Hi Mike, I did go to the website but I can't get the English translation button to work, so I don't really know what I'm looking at. However, as you say there is a kit on there that uses the same drivers and almost exactly the same size cabinet, so he is sure to have a crossover that would suit me. I'm going to email him and I'll let you know how I get on.
This looks like the box I have.
https://www.aos-lautsprecher.de/pdf/construction/STUDIO10ZA.pdf
This looks like the box I have.
https://www.aos-lautsprecher.de/pdf/construction/STUDIO10ZA.pdf
Well, after more than 30 years as a hifi hobbyist my foray into speaker kits has proved to be very dissapointing. I work in retail and retail is alway a competitive industry. How all these people selling speaker kits make any money is beyond me.
Unless you can choose from a number of kit options that are tried and tested it's a non starter for me, because I don't have the expertise, or time for that matter.
There is just too much to go wrong, so I'm sticking commercially available speakers. Thank you to all of you for trying to help me, but I'm not investing, I'm out.
Ron
Unless you can choose from a number of kit options that are tried and tested it's a non starter for me, because I don't have the expertise, or time for that matter.
There is just too much to go wrong, so I'm sticking commercially available speakers. Thank you to all of you for trying to help me, but I'm not investing, I'm out.
Ron
Well, thus far your experience is essentially not with kits. You've simply purchased drive units, which are not kits. They're drive units, which are just one part of a loudspeaker, in the same way that an engine is one part of a car. You've bought drive units, but however good they are, if you don't use them properly they won't give good results. This is why, as I said above, loudspeakers are actually designed: they're not just a bunch of expensive bits chucked together at random by a bloke who then sits back, takes a ruddy great slurp of tea, says 'that'll do,' and wanders back to the picket line in the most approved 1970s British Leyland fashion. Your disappointment seems to come from not understanding this basic point, and trying to ram a raw drive unit into a box that was not designed for it, and mate it to a partnering drive unit with a filter (aka 'crossover') that wasn't designed for either of them. Just because something looks a bit like something else doesn't mean it is the same, or can be used in the same way. Nor does it make it a 'kit'.
Now, there are plenty of loudspeaker kits available. As in 'kits', which means a complete loudspeaker or loudspeaker design, using specific drive units, with a specific enclosure designed for those drive units (not just a box that happens to look a bit like another box), and a specific filter designed for those drive units in that specific enclosure. Just like a commercial speaker, the only real difference being you just have to assemble it yourself. But as noted, a drive unit alone is not a 'kit'. If you want to look at or compare kits, then you need to look at those, not raw drivers, so please don't condem the DIY industry for a lack of kits when there are in fact many full kits, or kit designs available, most of which are, in fact, 'tried and tested'. Often extremely thoroughly.
Now, there are plenty of loudspeaker kits available. As in 'kits', which means a complete loudspeaker or loudspeaker design, using specific drive units, with a specific enclosure designed for those drive units (not just a box that happens to look a bit like another box), and a specific filter designed for those drive units in that specific enclosure. Just like a commercial speaker, the only real difference being you just have to assemble it yourself. But as noted, a drive unit alone is not a 'kit'. If you want to look at or compare kits, then you need to look at those, not raw drivers, so please don't condem the DIY industry for a lack of kits when there are in fact many full kits, or kit designs available, most of which are, in fact, 'tried and tested'. Often extremely thoroughly.
My experience so far is that speaker kits are not readily available in the UK.
Falcon Acoustics only sell the drive units, they are not interested in crossovers or cabs.
Wilmsow Audio have a few stand mounts, but only one that uses Scanspeak drivers and they don't even have a built up one to audition.. Willys HiFi only sell drive units. Nobody give you a choice of cabs so you can pick the one you want and then gives you options on drivers and crossovers to suit.
If you could provide me with list on people who sell speaker kits, complete with cabs and crossovers that would be very helpful.
Ron
Falcon Acoustics only sell the drive units, they are not interested in crossovers or cabs.
Wilmsow Audio have a few stand mounts, but only one that uses Scanspeak drivers and they don't even have a built up one to audition.. Willys HiFi only sell drive units. Nobody give you a choice of cabs so you can pick the one you want and then gives you options on drivers and crossovers to suit.
If you could provide me with list on people who sell speaker kits, complete with cabs and crossovers that would be very helpful.
Ron
Hi Ron,
have you got any confidence in simulated crossovers for the specific drivers of yours? If so, I'll provide you with a simple filter and it should perform reasonably well, especially with an option of changing tweeter level to accomodate personal taste. Manufacturer datasheet are there, baffle measures and driver position needed, speaker placement also (near wall, away from it, corner...).
have you got any confidence in simulated crossovers for the specific drivers of yours? If so, I'll provide you with a simple filter and it should perform reasonably well, especially with an option of changing tweeter level to accomodate personal taste. Manufacturer datasheet are there, baffle measures and driver position needed, speaker placement also (near wall, away from it, corner...).
Lojzek, I just don't have enough knowledge or experience in these matters.
I swapped out the AE bass/mid for what I though was lile for like almost.. Same size, same impedance, the existing crossover is not extreme 2500khz, so I thought it might be ok with the 3004/66000 tweeter I already had.
BIG WRONG. it is awful. The first thing I noticed was that only one speaker was working, so I walked closer and listened to both, they were working fine. That's strange so I sat back down and only the left channel was working. However when I moved my head to the right, the right side was working, but I lost the left. It turns out, for some reason, unless you were dead centre, you couldn't hear both channels. Just by moving your heed you could switch from on side to the other. Honestly you would have to experience it to believe it.
So this has really knock my confidence in speaker kits. There are some kits on the web that use the same drivers and almost the same size box. I have e-mailed them to see If I could just buy the crossover, but no replies so far. I would love to get these two drivers working together, but I#m not willing to pay £300 plus for the drivers, plus another £200 plus for a crossover if it's a bit hit and miss. At least if you buy ready made, you can try them at home at your leisure and send them back if your not happy. Ok, it might cost you £15 postage, but that's well worth it to me.
I swapped out the AE bass/mid for what I though was lile for like almost.. Same size, same impedance, the existing crossover is not extreme 2500khz, so I thought it might be ok with the 3004/66000 tweeter I already had.
BIG WRONG. it is awful. The first thing I noticed was that only one speaker was working, so I walked closer and listened to both, they were working fine. That's strange so I sat back down and only the left channel was working. However when I moved my head to the right, the right side was working, but I lost the left. It turns out, for some reason, unless you were dead centre, you couldn't hear both channels. Just by moving your heed you could switch from on side to the other. Honestly you would have to experience it to believe it.
So this has really knock my confidence in speaker kits. There are some kits on the web that use the same drivers and almost the same size box. I have e-mailed them to see If I could just buy the crossover, but no replies so far. I would love to get these two drivers working together, but I#m not willing to pay £300 plus for the drivers, plus another £200 plus for a crossover if it's a bit hit and miss. At least if you buy ready made, you can try them at home at your leisure and send them back if your not happy. Ok, it might cost you £15 postage, but that's well worth it to me.
Mighty sorry for your trouble and frustrations, but I think blaming the kit sellers is a mistake -- nothing you've described having done so far is in any way a 'kit building experience'. +1 Scottmoose!
The hearing-only-one-channel-at-a-time problem sounds like one or more of the following:
- phasing disparity between channels/drivers
- abrupt narrowing of dispersal (FR-wise) in the 1kHz to 3kHz range (beaming)
- inadvertent stereo/mono switch left in the mono position
- extremely low -- or much too high -- acoustic reverb in the listening space
and Honestly, I have experienced it, and so have no trouble believing it.
How about .. restore the original AE bass/mids (you said they were 'O.K.', right?); then either leave in the 'improved' tweeters, or restore them to original as well. Then sell the complete, decent-working pair, and put the money toward a WHOLE KIT. Agreed that it might mean having nothing to listen to, for a brief time. But the end could be much more satisfying, at least potentially. Then those nice ScanSpeak tweets could relax on the shelf awaiting some other, future project.
If there's a useful take-away, maybe that upgrading a speaker system is usually not as simple or routine as replacing one driver with a different, more expensive one, no matter how much better the replacement might be.
Best regards,
Rick
The hearing-only-one-channel-at-a-time problem sounds like one or more of the following:
- phasing disparity between channels/drivers
- abrupt narrowing of dispersal (FR-wise) in the 1kHz to 3kHz range (beaming)
- inadvertent stereo/mono switch left in the mono position
- extremely low -- or much too high -- acoustic reverb in the listening space
and Honestly, I have experienced it, and so have no trouble believing it.
How about .. restore the original AE bass/mids (you said they were 'O.K.', right?); then either leave in the 'improved' tweeters, or restore them to original as well. Then sell the complete, decent-working pair, and put the money toward a WHOLE KIT. Agreed that it might mean having nothing to listen to, for a brief time. But the end could be much more satisfying, at least potentially. Then those nice ScanSpeak tweets could relax on the shelf awaiting some other, future project.
If there's a useful take-away, maybe that upgrading a speaker system is usually not as simple or routine as replacing one driver with a different, more expensive one, no matter how much better the replacement might be.
Best regards,
Rick
I recently was thinking the same thing, about changing drivers for better. I see, it is not worth trouble. But how about to replace them with the same models, from new production. Original drivers are about 15 years old. They are Scanspeak D2905/970000 and 15W/4531G00.
Any benefits from that?
Any benefits from that?
Nothing wrong at first look. One speaker (woofer) gives a little bit strange extra sound, resonance around 100hz when I do frequency sweep. Cannot notice when playing music. Earlier I had drivers, about 20 years old, which needed to repaired, membrane gets loose from frame or something like that.
Just thinking out loud, should I repair if it comes to that or replace with new. This time drivers still in production, before I did not have that.
Just thinking out loud, should I repair if it comes to that or replace with new. This time drivers still in production, before I did not have that.
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"Rick PA Stadel-
If there's a useful take-away, maybe that upgrading a speaker system is usually not as simple or routine as replacing one driver with a different, more expensive one, no matter how much better the replacement might be."
This statement is so true it should be written in stone somewhere. I have learned the hard (expensive) way.
If there's a useful take-away, maybe that upgrading a speaker system is usually not as simple or routine as replacing one driver with a different, more expensive one, no matter how much better the replacement might be."
This statement is so true it should be written in stone somewhere. I have learned the hard (expensive) way.
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