I didn't start building speakers until my mid 20s. Which is strange because my father built his own.
My first speaker build was a 6.5" fullrange in a TQWT with super tweeter - from plans in a magazine. I happened to know the designer, so that was nice. I was very happy with them, and my neighbors told me how good I was getting playing the saxophone 😀 (I was listening to Stan Getz or Paul Desmond). Not a great speaker for large scale music, but I enjoyed them for years listening to all sorts of things, like records, cassettes, R2R tape, great FM radio channels, even my first CDs. I'd be happy to have them now.
My first speaker build was a 6.5" fullrange in a TQWT with super tweeter - from plans in a magazine. I happened to know the designer, so that was nice. I was very happy with them, and my neighbors told me how good I was getting playing the saxophone 😀 (I was listening to Stan Getz or Paul Desmond). Not a great speaker for large scale music, but I enjoyed them for years listening to all sorts of things, like records, cassettes, R2R tape, great FM radio channels, even my first CDs. I'd be happy to have them now.
My first build followed a published design in a magazine. I didn't know much and with hindsight it was a good move. It taught me what was involved without much risk and I ended up with a reasonable pair of speakers. The next ones were my own design but bookshelves of modest size and complexity. Again with hindsight it was a good move. Then onwards and upwards.
What I wasn't able to judge with any reliability when choosing my first build was which were good designs and which were not. The design I chose was reasonable although I didn't appreciate it's advantages and limitations until after building and using them. Looking back I was considering what I now recognise as a poor design. There is a lot more guidance about these days but there is also a lot more mis-guidance and strong enthusiasm for configurations that are different but technically modest. My advice would be to lean towards the conventional and conservative for the first build and become more adventurous later.
That was quick. 😀
I should note that the odd values came about due to matching pairs from my stash of parts. I try to match components within 1/2% for L/H and R/H crossovers when possible. The measured values of the matched pairs are listed on the schematic.
A few corrections.
L7 is 0.32mH, with .27 ohm dcr (0.33mH, 18 ga air core standard)
L4 is 0.16mH, with .16 ohm dcr (0.15mH, 18 ga air core standard)
L6 is 0.076mH, with .10 ohm dcr (had to unwind a .10mH, 18 ga air core standard) -- sorry the uH "microHenries" probably threw you
C2 is 20.0uF (20uF standard)
R3 is 3.0 ohm (3.0 ohm standard)
L10 is 0.23mH, with .20 ohm dcr (0.22mH, 18 ga air core standard)
Some combinations of standard components were used. For example C7 = 10uF + 1uF (in parallel) = 11uF
Some components measured close to the standard values.
I should note that the odd values came about due to matching pairs from my stash of parts. I try to match components within 1/2% for L/H and R/H crossovers when possible. The measured values of the matched pairs are listed on the schematic.
A few corrections.
L7 is 0.32mH, with .27 ohm dcr (0.33mH, 18 ga air core standard)
L4 is 0.16mH, with .16 ohm dcr (0.15mH, 18 ga air core standard)
L6 is 0.076mH, with .10 ohm dcr (had to unwind a .10mH, 18 ga air core standard) -- sorry the uH "microHenries" probably threw you
C2 is 20.0uF (20uF standard)
R3 is 3.0 ohm (3.0 ohm standard)
L10 is 0.23mH, with .20 ohm dcr (0.22mH, 18 ga air core standard)
Some combinations of standard components were used. For example C7 = 10uF + 1uF (in parallel) = 11uF
Some components measured close to the standard values.
No, it was a slightly pricey European driver call Triangle. Don't know where it was made or how long they were around.
I went to a hardware store in Montmartre to buy the wood and have the panels cut. The old sawyer there looked at my plans and said "I can't cut these to millimeter tolerance, you know!" But he did, perfectly. I tipped well him for his trouble.
Above diagram updated.
I was going to ask about the 75mH inductor, that would have been painful to source. Most of the errors were forgetting to go back and change the placeholders.
dave
I was going to ask about the 75mH inductor, that would have been painful to source. Most of the errors were forgetting to go back and change the placeholders.
dave
Triangle has been around for awhile. https://www.trianglehifi.com/en/
AFAIK they make their own drivers.
dave
My first DIY designed loudspeaker was a school project, when I was 16 or 17 years old. I coded my first tool for acoustic speaker testing back then ("MacSpeaker", running on Apple System 7). I used it to design a small bookshelf speaker with a KEF B110 "woofer" and a Technics ribbon tweeter. Yes, that's an awkward combination, but it worked... my daughter still uses those speakers with her Lenco and NAD 3020!
I thought they might be French, but couldn't remember. Thanks. Looks like the drivers I used were the FR from the Zenith model in 1985, the first driver they designed and built.
MacSpeaker!? Really? Wow... I lost the source code (and binaries) at some point, when my harddisk died. That's how I learned about backups (the hard way). A few years later there was someone else making another 'MacSpeaker" program, but without my blessing. Oh well.
My first speakers where Proac 2.5 clones. Without knowing much about design it’s a good solution to take some others design.
The second was my own first design open baffle speakers in interesting H shape baffle🙂
The second was my own first design open baffle speakers in interesting H shape baffle🙂
One approach to a first project is to intensely research, study, and plan in the hope that the final result will be perfect. I do not think this is realistic. It is unrealistic to think that a first project would be so excellent that the designer/builder could not improve upon it in a second project.
I believe the best approach is to start with a proven, uncomplicated design, which is what you said you would do. Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them. There are some kinds of knowledge that can only be acquired by doing.
Here is a link which describes my first couple of loudspeaker projects
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/...-build-from-26-years-ago.343405/#post-5931616
j.
With a z at the end… that is a good piece of software.
I eagerly await a container that runs OS 7.5-6 and OS9 with a single specific application inside. That runs natively on an Mx. I wonder how fast an M1 Extreme can run 68030 code in emulation? Already running WIndows faster than most Intel machines.
dave
There is going to be a horrendous amount of diffraction with the FR sitting in a cavity. Is it an FA22 (or its smaller sibling)?
dave
My first project was converting my parents “stereo” with the flip down TT, 2 50e5s, and 2 3.5” dirt cheap drivers along the side into separates.
My first project after that could have been EPY microTower clones. Still have those. Much, much later Scott & i did it again so anyone who wanted could enjoy them,
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/microtower-bipolar-ml-tl-for-chr-70-or-el70.148901/
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/microtower-revisited.364581/
after that a flirry of experiemntion from Radford S90 “clones”, Jordan-Watts wall hanging TL, Lowther Acousta, many more…
dave
Same tweeter Chris used in his first project, but the ones i have left ove rhave been heavily tweaked.
dave