 different rooms, some quite different. Nothing changed. SL has said several times that the Plutos have less depth than the Orions, and compared to my other speakers, the Plutos have truncated depth. Not massively, but I enjoy depth, so I take notice of the loss.

Please keep us up on your work!

[peter_m]

Originally posted by cuibono



...compared to my other speakers, the Plutos have truncated depth....

Compared to what? What are your other speakers?

Peter

[cuibono]

I'm currently using Zaph's Bargain Aluminum MTM's mostly. On the floor are also the Zigmahornet's with Dave Merrill's drivers.