DIY with marble, Celestion and KEF parts

[Karl vd Berg]

Found these speakers over the Internet. It seems a DIY 3-way project using "marble cabinet" and some Celestion speakers (8" woofers) and KEF parts (like the bass radiator at back).

What do you think?

 

[sreten]

Hi,

FWIW IMO the cabinets are simply far too small for the drivers,
which I can all place except the bass/mid units which are not
any Celestion unit I am aware of, or Kef either.

Celestion tweeter and super tweeter, KEF ABR.

I'd steer well clear. The x/o could be very wrong as well.

rgds, sreten.

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Ok!

And as an idea to inpire? A bass radiator at back of such a system (a compact 3-way) seems a way for those who doesn't like the reflex system, but also something between it and acoustic suspension?

 

[sreten]

Hi,

Its essentially the same as a reflex system. I'm trying
to remember but cannot recall a similar sized speaker
with a B139 ABR on the back but a much smaller
driver with a tweeter on the front, I think that its
in stereophile.com archives, but I'm not going look.

rgds, sreten.

 

[mondogenerator]

Sreten is such a pessimist.

Buy for parts if they're cheap and that option interests you.

But don't expect them to sound great as they are, as Sreten said, woefully small boxes

 

[Karl vd Berg]

But don't expect them to sound great as they are, as Sreten said, woefully small boxes

Ok, and what about using a biiger box and/or large woofer of, let's say, 12 inches (with bigger boxes)?

There must be someway to use such "system" properly?

 

[sreten]

Sreten is such a pessimist.

Hi,

I agree. Its better third party advice than an optimist.
But my opinions are heavily dosed with realism too.

rgds, sreten.

 

[sreten]

There must be someway to use such "system" properly?

Hi,

Yes there is, in a proper sized box. That is of course if the x/o
is correct, with DIY stuff you have no idea of whether the x/o
is decent or completely inept garbage, it is often the latter.
Worst is in fact serviceable, not very wrong, but not right either.

rgds, sreten.

FWIW if they are cheap the drivers used certainly are not.

 

[Karl vd Berg]

Hummm...

I have a couple of these B139 ABR radiators around and thought they could be re-used in a 3-way project but using lager woofers.

I don't the expertise to build such good x-overs, but that's the idea.

Also taking advantage, what you think about this:

http://www.swanspeaker.com/asp/product/htm/view.asp?id=315

 

[critofur]

Hummm...I have a couple of these B139 ABR radiators around and thought they could be re-used in a 3-way project but using lager woofers.

What exactly do you mean by "larger woofers" - larger than 8"? Are you talking about PRs the same size as those in the photos?

Also taking advantage, what you think about this:

Overview S1 2-Way Ribbon Coaxial Mid-Tweeter_HiVi, Inc.

While those are certainly an interesting concept, I don't think the execution lived up to potential.

 

[Karl vd Berg]

What exactly do you mean by "larger woofers" - larger than 8"? Are you talking about PRs the same size as those in the photos?

12 inches woofers with proper boxes

 

[sreten]

Hi,

The Kef ABR is the ideal size for an 8" driver.

rgds, sreten.

 

[tvrgeek]

Ideal for an 8? I thought it was more common on the B110. Can't remember, that was 25 years ago. If the tweets are "good old T27's" I can say for sure that drivers have come a very long way since then. They were very hard to use and not any better than today's $20 jobs.

Boxes have sharp baffle edges. For me, that is an absolute no-no.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Found these speakers over the Internet. It seems a DIY 3-way project using "marble cabinet" and some Celestion speakers (8" woofers) and KEF parts (like the bass radiator at back).

What do you think?

I just found out this month that Kef and Celestion are owned by the same company.

 

[sreten]

Ideal for an 8? I thought it was more common on the B110.
Can't remember, that was 25 years ago.

Hi,

The B110 was commonly used as a mid with the B139 driver.
The B139 ABR was used with 200mm bass/mid drivers in Kefs.

rgds, sreten.