Frugel-Horn Mk3

How important are these?

(1) baffle tilt-back (vs elevating off the floor to ear-height, for example)
(2) internal non-ortho parallelogram shape (vs right-angle; externally can be made to look "classic")
(3) exact internal width/depth (if cross-sectional area is same)

I've wanted to do a one-fold horn/TL "Team/Transformer" for some time. Just scrounged some (lesser) furniture-grade/finish 15mm fingered-oak-board box-frame, internally 16Wx85Hx14D "fractionally close" to FH3...

I'd like to compare FH3 to its "antithesis" TL (seal up exit, open up apex). How must the speaker driver then be moved? And what if both ends are kept open, half-wave??
 
Last edited:
Castle acoustics, Rega development and others were among the first to offer shop products based on commercial tqwt designs decades ago. So nothing new with Pearl Acoustics interpretations. I discovered how good published diy qwl designs were decades ago via the now defunct single driver website and forum created by James Melhuish.

Easily outperforming their commercial counterparts. So Good luck to companies like Pearl Acoustics I say. because lets be honest not everybody wants to diy there Fi.
 
I have estimated that a good FH3 will be competitive with $5-10k boxes from retail.

dave
I take that as, under $5k commercial speakers don't have good cabs (as well made as Dave's).

Commercial small FR "labyrinths" are actually ubiquitous on China taobao/idlefish. I even came up with a name for the class, "Closer To You" (CTY obviously), both listening near-field and imaging/imagining singer-in-front-of-you. The footprint of the FH3 tailwing might present a problem though, I'll have to experiment with folds.
 
Size comparison between the Mk3 and Martin King's Lowther MLTL. The Frugels shown here have the Coral Holey Basket drivers. The CHBs were commonly used in TOTL Sony reel to reels.

P1010028.jpeg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Well, my FH3's are up and running, and what a joy they are. I'm currently using Audio Labs/Aiyima 4" FR drivers with them. The result is very satisfying indeed. After trying all the stuffing permutations, just a small amount of teased polyfil in the choke section was the best compromise. I'm using 18mm birch ply, and so far no major cabinet resonance in the lower registers. An area I am particularly sensitive too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
👏
Pictures, please
Here you go. as you can see they are still in the completed build finish. I have some ideas of finish and when done will provide futher pictures. They weren't any more difficult to build than the tqwts I have built. Let me know your thoughts Material is AB grade 18mm Birch Plywood.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20221103_101900.jpg
    IMG_20221103_101900.jpg
    226.5 KB · Views: 93
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Here you go. as you can see they are still in the completed build finish. I have some ideas of finish and when done will provide futher pictures. They weren't any more difficult to build than the tqwts I have built. Let me know your thoughts Material is AB grade 18mm Birch
I deleted the test videos as I thought folks would prefer to see them now they are complete.