I thought Ivan had retired? Might be worth bearing in mind if you opt to go that route.
The second design looks interesting apart from the expensive drivers which for a 2 way is not a good value combination. Mind you that depends on what one values and how much the other bits like the cabinet cost.
The second design looks interesting apart from the expensive drivers which for a 2 way is not a good value combination. Mind you that depends on what one values and how much the other bits like the cabinet cost.
Apparently he's come out of retirement - and I was thinking of asking him if I could drop in for a listen. In any case I want to order several items from him and it makes sense to collect rather than post.
https://www.iplacoustics.co.uk/ipl_s4_mk5__transmission_line.htm
This is the only thing I find interesting of all at IPL. I'm a little doubtful about the combination of CD3.0 with 8" midbass. I have my DIY speakers with Fountek CD3.0 combined with Vifa NE123 and Vifa NE225 in 40l bassreflex. Fountek CD3.0 is a great ribbon for the price, the best i had listened to is Fountek CD2.0. CD2.0 would be a better choice to combine with 8" or larger midbass.
PS
I bought both CD3.0 on Aliexpress much cheaper than IPL. And spare ribbons too.
This is the only thing I find interesting of all at IPL. I'm a little doubtful about the combination of CD3.0 with 8" midbass. I have my DIY speakers with Fountek CD3.0 combined with Vifa NE123 and Vifa NE225 in 40l bassreflex. Fountek CD3.0 is a great ribbon for the price, the best i had listened to is Fountek CD2.0. CD2.0 would be a better choice to combine with 8" or larger midbass.
PS
I bought both CD3.0 on Aliexpress much cheaper than IPL. And spare ribbons too.
Last edited:
I would personally leave it at old school, vintage and nostalgia.
Even a simple SB acoustics 5 inch will outperform a B110 with ease.
Same goes for the other ones.
But to each their own of course, but technically and objectively they are not that great to modern drivers.
I can't speak for someones personal taste, but that is a different story.
We have literally built hundreds of full range loudspeakers. Only ONE had to have a filter. Driver replaced with SEAS FA22, and it could be tossed.
BSC is something often over used. Seems a lot of people like too much bass… every dB the on-axis is pumped up to flatten the on axis, one gets an extra dB boost in room response. A careful balance is required, and all too often i see this ignored.
To deal with the ringing in some of those drivers, we modified the driver, fixing them at the source of the problem, not a band-aid like a filter which often subtracts more than it adds.
dave
I believe their box design is classic, so guessed, and then refined. Unlikely to be optimum.
But good for them doing kits.
dave
Visaton B200 really struggles to work in a box. A big Aperiodic or mount in the wall using the room on the other side for the box. A really good driver once its FR issues are (largely) fixed with the addiiton of a phase plug (http://www.planet10-hifi.com/downloads/B200-phase-plug.pdf). Sensitivity lspec is puled from somewhere up in the rising part of the HF, and real world sensitivity is closer to 89-90 dB.
dave
Pretty easy to find modern mids or FRs that are a lot less coloured than the B110 with greater capabilities.
dave
I believe Ivan retired, and then decided against retirement, so is now back. One difference is that the option of a full kit (wood CNC'd etc) is no longer available - so you buy the drives, XOs, plans etc and then build your own cabinet.
True. If you knew what you were doing and had the drive unit measurements - most of them I believe are manufactured for IPL and tweaked.
..and then there's the large issue of affording BB Ply in the UK
I had a look at your site, Planet 10 hifi. It's all very interesting, but I'm not a big fan of FR drivers. Many years ago I had an idea to try that too, so I went around and listened to all the FR speakers i could find, and I didn't particularly like any of them, and some were not even listenable because of the shout and non-linear range. There was some Fostex, Lowther, Sica, then some French drivers and finally Russian Lomo Kinap. Maybe your modified ones are better, I don't know, nobody here has that.
I haven't listened to the Visaton B200 as a FR, but my friend has a 3way open baffle with Eminence Alpha 15A, Visaton B200 and RAAL ribbon, and it plays great (B200 as a midrange driver). All of that was put on Visaton NoBox BB baffles. If I had enough space in the room (20sqm), I would make something like that, and end up with speakers for all time.
As far as @DartmoorDad is concerned, I think only ready-made verified projects suit him, and nothing too expensive.
I haven't listened to the Visaton B200 as a FR, but my friend has a 3way open baffle with Eminence Alpha 15A, Visaton B200 and RAAL ribbon, and it plays great (B200 as a midrange driver). All of that was put on Visaton NoBox BB baffles. If I had enough space in the room (20sqm), I would make something like that, and end up with speakers for all time.
As far as @DartmoorDad is concerned, I think only ready-made verified projects suit him, and nothing too expensive.
Last edited:
That is true, up to a point. I like the idea of taking the B139s and putting them into a TL cabinet - such as the triangular one that Dave designed and then combining that with another ready-made FR design (as he suggested) and maybe using the T15s as well. It is though, by its nature, an experimental journey and would involve a steep learning curve in XO design - and time. I'll start in January with one of Scottmooses Baby TLs for a FR. It'll be the first FR I've ever heard and I'm curious.
Meantime I'm just going to recap and restore my Ditton 25s and make some proper stands for them, and also start on something like a Coniston - because the idea of a tall speaker with small footprint fascinates me.
Incidentally I see you're in Belgrade? I spent many wonderful occasions over the years in the city (often in the Hotel Moskva bar) in SFRJ days, and a couple of times in the late 90s (which weren't so good). I see the old railway station is no longer (my usual port of entry) and has been replaced :-( - it was one of the great railway architecture designs of Europe. Say hello to the city for me please - I had some good times there and some good friends and I remember the place with some fondness.
Yes 😎
If you ever come, feel free to contact me. Nothing here is the same as before. Something is better, something is worse than before. Let's say the number of vehicles is 10x higher. The old train station was removed mostly (80%) to build modern RoboCap style buildings (Belgrade Waterfront), the main building remains and will be restored as a museum or whatever. The new train station is also RoboCap style.
Last edited:
Yes... it's changed! Is that the Mestrovic statue on the skyline?
Thankyou for your offer, btw. In truth a return visit is unlikely - the ties that once bound me to various parts of SFRJ (and Belgrade and Crna Gora especially) are much reduced these days - too many of my old friends are now displaced, or even dead. I still feel the sorrow of what happened and it now would perhaps be like meeting an old lover after so many years. Having said that I miss being there - and would possibly return as a tourist - no more than that.
Thankyou for your offer, btw. In truth a return visit is unlikely - the ties that once bound me to various parts of SFRJ (and Belgrade and Crna Gora especially) are much reduced these days - too many of my old friends are now displaced, or even dead. I still feel the sorrow of what happened and it now would perhaps be like meeting an old lover after so many years. Having said that I miss being there - and would possibly return as a tourist - no more than that.
No, Mestrovic has been gone for a long time. I think there is a heliport on that building, and the price of the apartment is 10,000+eur per sqm. Coincidentally, I live in Mestroviceva street, far away from that location. 🤣