Which small speaker design for large room?

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I'm hoping to build a single driver speaker for my parents. They want it to be as unobtrusive as possible, which means it has to be very small. However, the room is large (about 5.5m wide x 10m long).

I know that it's not really going to work so well, but on the plus side they would not be played loud. Anything I guess would be better than the budget sony/panasonic etc mini system they would otherwise consider.

If I had to choose any small single driver speaker design for a large room, what would work best?
 
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Are you sure you can't get them to accept a svelte, sexy floor stander? The original FE108eSigma Metronome has really high WAF; it's petite and terribly cute. Then there is the Frugal Horn MK3, which is so thin it could go un-noticed. And neither would take up precious shelf space!

Cheers, Jim
 
Bose Wave music system.





Just kidding (although this type setting is what it works best for).

How will they be placed? Are they supposed to go on a table or bookshelf or what? If not I'd propose some very small, tall floorstanders - you can do some small transmission lines or horns that way, with a 3 or 4" full ranger. If not, you might look for or build something similar to the old Optimus LX-4 - fabulous tiny speakers with a 4" mid-woofer and a Linaeum type tweeter in a small rear ported box.
 
There's no way small speakers will fill that room without a sub. Or two. They do realize they are going to have to sit right next to the speakers, right? For a speaker the size you want, the room might as well be infinite. Trying to fill that room with bass from speakers that small will just produce a lot of Doppler distortion, if the little speakers do not self-destruct.

I say, don't give up on the sub. Or two. I made a very nice sub in a 28 liter box, with a ten inch driver and matching passive radiator. That little box would be inconspicuous in their room. Put a table cloth and a lamp or figurine on it. (A heavy lamp or figurine!)

Maybe the thing to do is to make the small drivers first, then demonstrate what a sub would bring to the party. If budget allows, slap a couple of Jx92s's into 11 liter boxes with bass reflex ports. That will give a -6dB point around 40 Hz, if you sit close enough. PartsExpress has .387 ft^3 (11 liter) boxes that are 14" (36cm) tall, so you could probably meet the "marketing requirement." Be careful. It would be prudent to run them through a high-pass filter.

So says I. But what do I know?
 
frugal-phile™
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Trying to fill that room with bass from speakers that small will just produce a lot of Doppler distortion, if the little speakers do not self-destruct.

You've not heard a set of, say, EL70. As long as you aren't trying for painful volume levels, they do just fine.

If budget allows, slap a couple of Jx92s's into 11 liter boxes with bass reflex ports. That will give a -6dB point around 40 Hz

A lot of similar size drivers that give at least equal performance as the JX92 for the same or less money.

dave
 
You've not heard a set of, say, EL70. As long as you aren't trying for painful volume levels, they do just fine.



A lot of similar size drivers that give at least equal performance as the JX92 for the same or less money.

dave

True, I have not heard EL70's. I would love to.

What we got here a matter of semantics. How loud is loud and how low is low? Putting it another way, the OP needs to be much more specific with his requirements. No speaker with a linear motor driving a cone can repeal the physics of cone displacement vs. frequency.

I only named the Jx92s because I got magnificent results with them. But they were high priced when I built a system around them some years ago, and the price has gone up quite a bit since then. I am interested in those other speakers. I will google EL70. Besides the EL70, what others are you thinking of?
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
what others are you thinking of?

Alpair12s cost about the same as a set of JX92. Alpair10 is a lot less, and Alpair7 Bud mentioned. Alpair10 is a nice balance between A12s dynamics and bass impact, and A7s finese. (They are all of a family, alot closer than they are different) CHR70 is no slouch either. Dirt cheap. And is happy in a 5-7 litre sealed box. Make it wide & shallow, and mount it on a wall. You could even wrap it in a silk print and call it a picture.

dave
 
Another way to do it is to run the Fostex 6.5" full range (94.5 dB at one watt) and run the Exodus Audio as a powered woofer. You'll need some serious power for the Anarchy though, that 85 dB of sensitivity needs a lot of power to keep up with the Fostex.

One thing I've noticed is when people say "It won't be that loud" or "I don't play deep bass music" The next thing I know they learned to like loud quickly and never thought classical had deep bass. :eek:

The Fostex 6.5 will give them the full range they want and the Anarchy with a built-in amp does not take up much space.
 
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