This is only a preview.
My sister wanted a pair of new speakers. Have to be small, bookshelf, but enough SPL for small room (20 sq m). After some searching and consideration, I settled for a 6.5 litre bass reflex with the Alpair 6.
The pipe is 36mm ID and 103mm long (excluding the bellmouth). The form and construction is well known. No BSC, but a 4ohm 10W metal film in series, for now. Outside dimensions approximately 200mm x 276mm x 305mm. Walls lined with single layer of sonofil.
Here is the prototype unfinished (still need to sand and spray).
Absolutely gorgious thing (and not only the look). Thanks to MarkAudio for a great product. We are going to build 10 pairs of these.
We'll publish open-air measurement when we get a weekend without rain and with free time.
Patrick
My sister wanted a pair of new speakers. Have to be small, bookshelf, but enough SPL for small room (20 sq m). After some searching and consideration, I settled for a 6.5 litre bass reflex with the Alpair 6.
The pipe is 36mm ID and 103mm long (excluding the bellmouth). The form and construction is well known. No BSC, but a 4ohm 10W metal film in series, for now. Outside dimensions approximately 200mm x 276mm x 305mm. Walls lined with single layer of sonofil.
Here is the prototype unfinished (still need to sand and spray).
Absolutely gorgious thing (and not only the look). Thanks to MarkAudio for a great product. We are going to build 10 pairs of these.
We'll publish open-air measurement when we get a weekend without rain and with free time.
Patrick
Attachments
It'll take us till July, or later, to be able to posted everything, including measurements and pictures of a full finished article (with custon design stands). In the meantime, pls bear with us.
Patrick
PS One thing we shall not publish is the drawing, to avoid us getting into trouble with a certain speaker manufacturer.
😉
Patrick
PS One thing we shall not publish is the drawing, to avoid us getting into trouble with a certain speaker manufacturer.
😉
> why the resistor?
Very good question. To raise HF by some 4dB.
Partly determined from measurement (which was masked by too much room acoustics, hence the need to repeat outdoors). But we have also listened to different values from 2 to 5 ohms, and came back to 4 in the end.
Patrick
Very good question. To raise HF by some 4dB.
Partly determined from measurement (which was masked by too much room acoustics, hence the need to repeat outdoors). But we have also listened to different values from 2 to 5 ohms, and came back to 4 in the end.
Patrick
Those look really sharp!
I'm working on something similar for the Alpair 6 as well. How did you mount your driver in the curved front face?
I'm working on something similar for the Alpair 6 as well. How did you mount your driver in the curved front face?
For German DIY fans :
There is an article reviewing a dozen of full range speakers in the latest issue of Hobby HiFi, where all 3 Alpair's were tested and higly regarded :
http://www.hobbyhifi.de/Aktuell/Aktuelle_Ausgabe/aktuelle_ausgabe.html
Patrick
There is an article reviewing a dozen of full range speakers in the latest issue of Hobby HiFi, where all 3 Alpair's were tested and higly regarded :
http://www.hobbyhifi.de/Aktuell/Aktuelle_Ausgabe/aktuelle_ausgabe.html
Patrick
Euvl,
Can you loosely translate results?
The alpair 5 has 100mm frame, 27.5cm2, and 1.6g cone.
The round alpair 6 has 114mm frame, 38cm2, and 2.93 g cone.
The rect alpair 6 has 92mm frame, 38cm2, and 2.93g cone.
I'd be interested in multiple alpair 5's..............
Norman
Can you loosely translate results?
The alpair 5 has 100mm frame, 27.5cm2, and 1.6g cone.
The round alpair 6 has 114mm frame, 38cm2, and 2.93 g cone.
The rect alpair 6 has 92mm frame, 38cm2, and 2.93g cone.
I'd be interested in multiple alpair 5's..............
Norman
I have only experience with the 6, not the 5 & the 10. So difficult to comment on differences. Perhaps Henkjan can.
As to results, we are still hoping to publish measurements soon.
We found that our microphone is not well calibrated, and ordered a new one. Just need time.
But we did listen for 4 hours or so. Otherwise we won't be building so many in one go.
How did they sound ? The reference at that particular session was a pair of B&W CDM1 with Mundorf Crossovers (1:1 component values, but KP caps and foil air coils). European Speaker of the Year 1997, I believe. The Alpairs had much better clarity without being bright, and I did not find the small BR lacking in bass by any means. If you absolutely need to go down to 20Hz, then a subwoofer helps. But for music listening, I'd be happy to just use them as they are, without sub. The room was 8m x 5m, acoustically well damped. And we played loud, just to look for any deficiencies.
We still hope to fine tune a bit based on measurement results. But I think we are very close to optimum.
Patrick
As to results, we are still hoping to publish measurements soon.
We found that our microphone is not well calibrated, and ordered a new one. Just need time.
But we did listen for 4 hours or so. Otherwise we won't be building so many in one go.
How did they sound ? The reference at that particular session was a pair of B&W CDM1 with Mundorf Crossovers (1:1 component values, but KP caps and foil air coils). European Speaker of the Year 1997, I believe. The Alpairs had much better clarity without being bright, and I did not find the small BR lacking in bass by any means. If you absolutely need to go down to 20Hz, then a subwoofer helps. But for music listening, I'd be happy to just use them as they are, without sub. The room was 8m x 5m, acoustically well damped. And we played loud, just to look for any deficiencies.
We still hope to fine tune a bit based on measurement results. But I think we are very close to optimum.
Patrick
The only Full Range we have built were the Brines FT1600 and a pair of mangers in open baffle. While the Brines have a somewhat fuller sound, as you would expect from a floor stander, there is just no match for clarity as well as mids and highs. The Alpairs have some magic, like the Jordan's.
The Mangers are something else. Either you love them, or you don't. And we have both in our DIY camp. Suffice to say that one of the stern supporters of Manger in our Group has ordered 8 Alpairs for his HT system. The Mangers are only for stereo then, at about 8 times the price per chassis.
But there are many here who have more experiences with Full Range chasses than we do. I think there is no shortage of comments on these nice little drivers at DIYA.
Patrick
BTW Mark (from Mark Audio) has kindly pointed out that the same housing will fit a CHR70 very well, with only minor adjustment to the pipe length necessary.
The Mangers are something else. Either you love them, or you don't. And we have both in our DIY camp. Suffice to say that one of the stern supporters of Manger in our Group has ordered 8 Alpairs for his HT system. The Mangers are only for stereo then, at about 8 times the price per chassis.
But there are many here who have more experiences with Full Range chasses than we do. I think there is no shortage of comments on these nice little drivers at DIYA.
Patrick
BTW Mark (from Mark Audio) has kindly pointed out that the same housing will fit a CHR70 very well, with only minor adjustment to the pipe length necessary.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.