2-Way Stand Speaker Suggestions...

[dezzz]

For some time now I have been looking to build my own "wanna be cheap high end" stand speaker :0) I have always liked the Vifa drives, since I'm the owner of Dali speakers.

Therefore I have been looking for info on the bass/mid drives XT18WO09-08 and XT18WH09-08, but sofar I haven't really found any useful info. Only figures, that doesn't really states how these drives perform. Hope that some of you can tell me a bit more.

I'm especially looking for an extremely transparant sound, that includes every little detail. This leads me to my next problem, what tweeter to choose? I would very much like to pair the bass/mid speaker with a ribbon tweeter, but these tend to be very expensive, and some don't reach as low as I would like (crossover frequency at aprox. 2000-2200)... Is it possible to find a suitable drive for under 100$?

If not then I expect the Vifa XT25TG30-04 to be an excellent partner, but as with the woofer, info is hard to find. And people who have actually played with it, even HARDER!

Hope you can clarify a few things for me :0)

[michael]

i have not had any experience with any of the drivers mentioned, but have read alot and can give you some advice.
The Vifa XT tweeter is supposed to sound great, but cannot be crossed low, 2500 minimum and the higher the better. It is really a driver designed for use in a 3 way, but 2 ways can result in good performance if a high reaching woofer is found.

As for those XT woofers i can find NOTHING, id stick to one of the well know vifas that everyone goes mad over like the P17WJ-00-08 or the M18WO-09-08
these are highly acclaimed and alot can be found about them online.

[Rudy]

a design with these drivers

dunno on how they sound

the text is in dutch

its supposes to be
sensetivitie 88db/1w/1m
frequentie range 30..30 kHz ( don't know if this is at -3dB )
power stated at 80W

Greetz Rudy

[Bricolo]

Originally posted by michael
or the M18WO-09-08
these are highly acclaimed and alot can be found about them online.

this one would need an XO below 1k

[dezzz]

I went ahead and ordered the Vifa WH! Because I found a few posts that stated a little about the sound of it, it was describes as really detailed and transparent, which is exactly what I'm looking for. As for the tweeter I changed my mind, and ordered the Neo3 PDR instead, because I had been looking for a cheap ribbon tweeter that could reach low in the frequencies, and this driver seemed to that very well, also found a Danish review of the driver, in which it was really liked for its detail...

The thing you mentioned with the WH that has to be crossed at 1000, I hope that is not absolutely nessesary, and it doesn't seem to be from what I can see on its diagram, 2000-2200 seemed like a very good frequency for it to be crossed at? Since I intend on using a 12db Linkwitz-Riley passive crossover...

Now what is really bothering be is that I have come to be very interrested in the Dipole speakers. But I can find no beginners tutorial to the subject, answering the most simple questions about the construction... And most of all calculations :0)

[dezzz]

Sorry Bricolo, I now see that you don't mean the WH model :0)

[Jhovis]

This may be the speaker you were looking for. There are some statistics posted at this site. I'm considering this system:
http://www.selahaudio.com/fxt.html

[dezzz]

Well after a lot of seaching and wondering, I decided on the Vifa XT18WH and a Neo3PDR ribbon tweeter. Both drivers that seemed to suit my needs perfectly, quick and natural response...

When I recieved the drivers I first mounted them in a friends Carlsson speakers, with a Box Volume of 20 Liters, the results were stunning. An impressive clarity than I was not used to, also the deep bass surprised me. On the D-S-T webpage it states however that the Vifa driver was optimized for 8-14 liter reflex cabinets, so as a compromise I decided on a 15 Liter cabinet, in the hope of even more accurate bass. Also the Carlsson speaker I tested the drivers in had a brace with 3 * 7 cm circle-cuts, therefore I decided to use the same priciple. The Neo3PDR will be mounted in a floating way, suspended by to rubberbands(or O-rings) between the tweeter and two thin sticks that are to be placed on each side of the front panel.

Will be back with more pics, when the project approaches a more completed state...

During construction:


Current status:


And from another angle: (With Cheap Cat protection enabled)

[michael]

project looks very interesting so far, please keep us posted on how it goes.
good luck dezzz