Hi there, first off I must admit to being a newbie to this!
I've been interested in building my own speakers for a long while and I generally bounce between two themes:
Full-range and horn speakers. There are a few reasons for this:
* Something easy/economical to build (I hope);
* Simplicity and efficiency of a full-range speaker;
I would also note I live in a modest apartment and while I listen to a wide range of music (probably mostly ambient, classical, jazz but also acoustic, rock/pop, electronic) I'm definitely not a bass head and would generally listen at non earth-shattering volumes while maintaining a level of detail and soundstage.
I realise horn speakers tends to mean big speakers but I did recently see this design — https://www.automaticaud.io/shop/p/automatic-audio-barbara-l82bc-blryw which peaked my interest. I'm familiar with the Fostex FE206 and without wanting to be superficial I do like the look of the front loaded horn and the form factor.
The blurb certainly aligns with what I was thinking but I'm also aware this isn't a common design and maybe there's a reason for that!
It also seemed like a feasible DIY option.
Having said all this, would somebody be able to offer their advice on the likely performance of this design? Or alternative?
FYI I'd be using a Dynavox VR-70E II tube amplifier.
Thank you!
A
I've been interested in building my own speakers for a long while and I generally bounce between two themes:
Full-range and horn speakers. There are a few reasons for this:
* Something easy/economical to build (I hope);
* Simplicity and efficiency of a full-range speaker;
- A different experience to your typical big-box retail speakers;
- Airiness of a horn
I would also note I live in a modest apartment and while I listen to a wide range of music (probably mostly ambient, classical, jazz but also acoustic, rock/pop, electronic) I'm definitely not a bass head and would generally listen at non earth-shattering volumes while maintaining a level of detail and soundstage.
I realise horn speakers tends to mean big speakers but I did recently see this design — https://www.automaticaud.io/shop/p/automatic-audio-barbara-l82bc-blryw which peaked my interest. I'm familiar with the Fostex FE206 and without wanting to be superficial I do like the look of the front loaded horn and the form factor.
The blurb certainly aligns with what I was thinking but I'm also aware this isn't a common design and maybe there's a reason for that!
It also seemed like a feasible DIY option.
Having said all this, would somebody be able to offer their advice on the likely performance of this design? Or alternative?
FYI I'd be using a Dynavox VR-70E II tube amplifier.
Thank you!
A
Greets!
RE parallel horn flares; for me their eigenmodes 'color' the sound in unpleasant ways for me, but way back when I had some, no folks seemed to notice, which meant to me that as a group 'we' like our sound reproductions 'colorful' regardless of claiming they be 'accurate', etc..
So sure! Cobble one together with some scrap wood or use reinforced corrugated cardboard like some of us did way back when since you likely won't know if you're the norm or not plus does it meet the needs of your app.
RE parallel horn flares; for me their eigenmodes 'color' the sound in unpleasant ways for me, but way back when I had some, no folks seemed to notice, which meant to me that as a group 'we' like our sound reproductions 'colorful' regardless of claiming they be 'accurate', etc..
So sure! Cobble one together with some scrap wood or use reinforced corrugated cardboard like some of us did way back when since you likely won't know if you're the norm or not plus does it meet the needs of your app.
As they say -one sure way of finding out if it suits. 😉
I had to look eigenmode up, love it!
My hesitation is getting the measurements etc. "correct". I can eyeball from the photographs but are there any resources that might help, or rookie mistakes to avoid? I attached a sketch of details that I wondered about.
Thanks for the encouragement GM and Scottmoose — really appreciate it!
My hesitation is getting the measurements etc. "correct". I can eyeball from the photographs but are there any resources that might help, or rookie mistakes to avoid? I attached a sketch of details that I wondered about.
Thanks for the encouragement GM and Scottmoose — really appreciate it!
Attachments
i think the BR is not able to balance the loud mids. you need a sub.
i made the SCHALMEI SAT http://www.hm-moreart.de/9.htm
i made the SCHALMEI SAT http://www.hm-moreart.de/9.htm
Perhaps also take a look at BD-design.
His diy article about fullrange drivers and front horns is useful.
His diy article about fullrange drivers and front horns is useful.
His kits are round horns of a modified tractrix flare, with a back chamber with some options for How "lossy" the seal of the backchamber is, but in the DIY article he also shows a square variant he made and some of his design strategies. I really like his horns, he knows his stuff.
Given your amplification, you’d need a fairly efficient horn to get reasonable bass response…..sorry to say that also means fairly large.
An average sized 2 way speaker with native response to 55hz or so supported by a subwoofer with DSP control offers you the best option where space is concerned.
An average sized 2 way speaker with native response to 55hz or so supported by a subwoofer with DSP control offers you the best option where space is concerned.
Thanks Ivo — this looks very interesting, and the articles too. I'm keen to understand a bit more of the theory before I go too far!
Really interested in this design. Also love the aesthetics. I'd tune the ports to the driver, if it were me. I've designed a couple of speakers with smaller full range drivers, front loaded. Mine were matched with bass support drivers. I found that active eq was necessary on the mid-highs, but once dialed in, the sound was great.. wide with rock solid centre. Most full range drivers are obviously not designed for this purpose, so inevitable that a bit of correction might be needed. Horn adds to overall intimacy of sound IME. Sound better at low levels.
Hey Dan — do you mean the "clover" design? How do you mean tuning the ports? Would love to see what you've created!
Thanks @danb11 , I'm not actually sure what is "correct" for the vent lengths etc. Can I eyeball it from the photos or what is the way to go about this? I see a lot of different resources online but I'm not sure what's best to start? I'm not wedded to Fostex but they seem to be relatively accessible and people have a lot of experience with them. I'm glad to hear re the volume levels — I'm in the same kiddo situation!