I meant, pick someone else's project that has a published schematic and doesn't require you to spend a great deal on overpriced boutique parts.
The woodshop capability often sets the design direction.
A good FIRST BUILD philosophy.....
Study and ask experts to determine which proven 3-way designs best match your hearing, room, and music mix. COPY the best desgn... a shape you like.
1) test your hearing with free web software and calibration tools
2) understand your listening preferences in both music and tone
3) Sketch out your listening room including speaker placement, listener location, and study the recommendations and research...
4) Make an informed decision on a proven design which you can COPY. Spend time educating yourself on CAD tools simulating the proven crossover, and experimenting with modifications.
A good FIRST BUILD philosophy.....
Study and ask experts to determine which proven 3-way designs best match your hearing, room, and music mix. COPY the best desgn... a shape you like.
1) test your hearing with free web software and calibration tools
2) understand your listening preferences in both music and tone
3) Sketch out your listening room including speaker placement, listener location, and study the recommendations and research...
4) Make an informed decision on a proven design which you can COPY. Spend time educating yourself on CAD tools simulating the proven crossover, and experimenting with modifications.
thought, do you have some specific type of speaker in mind? Or just asking out of general interest?
Or the t.racks 4x4 DSP mini. But these just mimic analogue filters, you still have to deal with distortion, phase, cone brake up, impedance, measurements
Troels Gravesen's "SBA 3 way Classic" - standard Zcaps, cross caps, cross coils+driv.
Did a calculation on parts offered in this Jantzen Audio kit as if these were sourced elsewhere and came up with 571€/pair. Jantzen version with matching cap quality costs 643€/pair. The difference between these two figures could be considered a kit development compensation. However, the other higher priced (908€/pair) option comprised of Superior Z caps does qualify for being an overpriced parts version. Did not check other kits.
Did a calculation on parts offered in this Jantzen Audio kit as if these were sourced elsewhere and came up with 571€/pair. Jantzen version with matching cap quality costs 643€/pair. The difference between these two figures could be considered a kit development compensation. However, the other higher priced (908€/pair) option comprised of Superior Z caps does qualify for being an overpriced parts version. Did not check other kits.
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I would start with a design from Troels, the heavy lifting is already done through cabinet and front baffle sizing, driver choices too. You could than try designing a crossover. Start with a miniDSP for experimenting, then convert to passives. Easier said than done but better than starting in the dark. May try it myself.
Like he's not making a percentage of the parts that bear his name.
I have no problem with him making money or selling for what he likes, I just think they're too expensive, especially for a beginner.
Sorry, they're all overpriced. I've yet to see any evidence* that expensive caps make any actual difference for the same type and value.
By the time I bought, shipped and paid all relevant taxes on one of his passive xovers, I could easily have gone active for less. as a matter of fact a friend has done so with the recent Hi-eff kit.
* Not interested in subjectivist anecdote.
JBL made a fortune by selling speakers with 1st order one-component-only per path +Lpad for tweeter filters. So it must be not that hard to start with a 3 way!
All the junk paper cone woofers & tweeter of all the variety All the junk crossover filters Some fresh caps You have a lifetime to play
All the junk paper cone woofers & tweeter of all the variety All the junk crossover filters Some fresh caps You have a lifetime to play
Remove the crappy xover, and triamp with a good DSP and they turn into much better speakers. Learnt this when I had my KHorns and have applied it to others since.
It doesn't work like that for two (one, really...) reasons:
1) Not if you want to keep your system analogue
2) I was talking about working with a simple system such as source+amp+speakers as a "for beginners" request
1) Not if you want to keep your system analogue
2) I was talking about working with a simple system such as source+amp+speakers as a "for beginners" request
1) is a religious rather than engineering position.
2) I was saying that even though they're quite decent stock, they can be improved beyond the over simplistic xover.
See above.
Please describe those adjectives by an engineering position
Ok. I'm out
There is a lot more than religion to this. With the Open Source Monkey Coffin, we developed and tested the x-over using a DSP. Once the filter functions were right and the speaker sounded balanced, we built the passive filters. The filter transfer functions of the passive filter and the DSP prototypes are identical (yes, really, they are; you can read this up in the OSMC thread). The passive filters sounded so much better to my ears. All the A/D and D/A and other extra electronics in the signal path didn't do any good. DSPs do have their uses, but they are surely not always the best choice if the same function can be achieved with analogue electronics.
Which aspect was better? Can you put it into words? Sometimes a difference perceived as better, so "better" is a pretty broad concept and can mean different things to different people.