Hello,
I recently received my FHXL flat packs and wanted to publicly express my sincere thanks to Planet10 and Chrisb for getting them to me in perfect condition. The packaging was phenomenal, as it withstood the journey all the way from from Victoria, British Columbia to San Antonio, Texas. No easy feat this.
Also, I want to express my thanks to everyone involved in the making of these kits. The wood is beautiful and the design is straightforward and beautiful in its simplicity. I am truly looking forward to building and hearing this fine design.
I'm not sure when I will get around to construction, as I have to juggle some things around in the garage to make work space, but I hope to begin soon. Also, I have yet to decided which driver to go with, although I am leaning towards the Alpair 10P.
When I do, eventually, get things going I will post some updates/pics of my progress.
Thanks again to everyone involved.
Regards,
William
I recently received my FHXL flat packs and wanted to publicly express my sincere thanks to Planet10 and Chrisb for getting them to me in perfect condition. The packaging was phenomenal, as it withstood the journey all the way from from Victoria, British Columbia to San Antonio, Texas. No easy feat this.
Also, I want to express my thanks to everyone involved in the making of these kits. The wood is beautiful and the design is straightforward and beautiful in its simplicity. I am truly looking forward to building and hearing this fine design.
I'm not sure when I will get around to construction, as I have to juggle some things around in the garage to make work space, but I hope to begin soon. Also, I have yet to decided which driver to go with, although I am leaning towards the Alpair 10P.
When I do, eventually, get things going I will post some updates/pics of my progress.
Thanks again to everyone involved.
Regards,
William
Update
I finally completed the build of the Frugel Horn XL speakers and thought I'd share a few comments about them. Assembly was straight forward; everything fit well and went together without incident or fuss.
As for the sound, nothing had prepared me for just how musical these speakers are. The bass is astonishingly good, and in my room not a single trace of bloat or boom. I am, quite literally, shocked at how much sound is generated by this single driver. To say that they defy the laws of physics would be an understatement.
Right now I just have them bunged down and toed in slightly with my Kappa 9's pushed to the side and, probably, too close to them. However, even in this less than ideal position they sound incredible. I cannot bring myself to make any adjustments as they are sounding so good as is.
At the moment they are being driven by a rare Adcom GCA-510 solid state integrated amplifier and it is doing a wonderful job. Later on I may switch to an OTL tube amplifier, but for now the sound is full bodied, detailed, and very coherent from top to bottom.
These are very special speakers, and I cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone wanting to experiment with a single-driver loudspeaker, indeed, anyone simply looking for an impeccable sounding/performing speaker period.
Cheers!
I finally completed the build of the Frugel Horn XL speakers and thought I'd share a few comments about them. Assembly was straight forward; everything fit well and went together without incident or fuss.
As for the sound, nothing had prepared me for just how musical these speakers are. The bass is astonishingly good, and in my room not a single trace of bloat or boom. I am, quite literally, shocked at how much sound is generated by this single driver. To say that they defy the laws of physics would be an understatement.
Right now I just have them bunged down and toed in slightly with my Kappa 9's pushed to the side and, probably, too close to them. However, even in this less than ideal position they sound incredible. I cannot bring myself to make any adjustments as they are sounding so good as is.
At the moment they are being driven by a rare Adcom GCA-510 solid state integrated amplifier and it is doing a wonderful job. Later on I may switch to an OTL tube amplifier, but for now the sound is full bodied, detailed, and very coherent from top to bottom.
These are very special speakers, and I cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone wanting to experiment with a single-driver loudspeaker, indeed, anyone simply looking for an impeccable sounding/performing speaker period.
Cheers!
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What a lovely pair of speakers you have. they look perfect in your room, against that wall.
I hope to receive my Frugel Horn XL build plans soon and build a pair myself in the very near future, as I've just discovered a real love for full range drivers after the completion of my diy Bookshelf Speakers.
Well done & may they give you many years of enjoyment
Hey Mushroom,
Thanks for the kind words. The Frugel Horn XL's are an absolute marvel of audio engineering. They have completely changed my perception of what is possible from a single-driver loudspeaker. I now have over 200 hours on them and they have never failed to impress. They are so natural and real sounding it's almost spooky. I suppose it has much to do with not having a crossover, and that the Mark Audio driver is so well suited to the design. Either way, I am quite simply captivated by them.
I am confident that you will be equally impressed with yours once they are complete and singing. Please post a pic and share your impressions of them when you can. I hope you enjoy the build and that all goes well. Cheers!
William
Thanks for the kind words. The Frugel Horn XL's are an absolute marvel of audio engineering. They have completely changed my perception of what is possible from a single-driver loudspeaker. I now have over 200 hours on them and they have never failed to impress. They are so natural and real sounding it's almost spooky. I suppose it has much to do with not having a crossover, and that the Mark Audio driver is so well suited to the design. Either way, I am quite simply captivated by them.
I am confident that you will be equally impressed with yours once they are complete and singing. Please post a pic and share your impressions of them when you can. I hope you enjoy the build and that all goes well. Cheers!
William
As Scott and Dave would say -etc
How quick did you find the build?
Hi Chrisb,
The kit was cut to perfection and every piece fit without struggle or complication. Assembly itself was straight forward, and even though I took my time letting things thoroughly dry, took only about 4-5 days to construct, with an additional day or two to sand off all the excess glue and smooth things down.
I have to admit that I deviated from the plan just a bit. Instead of using the supplied felt I used 1/2-inch Sonic Barrier sheeting from Parts Express. I have used this before in other projects and it has proved to be very effective and downright simple to use, due to its PSA backing. Just cut to size, peel and stick. Great stuff really.
Also, instead of using the poly-fill batting I used 100 percent raw sheep's wool, also left over from previous projects. I did not use batting in the front section. I'm not sure how much of a change these deviations have made, but I am in complete amazement every time I listen to them.
To my ears they are the most coherent sounding speakers from top to bottom that I have ever heard, and they fill a room with sound like nobody's business.
William
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There are indeed. At least there were when I purchased my pair last year. You may want to give Planet 10 an email and check if they are still shipping them to the USA.
Quick update on the FHXL's:
A friend of mine took them to his furniture guy here in San Antonio and had them stained in a dark brown followed by a few coats of satin lacquer. Also, some outrigger feet were installed, which I think really complement their unusual shape.
It's going on just over a year with them now and I still marvel at their sound, which is completely open and transparent, with incredible bass for a speaker their size.
Sorry about the pic, I don't usually have them shoehorned next to my Kappa's, but a Christmas tree is occupying the listening space, as well, so this is a temporary arrangement.
Once again, I cannot stress just how marvelous these speakers are. They have literally changed my entire perception about what is capable in a loudspeaker. I have had the Kappa 9's you see next to the FHXL's for many, many, years, they are my reference, but I can tell you, unequivocally, that these FHXL's are their equal when it comes to resolving detail and throwing a believable sound stage. And that bass, the FHXL's have no business producing bass as good as they do. They are simply stunning in every sense of the word.
A friend of mine took them to his furniture guy here in San Antonio and had them stained in a dark brown followed by a few coats of satin lacquer. Also, some outrigger feet were installed, which I think really complement their unusual shape.
It's going on just over a year with them now and I still marvel at their sound, which is completely open and transparent, with incredible bass for a speaker their size.
Sorry about the pic, I don't usually have them shoehorned next to my Kappa's, but a Christmas tree is occupying the listening space, as well, so this is a temporary arrangement.
Once again, I cannot stress just how marvelous these speakers are. They have literally changed my entire perception about what is capable in a loudspeaker. I have had the Kappa 9's you see next to the FHXL's for many, many, years, they are my reference, but I can tell you, unequivocally, that these FHXL's are their equal when it comes to resolving detail and throwing a believable sound stage. And that bass, the FHXL's have no business producing bass as good as they do. They are simply stunning in every sense of the word.
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Thank you. Yes, they do look very good with the design. I am very pleased with them. I thought about installing outriggers like you see on the FH3's, but I didn't think they looked as nice as the feet type. They really complement the shape of the larger cabinet, adding a little elegance to them.
BTW, I am using them with the spikes. Thanks!
BTW, I am using them with the spikes. Thanks!
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