I have never had a problem, although i have never used that particular unit, if you use the supplied gasket it is airtight enough and strong enough. The others are stronger and prettier but it makes little real difference
Chris & i struggled for over a year trying to come up with an alternate to the terminal cup that made sense. Once we figured that doing our own would add an extra $100/pr to the end price of anything we built for a customer, we just started looking for one that we felt had the lowest compromise.
In almost all our builds terminals need to be removable from outside so that they can be soldered out of the box (because there is no way to do it in the box). We ended up with the one that had the smallest circular hole we could find to minimize impact on panel integrity (2" -- makes it a pain to get fat fingers in to loosen or tighten, but we mostly use banana plugs). We also chose ones with plastic nuts as we felt they sounded better than the metal ones you got (they can always be upgraded). That said, there likely isn't a huge differential between yours & ours -- my latest FAST build has exactly the ones you have. And it is nice to be able to have each woofer out to a terminal. Just loose the metal jumpers, they aren't great.
dave
In almost all our builds terminals need to be removable from outside so that they can be soldered out of the box (because there is no way to do it in the box). We ended up with the one that had the smallest circular hole we could find to minimize impact on panel integrity (2" -- makes it a pain to get fat fingers in to loosen or tighten, but we mostly use banana plugs). We also chose ones with plastic nuts as we felt they sounded better than the metal ones you got (they can always be upgraded). That said, there likely isn't a huge differential between yours & ours -- my latest FAST build has exactly the ones you have. And it is nice to be able to have each woofer out to a terminal. Just loose the metal jumpers, they aren't great.
dave
Thanks guys.
They didn't come with a gasket which is annoying, but I'm sure I could make some out a a suitable material. If anyone can suggest something, it would be much appreciated.
Any way I went about it, I wanted to have a terminal per woofer as they will be bi-amped, so the jumpers will not be used.
They didn't come with a gasket which is annoying, but I'm sure I could make some out a a suitable material. If anyone can suggest something, it would be much appreciated.
Any way I went about it, I wanted to have a terminal per woofer as they will be bi-amped, so the jumpers will not be used.
Didn't even think of silicone, that would be very easy to apply. Just run a bead around it and squish it down, thanks.
Doing it that way defeats the removable advantage. lay it down on one surface (evenly), and let it dry before installing cup.
dave
dave
Go down to Bunnings or other hardware stores and pick up some Raven foam self adhesive tape for a few dollars.
Raven RP14
Yes, good idea. More so when the box is completed as internally I can't get to the back of the box due to the holey brace. Last thing I'd need is for a wire to get disconnected from the back of the terminal.
Another good suggestion.
Enclosures are finally done minus the finish which will go on when I find the time and energy.
They are now impressively heavy, love asking people to pick them up to see their expression. They aren't back breaking but they catch many people off guard, especially when comparing to similarly sized commercial towers I've fondled lately.
If I manage to evade friends and family tomorrow, I can stuff the front of the enclosures and then screw the drivers and terminals in. Then I finally get to sample them.
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They are now impressively heavy, love asking people to pick them up to see their expression. They aren't back breaking but they catch many people off guard, especially when comparing to similarly sized commercial towers I've fondled lately.
If I manage to evade friends and family tomorrow, I can stuff the front of the enclosures and then screw the drivers and terminals in. Then I finally get to sample them.
Cheers Matt.
Need to play around a lot before I can make a verdict. From my first impression, these have no problem filling the room with bass. At times it even seems overwhelming which is something I am trying to address. I also think I understand why people build rooms dedicated to their sound systems, I've never heard so many things rattle. Pictures on the walls, items on benches, doors, they all vibrate when I crank the volume. This is impressive atm, but I will need to tone it down for regular listening.
One problem I am having is that one of the speaker frames is bent ever so slightly which is keeping the gasket from sealing 100%. I can hear air chuffing out around the frame when the cone moves rapidly. I've reduced this a fair bit by tightening the speaker down a bit more, but I don't want to go overboard. Can anyone suggest how I can make a chunkier gasket for the speaker? I was thinking foam tape like that which was suggested for the terminals.
I've been able to apply equalisation and set the LFE XO through ffdshow audio which is what I use with MediaPortal for viewing media. It seems to do the job for the time being, but I'd like to have a physical active XO later on. Like I said, I still need to play around a lot more. I'll report on the sound in more detail after I've had a proper listen.
Big thanks to all that helped me through with this project, particularly Moondog55, planet10, and rabbitz.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Need to play around a lot before I can make a verdict. From my first impression, these have no problem filling the room with bass. At times it even seems overwhelming which is something I am trying to address. I also think I understand why people build rooms dedicated to their sound systems, I've never heard so many things rattle. Pictures on the walls, items on benches, doors, they all vibrate when I crank the volume. This is impressive atm, but I will need to tone it down for regular listening.
One problem I am having is that one of the speaker frames is bent ever so slightly which is keeping the gasket from sealing 100%. I can hear air chuffing out around the frame when the cone moves rapidly. I've reduced this a fair bit by tightening the speaker down a bit more, but I don't want to go overboard. Can anyone suggest how I can make a chunkier gasket for the speaker? I was thinking foam tape like that which was suggested for the terminals.
I've been able to apply equalisation and set the LFE XO through ffdshow audio which is what I use with MediaPortal for viewing media. It seems to do the job for the time being, but I'd like to have a physical active XO later on. Like I said, I still need to play around a lot more. I'll report on the sound in more detail after I've had a proper listen.
Big thanks to all that helped me through with this project, particularly Moondog55, planet10, and rabbitz.
My choice is foam filler rod from Clark Rubber, but almost any soft sealing foam will work.
That distortion of the frame is always a problem with cheaper pressed frames, there are ways around it, some-one on the subwoofer section posted pix of his set-up using conduit lugs, they worked very well and then you are not restricted to the existing holes
Nice work.
That distortion of the frame is always a problem with cheaper pressed frames, there are ways around it, some-one on the subwoofer section posted pix of his set-up using conduit lugs, they worked very well and then you are not restricted to the existing holes
Nice work.
Seemed to of done the trick. Adhesive backed rubber stripping. Needless to say that the sound quality has improved substantially now that I can't hear air chuffing from the front of the enclosure.
Been using these for music and movies the past few days.
I'm using Foobar for music as my default media frontend doesn't let me adjust speaker settings which is strange considering it does for videos. Not really sure what to do with the Foobar XO, but I seem to get a nice result just ticking the subwoofer option in the channel mixer. I'll do some reading. Using mediaportal for all my video needs, ffdshow handles my speaker settings including delay (TV lags about 150ms behind audio through speakers), equalisation and XO.
Just took a punt at setting the EQ, had a look at the WinISD plot and adjusted to suit. I can drive the amp fairly hard before the sound starts deteriorating which I assume is due to the speaker cones hitting their max excursion or bottoming out, I'm not sure. It doesn't matter too much as at that point, it is well past were I would normally have the volume set. It easily rattles the picture frames in the hallway outside my room at moderate volume.
Depending on the source material, the bass is nice and punchy. I'd like to compare it to something using a bigger driver to see how low I can get in comparison, but they are continuing to impress me with every song or movie I play through them. I can play something recent like "The Other Guys" which has a fairly heavy intro with lots of gunshots and explosions, not to mention a music track with a noticeable bassline. It performs as expected, thumping bass which is felt as much as it's heard. On the other end, I can play a classic like "Back to the Future" where the subs are more subtle but still make a positive difference. The first thing I noticed was the DeLorean sounded different to how I remembered, it had a rumble which I had not really heard before.
Very happy with the end result. Next time I'll be going with larger drivers, that'll have to wait until have a place of my own though.
I'm using Foobar for music as my default media frontend doesn't let me adjust speaker settings which is strange considering it does for videos. Not really sure what to do with the Foobar XO, but I seem to get a nice result just ticking the subwoofer option in the channel mixer. I'll do some reading. Using mediaportal for all my video needs, ffdshow handles my speaker settings including delay (TV lags about 150ms behind audio through speakers), equalisation and XO.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Just took a punt at setting the EQ, had a look at the WinISD plot and adjusted to suit. I can drive the amp fairly hard before the sound starts deteriorating which I assume is due to the speaker cones hitting their max excursion or bottoming out, I'm not sure. It doesn't matter too much as at that point, it is well past were I would normally have the volume set. It easily rattles the picture frames in the hallway outside my room at moderate volume.
Depending on the source material, the bass is nice and punchy. I'd like to compare it to something using a bigger driver to see how low I can get in comparison, but they are continuing to impress me with every song or movie I play through them. I can play something recent like "The Other Guys" which has a fairly heavy intro with lots of gunshots and explosions, not to mention a music track with a noticeable bassline. It performs as expected, thumping bass which is felt as much as it's heard. On the other end, I can play a classic like "Back to the Future" where the subs are more subtle but still make a positive difference. The first thing I noticed was the DeLorean sounded different to how I remembered, it had a rumble which I had not really heard before.
Very happy with the end result. Next time I'll be going with larger drivers, that'll have to wait until have a place of my own though.
Been a while since my last post, been enjoying my speakers in the mean time. Still haven't managed to find the energy to veneer them, this will have to wait until semester break. I also plan to build some 2.5 ways for the dining room using the same MA woofers and tweeters I used in my 2 way.
Main reason for this post is related to the observation of the sherwood amp powering the subwoofers. Just to refresh your memory, I am using the sub out from my PC sound card split into 4 separate feeds that then plug into the ext in, in the back of the amp. I am then using the front left and right output to power a driver each, and the surround left and right to power the remaining two.
The problem is that I am sure that one pair of speakers are producing more bass than the other. I swear that I can see one set is showing more excursion than the other (could just be in my head, hard to measure). I'm guessing that the sherwood receiver has a more powerful amp for the front left/right output compared to the surround speakers. Either that or it has something to do with placement, the louder sub is in the corner of my room, where as the quieter one is in the centre.
Is there anyway I can balance this out a bit? For example, can I take the front left output and surround left output and use them to power the two drivers in one of the towers? This would mean that one driver in the box would be getting driven harder than the other.
Main reason for this post is related to the observation of the sherwood amp powering the subwoofers. Just to refresh your memory, I am using the sub out from my PC sound card split into 4 separate feeds that then plug into the ext in, in the back of the amp. I am then using the front left and right output to power a driver each, and the surround left and right to power the remaining two.
The problem is that I am sure that one pair of speakers are producing more bass than the other. I swear that I can see one set is showing more excursion than the other (could just be in my head, hard to measure). I'm guessing that the sherwood receiver has a more powerful amp for the front left/right output compared to the surround speakers. Either that or it has something to do with placement, the louder sub is in the corner of my room, where as the quieter one is in the centre.
Is there anyway I can balance this out a bit? For example, can I take the front left output and surround left output and use them to power the two drivers in one of the towers? This would mean that one driver in the box would be getting driven harder than the other.
Having less output for the rear surround speakers is // was quite common on the lower end of the HT market, the cheapest and easiest solution may be just get an "new" second hand amp with equal outputs on all channels
My Pioneer HT amp was over $900- when I bought it, now they are $199- new, so you may get one similar for about a hundred dollars
My Pioneer HT amp was over $900- when I bought it, now they are $199- new, so you may get one similar for about a hundred dollars
Yeah, no doubt that this isn't a high end receiver.
I reckon I'll give this one to mum and dad, keep an eye out for one like yours. Do you have a model number?
Otherwise, I'm still busting to build another amp but I'd most likely struggle to do it for the same money.
I reckon I'll give this one to mum and dad, keep an eye out for one like yours. Do you have a model number?
Otherwise, I'm still busting to build another amp but I'd most likely struggle to do it for the same money.
Pioneer
VSX-D511
Pioneer VSX-D511 Dolby Digital Receiver pioneer vsxd511
I guess they were $199- because they were a last run
VSX-D511
Pioneer VSX-D511 Dolby Digital Receiver pioneer vsxd511
I guess they were $199- because they were a last run
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