fostex fe126e in a mfonken?

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Has anyone tried a Fostex FE126E in a mfonken?
I'm building a mini system for my niece and I don't want to spent too much on drivers.

Tony


not an advisable combination if you don't plan on sub/sat style system - even then the FE126 would have some problems in a enclosure this small

if you don't already have drivers in hand, either the recently discontinued FE127E (still some around) or Mark Audio CHR70 in sealed version would be the most likely candidates

the only downside to any of the Mark Audio drivers to date is their lower sensitivity to which those of us familiar with Fostex have become accustomed - and frankly that's only an impediment with low power amps such as the flea watt SET's some of us enjoy in combination with our single driver systems
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
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FE126e will not work in the mFonken. It is specifically designed for FE127e... If you look at this thread you can see that each specific driver needs a bit different box to work ... but FE126 will not work no matter what i try (the closest curve to acceptable gives F3 of about 140 Hz, and it starts flling at about 300 Hz)

The discontinuation of the FE127 is a big loss to the diy community. I still have a few pair left, but after that... EL70eN is a good sonic substitute (not the same, but on balance), but you do need some 4x as much power (fortunately these are much happier with SS then the FE127eN)

dave
 
FE126e will not work in the mFonken. It is specifically designed for FE127e... If you look at this thread you can see that each specific driver needs a bit different box to work ... but FE126 will not work no matter what i try (the closest curve to acceptable gives F3 of about 140 Hz, and it starts flling at about 300 Hz)

The discontinuation of the FE127 is a big loss to the diy community. I still have a few pair left, but after that... EL70eN is a good sonic substitute (not the same, but on balance), but you do need some 4x as much power (fortunately these are much happier with SS then the FE127eN)

dave



as Dave alludes, there are several models of Mark Audio drivers that work well in this size box (we've tried to date the A6 CHR70 and EL70)

unless your niece will hosting dance parties, amplifier power of e. 20-30W of solid state ( such as a Class T amp) should be sufficient


for the budget your inquiry regarding FE126 implies, the choice between either of the "70" models could well depend on whether you have a known preference for paper or metal

until I hear newer production models from Mark, my own taste leans to the paper (EL70)
 
FE126e will not work in the mFonken. It is specifically designed for FE127e... If you look at this thread you can see that each specific driver needs a bit different box to work ... but FE126 will not work no matter what i try (the closest curve to acceptable gives F3 of about 140 Hz, and it starts flling at about 300 Hz)

The discontinuation of the FE127 is a big loss to the diy community. I still have a few pair left, but after that... EL70eN is a good sonic substitute (not the same, but on balance), but you do need some 4x as much power (fortunately these are much happier with SS then the FE127eN)

dave

Dave, have you ever tried enabling any of the Tang Band drivers, like the w4-1320? It has good sensitivity of 89 db and it's an 8ohm driver which is a plus. One thing's certain, at least for me, Fostex are some of the nicer looking drivers out there. Too bad they're fazing out the xx7's.
 
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frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
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They sound fine. I am using the original prototypes in my office. More capable than FE127 in the bottom & top, not as forward thru the mids, and perhaps not the finese thru the midrange -- i'm being reserved about that, as these drivers seem to take just as long or longer than the Fostex to bed in.

T-amp will like that they are 4 ohms.

dave
 
They sound fine. I am using the original prototypes in my office. More capable than FE127 in the bottom & top, not as forward thru the mids, and perhaps not the finese thru the midrange -- i'm being reserved about that, as these drivers seem to take just as long or longer than the Fostex to bed in.

T-amp will like that they are 4 ohms.

dave

I know it has more power available when used with 4ohm speakers but isn't distortion a bit worse with the t-amp when using 4ohm speakers?
 
Dave, I see that you use the 127 in (almost) all your designs. Is there any design you would recommend the new FE126En with? (where you think, or know, it would perform just as good or even better then the 127)

edit: Just noticed I missed the Frugel-horn. So please comment on the question, regarding you other designs. ;)
 
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Dave, I see that you use the 127 in (almost) all your designs. Is there any design you would recommend the new FE126En with? (where you think, or know, it would perform just as good or even better then the 127)

edit: Just noticed I missed the Frugel-horn. So please comment on the question, regarding you other designs. ;)


as one half of the P10 symbiotic entity, my observations would include:

- Size of the room / average seating position would likely inform the choice for a DIY enclosure the FE126E - i.e. I haven't heard every possible iteration of Scott Lindgren's double mouth BLH or BVR with Fostex drivers ( who has?), but so far I've found that a listening distance of at least a 2-3 meters is required for the combined direct output of the driver and that of the two mouths to integrate seamlessly.

- Of the several enclosures in which I've heard the FE108E Sigma, the Aiko (originally intended for a different driver), is by far the best. This is of course a different driver, but it speaks to Scott's design acumen.

-I've heard the FE126E in 4 (or 5?) single mouth BLH designs, of which the Ron Clarke designed A126 would be my choice. It's a slightly larger footprint than the Frugel-horn Level 1, or Bushhorn MKI or Hornshoppe Horn, but to my ear, the most extended, articulate and "finessed" of the bunch

- The FE127E is a much more flexible driver in terms of enclosure options, and IMO, much easier to make sound good than the 126E, but with Fostex's recent corporate decision to discontinue the FE AV shielded series (I guess logical from a strictly bean-counter point of view), that's moot.

If it wasn't for the wonderful work by Mark Fenlon, the latter could be of more concern
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
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Dave, I see that you use the 127 in (almost) all your designs. Is there any design you would recommend the new FE126En with? (where you think, or know, it would perform just as good or even better then the 127)

Chris outlines why you see the FE127 more often in our designs -- it is just more flexible. Its loss is a blow to diyers, but do expect to see the vacuum filled.

From what little info of on the ground measures of the new FE126En, it should drop into existing FE126 enclosures (which are mostly horns)

dave
 
Chris outlines why you see the FE127 more often in our designs -- it is just more flexible. Its loss is a blow to diyers, but do expect to see the vacuum filled.

From what little info of on the ground measures of the new FE126En, it should drop into existing FE126 enclosures (which are mostly horns)

dave

so rho - that takes you back to square 1

Something that I forgot to mention ( and things that "go without saying" are even less clearly understood than those thoroughly expounded ) - 4 of the BLH designs I previously mentioned ( e.g. Buschhorn MkI, Hornshoppe Horn, Frugel-horn and Ron Clarke A126) are single, rear mouth configurations, designed to use room corners to complete the last portion of horn flare.

It's been my experience that using any of them well away from a corner can collapse the effective "horn loading" in the lowest octave(s), perhaps to the point of resulting in an poorly damped "TL", and definitely needing some bass assistance.

Forward facing double mouth designs such as Scott's Saburo don't suffer from this particular issue, but definitely have some placement issues of their own.
 
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