Hello everyone!
In 1999 I discovered the Ariel speakers so that in 2000 I bought the speakers to make them. Then I realized that I had neither the skills nor the tools to build them. So I stored my speakers for a better day.
In 2020, I lost my job. And since we were in the middle of a pandemic (and here in France we were confined) I thought that my chances of finding a job quickly were handicapped by a number of important factors (the first being my age). So instead of wasting my time looking for a job I couldn't find, I decided to go back to school. I am now a proud cabinetmaker.
A few days ago my 14 year old son decided that there was no other way to listen to music than on vinyl. So he spent some of his savings on a turntable which is pretty good quality if I am to believe what I have read about it.
So I have a son who needs quality speakers, speakers in perfect condition still in their packaging, the skills and tools (including access to a 5-axis). It's time to build the Ariels!
I'm going to build the 6c version. I reproduced the plans in FreeCAD to make them a bit more to my liking (and especially to the thickness of the French plywood). I have two questions:
1- in the plans it says "1/2 cedar". Is it really solid wood? And which cedar is it? Red cedar?
2- After finishing the plans, it was obvious that my revelator could not fit in the space provided. I then realized that I did not have D2905/950000 but D2905/990000. What is the impact on the speakers ? And in particular on the filter ?
Thanks
In 1999 I discovered the Ariel speakers so that in 2000 I bought the speakers to make them. Then I realized that I had neither the skills nor the tools to build them. So I stored my speakers for a better day.
In 2020, I lost my job. And since we were in the middle of a pandemic (and here in France we were confined) I thought that my chances of finding a job quickly were handicapped by a number of important factors (the first being my age). So instead of wasting my time looking for a job I couldn't find, I decided to go back to school. I am now a proud cabinetmaker.
A few days ago my 14 year old son decided that there was no other way to listen to music than on vinyl. So he spent some of his savings on a turntable which is pretty good quality if I am to believe what I have read about it.
So I have a son who needs quality speakers, speakers in perfect condition still in their packaging, the skills and tools (including access to a 5-axis). It's time to build the Ariels!
I'm going to build the 6c version. I reproduced the plans in FreeCAD to make them a bit more to my liking (and especially to the thickness of the French plywood). I have two questions:
1- in the plans it says "1/2 cedar". Is it really solid wood? And which cedar is it? Red cedar?
2- After finishing the plans, it was obvious that my revelator could not fit in the space provided. I then realized that I did not have D2905/950000 but D2905/990000. What is the impact on the speakers ? And in particular on the filter ?
Thanks
Do you have those original VIFA midranges? Isn't surround stiff after all those years?
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The speakers were stored in good condition. I'm obviously not a speaker specialist, but it looks pretty flexible to me; in fact, they seem to have been made yesterday.
Looking at the SPL and impedance frequency response graphs available from the manufacturer or Madisound.com, the two drivers you mentioned are so close that either should work fine without any change to the crossover. One of the drivers has a slightly smoother mid-band response, but that's nothing you would fix with the crossover. I would expect that the Vifa midrange should have been better preserved in the box than they would have been if you had built the speakers when you originally bought the parts. As these will be run with a high-pass filter in your build, the effects of age on the driver free air resonance will not matter. Build it. Don't worry about it. Enjoy. Personally I would use a high quality hardwood plywood myself, but it doesn't really matter.
1/2 is certainly half an inch. The red Cedar is good because imo it has good losses, look at Young modulus. In France it is not easily avialable. A good eucalyptus/peuplier ply will be good with quite ideal numbers. Look at Dispano, they have a nice looking one. Well you know here we are too much old for DRH since 40 to 45 years old, only our Resident à l Elysée ne l'a pas compris.
Welcome on board.
Welcome on board.
Could someone tell me what the red electronic components are on the Vifa filter diagram?
http://www.nutshellhifi.com/Arieltxt2.html#top
http://www.nutshellhifi.com/Arieltxt2.html#top
It may seem an unusual choice (and i never ran into it in any of the Ariel stuff i have read), but the Westren Red Cedar we find around these parts (and where Lynn lived when he did these) turns out to be a very good sounding speaker building material/ Downside is that it is hard to finish in a way that keeps them from easilty getting dinged.
dave
I worked with both the 9900 and the 9500 tweeters. I haven't looked at the datasheets recently, so can't comment how similar the specs are from the top of my head. However I can tell you that the 9500 and the 9900 are very different beasts that will require different xover filters to sound right. I would definitely not recommend to exchange one for the other without redoing the xover. I would advise you to get the right tweeters for your Ariels.
It is explained in the text here: "All that's left is the impedance correction (conjugate) network at the input of the crossover. This isn't audible per se, but some power amps don't like reactive speakers. Without the impedance-correcting network, the impedance rises to about 30 ohms around 2kHz (due to the wide frequency separation between the low and high-pass filters). With the network in place, the impedance rise is limited to 8 ohms. The impedance curve stays between 3.5 ohms and 8 ohms from 10Hz to 100kHz, a simple load for nearly any amplifier. The average value in the 200Hz to 800Hz range is 4.5 ohms, so if you have a tube amp, connect the Ariel to the 4 ohm tap."
It was designed for tube amp, low df. If you plan on using solid state amp with decent df, you do not need those.
You say that in a way that implies that a highish Rout is a bad thing.
But yes, if the Rout of your ampkifier is high the impedance correction may well be best removed.
dave
But yes, if the Rout of your ampkifier is high the impedance correction may well be best removed.
dave
It is a good introduction.
I like the idea of a 20 year project finally coming to life.
My Father had a huge vinyl collection.
As a child and teen,
Those were the best times ever.
Discovering new music and spend time with Dad.
Should be a great experience.
I like the idea of a 20 year project finally coming to life.
My Father had a huge vinyl collection.
As a child and teen,
Those were the best times ever.
Discovering new music and spend time with Dad.
Should be a great experience.
Another one... 0.3mH coils are not available for sale. What is better to take ? 0,27 or 0,33 ?
I guess the good answer is to test both and select the good one 🙂
But they are pretty expensive...
I guess the good answer is to test both and select the good one 🙂
But they are pretty expensive...
