I like the Fonken Style cabinet, but...

[wcwc]

Yeah, no space for a BLH there. Since I haven't heard either a full range speaker or a SET amp I would need to start somewhere. I could always stop by Decware and have a listen since they are local. I was thinking of making one of the Decware amps, see how it was, then making the second for bridged mono amps.

I think that I may be most interested in the FF165wk in the Fonken build. How much different in size could it be from the FE127eN model?

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by wcwc

Yeah, no space for a BLH there. Since I haven't heard either a full range speaker or a SET amp I would need to start somewhere. I could always stop by Decware and have a listen since they are local. I was thinking of making one of the Decware amps, see how it was, then making the second for bridged mono amps.

I think that I may be most interested in the FF165wk in the Fonken build. How much different in size could it be from the FE127eN model?

Say Hi to Steve and Devon

There are 2 basic shapes for deFonken boxes - the original rectangular, and the new Trapezoid ( a bit of a trickier build). So far I've only heard Dave's rough volume calculation for the 165 - at approx 17 liters - or about 30% larger than the original FE127E box. Tuning is via the size of port spacers - again, I'm not sure if he's completed those calcs yet.

If interested, drop him an e-mail at the commercial site listed below

[planet10]

Originally Posted by chrisb

There are 2 basic shapes for deFonken boxes

3. Don't forget the easiest to build CGR (classic golden ratio)

dave

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by planet10

3. Don't forget the easiest to build CGR (classic golden ratio)

dave

Yes, sorry, they do get overlooked

[wcwc]

Is the sound of the CGR different from the Fonken? The CGR doesn't have the same WAF as the Fonken style. The large front baffle with offset driver is what does it.

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by wcwc

Is the sound of the CGR different from the Fonken? The CGR doesn't have the same WAF as the Fonken style. The large front baffle with offset driver is what does it.

I'm trying to be diplomatic here, but if you read between the lines, the fact that I can easily overlook the CGR .........

Yes, the combination of lower diffraction narrow front panel, substantial additional bracing from the 3 layer side wall sandwich construction and higher restrictive vent slots contributes to a lot of additional finesse in terms of LF roll-off and imaging.

That the resulting enclosure could be considered aesthetically so elegant, well, that's a bonus.


Of course with a nicely proportioned fabric grille cover, the driver's offset positions in the CGRs could be disguised.

[wcwc]

You could hide the CGRs behind a fabric grill. I was thinking the same thing. That would be a plus since my little ones have both pushed in the dust caps on my center channel when I had the grill off to change the foam surrounds. Haven't seen any grills with the Fonkens. Have you seen any? Having it on when playing the speakers would probably hinder the imaging.

[planet10]

The CGR is a very good box -- as those who have built them can attest -- but the narrow baffle big bevel boxes are better yet.

Each variation gets progressively harder to build and is the price you pay for better... but if you can't successfully build the more complex boxes they won't sound as good as one you can build

With the CGRs for the smaller drivers, it is possible to use any of the faces as the baffle, and at the expense of a bit larger diffraction signature the driver can be centred.

dave

[chrisb]

Originally Posted by wcwc

You could hide the CGRs behind a fabric grill. I was thinking the same thing. That would be a plus since my little ones have both pushed in the dust caps on my center channel when I had the grill off to change the foam surrounds. Haven't seen any grills with the Fonkens. Have you seen any? Having it on when playing the speakers would probably hinder the imaging.

If only for WAF, I almost never build a pair of speakers these days without providing for grilles. Thanks to Dave's prompting a couple of years ago I've adopted the use of the little rare-earth (neo) magnets, which are usually buried under veneer. The reason you don't generally see grilles on Dave's photos is probably that he wants to display the driver treatment.

[planet10]

Originally Posted by chrisb

The reason you don't generally see grilles on Dave's photos is probably that he wants to display the driver treatment.

And in my household they are not needed. I have started trying to store grills on the speakers when not in use -- i have a stack of grills and can only guess what speaker they belong to. The magnets buried under the veneer provide the best of both worlds.

dave