Having just heard field coil Lowthers in 160 Hz Azurahorns, (w/ Klipshorns underneath for bass), I can say that was one of the best systems I've EVER heard, and easily the best sounding cone driver system I've ever heard.
robert, did you hear the new lowther DX-65 ?
www.lowtherloudspeakers.com/homeindex.html
i wonder how it's sound compares to the A55 ?
www.lowtherloudspeakers.com/homeindex.html
i wonder how it's sound compares to the A55 ?
mp9,
no, i didn't hear the DX-65, or compare the A55.
as i remember, the "baseline" drivers were PM6s.
i had made sets of spacers to try both the steel, and copper plated magnet assemblys on both the large and small basket assemblys.
dave said he wanted to at least have a small basket/field coil combination to display.
time ran short though, didn't hear any small basket lowthers.
i did hear the small basket feastrex, in an OB.
i was surprised @ how they could get loud, but didn't get "big."
symphonic crescendos, seemed dynamically compressed, and the image was compressed, "membrane thick" as my wife said, not like an orchestra playing.
i commented about it to jon, and he said that the small lowthers had the same problem...
seemed strange, and that WAS what i would have tried if i ever tried building another cone driver speaker system, a small basket, copper plated field coil lowther, to use in an azurahorn.
i was thinking the small diameter would have better mids/highs.
the copper plating does that (noticably, very nice in FLHs).
but not having compared yet, i don't know if the small fc lowther would sound "collapsed" in a horn (jon was using OBs) the way the feastex OB did.
Phil,
see above, yeah, i'd thought about building myself a pair, in the above configuration, but i really doubt it. i don't know how long that five-way horn system, w/ built from scratch field coil compression drivers is going to take... as you saw, only one pair of mid-high drivers are built @ this point, guessing the mid-low & mid bass will get done within a year...
and building the carbon fiber horns...
and...
well, don't need any more projects right now.
no, i didn't hear the DX-65, or compare the A55.
as i remember, the "baseline" drivers were PM6s.
i had made sets of spacers to try both the steel, and copper plated magnet assemblys on both the large and small basket assemblys.
dave said he wanted to at least have a small basket/field coil combination to display.
time ran short though, didn't hear any small basket lowthers.
i did hear the small basket feastrex, in an OB.
i was surprised @ how they could get loud, but didn't get "big."
symphonic crescendos, seemed dynamically compressed, and the image was compressed, "membrane thick" as my wife said, not like an orchestra playing.
i commented about it to jon, and he said that the small lowthers had the same problem...
seemed strange, and that WAS what i would have tried if i ever tried building another cone driver speaker system, a small basket, copper plated field coil lowther, to use in an azurahorn.
i was thinking the small diameter would have better mids/highs.
the copper plating does that (noticably, very nice in FLHs).
but not having compared yet, i don't know if the small fc lowther would sound "collapsed" in a horn (jon was using OBs) the way the feastex OB did.
Phil,
see above, yeah, i'd thought about building myself a pair, in the above configuration, but i really doubt it. i don't know how long that five-way horn system, w/ built from scratch field coil compression drivers is going to take... as you saw, only one pair of mid-high drivers are built @ this point, guessing the mid-low & mid bass will get done within a year...
and building the carbon fiber horns...
and...
well, don't need any more projects right now.
nautilis
Many of the designs suggested in this thread utilize straight internal baffles and some smoothing of the angles with cross pieces to remove acute angles and give more "curve" to the line.
I have been fascinated with some of these CNC machined/cut cabinets that stack the cross sections, something like reassembling a body that has been microtomed.
Has anyone listened to the difference beween a TL that has been built with square versus rounded corners? I think they are spectacularly beautiful. But while I think what is inside people to be important I am much less concerned about what is inside a cabinet. It is how they sound that is the only concern I have.
This creative Aussie is doing some very beautiful work. For my scale I think it a huge waste of wood and I have experimented with assembling strips of rectangles, joined together to approximate the shape of the sections, and then cutting the section with a jig saw and finishing with a drum sander. It is a little more work but while cost of material might not be an object for a commercial venture selling $5K boxes, it goes against my grain. Especially when one pass of a lock miter bit is all it takes on an edge and it is all glued together anyway. Whats a little more glue among friends?
So, would the Opus 1 cab sound different if it had more of a nautilus line?
Opus 1 Drawing
vs.
Products
Many of the designs suggested in this thread utilize straight internal baffles and some smoothing of the angles with cross pieces to remove acute angles and give more "curve" to the line.
I have been fascinated with some of these CNC machined/cut cabinets that stack the cross sections, something like reassembling a body that has been microtomed.
Has anyone listened to the difference beween a TL that has been built with square versus rounded corners? I think they are spectacularly beautiful. But while I think what is inside people to be important I am much less concerned about what is inside a cabinet. It is how they sound that is the only concern I have.
This creative Aussie is doing some very beautiful work. For my scale I think it a huge waste of wood and I have experimented with assembling strips of rectangles, joined together to approximate the shape of the sections, and then cutting the section with a jig saw and finishing with a drum sander. It is a little more work but while cost of material might not be an object for a commercial venture selling $5K boxes, it goes against my grain. Especially when one pass of a lock miter bit is all it takes on an edge and it is all glued together anyway. Whats a little more glue among friends?
So, would the Opus 1 cab sound different if it had more of a nautilus line?
Opus 1 Drawing
vs.
Products
Various Lowthers
For what it is worth, the field coil Lowther's utilized the cone from a PM5A. However, since the only difference between the various drivers is the magnet, this makes no real difference.
The DX 65 is an extremely dynamic driver. Most of the 5 inch Lowther's lack the dynamics of the 8 inch drivers. This one proves the exception.
In direct comparison, the A55 has better ambient retrieval and warmth, but lesser dynamics than the DX 65. The A55 was utilized by Azzalino Audio in their horn system. Once horn loaded, these were extremely dynamic drivers.
I suspect that a 5 inch cone, driven with a strong enough field coil magnet, could have the best of both. The dynamics of the DX 65, and the ambience and warmth of the A55.
For what it is worth, the field coil Lowther's utilized the cone from a PM5A. However, since the only difference between the various drivers is the magnet, this makes no real difference.
The DX 65 is an extremely dynamic driver. Most of the 5 inch Lowther's lack the dynamics of the 8 inch drivers. This one proves the exception.
In direct comparison, the A55 has better ambient retrieval and warmth, but lesser dynamics than the DX 65. The A55 was utilized by Azzalino Audio in their horn system. Once horn loaded, these were extremely dynamic drivers.
I suspect that a 5 inch cone, driven with a strong enough field coil magnet, could have the best of both. The dynamics of the DX 65, and the ambience and warmth of the A55.
In a horn, this smoothing can often turn out to be a detriment. Smoothing increases the bandwidth of the horn (each expansion at an unsmoothed fold acts as a low pass filter), and with a rear-loaded horn that is something you don't want (just like in a TL). At high frequencies the time delay from the horn can be many wavelengths long contributing significant time-smear.
dave
Nautilis
Am I the 'this creative Aussie'....?
Thanks.
Nice thread.
I just offloaded my own Big Fun Horns. I loved the overall sound...huge bass. Tested PM2A's, DX3's, Fostex 206E's...all good. The PM2A's were the best. My mate's Big Funs run DX4's.
I'm presently enjoying the Carfrae Little Big Horns. Lovely mids and punchy bass...and I hardly ever turn on the bass amp. DX3's are being used.
I have the C-Horn as well, which is a new cabinet...MDF and an all-ply version.
Was chatting to the owner of Azurahorns yesterday...Martin...sadly, he's not doing a lot here in Oz at the moment...but I'd love one of his big 160Hz horns. Trying to work out if I should go across to the dark side of compression drivers vs traditional drivers. His horns will take both.
Saw a post on Ebay the other day for an Altec VOT speaker using, what looked like a 300-400Hz white horn on top of the massive bass horn. Tempting.
About to launch a new Lowther-approved small horn from Oz...details to follow.
Andrew
Am I the 'this creative Aussie'....?
Thanks.
Nice thread.
I just offloaded my own Big Fun Horns. I loved the overall sound...huge bass. Tested PM2A's, DX3's, Fostex 206E's...all good. The PM2A's were the best. My mate's Big Funs run DX4's.
I'm presently enjoying the Carfrae Little Big Horns. Lovely mids and punchy bass...and I hardly ever turn on the bass amp. DX3's are being used.
I have the C-Horn as well, which is a new cabinet...MDF and an all-ply version.
Was chatting to the owner of Azurahorns yesterday...Martin...sadly, he's not doing a lot here in Oz at the moment...but I'd love one of his big 160Hz horns. Trying to work out if I should go across to the dark side of compression drivers vs traditional drivers. His horns will take both.
Saw a post on Ebay the other day for an Altec VOT speaker using, what looked like a 300-400Hz white horn on top of the massive bass horn. Tempting.
About to launch a new Lowther-approved small horn from Oz...details to follow.
Andrew
Attachments
Lowther Field Coils
A few minor design issues came up with the pair built for RMAF. In example, it was hard to tighten the connector in place because of placement. These little touch-ups should be done pretty soon, and the first batch should be ready by Christmas. Just think of a pair of those under the tree with a pretty red bow on them!
You can buy them as a retrofit to a DX3, but I would not recommend it. DX3's have aluminum voice coils, and Hi-Ferric. For the field coils we are using 15 ohm, copper voice coils, without Hi-Ferric. That worked best for us.
Price has been pretty well set at $4,995 per pair, with some margin for error depending on actual cost.
A few minor design issues came up with the pair built for RMAF. In example, it was hard to tighten the connector in place because of placement. These little touch-ups should be done pretty soon, and the first batch should be ready by Christmas. Just think of a pair of those under the tree with a pretty red bow on them!
You can buy them as a retrofit to a DX3, but I would not recommend it. DX3's have aluminum voice coils, and Hi-Ferric. For the field coils we are using 15 ohm, copper voice coils, without Hi-Ferric. That worked best for us.
Price has been pretty well set at $4,995 per pair, with some margin for error depending on actual cost.
Hi Peter:
You should be fine with the silver.
The field coil has the same exact diameter and length for the voice coil gap, in order to keep them interchangeable. This is true for all Lowthers, including the field coil. The flux in the gap was equalized a little better in the field coil, so the effective x-max is a bit more, and the sound is a little cleaner than the DX3's.
Better get off that vinyl bug. Nelson borrowed a pair of the DX65's, so they are now "demo's". This is pair that I initially broke in and played. I strongly suspect that he will be keeping a different pair of drivers, and these will be available in the not-to-distant future.
David:
Yes, 8 and 16 ohm versions will be available.