My OB speaker on its test phase

[juliopr]

Hello Everyone. I want to humbly show my new speaker system. It is a variation adapted from many designs, ideas and opinions from most af the members of this forum, specially from gainphile, to who I want to thank specially for his tips and advice. As You can see it may not look any different of special from other projects, But as it is, to me is an ear and mind opener becuse it let me rediscover details that were in my cd's and also showed me how good or bad a recording can be. I have not used any kind of measuring tool, since I do not have any. Just tuning by ear and EQing with the help of a circuit already integrated in my receiver(used as pre-pro) like the audyssey, that emits tones and calibrates the sound based on the mic placed at the listeners position. At this time I am enjoying their sound which is bigger and more dynamic than I expected, so I can crank it up to almost live listening levels without any trace of distortion. I know that it can be refined, but I do not want to get into that neurosis for now( no offense to anyone ), just to enjoy and plan the final baffle shape and some minor XO settings on the Behringer. Recommendations for XO settings and types(butterworth, L-R, Bessel) are welcome as well as comments and questions about the details on drivers.

[gvimhoof]

Woof!

Are the pencil marks the final layout? I really look forward to seeing the final version and your impressions of it once you live with it for a time. I was impressed with my OB speakers when I finished them, but after 6 months of living with them I actually like them more and more everyday. After finishing my first pair of speakers I have really paid closer attention to what other people listen to in their homes and REALLY pay attention to what's on the shelves in stores when I have time to shop. It may be a symptom of a DIY personality, but I call it justification cause I have yet to regret building my own! Enjoy the ride!

[adason]

Nice! I hope you took the back plate off of the tweeter.

[juliopr]

Hello and thanks for your response!!! First with the last. The B&G's came without the back cup, only the NEO3's are the ones that you have to deal wth the infamous cup. I also included more pictures so You can have an idea of the project. Not the prettiest but functional for my test purposes. And for the first post, I can tell You that I have been a fan of audio equipment since 6th or 7th grade, when I got my firsr Technics receiver and made a pair of 3-way small speakers using Radio Shack drivers and components. The "ignorance is bliss" saying is true, because a little later I heard Rega, NAD, B&W and my neurosis started... Had Magnepans, PSB, Cambers, Klipsh, Definitive Technology, and always wanted something more. The maggies left a scar in my heart that had me wanting that kind of sound again, but lacked the capacity of playing loud and clear. So after a gap of about 10 years and after seeing the Jamo R909 by accident, the flame started, and the search led me to this forum. Now I am sure that I will not regret doing this. Now all box speakers sound like people singing in a box. OB's are not the best, It's sonic signature give you a different perspective of the recording compared to conventionl speakers. Now, my final baffle must be at least 1.5"-2" thick, multi-layered, and handsomely finished to blend into the room and disappear in the dark. Also, the pencil marks are because an experimented menber of this forum discovered that the baffle should be no more than 2.2 times the diameter of the driver due to diffraction problems. so the mid and tweeter baffles must be reduced to their sides. Thanks for Your concern and sharing. I will update as soon as mods are made.

[Saurav]

Also, the pencil marks are because an experimented menber of this forum discovered that the baffle should be no more than 2.2 times the diameter of the driver due to diffraction problems. so the mid and tweeter baffles must be reduced to their sides.

That also increases the requirements for electronic EQ in the crossover, which makes it more difficult to tune by ear. If you have a laptop / computer that runs Windows, then there's excellent free software that can take measurements, and a calibrated mic + appropriate preamp will set you back around $100 - 150. There are multiple tutorials online to help with the learning curve.

Something to consider It's also difficult to recommend crossover settings without having any measurements to look at.

How do you like the Neo8 as a tweeter? Is it roughly at ear height? Do you hear the sound change much between a seated and standing position?

[ttan98]

Originally Posted by Saurav

That also increases the requirements for electronic EQ in the crossover, which makes it more difficult to tune by ear. If you have a laptop / computer that runs Windows, then there's excellent free software that can take measurements, and a calibrated mic + appropriate preamp will set you back around $100 - 150. There are multiple tutorials online to help with the learning curve.

Something to consider It's also difficult to recommend crossover settings without having any measurements to look at.

How do you like the Neo8 as a tweeter? Is it roughly at ear height? Do you hear the sound change much between a seated and standing position?

BTW what software are you using?

[Saurav]

Usually a combination of HOLM Impulse and ARTA, and sometimes Room EQ Wizard, depending on what I'm trying to do.

[Andy G]

From my recent experience with OB-1, I suspect you will have issues getting bass out of that design.
The baffle also looks fairly thin, and I suspect may vibrate quite a bit.

edit: I just saw your comment that the final baffle will be much thicker..

I would suggest you try some side pieces about 1ft deep up to the top of the bass drivers. This will help towards both issues.
You could probably just clamp them on using a wide clamp, just as a trial.

[gainphile]

Nice Juliopr ! It's true that once you listen to OB it's really...really hard to listen to box speakers. They do many things right. When you build the thick baffle, make sure you chamber the inside cutout as wide as possible otherwise the cavity resonance will colour the sound. I consistently have great result with simple 45deg angle.



Seeing those I wish I hadn't sold my 4 eminence alphas.

Happy refining your speakers and keep us posted !

[roger_lew]

Nice!

Do you have any plans on using a supertweeter? or are you satisfied with the just the NEO 8?

Roger