Moth Audio Cicada clone

[ziocalepino]

Hi, I've heard yesterday a pair of Moth Audio Cicada cabinets. I like very much this sound and dimensions too. The problem is that the driver is no longer available.

1. Do you have any suggestion for alternative drivers?

2. Do you think I can use Fostex Fe 206 En? I've built the standard double bass reflex enclosure but I'm looking for a taller and more narrow cabinet.

Thanks for your help

Ziocalepino

 

[Nelson Pass]

The 8" Audio Nirvana's do a decent job sonically, although they have a lower
Qts than the Moths.

😎

 

[ziocalepino]

I don't like Audio Nirvana loudspeakers.

 

[ewollowe]

Any reason you don't like Audio Nirvana?

If Pass thinks they're decent then they're decent 🙂

Have you tried contacting Craig Uthus (Mr Moth Audio)? I found this email address;

cuthus@charter.net

Maybe if you ask really politely he can recommend something? His FAQ on the Eddie current website is entertaining 🙂

http://www.eddiecurrent.com/FAQ.html

 

[norman bates]

Hmm.

3ft3 ported, a mltl (mass loaded transmission line).

I think most 8" need some 1-4khz supression.
But the flattest I think i've seen is the tang band w8-2145.

Tang Band W8-2145 8" Paper Cone Full Range Driver 8 Ohm

The moth audio driver has a lother looking phase plug, a big whizzer, and stiffening ribs.

A 6.5" to look at may be the audio nirvana classic.
http://www.commonsenseaudio.com/an6.5classicspecs.jpg

 

[ziocalepino]

TB W8-2145 seems to be interesting. I was thinking W8-1808 too.

About Audio Nirvana... simply I don't like sound, too closed, worst than Fostex. Maybe enclosure was not the optimal.

Thanks for email or "mr moth audio"!

 

[freddi]

FE206EN IIRC has a brighter midrange than my stamped frame Super8. If the amplifier has a relatively high output impedance then 206 might be used in a MLTL - or use baffle step compensation. BTW - I don't know if its a permanent thing, but my Super8 which have sat for a while have stiffened to the point that their free air resonance has raised a half octave, also raising Qts. Fs is now in the high 50's and qts around 0.38

maybe some of 206's brightness comes from its high-Q 2K6 peak

 

[ziocalepino]

I sent an email to Mr. Craig but he cannot suggest an alternative to his drivers. Which of T-S parameter have I to look for and compare to try to find an alternative?

 

[Godzilla]

I miss the Pioneer B20. Added a piezo around 10kHz and everything sounded smooth and mellow. Could listen for hours.

Thanks for posting the chart freddi.

The TB 1808 should work well in a 3cf box.

 

[mor2bz]

I have a pr. of drivers if you want them pm me

 

[norman bates]

1808 is a bit too hot 1-4khz for my tastes (and the cost).

B20 with some cotton behind whizzers worked fine.
Even better trimming a bit of whizzer off, but then I needed to boost more 8khz and 16khz.
I always wanted to try a phase plug.

 

[ziocalepino]

I've answered on pm, did you find my message?

 

[sreten]

Hi,

How anyone could live with a pair of Moth Cicada's
long term is beyond me. They are pretty poor.

Horrible problems around 100Hz, 200Hz, 2KHz and 10KHz.
Give me a pair of speakers with no real problems any day.

rgds, sreten.

 

[ewollowe]

What kind of speakers would those be sreten?

 

[sreten]

What kind of speakers would those be sreten?

Hi,

A good question. Long term satisfaction depends on long term usage.

Speakers you can live with for years hardly ever impress on audition.

FWIW i had a pair of Spendor Preludes, old school BBC monitor types.

They were nice, I'm not saying they were great, but they changed
character with the recording more than any other speaker I had
used before. They gave insight into the recording despite foibles.

Insight is what you want, not a response you like that colours
everything. FWIW once you have gone to monitor quality most
voiced hifi speakers simply sound like crude approximations.

Once you get there, you can generally pick out good speakers
quite easily below the level you are used to, but picking out
something better is dangerous without an extended trial.

rgds, sreten.

 

[twestby]

Going to try an AN 8" classic+ in alnico, driven with Pass' FirstWatt F7, undecided on preamp. Will use their 2.8 ft3 dbl-port cabinet design, birch ply, maybe fantzee maple veneer. If it doesn't sound good I can rest my drink on it. (But I think it'll sound OK) Appreciate the suggestions.

 

[norman bates]

I've been waffling on the an8 classic to try.

 

[twestby]

Do it. It'll be interesting. In the end, that's prob'ly what matters most. Which might be (related to) sreten's point. As for me, no choice. Got the F7 just cuz it's neat. Speaker choice became obvious when Nelson's post above was found. So let synchronicity decide preamp too. Prof. Pauli in the house ...?

 

[PJN]

I just finished building Salad's new preamp, using it with a M2, really nice pre.

 

[GM]

Going to try an AN 8" classic+ in alnico, driven with Pass' FirstWatt F7, undecided on preamp. Will use their 2.8 ft3 dbl-port cabinet design, birch ply, maybe fantzee maple veneer. If it doesn't sound good I can rest my drink on it. (But I think it'll sound OK) Appreciate the suggestions.

Don't know this cab's details, but vintage driver, vintage alignment up against a wall and preferably in a corner works for me. 😉

Maximizes [mid]bass power handling, so technically under-damped [~ +6 dB referenced to 1 kHz mid band efficiency] with no useful output below Fs. HR predicts Xmax = ~98 dB/m/42 Hz/2 pi/10 W + any room/boundary gain.

Best to use measured specs, but with published: 48.1 L, 60.8 cm^2 x 10 cm long [Fs tuning] in a 1.0:1.4:2.0 ratio box. At this size, driver, vent location can be anywhere. Damping would be minimal to maximize acoustic efficiency, though of course more will 'tighten up' its tone.

Increasing this alignment to the 2.8's ~79 L yields a ~37 Hz tuning with only fractional watt power handling, so assume its dual vents tunes it higher to the point of being even more under-damped, in which case you can either add mass quantities of stuffing and/or reduce it's volume to 'taste'.

GM