Newbie looking for first project advice

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chirs

chirs

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Joined 2010
#1
Hi all,

I've been lurking the forums here for a while and have really appreciated this little corner of the internet!

I have a friend who is a wood worker and is offering to build me some nice speaker cabinets...I am having my Fisher 400 restored and am looking to build something that follows this criteria:

1. Simple in design/philosophy
2. A floorstanding design that has drivers/grill placed at the top of the tower, so as to avoid my cat using the speaker as a scratching post. (I may be persuaded to go bookshelf, but that forces me to use stands...which I think are ugly)
3. Electronics either easy enough for a complete newbie to do (BSC I would probably feel comfortable with). If I go two way for some reason I would want crossovers as kit.
4. Cost under $350 for drivers / electronics
5. I listen to mostly jazz, krautrock, soul and classical

A JX92 MLT like this seem right up my alley. Not sure if it's a good fit with my amp (too much midrange?).
Given that woodwork is not a cost issue, where is the performance/cost ratio benefit me more? Using my full budget on something like the Jordans or buying a 2way + crossover kit?
😕
thx!
 
#2
P10 has some nice designs for several different full range drivers - esp. the Fostex and Mark Audio drivers.

As far as distress concerning the cat using the speakers as a scratching post - well I have a way that "goes with the flow" in those regards - see photo - called "cat scratch speakers". 😀😀😀
 

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#7
chirs said:
Brilliant!
Click to expand...

Yeah - buuuuuuut that is an omnidirectional design and drives the constant directivity school of thought crowd absolutely outta their freak'n gords!!! 😀😀😀

Dat's ok - I like the omni sound - but I would like to build up a pair of Econo-Wave speakers AK Design Collaborative - Econo-Waveguide Speaker - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums and a set of OB's using some Mark Audio A10's I have my hands on.

I would also like to explore Mars, discover a way to break the speed of light barrier, win the lottery (THE lottery), and be able to keep up with a 24 Y/O mistress (and not get caught) etc. 😀😀😀😀

1st on the list of things to do - check my medications - I think I might be off a couple of doses.
 
#9
chirs said:
So these Fostex full range designs from Planet 10 don't need any electronics?
Click to expand...

well amps to power them of course, 😱 but certainly no XO for full-range designs, and lots of folks quite happy without passive or line level BSC/ Zobels / contour EQ etc.

Even if you add helper woofers, the most filtering you'd probably need on the wide-band driver portion would be high pass to allow for more dynamics and power handling over their operating range - and that can easily be incorporated by adding / adjusting values of input or coupling caps on most amplifiers.

As for low pass filtering to add tweeters, my personal attitude is that if the wide band driver has sufficient "issues" with tonal balance to require compensation more than achieved by a simple first order on the added "helper" tweeter, then it's the wrong wide-band driver for the job :dunno:
 
#10
jimbro said:
It always helps to give dimensions of your room, where you will be sitting with respect to the speakers, and how far from the back and side walls the speakers can be.
Click to expand...

I haven't decided which room to put them in yet. Trying to figure out where to build record shelves...
Either way, both potential rooms mare 15x15ft. One room is minimally furnished at is very resonant. I'm assuming that's a bad thing.

Most likely it will be in the living room (16x15ft...lots of "stuff" in there). Speakers 10-12 ft apart, with the listening couch about 10ft out from the center.
 
#11
chirs said:
I haven't decided which room to put them in yet. Trying to figure out where to build record shelves...
Either way, both potential rooms mare 15x15ft. One room is minimally furnished at is very resonant. I'm assuming that's a bad thing.

Most likely it will be in the living room (16x15ft...lots of "stuff" in there). Speakers 10-12 ft apart, with the listening couch about 10ft out from the center.
Click to expand...

Resonant room = baaaaaaaad - suggest several cat's laying around to absorb sound - but then you will need to learn how to herd them!!! 😀

The LR - nooooooow THAT has some potential!!!!! 😎
 
#12
First of all, thanks for the recommendations!

I had a friend build the Pensil 10.2 cabinets for me. He did a beautiful job. Walnut veneer, custom (adjustable!) tapered feet, removable back.
I'm very gently running them in at extremly low volume, so it's hard to say how they sound quite yet.
For now, enjoy the eye candy:
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#14
Very nice speakers! I'm currently building the same enclosures for my gold Alpair 10.2's as well. Did he use internal bracing? If so, was it along the lines of the super pencil's bracing? I've been fiddling around with the bracing in AutoCAD/RouterCim and it looks OK, though I just can't let go of the thought that the bracing takes up too much space or will burden the internal volume. I decided on using rectangular bracing instead of circular. Also, what amount of polyfill/stuffing did he use? How many pounds? Any info you could provide would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Steven
 
#15
No internal bracing. It really wasn't necessary for support. These things are built like a tank. I have read that the bracing can help define the low end by coupling the front face of the speaker to the back – but I would imagine that wouldn't be possible with a removable back (which is essential, IMHO).

For stuffing I used 1# of acousta stuf and .5# of polyfill per speaker (just shy of .75# per cubic foot). I still need to figure out how to keep the cat from pulling the stuffing out of the vent...
My technique for putting in the stuffing is still a bit experimental. I have another 2# of acoustastuf on the way and once I can run the speakers at volume I'll likely be tweaking things.
 
#17
Well, this thread has taken an interesting, albeit not surprising, turn.
The cat in the photo decided to take her claws to the exposed speaker. She essentially scored a 1" line in the side of the copper cone material.
$#^%t~!
So far it doesn't seem to effect anything, as far as I can tell. Still running them at low volume.
I usually have the speakers turned facing the wall while I'm not in the same room...just to be safe. She literally went for them right after I took the photo. Just didn't notice the damage until tonight.

I'll take a picture tomorrow and see what ya'll think.
 
#19
You're absolutely right, with the back being removable there really is no way to properly couple the front and back of the enclosure without making a permanent bond. I may just have to change up my bracing to try and work around this problem. That's some luck about your cat. Hopefully it's just cosmetic damage. Even if it is I'd still replace the driver due to me being a perfectionist. Hahahaha. Anyways, keep us informed how it comes together as you break them in and find the right amount of stuffing.
 
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