MTM Design needed on a budget

[kRaZeDcHiCkEn]

Ok people, just got into diy recently, and i want to build a pair of MTM speakers with a Austalian $ budget of ~$500 including wood and crossovers. Also i dont really want to import anything as that cost big $ here.

So my question is this: What sort of components should i use for a pair of MTM speaker on a $500 budget?

All comments and suggestions welcome.

[GM]

Doesn't look like any of the Aussie's here are going to chime in, so I'll take a stab at it. You don't mention what your performance goals are, but I gather that Fostex is readily available/cheap Down Under, so why not use a couple of their ~fullrange drivers and a supertweeter to keep the XO/overall design simple?

GM

[roddyama]

P-Audio has a large line of reasonably priced speakers and are available down under.
http://www.paudio-europe.com/products/db_1_10.htm

[Dave Jones]

Originally posted by kRaZeDcHiCkEn
Ok people, just got into diy recently, and i want to build a pair of MTM speakers with a Austalian $ budget of ~$500 including wood and crossovers. Also i dont really want to import anything as that cost big $ here.

So my question is this: What sort of components should i use for a pair of MTM speaker on a $500 budget?

All comments and suggestions welcome.

Check out the ME2. http://www.aloha-audio.com/Ariel.html

[wintermute]

If you can get away with about $200 for tweeters, cabinets, and xovers (probably a tall order) then these may be worth a look:

http://www.advanceae.com.au/car/prod393.htm

LDSG says this about them.... P13WH-00-08, a 5" (13 cm.) PP cone mid/bass. This driver is used in the popular Ariel and many other highly regarded DIY projects. Its ruler-flat passband response and well-controlled roll off have led many DIY'ers to declare this to be the finest midrange driver in existence

You can probably find them elsewhere here in oz too. Note I haven't used or heard them, but I have been very happy with my vifa M26WR-09-08 10" woofers

Regards,

Tony.

[kRaZeDcHiCkEn]

Thanx for all your comments and suggestion folks. much appreciated

[busterno1]

You can try wescomponents.com they sell vifa perless & scan-spek

http://www.wagner.net.au/Home.htm . online catalogue

[DrewP]

Apologies, didn't see this till today.

Recently (within the last 2 years) I helped a friend to build an MTM using Vifa p17WJ008 and D25AG but from memory, drivers alone for this would blow your budget. From memory, we ended up at around 800 australian once all was said and done.

What are your goals?

Do you want deep bass, high efficiency, magnetic shielding for use near a telly, compact cabinets, high power hadling/levels?

Why specifically are you set on using MTM?


As far as GM's comments upon the use of Fostex and their low cost and easy availability, I beg to differ.

My experience was through Syntec in Sydney who are the official Fostex " distributor" (I use the word advisedly)

For the benefit of DIY Audio, I preface my comments to come with the following:
"What follows is my own personal opinion, based upon my own personal experience and does not neccesarily reflect the standard outcomes, operating procedures or results of dealing with the company named. DIY Audio bears no responsibility for my comments and are free to delete or edit them as required, should the consider my content libelous or placing them in a difficult or predjudiced legal positon."

There, I think that should cover things...

My dealings with Syntec were far from ideal. Yes I got the drivers (Fostex FE168 Sigmas).
BUT
Syntec's distributorship of Fostex in Australia seems to require one thing, posession of a computer or telephone to place orders to Fostex in Japan. AFAIK, they keep no stock of drivers, but simply order them once an order has been placed and the customers money has been obtained (cheque cleared, vias debited etc). Shipping is by sea mail (cheapest for Syntec but maximum delay for customer). Upon the arrival of the goods to Syntec, they forward them to the cutomer, having pocketed a substantial ditributors markup, simply for having made a phone call. I could have purcahsed the same drive units from EIFL in Japan, paid full import duties and still come out a couple of hunderd dollars in front. (and got the items around 3 weeks faster) I personally wouldn't deal with them again.

Aside from fostex, My own experience with the vifa units has been fine. Some folks don't like them, I'm ok with them.

If you can bear to tear yourself away from the MTM option, HiFi Worlds's KLS9 speaker using Audax HM210ZO and TWO25MO with first oder crossovers (series 4uF and 3.3R on tweeter) and (series 1.2mH 0.66ohms DCR inductor on woofer) in 72l reflex cabinet might suit your needs.

I can't find details of the port tuning off hand, i know that ME sound used to stock Audax units but I'm not sure how much they are these dayPossibly worht a look.

in this design, the tweeter polarity is reversed.

Hope I've helped.

If you have any more questions, email me at andrew(dot)w(dot)pearce(at)awm(dot)gov(dot)au.

I can put you in touch with a chap called Gradds in Newcastle who has done lots of low cost LS work.

Happy listening

Drew

[Pjotr]

Hi,

Have looked around http://www.advanceae.com.au/ They sell also Peerless. For the tweeter I can recommend the WA10 WITHOUT ferrofluid. They list the WA10-shielded wich one is comparable and is w.o. ferrofluid. To my experience this one is great value for the money. For the mid/bas I can recommend the Audax AM130Z2 but have no idea who sells them in Australia. Alternatively you can go for the AP130Z0. Crossed over at 3 KHz this is also an exellent one for the price but has lower sensitivity.

This combo will cost you around $250 for a pair of MTM speaker boxes w.o. filter and wood.

Cheers

[paulspencer]

Hi Krazed,

nice to see another Melbourne person

I have just finished a set of speakers and I can make a few recommendations/suggestions:

On a budget of $500 you might do something like:

$170 2 x Vifa P17 6.5" midbass driver
$ 70 2 x Vifa D19 textile tweeter or similar
$ 40 MDF
$ 60 crossover
$130 screws, glue, damping, finishing

This is a bit of a guess with the costs, but you could do a simple medium sized bookshelf speaker or for not much more you could do a floor standing version. Can you stretch the budget a little more? If so you can make it floorstanding, add another pair of midbass drivers and get a bit more bass, more efficiency and SPL.

I also suggest you go have a look at the Loudspeaker kit:

http://www.theloudspeakerkit.com/

You might find it hard to do something better than some of their lower priced kits.

Even if you don't buy a kit you will get to hear some drivers you may want to use. (They are in Melbourne)

A good source of Vifa drivers are:
http://www.advanceae.com.au

I have links to some suppliers in Australia on my website:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pete...resources.html

Jaycar are a good source of items like speaker hardware, grilles, terminals, cables etc.

If interested you might also like to check out my speaker I recently built:

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~pete.../audio/TL.html

Hope this helps,

Paul