Any one else on here going to have a go at building Steve Decards Tiny Radial Speakers:
DECWARE Tiny Radials
I'm fully committed to building two pairs one for me and one to give away at xmas. Performance of these tiny full range drivers with built in passive radiators is looking like a lot of fun and great for where wives and girlfriends object to big speakers.
At the moment I'm exploring all the options for materials. It's proving hard for me to get hold of any exotic timber that floats my boat but laminated (engineered) hardwood flooring looks like a good option. I will see what the answer to my question around wall thickness on the Decware forum is.
So many options with speakers this small and stylish - could even wrap them in faux leather for a steam punk look.
DECWARE Tiny Radials
I'm fully committed to building two pairs one for me and one to give away at xmas. Performance of these tiny full range drivers with built in passive radiators is looking like a lot of fun and great for where wives and girlfriends object to big speakers.
At the moment I'm exploring all the options for materials. It's proving hard for me to get hold of any exotic timber that floats my boat but laminated (engineered) hardwood flooring looks like a good option. I will see what the answer to my question around wall thickness on the Decware forum is.
So many options with speakers this small and stylish - could even wrap them in faux leather for a steam punk look.
Just waiting for a confirmation of an order for some black figured Walnut. Normally sold for guitar backs but the two halves will give me enough for two pairs of speakers. Exited to try some posh timber. Been sent a photo of a finished guitar back in the same wood with a high gloss finish.
Steve, I’ve taken a fancy to figured walnut and look forward to seeing pics of your build. What do you plan on using to fill the walnut grain? I am in the middle of building a pair of Decware DM945 clones, finished in curly walnut.
Pete
Pete
Hi Pete I want to try some Osmo Polyx it looks like the same stuff Steve Decard is using on the Tiny Radials - just a different brand that I can get hold of in NZ. It's a hardwax. Lots of videos try this one with walnut showing:
Osmo PolyX Gloss - Superb Oil Finish - YouTube
Osmo PolyX Gloss - Superb Oil Finish - YouTube
Completed Tiny Radials
I got two pairs built over Xmas. Very pleased with the sound - big sound stage and very good bass for such tiny speakers. Hooked up to the relatively cheap JLH 1969 Chinese made class A amp they sound very good and get your toes tapping.
The little Tangband drivers are strange little fellows - onepiece sealed units combining driver and rubberised diaphragm the acts as a passive radiator to boost the bass. No crossover or baffle step correction just a straight connection to some parts express nickel plated binding posts.
I had a lot of stainless cap head screws and standoffs lying around so I bought M3 brass thread serts to secure the drivers and base. I modified some Nylon Standoffs to produce the spacers for the focusing lense these glue to the speaker surround using Araldite (epoxy).
Walnut supplied to me was about 10mm thick and I used a lock mitre tool on a router table to do the corner joints - first time trying that. A little patch up was needed with glue and sawdust on a couple of corners but you'd only notice if I pointed it out.
Osmo Poly Oil hard wax has given the Walnut a very interesting satin finish that's changing as it sinks deeper into the wood or is drying out slowly to show more wood grain. Initially it was very dark but it now has "highlights" for want of a better word. Definitely recommended as a wood finish - easy enough to apply and very little odour.
I got two pairs built over Xmas. Very pleased with the sound - big sound stage and very good bass for such tiny speakers. Hooked up to the relatively cheap JLH 1969 Chinese made class A amp they sound very good and get your toes tapping.
The little Tangband drivers are strange little fellows - onepiece sealed units combining driver and rubberised diaphragm the acts as a passive radiator to boost the bass. No crossover or baffle step correction just a straight connection to some parts express nickel plated binding posts.
I had a lot of stainless cap head screws and standoffs lying around so I bought M3 brass thread serts to secure the drivers and base. I modified some Nylon Standoffs to produce the spacers for the focusing lense these glue to the speaker surround using Araldite (epoxy).
Walnut supplied to me was about 10mm thick and I used a lock mitre tool on a router table to do the corner joints - first time trying that. A little patch up was needed with glue and sawdust on a couple of corners but you'd only notice if I pointed it out.
Osmo Poly Oil hard wax has given the Walnut a very interesting satin finish that's changing as it sinks deeper into the wood or is drying out slowly to show more wood grain. Initially it was very dark but it now has "highlights" for want of a better word. Definitely recommended as a wood finish - easy enough to apply and very little odour.
These ones where specified by Steve Decard in his plans. I bought them from parts express but be prepared for a wait as they are proving popular.
Tang Band T2-2136SA 2" Full Range Speaker Module 2-3/4" x 2-3/4"
Tang Band T2-2136SA Full Range Speaker Module 2-3/4" x 2-3/4"
I can't help wandering if you couldn't scale the design up to use a bigger full range driver and separate passive radiator to the same effect. If you went much bigger with the driver you'd lose the benefit of it's small size - lack of inertia resulting in speed and detail.
Tang Band T2-2136SA 2" Full Range Speaker Module 2-3/4" x 2-3/4"
Tang Band T2-2136SA Full Range Speaker Module 2-3/4" x 2-3/4"
I can't help wandering if you couldn't scale the design up to use a bigger full range driver and separate passive radiator to the same effect. If you went much bigger with the driver you'd lose the benefit of it's small size - lack of inertia resulting in speed and detail.
There so many FR speakers to pick from, incl those from MarkAudio and some other models from Tangband. I have a few FR(3-4") in the garage that I can use, I have been thinking about building this type of speakers, except the stumbling block is building the cabinet, takes too much time. Thanks for your info.
Yes it can be rebuilt to a bigger model sounded terrific. I built something similar more like the LinKwitz OB baffle eg LXSirius, see link below:
LXsirius | LINKWITZ
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What's the idea behind the reflector?
Seems quite ineffective. Sends most of the treble towards the ceiling.
Seems quite ineffective. Sends most of the treble towards the ceiling.
It's a radial speaker, each speaker sends the sound waves out and up and bass notes out the bottom. The "Focus lens" aids that. The designer Steve Decard has played with stacking up to three lenses to vary the effect. You can buy these in a variety of woods from Decware or just buy a set of plans - links to build videos, testing and experimentation here:
Forums - Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Forums - Steve's TINY RADIAL project!
Seems an unfinished idea.
If three of those things on top of each other improves the sound that much, and it comes as a surprise and isn’t standard in the plan or kits, I’d say this thing is still soundly at the experimental state.
I’d say you probably don’t need the bevel “horn” shape on the square at all. I don’t see how it would contribute much with basically no compression.
A stack of discs, perhaps of increasingly smaller diameter and/or with increasingly smaller middle hole would be interesting to experiment with.
You’d stop sending any highs to the ceiling.
Among other things you’d be able to shape the vertical radiation to an extent by shaping the stack.
It would work like the slat lenses of old.
If three of those things on top of each other improves the sound that much, and it comes as a surprise and isn’t standard in the plan or kits, I’d say this thing is still soundly at the experimental state.
I’d say you probably don’t need the bevel “horn” shape on the square at all. I don’t see how it would contribute much with basically no compression.
A stack of discs, perhaps of increasingly smaller diameter and/or with increasingly smaller middle hole would be interesting to experiment with.
You’d stop sending any highs to the ceiling.
Among other things you’d be able to shape the vertical radiation to an extent by shaping the stack.
It would work like the slat lenses of old.
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Steve, difficult to tell from the pics, but no doubt that walnut looks wonderful. If you are enjoying the sound from those little guys then you have a winner. ...Time well spent building them!
