Driver Reccomendations

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Liquid Arthur

Member
2018-04-18 6:16 pm
  • #1
    Im sure you get a lot of these so I'll try to keep it short.

    Building some small sealed bookshelfs for a bigger project. Need midbass drivers 6-7 inches. I like a nice vocal and good clarity, well toned sound. Im no audiophile (obviously) but I appreciate good sound. Would like sealed bookshelfs, smaller is better. Must be 4 ohms. They will ultimately be powered by car amplifiers. Budget, I would like to keep under $200 for the pair. A smidge over would be ok. Have looked at everything from Satori to Dayton to Hivi, TB, American Bass VFL, Satori on and on. There's a pair of Scanspeaks , Discovery I think they call it, I like but they seem to slope off at 1000 pretty quick, seems a bit low. Maybe I dont understand it though. Would love some good recomendations.

    Thanks always,

    Arthur

    (so much for short)
     
    Scottmoose

    Scottmoose

    Member
    2005-03-25 10:18 am
    UK
    www.wodendesign.com
  • #3
    This is really a question for the multiway forum, so possibly the mods can move it across. However, my standard response to a question along these lines is that if you need to be asking, then you really should look at either a kit, or an existing high quality design, because your current knowledge base is not sufficient for you to get good results. That is not (and I want to emphasise this) meant to be patronising or insulting, nor am I trying to discourage you. I'd rather you succeed. That's why I'm saying it. Speaker design is a minefield, especially multiways, and if you have no design experience, you are almost certainly not going to meet with success trying to create something from scratch. There are lots of very good 6in - 7in bookshelf / standmount multiways out there, which you could finish to your preference (just don't change the dimensions & layout of the front baffle).
     
    L

    Liquid Arthur

    Member
    2018-04-18 6:16 pm
  • #7
    The big picture, I have a small collection of vintage car audio amplifiers, which I have displayed on a wall in smallish room. Being on display is great, but being functional is even better. Making this all work artistically is the only way to get the WAF I need. I'll share some pics when its closer to being done ;-) . I need some monitors for the wall, hence my building these speakers.

    A kit would work well for many reasons, however I have not found one with a 4 ohm impedance. If someone knows of one I will consider it.

    Using pre existing plans is a great idea, but when I asked about them on here before I got crickets chirping back at me. I guess I'll ask again, does anyone know where I can get some good plans for sealed TM bookshelf/standmounts? Keep in mind the 4 ohm bit. I'll also mention a friend gave me a router saw years ago and I've never used it. Would like to learn, practicing on scrap bits of course. I mean I want to get my hands a little dirty here and learn something if possible. If I just wanted bookshelf speakers Ida bought some Black Friday and be done, but where's the fun?

    I'll also mention they are to be a little bit of an homage to the car stereo world, and that's where the size / setup comes in. Essentially I am building cabs for 6.5 component sets that are so common for car audio, and would even consider using a car component set if that's what makes the most sense. (Hertz Mille? I can almost swing it)

    Ok, I will respond a little more this evening, lunch hour over.

    Thanks for the replies so far!
     
    L

    Liquid Arthur

    Member
    2018-04-18 6:16 pm
  • #9
    Andersonix said:
    Meniscus has parts for the Paul Carmody-designed Spitfire, which is 4 Ohms 'nominally,' but also ported. It uses a nice Hi-Vi woven kevlar 7 inch woofer.

    Hi-Vi L6-4R 6" Woven Kevlar Cone - 4 ohm

    I think you're shooting yourself in the foot a bit by demanding a 4 Ohm speaker....
    Click to expand...

    hmmm, perhaps. My thought is that these are car amps designed to run at 4, I put 8 I only get half power. Also it loses some of it's car-ness.

    Going to check out that Hivi...

    Edit, ah yes, that Hivi is one of the ones I've seen in my looking, seems nice, going to check out that kit too.
     
    Andersonix

    Andersonix

    Member
    Paid Member
    2004-01-04 4:23 pm
    Marin County, California
  • #10
    It's good for a newbie to latch on to some technical aspect, but impedance is a whole spectrum of numbers both real and imaginary, not "4 Ohms." I let the sound pull me along, and ended up with 4 Ohm speakers anyway!

    Try a 4-ohm variation of the Zaph ZA5 family:
    Zaph Audio ZA14W08 5" Aluminum Cone Mid/Woofer
    Note there's also a crossover adjustment (or something) for in-wall/near wall use.
     
    Last edited:
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    classicalfan

    Member
    2015-02-01 8:04 am
  • #11
    Have you taken Scottmoose's advice and thoroughly investigated kits from Meniscus Audio, Madisound, Parts Express, and DIYSoundGroup?

    It's very difficult to believe that there is not at least one kit offered among all of those sources that will meet your needs. In fact, there are likely to be quite a few. However, your budget is going to be a limitation and you may have to increase it, probably double, to get something that really sounds good.

    But you need to do the work. It's not realistic to expect anyone here to do it for you.

    It's also not realistic to expect that you can build something yourself that will come any close to the sound quality from kits by these experienced designers.

    Spending your time investigating drivers is not likely to get you anywhere. Use it to find a good kit instead.
     
    LineSource

    LineSource

    Member
    2003-09-25 12:05 am
    SiliconValley
  • #13
    Read the design document for: "The Tributres" designed by Jeff Bagby.

    The 6.5" poly-plastic cone SB17MFC35-4 midbass is popular because of reduced cone breakup. You can purchase the parts from Madisound for about $140 per speaker. A 0.7cuft ported cabinet can produce -F3 ~40Hz bass. Meniscus audio has a kit.

    https://meniscus.lightningbasehosted.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Tributes-Write-Up.pdf

    ======
    Troels Gravensen has a stepped baffle cabinet design for tweeter-midrange time alignment with the SB17MFC35-4 midbass. ALSO.. Troels SBAcoustics 61-NAC design might get you interrested in aluminum cone drivers.
     

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    classicalfan

    Member
    2015-02-01 8:04 am
  • #20
    Liquid Arthur said:
    Docere Full Kit (Pair) - Meniscus Audio

    These look cool too, and sealed so a much smaller box.
    Click to expand...

    Either these or Jeff Bagby's Continuum II could be an excellent choice. Both are sealed and compact.

    The Continuum II is quite a bit smaller than the Docero, and it consistently gets excellent reviews. It was designed as a studio monitor and should work well on a shelf up against a wall.

    These two kits are essentially the same price, and I would seriously suggest getting Meniscus to build the crossovers for you. It about $60 more and worth ever penny. Particularly if don't have any experience building them.

    Plus you can count on getting any help you might need from Mark or Chad at Meniscus.

    Glad to see you're shopping for well developed kits now. Let us know what you decide and how it works out.
     
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