I got Fostex FE206NV and a 2A3 amp...what enclosure should I build? Maybe something smaller than the Dallas II?

Greetings Friends. It's time to jettison the old Polks and build some speakers better suited to the low-watt amps I've been building. I have a pair of these Fostex FE206NV 8" full range and would like to build suitable enclosures for them. I'll be listening in my living room, about 12'/4m deep and 24'/8m wide, with about 6'/2m between speakers and the same distance to my chair.

Plans for Bass Reflex and Back-Loaded Horn cabs come with the drivers, but I'm more interested in the Dallas II design. It is a tad large and WAF is a factor at play. But I'm a pretty savvy cabinetmaker, if they're handsome enough she might go for it.

Are there any other designs I should know about? Perhaps in between the Dallas and the Bass Reflex they give?

Thanks for taking a look!
 
Go big or go home. 🙂 Woden Vulcan.

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My only experience with Fostex 206xx drivers is in Oris 220 front horns and Kirishimas.

The front horns were fun for a while…then the head in a vice beaming got on my last nerve.

When I found my Kirishimas and heard them the first time I immediately fell in love.

That only got better after I got them home and hooked them up to my DCB1 and F2J monoblocks.

It got even better when I modified my old 206e and replaced the 206NV with them.

The Kirishimas are the only “fullrange” speakers I can say I’ve heard that satisfy me over a wide range of music and produce enough bass to support my broad tastes.

I recently auditioned a pair of Cube Audio F8 Neo drivers in what appeared to be a factory approved bass reflex design…It was a huge disappointment that left me dumbfounded over all the hype around them.

I think that is the reality with scaled back designs. You will probably have to supplement the bottom end with a sub no matter how good the driver may be.

That being said, I’ve always wondered what the “Singular” would sound like.

http://www.bd-design.nl/contents/en-us/d39.htmlp
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http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project05/Project05.html
 
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I like this idea, there's no way I could get approval on 6' speaker boxes. Transmission Line speakers have been on my radar since my teens, would love to build a set. 42" is a good height.

The drawing says the port should be 4" diameter and 5-6" long. What's the difference?

Nice of the builder to show how to keep the stuffing in the top 2/3 of the box.
 
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Yes…Martin’s MLTL design has been on my radar for a while too. What’s nice is that you know it is well designed and tested.

I will probably build a pair for some Lowther drivers I have that I want to use in the dining room. Maybe have a sub off in the corner.

Port length will affect the tuning of the box. Since more than one driver can be used in the design it may be deairable to tune it higher or lower depending on driver parameters.
 
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My work is leading towards a 2.2 system with tube amp-powered highs and Class D lows, with a small woofer in a ported box as the plinth with something like this enclosure above it. But for listening in a small room I'd like to get by with one amp.
 
It’s not something you HAVE to calculate if that’s not your thing.

You can buy adjustable length bass reflex ports or some extra 4” PVC/ABS and try the different tuning lengths by ear…decide which you like better for your application.