You're welcome!
Whole bunch of questions there, but I'll do my best. 😉
I think that would be wise -a more flexible / higher-performing driver will give you many more options.
Pluvia should do fine in its pensil MLTL, FH3 or a host of other box options, assuming its performance matches your requirements. It's capable of decent LF extension in the right enclosure, but will be relatively bright sounding on-axis with its elevated HF response; best listened to a few degrees off axis, like most MA drivers, which does give them a usefully broad listening window. Tang Band have a wide range of units; TABAQ is an excellent little MLTL -different sound to my pensils; Bjorn went for extension from a small box, I went with a bigger cabinet tuned higher in a quasi pro-audio alignment to get more 'slam' through the midbass & a basically unreactive impedance load when optimally damped.
OB is good if you have the space. Basically, bigger is better. Ideally, avoid centring the driver; keep it so that the distance to the edges is variable. One option is to put it on a narrow central baffle, get a couple of piano hinges and fix a pair of side panels (of different widths) to it, which will make for a larger baffle that you can fold when not in use, and allow you to adjust the angle of the 'wings' as desired. Put some sealing tape or similar over the hinges so there's no air-flow. Job-jibbed. If you want to do OB with just a single-driver though, you'll need at least an 8in unit of a medium - high[ish] Q like the Visaton B200, or one of the big Audio Nirvana drivers. Small drivers aren't much use on OB unless supported with dedicated bass units.
Whole bunch of questions there, but I'll do my best. 😉
I think that would be wise -a more flexible / higher-performing driver will give you many more options.
Pluvia should do fine in its pensil MLTL, FH3 or a host of other box options, assuming its performance matches your requirements. It's capable of decent LF extension in the right enclosure, but will be relatively bright sounding on-axis with its elevated HF response; best listened to a few degrees off axis, like most MA drivers, which does give them a usefully broad listening window. Tang Band have a wide range of units; TABAQ is an excellent little MLTL -different sound to my pensils; Bjorn went for extension from a small box, I went with a bigger cabinet tuned higher in a quasi pro-audio alignment to get more 'slam' through the midbass & a basically unreactive impedance load when optimally damped.
OB is good if you have the space. Basically, bigger is better. Ideally, avoid centring the driver; keep it so that the distance to the edges is variable. One option is to put it on a narrow central baffle, get a couple of piano hinges and fix a pair of side panels (of different widths) to it, which will make for a larger baffle that you can fold when not in use, and allow you to adjust the angle of the 'wings' as desired. Put some sealing tape or similar over the hinges so there's no air-flow. Job-jibbed. If you want to do OB with just a single-driver though, you'll need at least an 8in unit of a medium - high[ish] Q like the Visaton B200, or one of the big Audio Nirvana drivers. Small drivers aren't much use on OB unless supported with dedicated bass units.
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Very well, I think, in my limited experience, I like to hear moderately warm sound, but sometimes (some) people say it's warm when it's actually muddy. So clarity is one quality I appreciate in an audio system. I prefer tight bass than super low but boomy ones. What do you suggest would fit the above description? What driver/enclosure plan? 🙂
I'm pretty much starting up so any and all advice pointing me in the right direction will always be appreciated.
I have a piece of plywood lying around, and have drawn up the following plan for my first OB. This is basically an open back enclosure as it will have sides and top/bottom, just no back. What do you think?
Thanks again, Scott.
I'm pretty much starting up so any and all advice pointing me in the right direction will always be appreciated.
I have a piece of plywood lying around, and have drawn up the following plan for my first OB. This is basically an open back enclosure as it will have sides and top/bottom, just no back. What do you think?
Thanks again, Scott.
Another one, built to scale from the JE Labs blog entry about that article in Japanese magazine. Pretty excited about this, since I just ran a tone generator, from 150 Hz downwards, and my driver, in their cardboard box, has audible signal down to 70 Hz, from the rated Fs of 125. Hope this is a good thing. 🙂
For the sake of some plywood? Go for it! See if you like the results. If you do, great. 🙂 If not -well, you can probably re-use much of the material for other projects.
Well, there's 'warm' and then there's warm, so until one factors in the temperature and relative humidity we have no clue what one really means/prefers.
Speaker design is no different, so if 'warm' is designed in, i.e. [mid] bass horn loading or using digital BSC to tonally balance it over its usable BW, then it won't be 'muddy'. Put in an acoustically too small box tuned too high and/or driven with a high output impedance to create a mid bass 'bloom' and you get warm, so you definitely want 'warm' 😉.
Even then, what constitutes 'warm' in audio is the same as in a climate setting due to room interaction, electronics and last, but not least, that we all hear the same, yet not so much; so while my clarity/'tight' bass demands what some consider a too 'dry'/'sterile' sounding alignment, your adding 'warm' to it implies that an oversize cab such as a Pensil alignment tuned T/S max flat, then each individually damped to 'taste' in room seems a reasonable choice with 'worst case' being you wind up plugging the vent.
GM
For the sake of some plywood yessir. I'm living the frugal dream. I know this is not ideal because I'm kinda stuck with this driver but on the plus side, I have some room to play, due to the low cost involved.
Noted on warm vs warm
Is it correct to conclude that it is better to err on bigger box and tune lower than Fs?
Ah! I like that - good clarity with a touch of warmth, not too dry or sterile 😀😀
So Pensil design is good for that goal, GM? Which MA driver would you recommend for the above qualities? I like Pluvia and CHR70 from what I've read. Thanks so much.
You're welcome!
'BIB' cab design philosophy has always been mine and many others from an earlier time if for no other reason than no one has yet come up with a quick/cost effective box 'stretcher' tool 😉 Far easier to 'shrink' one internally and re-tune, then either 'critically' damp the vent or at least to 'taste' in room.
WRT vent tuning, historically it was to Fs, but as amp/system output impedance dropped, the need to do this diminished too, so nowadays T/S design ~rules; i.e., typical vented speaker's with a ~0.403 effective Qt' [Qts+any series resistance from wiring, XO components] is tuned to Fs, < ~0.403 is above it and > ~0.403 is below it.
The various [ML]TL alignments typically load the driver to a lower frequency than a basic BR, so shifts down somewhat to where a ~0.45-0.5 Qt' is typically to ~Fs. Bottom line is that unless you have accurate specs and software, empirically [fine] tuning them in room is normally required for best overall performance.
Well, with the higher Qt drivers being suggested, and especially if tube driven, the Pensil, BIB pipe horn are good ones for a casual/beginner DIY audio speaker builder and some have found no need to go farther, at least for its original intended app.
I have zero experience with any of the drivers normally discussed on this, or most other, forums beyond looking at specs and since most cab alignment's direct influence on a driver's performance peters out by [2*Fs/Qts'], this is as far as I can comment on other than some generalities when a frequency and/or impedance and/or polar plot or similar is available.
That said, on paper, the new Pluvia appears to be my kind of basic MLTL/ 'full-range' driver except for its highish Fs, though can be tuned to ~42 Hz like the old EL70 with some reduced efficiency to cover all but the lowest musical notes and I assume it has the same basic motor design in that there's no audible warning when Xmax is exceeded, only the 'clanking' sound of the VC bouncing off the backplate, so hopefully they're still as durably made except with a more durable mounting frame.
GM
'BIB' cab design philosophy has always been mine and many others from an earlier time if for no other reason than no one has yet come up with a quick/cost effective box 'stretcher' tool 😉 Far easier to 'shrink' one internally and re-tune, then either 'critically' damp the vent or at least to 'taste' in room.
WRT vent tuning, historically it was to Fs, but as amp/system output impedance dropped, the need to do this diminished too, so nowadays T/S design ~rules; i.e., typical vented speaker's with a ~0.403 effective Qt' [Qts+any series resistance from wiring, XO components] is tuned to Fs, < ~0.403 is above it and > ~0.403 is below it.
The various [ML]TL alignments typically load the driver to a lower frequency than a basic BR, so shifts down somewhat to where a ~0.45-0.5 Qt' is typically to ~Fs. Bottom line is that unless you have accurate specs and software, empirically [fine] tuning them in room is normally required for best overall performance.
Well, with the higher Qt drivers being suggested, and especially if tube driven, the Pensil, BIB pipe horn are good ones for a casual/beginner DIY audio speaker builder and some have found no need to go farther, at least for its original intended app.
I have zero experience with any of the drivers normally discussed on this, or most other, forums beyond looking at specs and since most cab alignment's direct influence on a driver's performance peters out by [2*Fs/Qts'], this is as far as I can comment on other than some generalities when a frequency and/or impedance and/or polar plot or similar is available.
That said, on paper, the new Pluvia appears to be my kind of basic MLTL/ 'full-range' driver except for its highish Fs, though can be tuned to ~42 Hz like the old EL70 with some reduced efficiency to cover all but the lowest musical notes and I assume it has the same basic motor design in that there's no audible warning when Xmax is exceeded, only the 'clanking' sound of the VC bouncing off the backplate, so hopefully they're still as durably made except with a more durable mounting frame.
GM
Hmm, I thought we'd moved on to using a different driver, but if still the original, then I still recommend the OB or Fs/Qts TL and how 'tight'/'warm' it is will be a function of how much/type of damping [OB] or stuffing [TL] sounds best overall, which will be at minimum at least semi-aperiodic.
GM
GM
My search for 'BIB' reveals a few articles that made me realize the great contributions you have made to this area of enclosure building. Scott and Greg, thank you for imparting your wealth of experience!
Yes for this driver that I have now, I'd do an open baffle, but for next project, I'm definitely doing a Pensil or something along those lines. Thanks again, Dave and Greg.
Boards are cut and holes are made, please advise which mounting option is correct for open baffle:
#1
#2
#3
#1
#2
#3
Today they became baffles!
I forgot to take a photo of them in my room, but I did make a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJVALUobM7o
Feels good to have done my first build, many many thanks to everybody who has helped and contributed with their suggestions and information.
I forgot to take a photo of them in my room, but I did make a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJVALUobM7o
Feels good to have done my first build, many many thanks to everybody who has helped and contributed with their suggestions and information.
Technically, none of them, it ideally should be recessed flush to match the frame shape.
FWIW, what I usually did was make a foam or similar 'false baffle' to cover the driver and surrounding area like is [was?] commonly done for dome tweeters and should work fine for your circular recessed version.
GM
You're welcome!
Not set up to listen to videos, but such a set-up often benefits from inserting some cheap 25 ohm pots in series to dial in a bit more [mid] bass/flatter tonal balance, then substituting a better quality fixed grid resistor assembly in its place.
GM
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