mikasa
have just finished a pair of mikasa for fostex 126e.Built exactly as per plans.They look stunning(will post pictures when I figure out how)I am now waiting for the enabled drivers to arrive from Dave at Planet 10
I have not lined the cc and envisaged only a thin layer of felt on the vertical walls facing the back of the driver.Is this about right.
Will post again with listening impressions when drivers arrive.Cant wait
have just finished a pair of mikasa for fostex 126e.Built exactly as per plans.They look stunning(will post pictures when I figure out how)I am now waiting for the enabled drivers to arrive from Dave at Planet 10
I have not lined the cc and envisaged only a thin layer of felt on the vertical walls facing the back of the driver.Is this about right.
Will post again with listening impressions when drivers arrive.Cant wait
Now have cones fromDave at Planet 10.Nicely done mods but cannot compare with standard since I did not bother with them.Sound quality very thin at first although holographic imaging.Very,very amplifier sensitive.
Musical Fidelity bridged Typhoons hopeless,gone back to old NAD with 2 ohm resistors in series in speaker leads to drop damping factor-much better.Does all this really come out of such tiny speakers?
Am trying an ulra linear el34 valve amp tomorrow,but my feelings are they need a SET amp.
These speakers are superb to look at,stunning as they are and have the potential to be incredible .Will post further mods as they are doe or suggested.
Phil
Musical Fidelity bridged Typhoons hopeless,gone back to old NAD with 2 ohm resistors in series in speaker leads to drop damping factor-much better.Does all this really come out of such tiny speakers?
Am trying an ulra linear el34 valve amp tomorrow,but my feelings are they need a SET amp.
These speakers are superb to look at,stunning as they are and have the potential to be incredible .Will post further mods as they are doe or suggested.
Phil
I've also found they are very amp sensitive....... and speaker wire sensitive. Try some 18ga. solid core twisted for speaker wire. Simple and cheap to try. Of course opinions on amps and wire is as varied as opinions on wine, but I've rolled over a dozen amps with the 126EN and found any SET or SEP EL84 a wonderful combo. i.e. Almarro A205, Glow Amp 1, etc. Also, moderate powered gainclones seem to have good synergy.
Nice cabinets btw!
Nice cabinets btw!
Very nice.
Top tip: First Watt F1 or F2. DIY build of one, all the plans are available, cost you about £100 if you shop carefully. Current source amplifiers; lifts the low end remarkably and sounds astonishing -you can improve on them, but it'll cost a whole lot more. A nice PP or SET amp will work wonders too of course.
It'll take a while for the LF to start coming in anyway as their excursion is controlled quite tightly in practice by the horn; more so than in other box types.
Top tip: First Watt F1 or F2. DIY build of one, all the plans are available, cost you about £100 if you shop carefully. Current source amplifiers; lifts the low end remarkably and sounds astonishing -you can improve on them, but it'll cost a whole lot more. A nice PP or SET amp will work wonders too of course.
It'll take a while for the LF to start coming in anyway as their excursion is controlled quite tightly in practice by the horn; more so than in other box types.
I second the First Watt's also. I've heard the F3 with double horns. Sounds very nice indeed.
Thanks for the help guys.Tried the solid core speaker wires ,not sure of any difference,but will try again later with more running in
EL84 push pull sweeter but I still feel a SET is the way to go.
Would love to try a First Pass F1 or F2 but would not know where to start,or even get the bits.I can get a hard wired SET based on KT88's for £295 in England which seems like a good deal.
On a different note,there seems to be a fair bit of midrange coming out of the horn mouths but I have nothing in the cc other than the felt Dave supplied for the back of the magnets-should I install some felt or something.
I would also like to post some decent pictures but cannot get decent sizes even with Irfan view.Should I use an image host and post the links.If so which one.
Phil
EL84 push pull sweeter but I still feel a SET is the way to go.
Would love to try a First Pass F1 or F2 but would not know where to start,or even get the bits.I can get a hard wired SET based on KT88's for £295 in England which seems like a good deal.
On a different note,there seems to be a fair bit of midrange coming out of the horn mouths but I have nothing in the cc other than the felt Dave supplied for the back of the magnets-should I install some felt or something.
I would also like to post some decent pictures but cannot get decent sizes even with Irfan view.Should I use an image host and post the links.If so which one.
Phil
Er, yes. The idea is to damp them to taste / your own requirements. 😉
There shouldn't be much midrange coming out if you've built them right -the multiple bends attenuate everything over about 300Hz in the case of this particular cabinet.
There shouldn't be much midrange coming out if you've built them right -the multiple bends attenuate everything over about 300Hz in the case of this particular cabinet.
Will hang fire with the damping till run in.Having stuck my ear in mouths again you may be right Scottmouse,it probably is not midrange.
Am at present I am sat listening to MaryBlack,all family are in bed,so level very low.Extremely enjoyable,could listen all night but unfortunately work in the morning.
Sent circuit diagrams of First Pass F1 to friend who is electronics engineer at GCHQ who asked how many would I like,so looks like I will give it a go.I will do the metalwork,he can do the electronics.
Cannot thank you guys enough for designing these speakers,and supporting amateurs like me,I have had many thousands of pounds of equiptment over the years including Audio Research and B&W Nautilus with front ends from Linn LP!2 to Townshend Rock Reference and I am closer to audio nirvana now than ever
phil
Am at present I am sat listening to MaryBlack,all family are in bed,so level very low.Extremely enjoyable,could listen all night but unfortunately work in the morning.
Sent circuit diagrams of First Pass F1 to friend who is electronics engineer at GCHQ who asked how many would I like,so looks like I will give it a go.I will do the metalwork,he can do the electronics.
Cannot thank you guys enough for designing these speakers,and supporting amateurs like me,I have had many thousands of pounds of equiptment over the years including Audio Research and B&W Nautilus with front ends from Linn LP!2 to Townshend Rock Reference and I am closer to audio nirvana now than ever
phil
First Watt or SET?
Hello Dent I concur with your asessment. Having heard both the Lowthers and the Nationals ---{NOS from Japan}--- on both a First Watt and a SET amp, I greatly prefer the SET/SFD combination.
However like almost everything else in audio, whether or not you'd come to that same conclusion in a side-by-side comparison of an SET and the First Watt would depend on your own particular set of sonic dislikes & preferences! So if at all possible do a side-by-side comparison of both topologies for yourself BEFORE deciding which you prefer!
Thetubeguy1954
Rational Subjectivism. It's An Acquired Taste!
dent said:
Hello Dent I concur with your asessment. Having heard both the Lowthers and the Nationals ---{NOS from Japan}--- on both a First Watt and a SET amp, I greatly prefer the SET/SFD combination.
However like almost everything else in audio, whether or not you'd come to that same conclusion in a side-by-side comparison of an SET and the First Watt would depend on your own particular set of sonic dislikes & preferences! So if at all possible do a side-by-side comparison of both topologies for yourself BEFORE deciding which you prefer!
Thetubeguy1954
Rational Subjectivism. It's An Acquired Taste!
You guys are approaching the FW stuff from the wrong angle. Of course you can do better -but it'll cost a whole lot more. What they are is off the chart on the VFM scale when you DIY one. Depends how much you value that last couple of percentage points.
OK Scott, I'll Bite! What's the...
VFM scale? The only thing my admitted warped mind could think of for VFM in this case, was Very Fing Musical! Is that the scale you were refering to?
Thetubeguy1954
Rational Subjectivism. It's An Acquired Taste!
VFM scale? The only thing my admitted warped mind could think of for VFM in this case, was Very Fing Musical! Is that the scale you were refering to?
Thetubeguy1954
Rational Subjectivism. It's An Acquired Taste!
Thank You Ryan!
I appreciate the update on what VFM actually means.
Thanks,
Thetubeguy1954
Rational Subjectivism. It's An Acquired Taste!
I appreciate the update on what VFM actually means.
Thanks,
Thetubeguy1954
Rational Subjectivism. It's An Acquired Taste!
Got to agree with scotmoose.Have priced up compnents for first watt at around £100 but will probably spend a bit more so I can make the casework good.If I do not like the result I will quite happily offer it to the guys on the forum for what it cost me.
The speakers cost me about£300 pounds to make even importing the cones and give me far more musical enjoyment than the mega money B&w nautilus they replaced.Iwill try the first watt partly because it intrigues me but hey I may discover the musicality of a Mikasa
The speakers cost me about£300 pounds to make even importing the cones and give me far more musical enjoyment than the mega money B&w nautilus they replaced.Iwill try the first watt partly because it intrigues me but hey I may discover the musicality of a Mikasa
🙂
Mikasa, in case anyone's interested, was named for Admiral Togo's flagship at the battle of Tsushima in 1905 (arguably the most decisive battle in naval history).
Mikasa, in case anyone's interested, was named for Admiral Togo's flagship at the battle of Tsushima in 1905 (arguably the most decisive battle in naval history).
Hi all...
I am still in love with my sachiko's ( thanks Scott and Dave!) and I have tried them with a few different amplifiers, the most successful SS was a modified trends TA 10.1, very nice indeed and a total no brainer when you consider the cost. The one I like most however is the Puresound Bewitch A30, a valve amp using 6550 outputs. I have to say I am loving it! but I still want to try a smaller speaker using maybe the CSS FR125 or maybe even a Jordan, just for the experience.
Steve
I am still in love with my sachiko's ( thanks Scott and Dave!) and I have tried them with a few different amplifiers, the most successful SS was a modified trends TA 10.1, very nice indeed and a total no brainer when you consider the cost. The one I like most however is the Puresound Bewitch A30, a valve amp using 6550 outputs. I have to say I am loving it! but I still want to try a smaller speaker using maybe the CSS FR125 or maybe even a Jordan, just for the experience.
Steve
🙂 Glad you're still enjoying.
Mikasa was basically a modified Majestic class battleship, built by Vickers. Had some of the improvements of the later Canopus class. Classic pre-dreadnought, beautifully ballanced (and looked it) & a tribute to Sir William White (the greatest warship designer of all time) who created the vessels she was based upon.
Well, I'm a naval historian. I've got to get the names from somewhere, right? 😉
I can imagine that working well.