Driver quality

[ksporry]

Guys,
This is a question on quality of drivers.
From having seen some fancy designs (DIY Loudspeaker Projects), and looking at zaph audio (Zaph|Audio) I can conclude that Scanspeak and SEAS make very high quality drivers. I understand Beyma is also pretty decent.

To make any from the first link I provided, i woudl have to lash out about 300GBP worth of drivers, and another 200GBP for crossovers (ok, admitted, you will havea top of the line speaker that has been tried and tested).

However, that kind of money is a little above my budget. I was thinking more like half that price.
So. I found drivers from Fane and Eminence, that fit the bill (quite literally), but I don't know how they hold up quality wise. The specs look good on paper, but that doesn't mean they sound well...
Of course I realise if i want to adapt an existing proven design I need to modify such a design to fit the right volume, and a different crossover would be needed.

As a side note, I will be driving them from a 20W tube amp, so I do need a relatively high sensitivity.

I already contacted the guy on the first link, and he said his Poor Man's Strad could be driven from my amp, but seems a "just about" ind of thing, and considering those components are pretty high end...

Any commenst?

[mikje]

To have a high quality speaker it isn't always necessary to spend a lot of money. This project is quite popular.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...light=Indignia
I built a pair and am quite pleased. I've also built speakers from http://www.planet10.com/ which sound great.
I'm not sure how the shipping would work as far as shipping to the UK, but definitely worth looking into.

Mike

[Glowbug]

Have you looked into Vifa paper-cone drivers?

[ksporry]

Originally Posted by Glowbug

Have you looked into Vifa paper-cone drivers?

The Vifa's are in the same category as the seas and scanspeaks, going for 80GBP plus per driver, making them well above my budget.

[planet10]

Originally Posted by mikje

I've also built speakers from http://www.planet10.com/ which sound great.
I'm not sure how the shipping would work as far as shipping to the UK, but definitely worth looking into.

300GBP (drivers) + 200GBP (crossovers) divide by 2 = 250GBP = ~$400 USD for a pair of drivers if you only have to buy one per box

dave

[ksporry]

Originally Posted by planet10

300GBP (drivers) + 200GBP (crossovers) divide by 2 = 250GBP = ~$400 USD for a pair of drivers if you only have to buy one per box

dave

Ehh...?
300+200 =500GBP = ca 800US$ for one pair of speakers. Where does the divide by 2 come from?

[mikje]

Originally Posted by planet10

300GBP (drivers) + 200GBP (crossovers) divide by 2 = 250GBP = ~$400 USD for a pair of drivers if you only have to buy one per box

dave

I'm referring to the Fostex FE127s in a Fonken enclosure. No crossovers, so you can subtract 200GBP. I'm not sure what the cost of a pair of 127s are in the UK, but that and the cabinet materials would be your only cost.
Plus this configuration is great for a tube amp.
Mike

[ksporry]

The FE127E cannot be found in the UK (well, I was unable to find it), but I can get some from germany trough ebay, and indeed they are quite affordable. The cabinet designs on fostex' website also give quite a good response.

[Brett]

Originally Posted by ksporry

The FE127E cannot be found in the UK (well, I was unable to find it), but I can get some from germany trough ebay, and indeed they are quite affordable. The cabinet designs on fostex' website also give quite a good response.

Make sure you hear some of these single driver systems before you shell out cash on drivers. I have never heard one I would describe as better than an 80's car speaker, but you may love them. Once the cash of a limited budget is spent blind, then you are richer for the experience, but still no closer to your destination.

[ksporry]

This is true. But then again, with DIY speakers it's pretty much like chocolates: you never know what's in them until you eat them... And then of course, it's too late...

I don't know how any of these designs, multi-way, single full range, or otherwise, may sound like. All I can do is listen to commercially available sets, but that's not gaining me anything, as it would be like tasting pears before you decide to buy oranges...

So in the end, all I can do is ask what people think of certain suggestions/combinations etc, and base my decision on that.
Hence my many questions on this forum...