Behringer has some pretty questionable analog circuitry in some of their products, and is therefore not recommended. Even their local reps told me their products are not very good.I am going to actively EQ the signal for sure, Behringer is easily accessible here in town but I am open to suggestion for other A/D-EQ-units thats worth a look
What kind of impedance I will end up with will be determined later, this is not a critical decision at this time, though my thoughts are circling around 6 or 8 ohm nominally.
8 ohm speakers mean less power loss in a given speaker wire, and it's easier on the poweramp. Many poweramps get unreliable when pushed to their limits. A speaker isn't just 4 or 8 ohms, it's also a reactive load, which can cause poweramp instability. Hence the choke at the output of most analog poweramps. The DC resistance of a speaker helps reduce this issue, and an 8 ohm speaker has more DCR than a 4 ohm speaker.
I am going to actively EQ the signal for sure, Behringer is easily accessible here in town but I am open to suggestion for other A/D-EQ-units thats worth a look
What kind of impedance I will end up with will be determined later, this is not a critical decision at this time, though my thoughts are circling around 6 or 8 ohm nominally.
Well I'll give you another alternative to think about... I've spend the last few days to setup my PC as a mini home theatre "server". Something like JRiver Media Center on a good dedicated PC could do all you want plus more. I finally ran my wires below the living room floor to my stereo, including HDMI output to my Plasma TV. I am impressed by how well it's running, even with my old speakers (and some time alignment to make up for their odd placing).
I have setup JRiver with a few plugins giving me all the EQ power I could ever need and get it back into lip-sync with JRiver easely. Apart from that there's the Convolver option to consider etc...
I'll still try the (modified) Behringer as I'll need it for Radio and general TV use but I have good hopes for the PC solution to come out on top.
After switching to USB in my car I never touched CD's or even a CD changer anymore and have no plans to look back. That changed my view how to best serve the audio in my living room as well. I do still have over 400 Vinyl records to consider though
. The Jriver solution not only gives me audio but serves darn good as a Home Theatre solution as well.
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Just download the 30 day trail and find out. It has a benchmark tool in it to see how much computing power is available. I have a 2326 score, held back by my old (for today's standards) core 2 quad 9300 processor. I't is a PC from 2008 although is has been upgraded/updated with dual SSD for the operating system and a NVidia K2000 graphic card. 4 GB DDR2 667 memory soon to be replaced with 8 GB DDR2 800. Two 2 GB normal drives in Raid mirror for data. Win 7 64 bit operating system.
If I were a richer man I'd replace the whole PC. (as I normally would after about 5 years of use)
It is fast enough to process Blu-Ray 1080p with DTS or True HD audio with the processor running at 20-25%. Most of that in use with the EQ plugins. For video running the more power hungry high quality option, which uses madVR. More than half of those (demanding) tasks are done by my graphic card though.
Personally I wouldn't consider using a laptop, my guess is a desktop will always be better for that job, but I know many do. Do you plan on using it for video as well as audio? There's a big difference in demands right there.
This was my main CAD system, now pulling off a few extra duties...
If I were a richer man I'd replace the whole PC
. (as I normally would after about 5 years of use)It is fast enough to process Blu-Ray 1080p with DTS or True HD audio with the processor running at 20-25%. Most of that in use with the EQ plugins
. For video running the more power hungry high quality option, which uses madVR. More than half of those (demanding) tasks are done by my graphic card though.Personally I wouldn't consider using a laptop, my guess is a desktop will always be better for that job, but I know many do. Do you plan on using it for video as well as audio? There's a big difference in demands right there.
This was my main CAD system, now pulling off a few extra duties...
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Yes it was. Made up the shape using CAD and had it water yet cut (the 2 cm thick feet as well) out of aluminium. Used those templates to route the birch multiplex.
No crossovers, they are planned to run full range and need EQ to get the top end back.
Still a long way from the finish line, the baffles haven't been cut yet and the enclosures need some work (to put it lightly). But spring is almost here and I will go full force to the finish line.
Frequency response of one Vifa (linked from Zaph-Audio)
No crossovers, they are planned to run full range and need EQ to get the top end back.
Still a long way from the finish line, the baffles haven't been cut yet and the enclosures need some work (to put it lightly). But spring is almost here and I will go full force to the finish line
.
Frequency response of one Vifa (linked from Zaph-Audio)
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Simulation
Thanks for your reply. Have bought 2 x as many fullrangers and thought about the matter for some time.
Maybe you could try odeon ( Free Demo Version - Odeon ). It allows you to simulate numerous configurations of your array based on your own sound files. It might help fine-tuning your setup and minimizing problems arising from incoherent phase and destructive intereference. The listener being at a different distance from each driver, these aspects are relevant. Playing with delay, shading etc might help. Will follow your thread, good luck !
Thanks for your reply. Have bought 2 x as many fullrangers and thought about the matter for some time.
Maybe you could try odeon ( Free Demo Version - Odeon ). It allows you to simulate numerous configurations of your array based on your own sound files. It might help fine-tuning your setup and minimizing problems arising from incoherent phase and destructive intereference. The listener being at a different distance from each driver, these aspects are relevant. Playing with delay, shading etc might help. Will follow your thread, good luck !
Read the whole thread . I have absolutely no intend of using any shading at all. Also a deliberate choice not to build one of those bent over backwards arrays from my part, or the more correct (at one point in space and time) arced array.
I expect this array to work fine enough for a floor to ceiling array of full range drivers, with the right amount of EQ.
I've seen a lot of simulations, did some of my own and made my choices based on that info and (maybe even more important) experiences from other users here who have built similar (enough) speakers.
If all else fails I'll start looking in different directions.
. I have absolutely no intend of using any shading at all. Also a deliberate choice not to build one of those bent over backwards arrays from my part, or the more correct (at one point in space and time) arced array.I expect this array to work fine enough for a floor to ceiling array of full range drivers, with the right amount of EQ.
I've seen a lot of simulations, did some of my own and made my choices based on that info and (maybe even more important) experiences from other users here who have built similar (enough) speakers.
If all else fails I'll start looking in different directions
.
Winter chills allow time to think/plan... @xrk/weesayso/Bob - solid input which I will look into when I reach that stage. One thing that is certain is the many options available so there is little concern on my end in that regard
I have my Vifa's on hand and waiting for some desent outdoor weather opportunities (Forecast say next week, fingers crossed!) before I can start construction There will be a dedicated build thread covering this project. However I am choosing a simpler design outline, something similar to Adyton Imagic 
I have my Vifa's on hand and waiting for some desent outdoor weather opportunities (Forecast say next week, fingers crossed!) before I can start construction
There will be a dedicated build thread covering this project. However I am choosing a simpler design outline, something similar to Adyton Imagic
It's very quit, it's placed in my hall . I only have the keyboard, mouse and monitor in the living room. Plus it is equipped with the largest fans I could find at the time.
They rotate slowly but move a lot of air.
The PC has always been a big part of my job, so I wanted it in the living room. But I didn't want the noise. It took some time to get WAF approval though to route the wires straight trough the wall.
. I only have the keyboard, mouse and monitor in the living room. Plus it is equipped with the largest fans I could find at the time.They rotate slowly but move a lot of air.
The PC has always been a big part of my job, so I wanted it in the living room. But I didn't want the noise. It took some time to get WAF approval though to route the wires straight trough the wall.
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Winter chills allow time to think/plan... @xrk/weesayso/Bob - solid input which I will look into when I reach that stage. One thing that is certain is the many options available so there is little concern on my end in that regard
I have my Vifa's on hand and waiting for some desent outdoor weather opportunities (Forecast say next week, fingers crossed!) before I can start construction
Hope you can get to it soon! Can't wait to see what you come up with...