Hi All,
I recently posted regarding what DIY speakers I should build next for my system that includes a Pass F5 and a Korg nutube preamp. I currently have Frugel-Horn Mk3 speakers and I like them a lot. However they are not the best with music that has a lot of low end. They sound great, but the bottom octave is missing. The question that I should have asked after clarifying what I am hoping to gain by building new speakers, is how does one select a speaker design that is well matched to the electronic components of their system? I home to gain the bottom octave so that orchestral music or metal have the low end that the frugal horns cannot reproduce. My plan is to keep both sets of speakers and use either for the music that suits them.
I have heard highly rated really expensive components hooked together that sounded like crap. Matching speakers to the system seems like smoke and mirrors to me except for the obvious stuff like having enough wattage for the drivers and right Ohms and the like. Are there any nerds out there who can help me learn?
I take care to condition my power as much as I can, and room arrangement is set up for the music, not Architectural Digest. Yes my wife gets the stereo and loves it.
Thanks
I recently posted regarding what DIY speakers I should build next for my system that includes a Pass F5 and a Korg nutube preamp. I currently have Frugel-Horn Mk3 speakers and I like them a lot. However they are not the best with music that has a lot of low end. They sound great, but the bottom octave is missing. The question that I should have asked after clarifying what I am hoping to gain by building new speakers, is how does one select a speaker design that is well matched to the electronic components of their system? I home to gain the bottom octave so that orchestral music or metal have the low end that the frugal horns cannot reproduce. My plan is to keep both sets of speakers and use either for the music that suits them.
I have heard highly rated really expensive components hooked together that sounded like crap. Matching speakers to the system seems like smoke and mirrors to me except for the obvious stuff like having enough wattage for the drivers and right Ohms and the like. Are there any nerds out there who can help me learn?
I take care to condition my power as much as I can, and room arrangement is set up for the music, not Architectural Digest. Yes my wife gets the stereo and loves it.
Thanks
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It's more important that the specs of the speaker will reproduce the frequencies you want, and is appropriate to your room. An amp is an amp is an amp; as long as you have ~ 30 watts & don't run too low a load, then any amp should be OK (unless you are trying run a PA system - different world).
Why don't you keep the FH3s and add a woofer to the system? It's easy to run a simple high pass to the Frugels. Then you have improved the power handling and the response.
That sounds like a good way forward.
There is a process of tuning your speakers including recognising their strengths and positioning them in an optimal way in your room. It's easy to blame speaker problems on the amplifier/speaker interface.
So as far as choosing speakers to suit your equipment, I like to go the other way and use equipment that is suitable to the speakers, and speakers that are suitable to the application.
There is a process of tuning your speakers including recognising their strengths and positioning them in an optimal way in your room. It's easy to blame speaker problems on the amplifier/speaker interface.
So as far as choosing speakers to suit your equipment, I like to go the other way and use equipment that is suitable to the speakers, and speakers that are suitable to the application.
The Fe126en driver does not play well with a sub. Its base frequencies roll off in a gradual curve. I have been told it is challenging to match that curve to a sub. Also, I am not looking for booming base that reproduces NASCAR sounds. I am looking for accurate music reproduction.
Probably. It is possible that the FHXL will be what I build. I am trying to learn more about speaker design and matching components before I make a choice though.
@tyerkey Its not so much the FR curve being hard to match across the subwoofers frequency range. Its in fact an issue with the phase response of the main speakers fluctuating unpredictably as the bass gradually rolls off. The phase changes are a result of the enclosure loading and unloading the driver across the whole bass rolloff region because of multiple resonances taking place in that range. Thats how the main horn functions to reinforce the fullrange drivers low frequency output.
The phase will move around quite a bit in a more unpredictable way on tapped horns instead of just rolling off the low gradually as the simpler sealed box would cause it to. Sealed boxes only have one primary driver resonance, then the low end drops at a steady 12dB/oct rate. The resulting phase shift would change gradually after reaching Fs.
With enclosures like tapped horns, which have multiple resonances constantly changing across the low end, the associated phase shifts make it difficult for the main speaker low frequency output to combine evenly with the smoother phase response of the sub. This keeps the collective output of both speakers around the low end region from combining evenly, making in room bass response fluctuate unpredictably.
That's why many speakers designed for use with subs are sealed or have a provision to plug any ports if so equipped. That simplifies getting the whole system tuned to sound right with both mains and subs playing together.
The phase will move around quite a bit in a more unpredictable way on tapped horns instead of just rolling off the low gradually as the simpler sealed box would cause it to. Sealed boxes only have one primary driver resonance, then the low end drops at a steady 12dB/oct rate. The resulting phase shift would change gradually after reaching Fs.
With enclosures like tapped horns, which have multiple resonances constantly changing across the low end, the associated phase shifts make it difficult for the main speaker low frequency output to combine evenly with the smoother phase response of the sub. This keeps the collective output of both speakers around the low end region from combining evenly, making in room bass response fluctuate unpredictably.
That's why many speakers designed for use with subs are sealed or have a provision to plug any ports if so equipped. That simplifies getting the whole system tuned to sound right with both mains and subs playing together.
Correct on the drivers.
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The commonly used driver with the FH3 that produces the least bottom.
I would first see what swapping in Markaudio Pluvia 7HD (or similar), and ee if that improvers things up to your requirement (your amplifier may play a role here — MA is some 4-5dB less sensitive in the midband).
Second would be to add a woofer, maybe stealth Woofer (woofer/deflector) to relive the FR of the heavy lifting.
dave