Frugel-Horn Mk3

IF not so fixated on making a Silk Purse out of a Sow's ear. ( Cheap parts imitating quality ones) a pair of Martin Logans would absolutely surprise the hell out of you.

A bit unfair, this is a DIY forum and is all about research and learning. I certainly would not say I have ended up with a pair of sow's ears. As for the Martins I'm sure they are very capable but probably no where near this price point and a totally different technology so an unfair comparison
 
Gary anybody with some general knowledge of fine woodworking will see that most of my dovetail joinery is done with a router and dovetail jig. This does not have anything to do with the structural integrity of the piece, What does effect the structural and life span of the piece is how it is assembled. The ebb and flow of wood movement constantly putting stress on a cross grain wood joint will cause the piece to slowly and discretely self-distruct prematurely. Unfortunately a lot of cabinet shops will cross this line for the sake of productivity and profit, or because proper procedures will involve a slower hand tool method involving more time and or skill. Im not saying all of these bad decisions will cause the piece to fall apart in 5 years, but they will surely shorten there life span.
 
Hi all,

I have been trolling this thread and other FH posts for a while now and has decided to dive in.

Are there anyone here who has built one with MA Pluvia 7, keeping it and liking it? I would like to hear your thoughts on it including the damping/stuffing you applied?

Come to thing of it, any words of wisdom before I start.

Thanks and Cheers.
 
Thanks Dave.

The lack of P7 built FHM3 is because it is comparatively new driver or is it because of 'mights as well go with A7.3 or the lesser cost CHR/CHP7'?

I guess what I am trying to say is, I am trying to avoid the 'buyer remorse' feelings. I manage to find a seller who price difference between CHR/CHP 7 and P7 is kinda negligible but the A7.3 cost twice more.

My music are mostly jazz, soul, big-bands, vocals (eg. CatStevens/NorahJones) and occasionally classical.

Thanks again

KbZ
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
The lack of P7 built FHM3 is because it is comparatively new driver or is it because of 'mights as well go with A7.3 or the lesser cost CHR/CHP7'?

The P7 is a better driver than the CHR70, and the CHP70 has a shelved/crippled top end.

If the A7 is 2x the money you have reason to consider the P7. If your system isn’t of the highest resolution or you have not had extensive listening training, you may well not notice the difference since the voicing is very similar.

Or you could build the FH3 with removable supraBaffle to accomodate multiple drivers.

dave
 
Sorry - realised there is a typo - I meant speaker cable - which speaker cables - inside the FH3 cabinet as well from amplifer to FH3 cabinets are being used?

I am using the Alpair 7p.

I started using ordinary OFC 2.5 sq mm cables. I somehow had the feeling that the highs could be improved. I tried Oehlbach silver coated cables 2.5 sq mm. However this made things too bright. I am currently trying to use a mix of the silver coated and OFC cable with better results. However I cannot help feeling that its still a tad bright at times.
 
Chethana,

Not to sound negative, but haven't read many positive impressions about the Alpair 7P. :( No personal experience with the driver though. I've heard the Alpair 7.3 (metal cone) and it sounds pretty good to my ears; AFAIK P10 Dave and Chrisb also prefer the Alpair 7.3 over the Alpair 7P...

Well, since you are "rolling" speaker wire, have you tried CAT-5 wire? You can experiment with a twisted pair (a single strand connected to each of the speaker terminals) and see how it sounds.

If I may ask, what amplifier are you using?
 
Thanks Zman and Dave for your inputs. No I have not tried out CAT5 - will do so. Typically how many strands (24 AWG) are found adequate- say for 2 mtr cable length.

Zman - I use a shanling MC30 tube amp (3 watts x 2). Thats the background to the A7p - was hoping to use its advantage of higher sensitivity. Have had it for about 8 months now and hoping its broken run in...
 
Thanks Dave. I also went through the 10 year old post on this subject also with your inputs there.

Using CAT5 as speaker wire

Got hold of some CAT5e and pulled out the wire pairs. Inside the FH3 I could not bring myself to connect only 1 strand ! So I use 4 stands for each side. But for connecting the amplifier to the FH I used 1 single strand each for the + and - after untwisting and separating them. Wow cannot believe it. The lows really open up and the clarity and instrument separations are quite wonderful. So much for all the money and efforts at making complex and heavy cables... Cant help but wonder seeing the puny thin strands and the wonderful sound they produce. Thanks Dave and Zman for this input.

Adding an AMT tweeter with a 1.5 micro farad cap to this chain now..
 
Further updates - After introducing the Frugel speaker cables - single strands of CAT5 -there was a need to relook at the interconnects. Till now I had settled on the DH Labs BL1 between the Arcam IR DAC and the tube amp. Now it was time to shift to a copper based Interconnect - going back to a simple monster OFC copper based IC instead of silver coated (BL1) settled things down.