I’d like to put together something like the An-e speakers. Does anyone here have experience with this? Cabinet build plans?
I found some threads here from google from a couple of decades ago. This is how I came to know of this site. It does not appear that audio note currently sells kits.
All help would be greatly appreciated. I don’t need it to be an exact clone. Just as close as possible.
I’d also like to know if anyone might be local to NYC who could lend a hand, as I am disabled.
Seas a24re4 and Morel Cat378 seem to be popular for Audio Note-inspired builds.
I was also looking at Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A.
I’ve been into hifi for a long time, but am completely new to DIY speakers. I don’t know what goes into designing a crossover, speaker, etc. I only know what I like to listen to. I’ve heard a few audio note speakers over the years and they have a sound I can listen to all day. The models I heard, at least.
I just found a couple of cloned audio note speaker youtube videos by chance and I thought it looked interesting. As did the thousands in potential savings.
Unfortunately, I can’t put it together myself, due to my physical limitations, but it would be nice to be involved in the project.
Thank you.
I found some threads here from google from a couple of decades ago. This is how I came to know of this site. It does not appear that audio note currently sells kits.
All help would be greatly appreciated. I don’t need it to be an exact clone. Just as close as possible.
I’d also like to know if anyone might be local to NYC who could lend a hand, as I am disabled.
Seas a24re4 and Morel Cat378 seem to be popular for Audio Note-inspired builds.
I was also looking at Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A.
I’ve been into hifi for a long time, but am completely new to DIY speakers. I don’t know what goes into designing a crossover, speaker, etc. I only know what I like to listen to. I’ve heard a few audio note speakers over the years and they have a sound I can listen to all day. The models I heard, at least.
I just found a couple of cloned audio note speaker youtube videos by chance and I thought it looked interesting. As did the thousands in potential savings.
Unfortunately, I can’t put it together myself, due to my physical limitations, but it would be nice to be involved in the project.
Thank you.
Audio Note speakers have a characteristic sound which follows from the use of a large fairly efficient midwoofer with a resonant light cone and a tweeter on a flat wide baffle. It was a fairly common configuration for speakers in the lower end of hi-fi speaker ranges 50 years ago but improvements in the technical performance of drivers and more emphasis on reducing size has lead to them all but disappearing from the ranges of the leading manufacturers. Today this configuration is mainly found among retro audiophile companies (or audiophile companies with retro/classic lines) like Audio Note, Harbeth, Spendor and one or two others.
Audio Note speakers were originally Snell designs from the early 80s. I believe Snell moved to more modern speaker designs and Audio Note acquired rights to the old designs or something roughly like that. Anyone? So one option to keep the price down might be to find and refurbish an old equivalent Snell design.
If you want to DIY then there are few suitable 8-10" midwoofers around these days. The SEAS A26 has a controlled resonant region but isn't particularly efficient and it's price has risen out of the budget range it was in a few years ago. Pro midwoofers are likely to be more efficient but whether they control the resonances well enough for home use would require investigation. Harbeth/Spendor/AudioNote midwoofers may be a better option but they are not available to DIYers and so will be more difficult to obtain.
Tweeters are much less of a problem although the more suitable larger ones may be a bit more expensive.
There are a few modern DIY designs around but they tend to be expensive with some including poor technical design. Expensive components in a budget configuration will have limited appeal but it does appeal to a few. Here is an example you could purchase and pass to a cabinet maker to construct but this is likely to be close to the cost of a commercial equivalent. Here is a popular DIY thread on a similar clone.
Audio Note speakers were originally Snell designs from the early 80s. I believe Snell moved to more modern speaker designs and Audio Note acquired rights to the old designs or something roughly like that. Anyone? So one option to keep the price down might be to find and refurbish an old equivalent Snell design.
If you want to DIY then there are few suitable 8-10" midwoofers around these days. The SEAS A26 has a controlled resonant region but isn't particularly efficient and it's price has risen out of the budget range it was in a few years ago. Pro midwoofers are likely to be more efficient but whether they control the resonances well enough for home use would require investigation. Harbeth/Spendor/AudioNote midwoofers may be a better option but they are not available to DIYers and so will be more difficult to obtain.
Tweeters are much less of a problem although the more suitable larger ones may be a bit more expensive.
There are a few modern DIY designs around but they tend to be expensive with some including poor technical design. Expensive components in a budget configuration will have limited appeal but it does appeal to a few. Here is an example you could purchase and pass to a cabinet maker to construct but this is likely to be close to the cost of a commercial equivalent. Here is a popular DIY thread on a similar clone.
It's bascly a medium size paper cone midwoofer crossed to a small tweeter. The A26RE4 is often chosen because the original speakers (the Dynaco A25 and many variations) had it's ancestor, the Seas A25. The tweeter of that original design was the Seas H087, a big softdome tweeter that can be crossed fairly low (i believe with the A25 it was arround 1500Hz). The originals (Dynaco and Snell, that build further on the Dynaco design) had not a normal ported design but aperiodic (Dynaco) or resistive vent (Snell). Audio Note makes a bad copy from that concept, but uses normal reflexes that are bigger to go low.
Today i would use different drivers for that kind of box (if you want to do it right). The Faital 10FE330 looks like a better replacement for that A26RE4 driver (or the original), and the SB26ADC a better tweeter than what most use (The Morel CAT378 or Seas TC35). Put it on a wide frontbaffle cabinet, and tune it to your wishes with a simple reflex and use a simple but right crossover (without trying to damp every ripple) and you have a better variaion of that type of speaker than anybody now make (including Audio Note or Devrore) I think.
If you want to stay close, Use the drivers from the Seas A26 kit, they are close to what original was used, but make the cabinet more like Audio Note, a big large classic reflex with the ports on the back. Seas was both for Snell and Dynaco the OEM builder largely, altough in early days Philips also made OEM drivers for Snell.
Getting the Audio Note drivers is almost impossible (without buying one of their speakers), and they are not that special (OEM build by Seas if i'm right). There are also no published specs of them at all.
Today i would use different drivers for that kind of box (if you want to do it right). The Faital 10FE330 looks like a better replacement for that A26RE4 driver (or the original), and the SB26ADC a better tweeter than what most use (The Morel CAT378 or Seas TC35). Put it on a wide frontbaffle cabinet, and tune it to your wishes with a simple reflex and use a simple but right crossover (without trying to damp every ripple) and you have a better variaion of that type of speaker than anybody now make (including Audio Note or Devrore) I think.
If you want to stay close, Use the drivers from the Seas A26 kit, they are close to what original was used, but make the cabinet more like Audio Note, a big large classic reflex with the ports on the back. Seas was both for Snell and Dynaco the OEM builder largely, altough in early days Philips also made OEM drivers for Snell.
Getting the Audio Note drivers is almost impossible (without buying one of their speakers), and they are not that special (OEM build by Seas if i'm right). There are also no published specs of them at all.
You guys are a wealth of knowledge. So firstly, thank you very much for all of your input.
Mr. Waxx, I have a few questions, if that’s alright.
"The Faital 10FE330 looks like a better replacement for that A26RE4 driver (or the original), and the SB26ADC a better tweeter than what most use (The Morel CAT378 or Seas TC35).”
What makes this Faital “better,” in your opinion. Could you tell me the qualities that you think make it better sonically? Or do you just mean better build quality, materials, measured response, etc.?
I really enjoy the sound of Audio Note speakers. Some are just average. But I know someone with the higher end ones, I think they’re the an-e spe he signature or the spx signature. They sound really great. The kind of speakers one can listen to all day long. Which is what I’m seeking. I think that has largely to do with the external crossovers, but I’m told that although the cabinets appear identical on the exteriors all the way up the line, that their internals are varied and tuned differently according to the drivers, etc.
I say all that to say that I actually want that audio note sound. But I’m open to suggestions. What do you think of the drivers I mentioned?
Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A.
Any thoughts on field coils for this build?
Andy 19191:
So one option to keep the price down might be to find and refurbish an old equivalent Snell design.
Yes. I like the sound of the old Snells and recently purchased a pair to explore that option.
Tweeters are much less of a problem although the more suitable larger ones may be a bit more expensive.
Any recommendations?
What do you think of the drivers I mentioned?
Any recommendations on cabinet makers?
Thank you very much for taking the time to share and to provide these links. This is very helpful, indeed.
Mr. Waxx, I have a few questions, if that’s alright.
"The Faital 10FE330 looks like a better replacement for that A26RE4 driver (or the original), and the SB26ADC a better tweeter than what most use (The Morel CAT378 or Seas TC35).”
What makes this Faital “better,” in your opinion. Could you tell me the qualities that you think make it better sonically? Or do you just mean better build quality, materials, measured response, etc.?
I really enjoy the sound of Audio Note speakers. Some are just average. But I know someone with the higher end ones, I think they’re the an-e spe he signature or the spx signature. They sound really great. The kind of speakers one can listen to all day long. Which is what I’m seeking. I think that has largely to do with the external crossovers, but I’m told that although the cabinets appear identical on the exteriors all the way up the line, that their internals are varied and tuned differently according to the drivers, etc.
I say all that to say that I actually want that audio note sound. But I’m open to suggestions. What do you think of the drivers I mentioned?
Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A.
Any thoughts on field coils for this build?
Andy 19191:
So one option to keep the price down might be to find and refurbish an old equivalent Snell design.
Yes. I like the sound of the old Snells and recently purchased a pair to explore that option.
Tweeters are much less of a problem although the more suitable larger ones may be a bit more expensive.
Any recommendations?
What do you think of the drivers I mentioned?
Any recommendations on cabinet makers?
Thank you very much for taking the time to share and to provide these links. This is very helpful, indeed.
I don't know if they still sell them, but a few years ago, I build a pair and bought the drivers (woofer and tweeter) from hifi collective UK. Not saying you should, but it was no problem getting the drivers
That of Hifi Collective UK i don't know, it could be.
The A26RE4 is a woofer made the old style, with very limited xmax and not a good dispertion above 500Hz. It's still ok sounding today because back in the days when this driver in original form (Seas A25) was made (late 60's) this was absolute top of the line. It's used in many speakers, not only Snell and Dynaco used it in some of their builds. There are also other format variations (i have a pair of the A21 8" variation in storage) of that driver with the same kind of cone, frame and magnet).
But tech moved on, and the original designers of this speaker also, some of them were the founders of Scanspeak, some stayed with Seas and others went other ways.
The A26RE4 is developped to be very close to that original now legendaric driver. But better drivers were developped also. The researcg did not stop in the 1960's...
The Faital is better because the dispertion is better, the xmax is larger (so it can go louder low) and altough the Fs is higher, in reality you can tune this box way lower than Audio Note does (and did in the past). The frequency response is also way less resonant in the passband that you will use. The disadvantage is that you won't get away with no filter on the woofer like in the original Dynaco's., you will have to use a filter on both drivers (what is better anyway for a smooth transition) if you use the faital (or most other alternatives). Audio Note does use filters on their woofers (and always had).
But it's not the only one who does that, you could also use other more modern midbass drivers that are high efficient enough (above 87dB) and large (8" minimum) and good enough to cross arround 1500 a 2000Hz. Something like the SB Satori WO24P could also fit perfect and would also be better i think. Idem with tweeters, you can find a lot of good tweeters that can fit the project, including those i mention. Don't think you need those audio note drivers to build such a speaker, and certainly don't pay to much for them if you do get them. There is a lot of wowo arround that brand, but technically they are not that special, it's mainly hype the sells their gear for way to much money. Then better get the A26RE4 driver (which is also not cheap).
The A26RE4 is a woofer made the old style, with very limited xmax and not a good dispertion above 500Hz. It's still ok sounding today because back in the days when this driver in original form (Seas A25) was made (late 60's) this was absolute top of the line. It's used in many speakers, not only Snell and Dynaco used it in some of their builds. There are also other format variations (i have a pair of the A21 8" variation in storage) of that driver with the same kind of cone, frame and magnet).
But tech moved on, and the original designers of this speaker also, some of them were the founders of Scanspeak, some stayed with Seas and others went other ways.
The A26RE4 is developped to be very close to that original now legendaric driver. But better drivers were developped also. The researcg did not stop in the 1960's...
The Faital is better because the dispertion is better, the xmax is larger (so it can go louder low) and altough the Fs is higher, in reality you can tune this box way lower than Audio Note does (and did in the past). The frequency response is also way less resonant in the passband that you will use. The disadvantage is that you won't get away with no filter on the woofer like in the original Dynaco's., you will have to use a filter on both drivers (what is better anyway for a smooth transition) if you use the faital (or most other alternatives). Audio Note does use filters on their woofers (and always had).
But it's not the only one who does that, you could also use other more modern midbass drivers that are high efficient enough (above 87dB) and large (8" minimum) and good enough to cross arround 1500 a 2000Hz. Something like the SB Satori WO24P could also fit perfect and would also be better i think. Idem with tweeters, you can find a lot of good tweeters that can fit the project, including those i mention. Don't think you need those audio note drivers to build such a speaker, and certainly don't pay to much for them if you do get them. There is a lot of wowo arround that brand, but technically they are not that special, it's mainly hype the sells their gear for way to much money. Then better get the A26RE4 driver (which is also not cheap).
I would probably also get a different unit if i was building something like this now, but if you're set on the original units:
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/kits/audionote/spkr-woofers.html
https://www.hificollective.co.uk/kits/audionote/spkr-woofers.html
I just finally saw the quote button. Thank you, again, for your response.
Do you know of anyone who might be interested in the build?
Or designing the external crossover?
Any thoughts on or experience with the other drivers I mentioned?
High efficiency and field coil are the direction I’d like to go in.
Any thoughts on these? Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A.
Cool Jazz:
Thank you very much. May I ask why you’d choose different drivers now? And what you might choose? Any thoughts on these:
Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A?
Thank you very much. May I ask why you’d choose different drivers now? And what you might choose? Any thoughts on these:
Supravox 215-2000EXC and the Eminence Beta-8A?
Just because you can get better for less. The brand name adds to the cost a lot i think. Not bad drivers. I have no idea what i would choose now, haven't looked at these kinds of drivers for s long time
Cool Jazz:
Thank you very much for your input. It is greatly appreciated. Were you satisfied with your build of the An-e speakers?
Thank you very much for your input. It is greatly appreciated. Were you satisfied with your build of the An-e speakers?
Hi,
I'm still a big fan of AN speakers although I do not listen one of them. I went through the line starting with "K", "J", and a first serial "E/L", which I was using for nearly 20 years. Then I bought a "E/SPe Hemp HE" which was slightly better then the old E. A couple of years ago the Field Coil madness has caught me and I made a bet on (without previous experiencies and the chance to hear one, only based on countless net opinions) Supravox speakers, actually 215EXC and 400EXC. I'm quite sure that the AN midwoofer can not be replaced by the 215EXC because they are very different. The AN speaker is a very low FS, high Xmax, low damping speaker, the Supravox has much higher Fs, lower Xmax and extremely sensitive, much louder than the AN. Even though their sizes are quite close, they are very different genre speakers. The Supravox can reach much higher frequencies but cannot go as low as the AN, that is the price for the very high efficiency and high frequency capability. If you choose the 215EXC, you will need something for the lowest octave but in the range of the french speaker you will gain a more realistic, more precise, holographic sound picture.
Have I mentioned that I sold the ANs after the first had heard the field coils?
Hello BarG01. Thank you for your input. I don’t know why the quote button is not available to me on all of the postings, so I will just copy and paste.
"A couple of years ago the Field Coil madness has caught me and I made a bet on (without previous experiencies and the chance to hear one, only based on countless net opinions) Supravox speakers, actually 215EXC and 400EXC."
I’ve also loved the sound of well-designed field coil drivers from the first time I’ve heard them, which would be about 15 - 20 years ago.
I always said it was the sound I enjoyed the most, along with Western Electric horns, and that one day I’d get around to having them in my setup.
I don’t have the room for large horns in my current space. So the field coils were something I wanted to try. I figured since Audio note already puts field coil drivers into their cabinet with the same dimensions, albeit different bracing, that perhaps I could find drivers to put in, without running into too much difficulty.
Is there any way to make this work? What do you currently have? Would you mind sharing? Thank you.
"A couple of years ago the Field Coil madness has caught me and I made a bet on (without previous experiencies and the chance to hear one, only based on countless net opinions) Supravox speakers, actually 215EXC and 400EXC."
I’ve also loved the sound of well-designed field coil drivers from the first time I’ve heard them, which would be about 15 - 20 years ago.
I always said it was the sound I enjoyed the most, along with Western Electric horns, and that one day I’d get around to having them in my setup.
I don’t have the room for large horns in my current space. So the field coils were something I wanted to try. I figured since Audio note already puts field coil drivers into their cabinet with the same dimensions, albeit different bracing, that perhaps I could find drivers to put in, without running into too much difficulty.
Is there any way to make this work? What do you currently have? Would you mind sharing? Thank you.
I would choose the Faital, and a tweeter you like. The SB26ADC is good, but you may like other tweeters also. It could be any tweeter, but if you want to stay close to AN, they use OEM variations of smaller Seas tweeters (mainly older models). The 27TDFC will probally also be a good. If not the faital, probally the SB WO24P is the other choice i have in mind (without searching really). Driver who can do this are not that much made anymore, as they are out of fashion.
I myself would not build this kind of cabinet, i will use the Faital in a build with a compression driver (Faital HF108) and a horn (18Sound XT1086) in the near future, but that is a whole different kind of speaker, one type i like a lot more these days. The original Dynaco A25 and the Snell speakers that AN tries to recreate are something special altough,
I have no time for doing this for you, i have enough project in the pipeline to keep me busy for years probally. And i live far from you near Tournai (Doornik), in Belgium. Utrecht is very far for me.
I myself would not build this kind of cabinet, i will use the Faital in a build with a compression driver (Faital HF108) and a horn (18Sound XT1086) in the near future, but that is a whole different kind of speaker, one type i like a lot more these days. The original Dynaco A25 and the Snell speakers that AN tries to recreate are something special altough,
I have no time for doing this for you, i have enough project in the pipeline to keep me busy for years probally. And i live far from you near Tournai (Doornik), in Belgium. Utrecht is very far for me.
What condition are they in? How close do you find them to the desired Audio Note sound?
The choice of suitable midwoofer and tweeter are not independent but depend on each other as well as the desired spec for the speaker. The spec will involve considering corner/wall positioning, valve/solid state, available amplifier power, required SPL and bass extension, listening distance, room size,... in order to determine efficiency, bass extension,... and, for a serious attempt, what features of the sound radiation pattern and, perhaps, resonances are attractive in the sound. Do you want the midwoofer to roll-off gently at high frequencies with the tweeter rolling off gently at low frequencies in the manner of many retro designs or to have steeper slopes like more modern speaker designs? Etc...
It is a budget speaker configuration which means the technical performance achievable is limited. For many, including myself, this means it only make sense to spend a modest amount on such speakers. However, almost all current examples are expensive "audiophile" designs which add value for a few with audiophile marketing stories such as the magic of expensive retro components and the like. Now there is nothing wrong with adding value in this way, it's a hobby so go for what you like and want, but it does make communication rather difficult between those with a technical outlook and those with a more "subjective" audiophile outlook.
In the past I have pondered a design with a cheap 10" 90+dB midwoofer and a largish cheapish tweeter in a largish cabinet to see how one might put together a reasonably successful design along the lines of what used to be done when I was young. I never got far enough into the design to start looking for a pair of drivers to match the design spec though. So no specific recommendations only general ones.
If it was my project I would use one of the handful of local ones in my town. Speaker cabinets are straightforward for cabinet makers which is why they can be successfully tackled by DIYers with DIY tools in their garages.
I’m pretty sure i have the plans… and i have a set (of not quite) correct boxes. They are OK but not great.
A26 was suggested… a good choice for this, the 70 litre sealed box should be just about right. Link to planset in the post below:
dave
A26 was suggested… a good choice for this, the 70 litre sealed box should be just about right. Link to planset in the post below:
dave
They’re in excellent condition. Not close to the desired audio note sound. The sound quality from the regular an-e speakers to the Spe He signature or SPX he signature was a major jump. That is the sound I am after. But then I figured, why not go after the field coil option for this cabinet design, since that is what I wanted anyway, and they also have a field coil option as their highest end speaker.
Yes. Agreed. I will be placing the speakers in the corners of the room. But I know little about the technical aspects of speaker design. I only know what I like. You ask very good questions. I don’t know enough about the technical aspects of speaker design to even know if I’m answering your questions correctly. I know that I have always preferred the sound of classic speakers like old Altec models. I think that I prefer a more gentle rolling off, but I am not sure if the Spx or spe signature does this.
Most speakers today are too bass heavy for my taste. I don’t like subwoofers. I don’t need to feel the bass in my chest, as people talk about. I don’t care about any of that. I just like a clean, tight sound, that is non-fatiguing, smooth, refined, balanced and detailed. I want a sound that I can listen to all day long. 24/7.
I agree. Unfortunately, I don’t know all of the technical aspects that factor into whether or not I like a speaker or not. I only know that I don’t care for many speakers considered high-end. I’ve heard them and they sound ok. They just don’t do it for me. I have always liked to listen at low volumes. I’ve measured and most of my listening does not go over 55db. For critical listening sessions, I might turn it up to the mid 70s db levels. But mostly I really enjoy listening at low volumes. I want a speaker that can retain its detail and character at lower volumes. I always found that higher sensitivity designs, older designs like Western Electric horns were suited to my taste. I don’t know why that is. It’s just a more present and realistic presentation, while being effortless and easy to listen to, while still retaining serious detail, as opposed to some other older models or retro which sound great and are non-fatiguing, but leave me wanting for more detail, especially in the highs. I noticed the audio note speakers a few years back, but I thought they were grossly overpriced. And then I heard the spx and I think the spe he and I knew that was a sound that I liked. Here is a link.
I just found this video a few minutes ago while searching for a different video. I don’t know what they’re doing in the design to make it sound this way. But I know that this is the sound I heard in person and this is a sound that I like. If you put on headphones and listen, perhaps you could describe what’s happening and how to achieve that sound.
When I was researching a few different speakers on google, this diy audio site kept popping up. So, despite my physical limitations, I thought I’d come on here and see if I could first figure out a design, and then find someone who could put it together.
Thank you. I’m in NYC. I’ve googled and called around and haven’t found a place yet. But perhaps I’m calling the wrong types of places.
To achieve Audio Note like sound should not present a problem to any competent designer, the
kind you can listen to "all day long".
Here is a link of a similar product:
https://www.stereophile.com/content...re-loudspeaker-audio-note-espe-he-august-2008
kind you can listen to "all day long".
Here is a link of a similar product:
https://www.stereophile.com/content...re-loudspeaker-audio-note-espe-he-august-2008