Hi everyone,
I have received my Alpairs 10.3 from Madisound.
I plan to build either the simple reflex ov9 or the pensil. The difficult part on both designs seems to be the hole and the groove(?) where the driver gets inslalled.
Are there big sonic differences ?
I have put the divers on random wood boxes so I can hear them right away. I am quite impressed, nothing comparable to Lowther DX3 I had a few years ago. Alpairs are much more listenable and easy on the ears.
Is it okay to break them in, in any box ?
Walter
I have received my Alpairs 10.3 from Madisound.
I plan to build either the simple reflex ov9 or the pensil. The difficult part on both designs seems to be the hole and the groove(?) where the driver gets inslalled.
Are there big sonic differences ?
I have put the divers on random wood boxes so I can hear them right away. I am quite impressed, nothing comparable to Lowther DX3 I had a few years ago. Alpairs are much more listenable and easy on the ears.
Is it okay to break them in, in any box ?
Walter
Concerning mounting the drivers, do you have a router? Using a circle jig, you can make one or buy one, it's a relatively simple process.
I've broken in my MA drivers just sitting in the box in which I received them. The main thing is to follow the directions and give them plenty of time. They'll continue to open up even after the recommended 100 hours.
I've broken in my MA drivers just sitting in the box in which I received them. The main thing is to follow the directions and give them plenty of time. They'll continue to open up even after the recommended 100 hours.
Mikejennens,
yes I will buy a router.
I did not receive any directions with the drivers can you show me where I can fins them ?
Thanks,
Walter
yes I will buy a router.
I did not receive any directions with the drivers can you show me where I can fins them ?
Thanks,
Walter
I can't find them, but for the first 100 hours, play them at a low level with a signal such as a radio station. Don't use white or pink noise. After that, gradually give them a little more power. I did mine a little more every day or two for about five days.
With the big bezel Mark Audio drivers a rebate is highly recommended. Analternative is finding some felt (or cork or…) to build up the baffle after you surface mount.
Even more important is releiving the bacl of the driver cutout to minimize early reflextions which often cause a “cuppiness” in vocals, particularily female.
Note that the A10.3 needs many many hours to reach its potential. So even after the first hundred hours expect subtle improvements out to 500-1000 hours.
dave
Even more important is releiving the bacl of the driver cutout to minimize early reflextions which often cause a “cuppiness” in vocals, particularily female.
Note that the A10.3 needs many many hours to reach its potential. So even after the first hundred hours expect subtle improvements out to 500-1000 hours.
dave
Dave,
my english is good but sometimes not enough ...
bezel ? what do you mean build up the baffle after I surface mount ?
So the inner side of the drivers hole has to be cut at 45 degrees to avoid cupiness.
Question: the nominal power recommended is 30 watts. So from it's efficiency of 88 db at 1 watt I can expect to go up to 102 db. Is that really the case ?
Good day
Walter
102dB is theoretical at 30w and per driver, so a pair is 105dB, but in reality it's a bit more due to room gain.
And they can take more (my ex did run them for a few hours with a 100w amp full open and they did not break), but don't sound good when doing that. Best used with a 45 to 60w amp, but less can also be good. I ran them from a 8W SET and from a 7.5W ACA (in stereo mode) and in small to medium size rooms that is already more than enough... But a bit more watt than the speakers need is in general a good id because it means the amp will have less distortion (harmonic and other) at normal listening levels.
And they can take more (my ex did run them for a few hours with a 100w amp full open and they did not break), but don't sound good when doing that. Best used with a 45 to 60w amp, but less can also be good. I ran them from a 8W SET and from a 7.5W ACA (in stereo mode) and in small to medium size rooms that is already more than enough... But a bit more watt than the speakers need is in general a good id because it means the amp will have less distortion (harmonic and other) at normal listening levels.
btw, I ran in the latest pair i used drivers in their boxes, but with the cone up by letting them play for a week at 75dB with classical music from a classical radiostation, and with a software filter at 100Hs (6dB slope). I was on holiday that week. Others were ran in in similar ways.
The front part of the basket.
Ignore the power rating. It means little. Just turn things down when you start hearing the arrestor (or clipping in your amplifier)
dave
Dave,
so I have to put felt or cork on the face of the box around the driver ?
Walter
No, the power rating is meaningless. There is no definition for how power handling. So while it may have some meaning across a manufacturers products, but not across brands.
Further, you will RARELY ever encounter a situation in your home where you listen loud enuff to heat the VC enuff to burn it.
The 2 driver pairs that i have lost due to playing too loud in the hifi sysytem (i have lilled WAY move thru carelessness, damaging the cone, the dust cap, or knocking the magnet off. One pr was due to some fool (sorry Terry, true) swapped RCA ins while the amp was on. And the other the preamp’s designer assummed the voltage would never fall below x volts. When it did the reg dropped out, and sent a massive spike to the amp taking out a very nice pair of FE126eN.
And back in the days when i was working hifi, John Greenbank was visiting and we had a pair of his RS-4 hooked to a Bryston 4B (Linn + i’d have to guess pre), Friday night and we were rocking. My warning went unheeded (it was a wimpy warning) and all of a sudden the bass driver in one stopped, and huge amounts of acrid white smoke poured out of the square vent. We had a new woofer swapped in within 15 min and were going again (a bit quieter). They were never intended to be PA speakers. 8” Audax to the bin.
We did have many Advents come back in needing new tweeters (Japanese amps of the day clipping ugly). We got that down to a 10 min swap.
dave
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It is an option if you do not rebate the driver (inset the driver so the front of the bezel/basket is flush with the baffle). Both are fairly easy to cut the appropriate hole into.
But if you are getting a router you should extend your experience to learning how to execute a rebate. A circle is easy, in the day i had a nice little rockwell router i got pretty good at freehanding with (KEF drivers with NOT round frames).
Basically you use a scrap to make the router the pencil in your drawing compass. Then the rebate followed by the thru hole.
Make the cutouts a tiny bit larger than needed particularily as when you finish it it will shrink a bit (a just had a real issue pulling out a CHP-70.2eN in one of Chris’ early enclosures.
dave
