I am building a very special project that involves Mar-Ken10.2 Classic golden ratio boxes. Would be interesting to hear any experiences from people who have built these enclosures -
1) The first question:
how is the bass end (seem a bit small enclosures at 13.5 liters minus the bracket, (and a part of the vents) and the driver?) - and if/how have you tuned the vents.
--
The special twist in my project is that it is a standalone wireless device with a Chinese tube amp mounted on springs *inside a single box* with two Mar-Ken10.2 GR enclosures next to it and an iPad/iPhone docking station on top (plus a BT streaming unit just in case) - all in one box. Source will be Spotify high bit rate (320 kbit/s using the Ogg Vorbis q9 codec). For Bluetooth, a modified OSX setting from a Macbook Pro at a higher quality (the defaults suck).
The box will be 19 mm MDF plus a laser-cut aluminium top plate with knobs and the dock.
2) The second question
I would like to actually use the enclosures longitudinally: looking at the plan, placing the driver on top; rotating the enclosure so that it is 446 mm in (external) depth, 276 mm tall and 185 mm wide. Vents as they are in the plan - opening sideways from the box.
Would this cause problems? Do I need to change the vents?
---
Shall post pictures and plans as I proceed. This is a one-off DIY for myself only, no commercial intentions...
Thanks for any help in advance!
Mikko
1) The first question:
how is the bass end (seem a bit small enclosures at 13.5 liters minus the bracket, (and a part of the vents) and the driver?) - and if/how have you tuned the vents.
--
The special twist in my project is that it is a standalone wireless device with a Chinese tube amp mounted on springs *inside a single box* with two Mar-Ken10.2 GR enclosures next to it and an iPad/iPhone docking station on top (plus a BT streaming unit just in case) - all in one box. Source will be Spotify high bit rate (320 kbit/s using the Ogg Vorbis q9 codec). For Bluetooth, a modified OSX setting from a Macbook Pro at a higher quality (the defaults suck).
The box will be 19 mm MDF plus a laser-cut aluminium top plate with knobs and the dock.
2) The second question
I would like to actually use the enclosures longitudinally: looking at the plan, placing the driver on top; rotating the enclosure so that it is 446 mm in (external) depth, 276 mm tall and 185 mm wide. Vents as they are in the plan - opening sideways from the box.
Would this cause problems? Do I need to change the vents?
---
Shall post pictures and plans as I proceed. This is a one-off DIY for myself only, no commercial intentions...
Thanks for any help in advance!
Mikko
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We've not built the CGR-MK10, but have done a sufficient number of others to get a feel for how they compare to the full-on miniOnken builds.
Bass is usually a bit fatter and a bit more extended (due to not as high a aspect ratio of the vents), but not quite as controlled. Imaging and the ability to dissappear are not as high (due to smaller champher)
The driver can be mounted on any face that it will fit on and if needed the vent slot moved to a convenient spot (have a look at the CGR dMar-Ken7 for explicit examples). You might also find that the recently posted SSP version of the CGR might be a more appropriate starting point, as the top of the CGR puts the driver closer to the sides than i would recommend.
The net box volume is 13 litre, and the venting is based on that in the dMar-Ken10.2.
dave
Thanks Dave,
I shall look at CGR dMar-Ken7 vent ideas - it might be possible to move the vents to the back of the box, if the box is not placed too close to the back wall, I guess.
The bass end: good to know, fatter & extended is a good thing for this project: Imaging and the ability to disappear will not be a priority anyhow, given that I am building a single box with both speakers installed less than a meter apart... (near field listening - the box will be 2-3 meters from the sofa).
Thanks,
Mikko
I shall look at CGR dMar-Ken7 vent ideas - it might be possible to move the vents to the back of the box, if the box is not placed too close to the back wall, I guess.
The bass end: good to know, fatter & extended is a good thing for this project: Imaging and the ability to disappear will not be a priority anyhow, given that I am building a single box with both speakers installed less than a meter apart... (near field listening - the box will be 2-3 meters from the sofa).
Thanks,
Mikko
Dave, a couple more questions, if you have time to help me out.
Running some form factors with SolidWorks now. Gave up the single box idea and shall split the device into 2 boxes to get a better imaging.
What tuning frequency are the 10.2 CGR vents designed with?
Is the net 13 liters with the brace & the driver subtracted from the volume? (What is the volume of the 10.2 driver roughly?)
Thanks,
Mikko
Running some form factors with SolidWorks now. Gave up the single box idea and shall split the device into 2 boxes to get a better imaging.
What tuning frequency are the 10.2 CGR vents designed with?
Is the net 13 liters with the brace & the driver subtracted from the volume? (What is the volume of the 10.2 driver roughly?)
Thanks,
Mikko
Not a detail that i know off the top and given the way these are simmed not something i'm going to give out.
13 litres net. I don't have the estimate of driver volume handy.
dave
OK,
I measured the driver and it's about 0.25 liters.
Ran some rough sims with WinISD and seems for 13 liters those vents are in the neighborhood of 44-45 Hz. With that simulation, it becomes -3 dB at 50 Hz, with a slight boost at 70 - 120 Hz. Real life is of course different.
Was thinking of making a quick MDF proto and scaling the CGR box slightly to 17.6 liters net with a bit shorter vents for a tuning frequency of 42-44 Hz. A quick simulation at WinISD gives -3 dB at 43 Hz with only little boost around 70-100 Hz.
If the proto sounds bad, I can always go back to the CGR or SSP version for 10.2. MDF is cheap...
I measured the driver and it's about 0.25 liters.
Ran some rough sims with WinISD and seems for 13 liters those vents are in the neighborhood of 44-45 Hz. With that simulation, it becomes -3 dB at 50 Hz, with a slight boost at 70 - 120 Hz. Real life is of course different.
Was thinking of making a quick MDF proto and scaling the CGR box slightly to 17.6 liters net with a bit shorter vents for a tuning frequency of 42-44 Hz. A quick simulation at WinISD gives -3 dB at 43 Hz with only little boost around 70-100 Hz.
If the proto sounds bad, I can always go back to the CGR or SSP version for 10.2. MDF is cheap...
Real life is different because of the very high ratio vents. Actual response is between the sealed and the vented sim.
dave
OK,
have now built the system mostly - feet and the amp box missing. The amp box will get an aluminum top plate with engravings, the feet will be aluminum, too.
I chose to go with a 3-box setup; the tube amp and some other electronics (Bluetooth, iPhone dock and some other integrated gadgets) in a separate box. This box will be have spring feet (plus an air pillow inside for the tube amp) and may sit on the other speaker.
This is a CAD rendering of the plan I made before starting:
For speakers, I chose to make an original version other than the CGR or SSP to suit this project.
Differences:
_The dimensions are different.
_MDF is 19 mm.
_The driver is on the narrow face.
_There is only a single vent. The dimensions are adapted. The exit and input ends are rounded from all 4 sides.
_The bracing is different and there is some additional bracing.
_Lining: Sonofil
These boxes could be run vertically, too - narrow form factor has more WAF than a wide This is after primer and 1st paint coat:
The finish is an off-white spray-paint (fully matte, warm white) to keep the looks very minimalistic. Had never used a spray-gun, so this was a learning experience, too:
Now breaking in the drivers with a tube amp and some easy music:
Low volume, first impressions are promising.
At first, there was a clear hiss on lower frequencies, and I got worried - but traced it down to one missing screw on a driver (!) - the pre-bored hole was leaking through.
Seems like an excellent driver even in these first time DIY builder's boxes. I am going to adjust the Sonofil after break-in by ear and my measuring microphone. Need to do something about the room at the same time, too - there are clear nulls at some frequencies. Oddly the situation is the worst at the very place of listening to music.
This was my first speaker DIY. Made many mistakes along the way - but it is easier to learn by doing...
have now built the system mostly - feet and the amp box missing. The amp box will get an aluminum top plate with engravings, the feet will be aluminum, too.
I chose to go with a 3-box setup; the tube amp and some other electronics (Bluetooth, iPhone dock and some other integrated gadgets) in a separate box. This box will be have spring feet (plus an air pillow inside for the tube amp) and may sit on the other speaker.
This is a CAD rendering of the plan I made before starting:
For speakers, I chose to make an original version other than the CGR or SSP to suit this project.
Differences:
_The dimensions are different.
_MDF is 19 mm.
_The driver is on the narrow face.
_There is only a single vent. The dimensions are adapted. The exit and input ends are rounded from all 4 sides.
_The bracing is different and there is some additional bracing.
_Lining: Sonofil
These boxes could be run vertically, too - narrow form factor has more WAF than a wide
This is after primer and 1st paint coat:The finish is an off-white spray-paint (fully matte, warm white) to keep the looks very minimalistic. Had never used a spray-gun, so this was a learning experience, too:
Now breaking in the drivers with a tube amp and some easy music:
Low volume, first impressions are promising.
At first, there was a clear hiss on lower frequencies, and I got worried - but traced it down to one missing screw on a driver (!) - the pre-bored hole was leaking through.
Seems like an excellent driver even in these first time DIY builder's boxes. I am going to adjust the Sonofil after break-in by ear and my measuring microphone. Need to do something about the room at the same time, too - there are clear nulls at some frequencies. Oddly the situation is the worst at the very place of listening to music.
This was my first speaker DIY. Made many mistakes along the way - but it is easier to learn by doing...
Attachments
Break-in done. Was away for a while, but got it done now.
Adjusted the lining a few times. And here are the very first impressions with proper listening volumes.
Bluetooth connection to the tube amp is mainly for my son to use with his mobile. Tested the Belkin module and the sound is mediocre at it's best.
The best sound was achieved with line out from an iPhone dock - and (with a Macbook Pro) an external USB audio device + line out from there. Both using Spotify and 320 kbit/s + the Ogg Vorbis q9 codec (the highest streaming rate for any online service BTW). Spotify seems to be available in the U.S. now as well? Some excellent music there, like this one: Norway Nights (Jazz Club) by Various Artists on Spotify
First impressions
Acoustic instruments sound fantastic. Cello played by Mstislav Rostropovich sounds very pleasing to the ear with these speakers. The guitars at Cowboy Junkies "Supernatural" are a joy to listen. And it does sound like Margo Timmins is singing in the room.
Vocals sound very good. Much, much better than with most other speakers I've listened with. There's a lot of presence, the singer can be pinpointed accurately, and in some recordings seems to be in the room, in front of the speakers, depending on the listening position.
Rebekka Bakken's excellent "Ghost in this House" was a joy to listen.
By ear, tightness remains for some material, area around 1 kHz is too loud. But based on first measurings, that seems to be more of a room problem - remains to be measured thoroughly. (I've not used this room for music before, so there are no curtains etc.).
Detail and accuracy for female vocalists sounds so good that I now seem to prefer whole new kind of music.
Music like Caecilie Norby's: her voice sounds very clear and one can easily hear nuances as the distance to the mic changes or she breathes near it.
Imaging in general is also excellent. I tested briefly against my current favorite small speakers - a pair of tiny, excellent Genelec 8020B active monitors - I'm stupid enough to dare and give an amateurish, very subjective opinion: the Genelecs lose (at imaging, that is).
In the beginning of "Out here, In there" by Sidsel Endresen and Bugge Wesseltoft, the beaming sound travels in room in an almost scary way with these DIY speakers. Need to do some more comparison against the Genelecs side to side, was too busy listening to the new speakers now.
The negatives so far by ear: would like to get just a bit more low end extension for certain songs. Mari Boine's "Gula Gula - Chilluminati Mix" - or Jamie Cullum's "If I ruled the world" both get some authority with tight and natural (non boomy) bass extension.
So, I fetched an old tiny vented Yamaha sub from the TV room (sub for movies) and tested whether it could be used to add extension without ruining the sound. Unplugged the tube amp and hooked the sub and the DIY speakers to a Yamaha receiver with a lot of adjustments. Tuned it by ear first and ended up crossing it quite low (at 60 Hz) plus setting the sub volume quite low (at approx 1/3) and changing the phase for the sub by lying the speaker distances to the amp. Below is a graph of the result, slight extension achieved without boosting the already (in this room) too fat upper bass area too much. Crossing higher seemed to boom the upper bass even worse and it also messed the imaging. I would not like to cross a sub above 80 Hz.
The problem is that this sub is very soft and sounds slow compared to the speakers. I will probably build and test a servo sub in winter for these speakers, just for fun... Could make an interesting pair as both the speakers and sub would then be fast and tight, almost dry in sound?
Room problems
By far, the worst is the room I'm using. It is a complex, open modern room with wall-sized windows without curtains - including kitchen, hall, high staircase and the living room all in one space. There is very little damping and I get standing waves with any speakers erasing bass with serious narrow nulls at approx 60 Hz and 80 Hz. Plus boomy peaks at approx 45-50 Hz, then again above 70 Hz and a very pronounced peak at just above 100 Hz.
Then there's a serious large scale drop at 200 Hz (continuing upto 600 Hz). As stated, the area around 1 kHz is then boosted and there's a lot of comb filtering there - just to give you a quick taste of the magnitude of the problems of this room...
Probably moving soon, so sadly no treating makes sense at this point in time.
Will post more experiences (if anyone is interested to hear more) as I have time to test in a better room and against the Genelecs.
Very, very nice drivers these Alpairs.
Below are some very first rough measuring results. Was not able to run them very loud, it is late already.
Adjusted the lining a few times. And here are the very first impressions with proper listening volumes.
Bluetooth connection to the tube amp is mainly for my son to use with his mobile. Tested the Belkin module and the sound is mediocre at it's best.
The best sound was achieved with line out from an iPhone dock - and (with a Macbook Pro) an external USB audio device + line out from there. Both using Spotify and 320 kbit/s + the Ogg Vorbis q9 codec (the highest streaming rate for any online service BTW). Spotify seems to be available in the U.S. now as well? Some excellent music there, like this one: Norway Nights (Jazz Club) by Various Artists on Spotify
First impressions
Acoustic instruments sound fantastic. Cello played by Mstislav Rostropovich sounds very pleasing to the ear with these speakers. The guitars at Cowboy Junkies "Supernatural" are a joy to listen. And it does sound like Margo Timmins is singing in the room.
Vocals sound very good. Much, much better than with most other speakers I've listened with. There's a lot of presence, the singer can be pinpointed accurately, and in some recordings seems to be in the room, in front of the speakers, depending on the listening position.
Rebekka Bakken's excellent "Ghost in this House" was a joy to listen.
By ear, tightness remains for some material, area around 1 kHz is too loud. But based on first measurings, that seems to be more of a room problem - remains to be measured thoroughly. (I've not used this room for music before, so there are no curtains etc.).
Detail and accuracy for female vocalists sounds so good that I now seem to prefer whole new kind of music.
Music like Caecilie Norby's: her voice sounds very clear and one can easily hear nuances as the distance to the mic changes or she breathes near it.
Imaging in general is also excellent. I tested briefly against my current favorite small speakers - a pair of tiny, excellent Genelec 8020B active monitors - I'm stupid enough to dare and give an amateurish, very subjective opinion: the Genelecs lose (at imaging, that is).
In the beginning of "Out here, In there" by Sidsel Endresen and Bugge Wesseltoft, the beaming sound travels in room in an almost scary way with these DIY speakers. Need to do some more comparison against the Genelecs side to side, was too busy listening to the new speakers now.
The negatives so far by ear: would like to get just a bit more low end extension for certain songs. Mari Boine's "Gula Gula - Chilluminati Mix" - or Jamie Cullum's "If I ruled the world" both get some authority with tight and natural (non boomy) bass extension.
So, I fetched an old tiny vented Yamaha sub from the TV room (sub for movies) and tested whether it could be used to add extension without ruining the sound. Unplugged the tube amp and hooked the sub and the DIY speakers to a Yamaha receiver with a lot of adjustments. Tuned it by ear first and ended up crossing it quite low (at 60 Hz) plus setting the sub volume quite low (at approx 1/3) and changing the phase for the sub by lying the speaker distances to the amp. Below is a graph of the result, slight extension achieved without boosting the already (in this room) too fat upper bass area too much. Crossing higher seemed to boom the upper bass even worse and it also messed the imaging. I would not like to cross a sub above 80 Hz.
The problem is that this sub is very soft and sounds slow compared to the speakers. I will probably build and test a servo sub in winter for these speakers, just for fun... Could make an interesting pair as both the speakers and sub would then be fast and tight, almost dry in sound?
Room problems
By far, the worst is the room I'm using. It is a complex, open modern room with wall-sized windows without curtains - including kitchen, hall, high staircase and the living room all in one space. There is very little damping and I get standing waves with any speakers erasing bass with serious narrow nulls at approx 60 Hz and 80 Hz. Plus boomy peaks at approx 45-50 Hz, then again above 70 Hz and a very pronounced peak at just above 100 Hz.
Then there's a serious large scale drop at 200 Hz (continuing upto 600 Hz). As stated, the area around 1 kHz is then boosted and there's a lot of comb filtering there - just to give you a quick taste of the magnitude of the problems of this room...
Probably moving soon, so sadly no treating makes sense at this point in time.
Will post more experiences (if anyone is interested to hear more) as I have time to test in a better room and against the Genelecs.
Very, very nice drivers these Alpairs.
Below are some very first rough measuring results. Was not able to run them very loud, it is late already.
Attachments
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Thought I'd share some progress through pics: Amp ready now as well. The top plate is 3 mm aluminum.
The amp is based on a Chinese amp with EL34-B tubes. Disassembled it and used most of it for this. Added BT and a charging iPhone/iPad dock. It had USB already. Further actual tuning of the amp remains for winter.
Just after assembly noticed that the right channel was bad (almost muted). After a frustrating disassembly and bug tracing found a bad connection for one of the resistors and now everything works.
The Alpair speakers sound better now than with the basic Yamaha HT receiver.
Next project is to build a matching sub for this setup. Ordered servo components from Rythmikaudio.
The amp is based on a Chinese amp with EL34-B tubes. Disassembled it and used most of it for this. Added BT and a charging iPhone/iPad dock. It had USB already. Further actual tuning of the amp remains for winter.
Just after assembly noticed that the right channel was bad (almost muted). After a frustrating disassembly and bug tracing found a bad connection for one of the resistors and now everything works.
The Alpair speakers sound better now than with the basic Yamaha HT receiver.
Next project is to build a matching sub for this setup. Ordered servo components from Rythmikaudio.
Attachments
Thought I'd share some progress through pics: Amp ready now as well. The top plate is 3 mm aluminum.
The amp is based on a Chinese amp with EL34-B tubes. Disassembled it and used most of it for this. Added BT and a charging iPhone/iPad dock. It had USB already. Further actual tuning of the amp remains for winter.
Just after assembly noticed that the right channel was bad (almost muted). After a frustrating disassembly and bug tracing found a bad connection for one of the resistors and now everything works.
The Alpair speakers sound better now than with the basic Yamaha HT receiver.
Next project is to build a matching sub for this setup. Ordered servo components from Rythmikaudio.
cute little rig indeed.
Im not sure if placing a tube amp directly on a speaker is the best way you can go... given that tubes are microphonic, sensitive to vibration, maybe you should try placing the amp on its own stand and finding out if it has an effect. I have a set of CGR7 slim cabinets, ported to the rear, much like yours. They vibrate enough to make me think it could have an influence on tubes.
The CGR enclosure makes pretty substantial bass given its size, but I find it a bit flabby for my taste. I have them sitting on a pair of H frame eminence 15a OBs at the moment, taking care of that problem. The sub you planned might also alleviate this.
Next I plan to try the dMar-Ken7, to see how they stack up...
Kudos, you've made a very attractive system!
The CGR enclosure makes pretty substantial bass given its size, but I find it a bit flabby for my taste. I have them sitting on a pair of H frame eminence 15a OBs at the moment, taking care of that problem. The sub you planned might also alleviate this.
Next I plan to try the dMar-Ken7, to see how they stack up...
Kudos, you've made a very attractive system!
Hi Mikko,
Thought it might be interesting to imagine your project with MAOP coned Alp10 drivers. Your off-white boxes have a similar colour tone to the new MAOP cones. I've done a little Photoshop work to simulate the look (see pics). Since most Alp 10's are supplied with loose front covers, they could be painted - colour matched with you cabinets. Apologies, my PhotoShop skills aren't the best, at least it gives an idea of what can be done to keep adding a "pro" look to a Diy project. Your project is looks ver pro "high end".
Hope this is OK with you - thanks.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/194359-alpair-10-gen-maop-prototype-tw-1-a.html
Cheers
Mark.
Thought it might be interesting to imagine your project with MAOP coned Alp10 drivers. Your off-white boxes have a similar colour tone to the new MAOP cones. I've done a little Photoshop work to simulate the look (see pics). Since most Alp 10's are supplied with loose front covers, they could be painted - colour matched with you cabinets. Apologies, my PhotoShop skills aren't the best, at least it gives an idea of what can be done to keep adding a "pro" look to a Diy project. Your project is looks ver pro "high end".
Hope this is OK with you - thanks.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/markaudio/194359-alpair-10-gen-maop-prototype-tw-1-a.html
Cheers
Mark.
Attachments
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chrisb: thanks! I love the sound, seems to be getting still better (a bit over 200 h done now)...
andb: thanks - I was worried about microphonic issues with tubes, too. The casing is on soft rubber feet on top of the speaker. But you are right, I should test the difference and lift the amp off the speaker - then listen to the difference.
Regarding bass: I am quite happy with Alpair 10.2 in a CGR box - I've modified the vents: 1 instead of two - so more friction as it is very high ratio (approx. 1:10) - maybe even closer to a sealed box as a result -> thus bass might have less extension but more tightness. I also do not like a floppy (bass reflex) bass at all...
Drivers: Probably Alpair 10.2 also has a different bass than the 7?
I get 40(ish) Hz in room as shown on the measurement above. I ordered servo sub parts for a sealed sub to add (tight) extension - takes some time as they come from the U.S.
Mind you, the bass is not light or inadequate now, either. Nicely present in a musical way, no "commercial" boom at all, very natural. But for some music, I'd like to have that 15-40 Hz covered as well. Let's see as I build the sub... Already retired 2 bass reflex subs after testing as their sound was too soft and did not fit.
Mark, thanks - looks excellent! I like the MAOP cone colour a lot. Wish that was available when I got the silver ones. The white cone + black bezel is especially very nice - some contrast remains as the bezel ties the driver visually to the black aluminum knobs and black transformers on top.
Shall read more about the MAOP thread - seems like an interesting development.
Your kind words make me proud - I appreciate your work a lot. Your presence in the discussions here makes all the difference compared to the other (mass) makers of drivers. A very modern way of developing products - being in touch with the users personally and presenting + developing ideas together.
I have some other drivers for different projects, and I must admit that Markaudio drivers are in many way superior to the other ones. The build quality is much better - which I always appreciate a lot. But best of all is the sound. I am constantly amazed by the tone of the sound (especially the mids + the way 10.2 renders female vocals) and the detail of the soundstage - both seem to be as made for my personal preferences. After listening to Alpairs for a while I just can not like the other drivers...
Should test the other Alpairs soon, too.
Thanks,
Mikko
andb: thanks - I was worried about microphonic issues with tubes, too. The casing is on soft rubber feet on top of the speaker. But you are right, I should test the difference and lift the amp off the speaker - then listen to the difference.
Regarding bass: I am quite happy with Alpair 10.2 in a CGR box - I've modified the vents: 1 instead of two - so more friction as it is very high ratio (approx. 1:10) - maybe even closer to a sealed box as a result -> thus bass might have less extension but more tightness. I also do not like a floppy (bass reflex) bass at all...
Drivers: Probably Alpair 10.2 also has a different bass than the 7?
I get 40(ish) Hz in room as shown on the measurement above. I ordered servo sub parts for a sealed sub to add (tight) extension - takes some time as they come from the U.S.
Mind you, the bass is not light or inadequate now, either. Nicely present in a musical way, no "commercial" boom at all, very natural. But for some music, I'd like to have that 15-40 Hz covered as well. Let's see as I build the sub... Already retired 2 bass reflex subs after testing as their sound was too soft and did not fit.
Mark, thanks - looks excellent! I like the MAOP cone colour a lot. Wish that was available when I got the silver ones. The white cone + black bezel is especially very nice - some contrast remains as the bezel ties the driver visually to the black aluminum knobs and black transformers on top.
Shall read more about the MAOP thread - seems like an interesting development.
Your kind words make me proud - I appreciate your work a lot. Your presence in the discussions here makes all the difference compared to the other (mass) makers of drivers. A very modern way of developing products - being in touch with the users personally and presenting + developing ideas together.
I have some other drivers for different projects, and I must admit that Markaudio drivers are in many way superior to the other ones. The build quality is much better - which I always appreciate a lot. But best of all is the sound. I am constantly amazed by the tone of the sound (especially the mids + the way 10.2 renders female vocals) and the detail of the soundstage - both seem to be as made for my personal preferences. After listening to Alpairs for a while I just can not like the other drivers...
Should test the other Alpairs soon, too.
Thanks,
Mikko
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Update, added that servo subwoofer to the setup today.
Put the sealed enclosure (42 l) together today after work and tested quickly to see if everything is OK so I can sand and paint the box during the weekend.
So far seems very good. Extension down to near 10 Hz, with a very precise and rapid bass, complements the Markaudio drivers well.
Put the sealed enclosure (42 l) together today after work and tested quickly to see if everything is OK so I can sand and paint the box during the weekend.
So far seems very good. Extension down to near 10 Hz, with a very precise and rapid bass, complements the Markaudio drivers well.
Attachments
An update after listening to the setup for 1.5 years now.
I 've enjoyed the setup quite a lot! In the beginning, there was improvement, as the drivers relaxed a bit in usage.
I should probably change the tubes of the amp now as they are getting old (daily heavy usage) and the sound is mudding up a bit.
Sound source: have not used Bluetooth. The quality is horrible and it is most obvious in live recordings at the applauds. They sound like a digital waterfall from some bad Matrix nightmare.
But I have really enjoyed Spotify high bit rate of streming 320 kbps music, and plugging the iPad via the dock cable. This seems to give the best results.
I think for most music the setup sounded awesome already like this, the imaging and the mids are the best (especially for music like jazz, Sting (live in Berlin), Norah Jones, etc.
But I had some extra time and interest - which is why I built that active servo subwoofer.
Now the setup is just what I intended it to be. The sub is very musical / tight / transparent. There is no boom or floppiness. Often I have to go check if the sub is on, as there is no typical boom to be heard. But the cone is moving when very low frequences are playing. The sub is great for adding ambience (good quality live recordings / movies etc.) and boosting some bass-heavy music, but I could live without it.
Room, huge impact
The biggest problem remains the room - I moved... acoustically to an even worse place, a loft apartment with huge windows and concrete walls and ceiling, room height is 6 meters. This should be the thing to be fixed.
People (like me) spend a lot of money and/or time to get nice equipment while the room spoils the sound regardless of the speakers, amps and music sources.
I 've enjoyed the setup quite a lot! In the beginning, there was improvement, as the drivers relaxed a bit in usage.
I should probably change the tubes of the amp now as they are getting old (daily heavy usage) and the sound is mudding up a bit.
Sound source: have not used Bluetooth. The quality is horrible and it is most obvious in live recordings at the applauds. They sound like a digital waterfall from some bad Matrix nightmare.
But I have really enjoyed Spotify high bit rate of streming 320 kbps music, and plugging the iPad via the dock cable. This seems to give the best results.
I think for most music the setup sounded awesome already like this, the imaging and the mids are the best (especially for music like jazz, Sting (live in Berlin), Norah Jones, etc.
But I had some extra time and interest - which is why I built that active servo subwoofer.
Now the setup is just what I intended it to be. The sub is very musical / tight / transparent. There is no boom or floppiness. Often I have to go check if the sub is on, as there is no typical boom to be heard. But the cone is moving when very low frequences are playing. The sub is great for adding ambience (good quality live recordings / movies etc.) and boosting some bass-heavy music, but I could live without it.
Room, huge impact
The biggest problem remains the room - I moved... acoustically to an even worse place, a loft apartment with huge windows and concrete walls and ceiling, room height is 6 meters. This should be the thing to be fixed.
People (like me) spend a lot of money and/or time to get nice equipment while the room spoils the sound regardless of the speakers, amps and music sources.
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