Hi, I'm about to start a new project useing Fostex FE87E or 107's to set as a PC loudspeaker, combined with a T amp. I'm looking for a compact design, like some cubes I've seen googleing... not much info... well, yes there is but in chinese or japanese or other asian language wich I don't understand. Apart from the recomended enclosure at Fostex site (6 litre bass reflex box) do you know of any other with 4 or 5 litre? Any recomendations or experiences are wellcome.
many thanks in advance to all🙂
cheers
many thanks in advance to all🙂
cheers
this family :
Meet the Fonkens
has worked particularly well with FE127E : i.e "m" for "milli" (4.5L)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
FE103E (no pictures at the moment) fits same sized enclosure, so I can't see why the FE107E wouldn't also
and the most excellent and already very missed FF85K : "u" for "micro" (2liters)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
this one is a particularly crazy good little nearfield PC monitor - iTunes equalizer can probably approximate close enough to BSC if deemed necessary.
detailed plans at first link
there is also Tony Gee's Solo103:
Humble Homemade Hifi
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
all above are fairly easy builds and sure don't use a lot of material
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Hi thanks for the reply. I've seen the fonkens, the mini looks great, but i would like it bit smaller (not as small as the microfonken for ff85k ). I mean, I would choose the fostex FE127E but in a smaller box.
Does the FE87E fit in the microfonken box?
Well, I heven't heard any of these small fostex's. My only refernce is a FE207E, wich I sold, but I wouldn't mind having them again. The sound was very very very nice and warm for me. May be not as punchie as my actual Scan Speaks, but very nice. that's why I'm looking through fostex's. The best thing would be to have them both FE207E and actual SS, but I can only stay with small fostex's.
This kit at Lautsprechershop is more like what I'm looking for. A compact cube speaker, but may be not with Tang Bands (or perhaps yes). I don't know if you have seen this one or hared any thing like it:
Cheap trick ct218 Klang ton 5/05
Does the FE87E fit in the microfonken box?
Well, I heven't heard any of these small fostex's. My only refernce is a FE207E, wich I sold, but I wouldn't mind having them again. The sound was very very very nice and warm for me. May be not as punchie as my actual Scan Speaks, but very nice. that's why I'm looking through fostex's. The best thing would be to have them both FE207E and actual SS, but I can only stay with small fostex's.
This kit at Lautsprechershop is more like what I'm looking for. A compact cube speaker, but may be not with Tang Bands (or perhaps yes). I don't know if you have seen this one or hared any thing like it:
Cheap trick ct218 Klang ton 5/05
Attachments
well, to be anal about it, we're calling the "mid-sized" box design (which with minor adjustments to vent tuning details has proven to work well with several of the Mark Audio drivers as well) the "milli"
I'm fairly sure that there was at least one pair with FE103E installed, and certainly there'd be no issue with the FE87 fitting in the "micro", (possibly requiring adjustment to port dimensions) but I'd doubt it would approach the FF85K in overall performance
Greg Bianchini at Gregg's Karlson speaker forum scaled the 8K - I'll probably have "K4" with FR88ex as a toy then evaluate
"These are both scaled from the 1960's type 2 K8". (50% and 62.5% respectively)
full size here: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_74mgsXnFjZ8/TAbjpGw3alI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ZvhWz6KL3NU/K4.PNG
full size here: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_74mgsXnFjZ8/TAbjpmEIMLI/AAAAAAAAAlI/6WYX1NxIhFc/K5.PNG
"These are both scaled from the 1960's type 2 K8". (50% and 62.5% respectively)
full size here: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_74mgsXnFjZ8/TAbjpGw3alI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ZvhWz6KL3NU/K4.PNG
full size here: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_74mgsXnFjZ8/TAbjpmEIMLI/AAAAAAAAAlI/6WYX1NxIhFc/K5.PNG
Well, to follow up ( and Dave may post on this separately) to achieve the same bass performance from the FE87 as the FF85K handily delivers in the 2 liter micro, would require approx 4liters. So at the time, so unless you already had them in hand, it made more sense to spend a bit more on the FE127E and build the slightly larger milli-size.
When i was looking for drivers for uFonken, FE83 & FE87 lost out as to get the same LF extension as FF85 in 2 litre, they needed 4 litre. And if you are at 4 litre the 4.5 litre for the FE127 in mFonken is a no-brainer.
Now the issue is actually getting your hands on any of those drivers.
dave
Hi planet10, thanks.
I didn't see any 3.5 litre with FE127. where is that? the only one I have seen is at lautsprechershop.de, under the fostex fe127e picture. Literally:
recommended cabinet 1:
closed cabinet with 3,5 L volume
from 129/81 Hz (-3dB/-8dB)
It's a hard decision... the only sure thing is that I'm going to use a tripath amp TA2020 Amp6 basic from 41hz or Charlize.
Now I'm also considering the small Tang Band's W3 871S and HiVi B3s in small sealed boxes. Looking for som info and comparisons between them and compared with Fostex's, seems that fostex has a better quality (they say hi-endish) but it laks in the low freq's. May be it would be better a TB or HIVI for desktop PC use rather than Fostex...😕
I've heard fostex, but in big size (FE207E), but not the small ones.
anyway, thanks very much for your comments and help.🙂
I didn't see any 3.5 litre with FE127. where is that? the only one I have seen is at lautsprechershop.de, under the fostex fe127e picture. Literally:
recommended cabinet 1:
closed cabinet with 3,5 L volume
from 129/81 Hz (-3dB/-8dB)
It's a hard decision... the only sure thing is that I'm going to use a tripath amp TA2020 Amp6 basic from 41hz or Charlize.
Now I'm also considering the small Tang Band's W3 871S and HiVi B3s in small sealed boxes. Looking for som info and comparisons between them and compared with Fostex's, seems that fostex has a better quality (they say hi-endish) but it laks in the low freq's. May be it would be better a TB or HIVI for desktop PC use rather than Fostex...😕
I've heard fostex, but in big size (FE207E), but not the small ones.
anyway, thanks very much for your comments and help.🙂
What Dave was saying is that (now based on the big " if you can obtain any of the following"..) assessing from our builds with Fostex drivers, the FF85K is the performance champ in less than 4liters (vented), with the FE127 taking over between 4-13 liters. Indeed, the FF85K does some things in the upper midrange/top that can embarrass many far more exotic and costly mid / tweeters.
Of course if your application doesn't limit enclosure dimensions / required operating space, or budget is open ended, the choices can be overwhelming.
While the original thread topic was specific to smaller Fostex drivers, since you mentioned possible alternatives, one brand that hasn't yet been discussed at length here and that many DIYers have been very happy with are the latest offerings from Mark Audio. While lacking the sensitivity of Fostex drivers, for your intended application and available power, the CHR70 (metal cone) or EL70 (paper) would be well worth consideration.
My notoriously bad typing skills strike again. Should be 4.5 litre. All the milliSize boxes are based on that volume.
The Fostex -- any of the 3" -- are a step up from these. I need to start exploring the new FE83En since it is now the only game -- i do have a good stock on FF85, but they will all go out treated so are another notch up in price. Performance is an a whole new universe.
I am just now working on a smallish sealed box for a set of treated TB W3-871 (~2,5-3 litre), we'll see how that works out.
dave
What's the most significant difference between the new and the old? I took a quick look at the T&S parameters, and the thing that I noticed was the new Fs is quite a bit higher, and the Vas is about half. From a layman's perspective, what does that mean? Did I miss some other critical parameter? What motivated Fostex to make this change ($$$)?
It means that the driver is more controlled by its mechanical stiffness than its motor strength. Great for a horn or OB alignment and sucks for sealed, vented alignments.
Don't have a clue unless their primary market wanted a driver best suited for horn loading.
GM
Don't have a clue unless their primary market wanted a driver best suited for horn loading.
GM
Who can fathom the motives of a huge company like Foster?
If a comment from the German distrib is to be believed, the old spec was out (althou boxes i have done with 127, 167, FF85 using factory data all turned out well).... at this point i've only got data for the FE126x... only a small sample of the new driver, but based on that, the new FE126En measures pretty much the same as the old FE126e.
dave
If a comment from the German distrib is to be believed, the old spec was out (althou boxes i have done with 127, 167, FF85 using factory data all turned out well).... at this point i've only got data for the FE126x... only a small sample of the new driver, but based on that, the new FE126En measures pretty much the same as the old FE126e.
dave
So, perhaps the old specs were "wrong" and the "new" driver is mostly a bunch of corrections to the datasheet?
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It may also be the usual problems, they have to replace difficult to obtain materials from a different supply, they need to reduce production costs, they have developed a different manufacturing process, they need to rationalize their products because business is poor, or the customers who really buy big quantities demanded a change...
climate change, yeah - that's it 😱
as Dave said, who can fathom the motives or divine the flight path of international megaliths?
As i understand it, the dedicated Fostex diy driver team has been merged with another Foster division, and that the drivers are being manufactured at different plants than before.
We have seen some of the top people leave and form their own facilities (which still do work for Fostex/Foster), and we have seen some of them contributing to other companies (the trick spider on the Mark Audio Alpair7, and Alpair12 by Matsubara-san).
So things are definitely a-changing.
dave
hi,
well just to get back to the original thread...
I'm quite decided for the amp6-basic amplifier from 41Hz. So, to sum up, with this mini amp would you go for a Foste ff85K or a Tang band in small enclousre like the Klang-Ton CT's such as CT-209, CT-209 AL, CT-218, CT-222. The CT-237 is to big box although it uses better? tang Band W4-1320.
You can see them at this site: Kompaktlautsprecher - Lautsprecher Selbstbau by blue planet acoustic
Thanks again!
well just to get back to the original thread...
I'm quite decided for the amp6-basic amplifier from 41Hz. So, to sum up, with this mini amp would you go for a Foste ff85K or a Tang band in small enclousre like the Klang-Ton CT's such as CT-209, CT-209 AL, CT-218, CT-222. The CT-237 is to big box although it uses better? tang Band W4-1320.
You can see them at this site: Kompaktlautsprecher - Lautsprecher Selbstbau by blue planet acoustic
Thanks again!
Greg Bianchini at Gregg's Karlson speaker forum scaled the 8K - I'll probably have "K4" with FR88ex as a toy then evaluate
"These are both scaled from the 1960's type 2 K8". (50% and 62.5% respectively)
full size here: http://lh6.ggpht.com/_74mgsXnFjZ8/TAbjpGw3alI/AAAAAAAAAlE/ZvhWz6KL3NU/K4.PNG
full size here: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_74mgsXnFjZ8/TAbjpmEIMLI/AAAAAAAAAlI/6WYX1NxIhFc/K5.PNG
Freddi
Have any of these small Karlson's been build and are there any measurements available on frequency range (ie how far do the low and high reach)?
Thanks, AM
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