First venture into Fullrange & tubes and looking for help

[gimebakmybulits]

Hi All, I’m new to this and looking for advice. I want to build a speaker set to go with either a Poddwatt Series-1 or an Elekit TU-879S 6L6GC Power Amplifier (or similar low priced DIY kit).
I found this set of plans on Quarter Wave that will be easy to build and also fit the esthetics of the room (wife’s requirement). I know they were designed for Lowther DX drivers but those are way out of my budget so I’m hoping either the Fostex FE206En or Audio Nirvana Super 8 Cast would work in this enclosure as is or with minor dimensional modifications.
Enclosure Design and Construction for the Lowther DX Series of Drivers
http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project04/ML_TL_Plans.pdf
Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
John

 

[chrisb]

Never underestimate the impact of WAF on either budget or design of speaker projects

For an enclosure as wife friendly as Martin's MLTLs, the FE206 might not be the most appropriate choice from the Fostex line-up - the xx6 series tend to really deliver in a BLH, which for this driver won't be as compact.

The FF225WK might be a more suitable choice for an enclosure with this form factor, but would very likely be found to need a tweeter for full top end extension.

Then there's the Alpair12.P - certainly more expensive than either of the Fostex, but definitely an excellent choice; still it really likes to see a full sized MLTL for maximum unaided performance.

 

[gimebakmybulits]

Thats for sure! She saw this picture on quarter-wave and it is what has allowed this to progress (she also really likes the white cones vs the rest).
http://www.quarter-wave.com/Gallery/Mike_Howard_ML_TL.jpg

It's also where I got the FE-206E idea from.

 

[lousymusician]

Take a look at the WIBAQ - Betsy-K thread.

 

[gimebakmybulits]

Thanks lm, I just read through that but the 2.5ft3 speaker size was a hard enough sell to the wife so 4.7ft3 would most likely blow me out of the water. And honestly even for me those are on the big size.

 

[gimebakmybulits]

Ok, so after another late night on the forums I’m thinking that a Mar-Ken 12 with one of Planet 10’s “massaged” drivers might be what I’m looking for … of course now I feel like I’m all over the map with this decision. Will an inexpensive low wattage tube amp be ok with this or do I need a more sensitive driver?? My music is generally stuff like Rodrigo y Gabriela, Gotan Project, Strunz & Farrah but then I do listen to rock from AC/DC to Zeppelin (just not at high volumes). Do I need to get off the crack pipe or am I heading in the right direction?? Thanks!!
John

 

[xrk971]

Thats for sure! She saw this picture on quarter-wave and it is what has allowed this to progress (she also really likes the white cones vs the rest).
http://www.quarter-wave.com/Gallery/Mike_Howard_ML_TL.jpg

It's also where I got the FE-206E idea from.

It's all about the color!
If you were to go new car shopping, ideally, the various dealerships should be named "Blue Cars", "Red Cars" and so on. Forget about specs and performance.

 

[thunk303]

I use my ma7.3's with 10 watt chip amp. I'm guessing but anything below 90 db efficient speakers might need at least 10 good watts.

Dean

PS. Has she seen the FH3's? They are under a meter tall and very narrow.