I would like to find a small desktop speaker using a full range driver (like this transmission line) for my office, but without the $500 price tag. This speaker uses this driver from eBay, which seems decent enough. It certainly has the look I would like to achieve.
Are there any decent kits for small transmission lines or vented boxes to accommodate a 4" full range driver like the one above? I have unsuccessfully looked around at the usual places. Madisound offers a cheap Fostex full range kit, but it is not very attractive. Something similar to the speaker in the link above is more my speed. Building from scratch isn't an option sine I don't own any tools except for the basics and live in an apartment, so a precut kit is essential. So, is there anything out there?
Are there any decent kits for small transmission lines or vented boxes to accommodate a 4" full range driver like the one above? I have unsuccessfully looked around at the usual places. Madisound offers a cheap Fostex full range kit, but it is not very attractive. Something similar to the speaker in the link above is more my speed. Building from scratch isn't an option sine I don't own any tools except for the basics and live in an apartment, so a precut kit is essential. So, is there anything out there?
I hear the Overnight Sensation speakers available as a kit from Parts Express are good bookshelf speakers. They are actually a 2-way but I believe the woofer is considered full range and the tweeter is there just cover the highest of highs.
With your minimal ability to build, the Fostex Kanspea is the kit I recommend.
I have the 4" kit with the FF105WK in my office and really like it. I'm powering it with a Topping amp, a small sub and MiniDSP for EQ and crossover duties. Overall it is fantastic, and it does look a bit better in person than the pics.
I have the 4" kit with the FF105WK in my office and really like it. I'm powering it with a Topping amp, a small sub and MiniDSP for EQ and crossover duties. Overall it is fantastic, and it does look a bit better in person than the pics.
We are talking with Woden about building flat-paks of his Desktop Laybrinyth TLs. eMail if you want to find out about being a guinea pig.
dave
dave
The FF85WK in the Woden Labyrinth would be a great candidate - IIRC, you'd be hard pressed to use half a sheet of 1/2" BB ply - the finishing materials (especially if veneered / lacquered) could easily cost more than the wood.
The first thing that came to mind were the Kanspea kits at Madisound. What is it about those kits that you find unattractive? I thought they looked pretty nice, especially at the price of $125 without the little amp for the 3", and not much more for a 4" driver in a bigger box.
personally not so much a fan of the FE83, but you're certainly right that with either driver it's a silly good deal
Just like other people have said, I recommend the Kanspea which you can get at Madisound.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...0e-diy-kanspea-4-full-range-speaker-kit-pair/
It includes an amp and you can even upgrade to the special edition fe103-sol drivers.
On a similar note Blumenstein Audio has speakers that are pretty well received.
Blumenstein Audio
They just came out with some mini speakers for $300.
https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.c...0e-diy-kanspea-4-full-range-speaker-kit-pair/
It includes an amp and you can even upgrade to the special edition fe103-sol drivers.
On a similar note Blumenstein Audio has speakers that are pretty well received.
Blumenstein Audio
They just came out with some mini speakers for $300.
Where are you located? Might be someone near that can help you build some boxes. Having someone build the boxes and shipping them to you might be an option too. Even with the cost of shipping boxes, I'm pretty sure you can get a nice pair of speakers at a great price.
Otherwise, as Sprag mentioned, you can get a pair of Overnight Sensations in a kit. They are GREAT speakers. I built a pair, a friend heard them, and bought them from me.
Mike
Otherwise, as Sprag mentioned, you can get a pair of Overnight Sensations in a kit. They are GREAT speakers. I built a pair, a friend heard them, and bought them from me.
Mike
The Blumenstein's look nice, but maybe a little pricey for an office system. I guess the Kanspea construction using low-density fiber board is my hang-up. The price is certainly nice, though, as is the price of the Overnight Sensation kit. I am definitely considering the Overnight Sensations, but was hoping for a single-driver full range speaker since I have never tried full rangers before.
Regarding the Woden Labyrinth, does anyone have some actual measurements of one in use? I only saw simulations in the original thread. Is the bass response good? I am hoping for a decent bass response with no need for a subwoofer, albeit at low volume.
Edit: I am in central OK. Is there maybe a list of builders?
Regarding the Woden Labyrinth, does anyone have some actual measurements of one in use? I only saw simulations in the original thread. Is the bass response good? I am hoping for a decent bass response with no need for a subwoofer, albeit at low volume.
Edit: I am in central OK. Is there maybe a list of builders?
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My first full rangers are the DIY fe83en that I made. I have nothing to compare it to except my built in TV speakers but I think they sound great. If you need something right now I would just get the Kanspea kit and then build another enclosure later if you want something bigger. After all, this is diyaudio. 😀
I don't know about any builders in OK, but there are a few of us who might consider constructing a box for you. If you can find a box/speaker you're interested in, let us know. We can take a look and see if one of us will build it for you.
I've attached a few for some ideas.
Mike
I've attached a few for some ideas.
Mike
Attachments
mikje's right hand sketch is more or less the same topology as the Woden labyrinth series. I've built a few of those for Fostex and Mark Audio drivers, and maybe even for the Fountek FE85 or FR88, I loose track.
Anyways, the labyrinth/TL works quite well - much better control and deeper extension to my ears than a single or double BR for the same driver-albeit at the price of a deeper enclosure dimension - all likely trumped by an uncompromised floor standing MLTL- but those can be a bit unwieldy for desktop
- just don't ask me for measurements of acoustic performance.
Anyways, the labyrinth/TL works quite well - much better control and deeper extension to my ears than a single or double BR for the same driver-albeit at the price of a deeper enclosure dimension - all likely trumped by an uncompromised floor standing MLTL- but those can be a bit unwieldy for desktop
- just don't ask me for measurements of acoustic performance.
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Here is a kit called the oneZ which I find interesting. It says it is for the fe108e but I am sure the fe103en is a good drop-in substitute.
oneZ summary, pricing, & ordering details
They have a range of prices depending on how assembled you want it. They even have a full cut diagram if you wanted to try it yourself.
oneZ summary, pricing, & ordering details
They have a range of prices depending on how assembled you want it. They even have a full cut diagram if you wanted to try it yourself.
The oneZ looks nice, and is new to me. The T7-A7 has been on my list of possibilities - it would be interesting to try a transmission line speaker.
Thanks to all for the suggestions so far.
Thanks to all for the suggestions so far.
Earlier this year I built a pair of Slim Classic Golden Ratio dMar-Ken7.3 speakers. See page 3 of these plans for dimensions. I bought the Alpair7.3eN drivers plus a flat pack kit from Planet 10.
I finished them with Duratex. I spent too much on the one gallon bucket, when I'm sure the $25 trial size would have sufficed.
The result is my "Skookum Computer Speakers". If you google that phrase, the first link is this diyaudio thread. Towards the end I posted some pics of the finished product.
I'm extremely happy with these speakers. I really think they sound better every time I listen to them. In fact they replaced a set of Overnight Sensations that I built from a flat pack. The Overnight Sensations were great... but the "Skookum" speakers are better. I'm going to gift the OS to a friend.
I could do a long writeup on how the Skookums compare to the OS, but to keep it brief, I'll say this: my listening levels are pretty quiet. Using a free sound meter app on my phone, looks like I rarely go above 75 DB---and that's my "loud" level. Often I'm listening when my daughter is sleeping in the adjacent room, so I'm more around 60 DB. The thing about the OS was that the "goodness" seemed to top out pretty quickly. I'm using "goodness" as a generic/vague term to describe everything you want in a speaker. So at very low levels, the OS versus Skookums might be somewhat of a wash. But on the Skookums, as volume increases, so does the "goodness" coming out of them.
I don't know how to describe this effect, but once the OS got to a certain volume level, they just seemed "loud". But at similar volume levels (or beyond), the Skookums don't seem "loud", i.e. volume level is high, but I don't even realize it until I try to talk to my wife (or wake up my daughter!).
Side note: depending on how big your desk is, they might be a little on the large side... I wasn't sure, so I whipped up a cardboard mock-up before I ordered them. I suggest doing the same (can also use foam core) just so you can easily feel out what kind of size you're willing to accept on your desk. (I'd do this for any desktop speaker, by the way.)
Another thing I've found useful is to actually raise the speakers up so that the driver (or tweeter in the OS case) is level with your ear. They make fancy (expensive) desktop speaker stands for this purpose, but I do it with a set of $15 yoga blocks (you can see them in the pictures linked above).
I finished them with Duratex. I spent too much on the one gallon bucket, when I'm sure the $25 trial size would have sufficed.
The result is my "Skookum Computer Speakers". If you google that phrase, the first link is this diyaudio thread. Towards the end I posted some pics of the finished product.
I'm extremely happy with these speakers. I really think they sound better every time I listen to them. In fact they replaced a set of Overnight Sensations that I built from a flat pack. The Overnight Sensations were great... but the "Skookum" speakers are better. I'm going to gift the OS to a friend.
I could do a long writeup on how the Skookums compare to the OS, but to keep it brief, I'll say this: my listening levels are pretty quiet. Using a free sound meter app on my phone, looks like I rarely go above 75 DB---and that's my "loud" level. Often I'm listening when my daughter is sleeping in the adjacent room, so I'm more around 60 DB. The thing about the OS was that the "goodness" seemed to top out pretty quickly. I'm using "goodness" as a generic/vague term to describe everything you want in a speaker. So at very low levels, the OS versus Skookums might be somewhat of a wash. But on the Skookums, as volume increases, so does the "goodness" coming out of them.
I don't know how to describe this effect, but once the OS got to a certain volume level, they just seemed "loud". But at similar volume levels (or beyond), the Skookums don't seem "loud", i.e. volume level is high, but I don't even realize it until I try to talk to my wife (or wake up my daughter!).
Side note: depending on how big your desk is, they might be a little on the large side... I wasn't sure, so I whipped up a cardboard mock-up before I ordered them. I suggest doing the same (can also use foam core) just so you can easily feel out what kind of size you're willing to accept on your desk. (I'd do this for any desktop speaker, by the way.)
Another thing I've found useful is to actually raise the speakers up so that the driver (or tweeter in the OS case) is level with your ear. They make fancy (expensive) desktop speaker stands for this purpose, but I do it with a set of $15 yoga blocks (you can see them in the pictures linked above).
I am starting to think the Alpair 6.2 in mMar-Ken6p enclosures would be ideal... Only, I have the same question everyone asks: 6P or 6M?
My office is a decent size (maybe 8x15 feet) and my desk is large, but fits right up next to the wall so listening will typically be very nearfield (<3ft). My main concern is about 'missing out' on parts (e.g. bass) of songs that I know very well because of the size of the speakers. Most material will be classical and jazz, but if a song has a solid bass line, then I will want to hear it. The plan is to build a tube amp (probably another 1626 Darling variant) to power these speakers and use a USB DAC between my computer and amp.
My office is a decent size (maybe 8x15 feet) and my desk is large, but fits right up next to the wall so listening will typically be very nearfield (<3ft). My main concern is about 'missing out' on parts (e.g. bass) of songs that I know very well because of the size of the speakers. Most material will be classical and jazz, but if a song has a solid bass line, then I will want to hear it. The plan is to build a tube amp (probably another 1626 Darling variant) to power these speakers and use a USB DAC between my computer and amp.
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