I stumbled upon The Two Tower's thread by weesayso and was impressed with the detail, construction details, finish but also by the impressive display of speaker units (holes that is, hope you'll get there soon Ronald!)
His lead me to googe the Ids-25 and also found a lovely set of LA in Denmark...
The desire to build something like that (an array that is...) immediately kicked in and suddenly I had enough Vifa TC9's to pull it off
Construction ideas started to emergy but since I am short on spare time (4kids) I knew I had to keep it simple.
Hence I opted for something like this:
Wooden floor tiles 2200x180mm in size will be the cabinet sides, top and bottom. MDF will make the front baffle, rear wall and bottom plate/stand support. Well today the actual work began
I have made one front baffle, drilled 20x 76mm (3") holes, trial fitted 20x Vifa, and drilled 80x 2,5mm (3/32") for the mounting screws.
The sides are glued (two tiles form one side) and will be cut tomorrow.
I have taken a few pics of the work today but my computer is acting up (the other oneis occupied by two of the kids...) so I wont be able to share images just yet.
My towers will replace the front stereo channels in my home theatre and since the floor/soffit height is just about 190cm (6'4") my arrays will "only" hold 20x Vifa's. Will update tomorrow with pictures, now its time to snooze...
His lead me to googe the Ids-25 and also found a lovely set of LA in Denmark...
The desire to build something like that (an array that is...) immediately kicked in and suddenly I had enough Vifa TC9's to pull it off
Construction ideas started to emergy but since I am short on spare time (4kids) I knew I had to keep it simple. Hence I opted for something like this:
Wooden floor tiles 2200x180mm in size will be the cabinet sides, top and bottom. MDF will make the front baffle, rear wall and bottom plate/stand support. Well today the actual work began
I have made one front baffle, drilled 20x 76mm (3") holes, trial fitted 20x Vifa, and drilled 80x 2,5mm (3/32") for the mounting screws.
The sides are glued (two tiles form one side) and will be cut tomorrow.
I have taken a few pics of the work today but my computer is acting up (the other oneis occupied by two of the kids...) so I wont be able to share images just yet.
My towers will replace the front stereo channels in my home theatre and since the floor/soffit height is just about 190cm (6'4") my arrays will "only" hold 20x Vifa's. Will update tomorrow with pictures, now its time to snooze...
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Pictures from yesterday:
1 - Just home after purchasing wood flooring, these will serve as the cabinet sides.
2 - Wood flooring and TC9´s
3 - Slight color variations between the different floor boards
4 - Cutting guide and MDF underneath
5 - Cutting lines for front baffle 1 & 2
I really would like a better and more precise circular saw - and a cutting table!
1 - Just home after purchasing wood flooring, these will serve as the cabinet sides.
2 - Wood flooring and TC9´s
3 - Slight color variations between the different floor boards
4 - Cutting guide and MDF underneath
5 - Cutting lines for front baffle 1 & 2
I really would like a better and more precise circular saw - and a cutting table!
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More:
6 - Once the baffle is cut to correct width holes are about to get made...
7 - This is what 20 of those look like
8 - Holes about to be filled - Will my spacing allow the drivers to fit?
9 - All 20 fit, sigh of relief from my end. I could have chosen 84mm spacing and still gotten away with it, each driver now have about 1mm separation.
10 - Underside, holes are 76mm and the drivers fit nicely, the underside of the baffle will be chamfered allowing the drivers to breath better.
6 - Once the baffle is cut to correct width holes are about to get made...
7 - This is what 20 of those look like
8 - Holes about to be filled - Will my spacing allow the drivers to fit?
9 - All 20 fit, sigh of relief from my end. I could have chosen 84mm spacing and still gotten away with it, each driver now have about 1mm separation.
10 - Underside, holes are 76mm and the drivers fit nicely, the underside of the baffle will be chamfered allowing the drivers to breath better.
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From today:
11 - Front baffle, internal baffle and cabinet sides still unglued.
12- Front baffle have had drivers aligned and mounting holes drilled
13 - Two pre glued floor tiles are being prepared for rough cut and grooves
14 - Parts lined up, the internal bracing will be glued unparallell to each other. this will reduce chance for standing waves and also provide stiffness to the structure. Mounting flange shown
15 - Front baffle on flange with bracing in place, dry fit
16 - Size comparison... Yes, they do go in under the soffits
11 - Front baffle, internal baffle and cabinet sides still unglued.
12- Front baffle have had drivers aligned and mounting holes drilled
13 - Two pre glued floor tiles are being prepared for rough cut and grooves
14 - Parts lined up, the internal bracing will be glued unparallell to each other. this will reduce chance for standing waves and also provide stiffness to the structure. Mounting flange shown
15 - Front baffle on flange with bracing in place, dry fit
16 - Size comparison...
Yes, they do go in under the soffits Attachments
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Amp is an Emotiva UPA-5 (5x125W) Unsure wether I´ll use two or four channels for the Columns...
MiniDSP or Behringer DEQ2496 is my two top options right now. I don't have a media-PC that I use and need a simple system to operate (read wife and kids) so what ever works and with minimal input required will be the winner...
Halair,
Awesome progress man! You are quick! I too had some leftover laminate flooring and was wondering how to employ them for speaker builds and a line array is the perfect application. It looks like you really did not have anymore room than for 20 drivers - so floor to ceiling coverage is really what you need. I can say that the miniDSP has been great and once setup properly is very simple (nothing to touch other than volume knob, if desired). The miniDSP also gives you the ability to XO to a sub whereas the Behringer is EQ only.
Hey, where is your Cornu being hung to test? You might want the two tower LA to be main L & R channel and wall mount Cornus for rear L&R duties.
Awesome progress man! You are quick! I too had some leftover laminate flooring and was wondering how to employ them for speaker builds and a line array is the perfect application. It looks like you really did not have anymore room than for 20 drivers - so floor to ceiling coverage is really what you need. I can say that the miniDSP has been great and once setup properly is very simple (nothing to touch other than volume knob, if desired). The miniDSP also gives you the ability to XO to a sub whereas the Behringer is EQ only.
Hey, where is your Cornu being hung to test? You might want the two tower LA to be main L & R channel and wall mount Cornus for rear L&R duties.
Another week and you'll be ready! Hahaha...
I love the idea of using the Cornu's for rear duty. Diffuse enough for the purpose perhaps. So far I love a HT PC due to all the possibilities it has. But then again, I do not have a stand alone Blu Ray player yet. Only DVD.
Have you thought about the feet or are you planning to fix them between wall and upper ceiling? I'd keep in mind you might want to be able to rotate them a bit for aiming to dial in a wide sweet spot.
I love the idea of using the Cornu's for rear duty. Diffuse enough for the purpose perhaps. So far I love a HT PC due to all the possibilities it has. But then again, I do not have a stand alone Blu Ray player yet. Only DVD.
Have you thought about the feet or are you planning to fix them between wall and upper ceiling? I'd keep in mind you might want to be able to rotate them a bit for aiming to dial in a wide sweet spot.
Hehehe, if I were allowed to spend 6hrs without interruption for a whole week I am pretty sure most of the pair could have been done... But days like saturday are rare on my end so I had to use it appropriately :roll eyes: This build will take time however I am pleased with the progress so far Haven't had time to do more work since the image update, so don't hold your breaths for daily imagery updates... sorry
However, what I do hope to achieve during this week is to have the main part of one cabinet glued...lets hope I didn't jinx myself there hahaha
My current front speakers use 4 of the 5 channels from my amp, not sure if I´ll go that route with these. If I use regular two channels its simple, perhaps 125W/speaker is adequate. Optionally wire two groups of 10 per speaker, feeding each tower 2x125... What would you do?
Media PC / Jriver is most likely not gonna be an option, wifey and kids need to "press this button" to use the room, they will not be bothered with additional hardware.... go figure...
Haven't had time to do more work since the image update, so don't hold your breaths for daily imagery updates... sorry However, what I do hope to achieve during this week is to have the main part of one cabinet glued...lets hope I didn't jinx myself there hahaha
My current front speakers use 4 of the 5 channels from my amp, not sure if I´ll go that route with these. If I use regular two channels its simple, perhaps 125W/speaker is adequate. Optionally wire two groups of 10 per speaker, feeding each tower 2x125... What would you do?
Media PC / Jriver is most likely not gonna be an option, wifey and kids need to "press this button" to use the room, they will not be bothered with additional hardware.... go figure...
No further work have been done since last image update but here is a couple more with additional information added:
One of my concerns regarding a long line of identical drivers was to have them line up perfectly. In a long line the odd one will always stick out! Since I do not have a 2000x500mm CNC.machine in my garage I had to resort to low tech solutions...
After the front baffle was cut to correct width I scribed a thin line down the middle, used an aluminum straightedge and then a smaller aluminum ruler to pinpoint the 85mm center-center spacing. These were then predrilled with a 1,5mm drill bit (~1/16")
Once that was done the 76mm (3") holes were done. This worked out pretty well
The subsequent loose fit of all 20 units showed excellent uniformity and with the long straightedge tapped gently on the side of the drivers they lined up perfectly. At that point the mounting holes were marked and drilled once the drivers were removed.
Last picture again show size comparison vs the B&W DM604 (height =1m)
The Column isnt gluet yet, just resting up against the wall.
I have formed an idea of pedal/base for the Columns, since the base of the cabinet do not hold drivers (about 20cm / 8" high" I can use this space to fine tune baffle volume in neccesary and use concrete starting say 15cm / 6" high, going down past the bottom of the sides into a wider base. This would be cast as one piece. This will add great weight to the base making the structure a lot more stable. Total height of the base incl. spikes would be 7-8cm (+3") Added weight could be as much as 20-30kg (45-75lbs)
On the negative side since this would be a added part of the structure, making it more difficult to handle if required to be moved about. Option #2 would be to make it a separate module where the cabinet bolt onto. This again would need the sides/front/rear baffle to be reinforced to cope with bending forces... Love to create/find solutions...
One of my concerns regarding a long line of identical drivers was to have them line up perfectly. In a long line the odd one will always stick out! Since I do not have a 2000x500mm CNC.machine in my garage I had to resort to low tech solutions...
After the front baffle was cut to correct width I scribed a thin line down the middle, used an aluminum straightedge and then a smaller aluminum ruler to pinpoint the 85mm center-center spacing. These were then predrilled with a 1,5mm drill bit (~1/16")
Once that was done the 76mm (3") holes were done. This worked out pretty well
The subsequent loose fit of all 20 units showed excellent uniformity and with the long straightedge tapped gently on the side of the drivers they lined up perfectly. At that point the mounting holes were marked and drilled once the drivers were removed.
Last picture again show size comparison vs the B&W DM604 (height =1m)
The Column isnt gluet yet, just resting up against the wall.
I have formed an idea of pedal/base for the Columns, since the base of the cabinet do not hold drivers (about 20cm / 8" high" I can use this space to fine tune baffle volume in neccesary and use concrete starting say 15cm / 6" high, going down past the bottom of the sides into a wider base. This would be cast as one piece. This will add great weight to the base making the structure a lot more stable. Total height of the base incl. spikes would be 7-8cm (+3") Added weight could be as much as 20-30kg (45-75lbs)
On the negative side since this would be a added part of the structure, making it more difficult to handle if required to be moved about. Option #2 would be to make it a separate module where the cabinet bolt onto. This again would need the sides/front/rear baffle to be reinforced to cope with bending forces... Love to create/find solutions...
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I have B&W DM601's on that job today but its an entertaining idea to use 4 Columns + one vertical Column for a complete 5-channel. I have researched LA as center but found very little however Adyton market a LA center speaker identical to their Imagic-series... In my world that would equal 100x Vifa TC9's
Have no idea how viable this would be though... but I like the idea
Right now its standing (only have one completed) on a pedistal up against a glass wall facing a very large room. Listening position is 6m / 20' away so far from ideal I know
2x 125W or 4x 125W?
Question - I have 4x 125W max available for the front speakers, should I use 2x125W amp for the pair or should I split each Column in 2x10 groups and feed each group with its own amp channel?
More is usually better but LA's are very power efficient so would the extra available power be an addition or a unneccesary distraction?
Question - I have 4x 125W max available for the front speakers, should I use 2x125W amp for the pair or should I split each Column in 2x10 groups and feed each group with its own amp channel?
More is usually better but LA's are very power efficient so would the extra available power be an addition or a unneccesary distraction?
I assume you can't bridge the 4 channels to two and make more power?
Personally I wouldn't be inclined to split the columns into two sections in a floor to ceiling line array but it could provide more power. You are planning to run separate subs right? If you are, the 2x 125 watt would be enough power. The EQ needed if you plan on running the lines full range would demand the most power and maybe it would be an idea to use all 4 channels in that case.
Do watch the x-max limit on the Vifa's though if you decide to go full range. That's why I don't plan to extend all the way down to 20 Hz, I'll try 30 Hz to be save first and roll off from there and hope the close to the wall boundary gives me some extension below 30 Hz.
Personally I wouldn't be inclined to split the columns into two sections in a floor to ceiling line array but it could provide more power. You are planning to run separate subs right? If you are, the 2x 125 watt would be enough power. The EQ needed if you plan on running the lines full range would demand the most power and maybe it would be an idea to use all 4 channels in that case.
Do watch the x-max limit on the Vifa's though if you decide to go full range. That's why I don't plan to extend all the way down to 20 Hz, I'll try 30 Hz to be save first and roll off from there and hope the close to the wall boundary gives me some extension below 30 Hz.
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Correct, bridging isnt an option. I have no qualms using 4 input ports for each speaker. More power it is Should I upgrade later to a different say 2-channel amp big enough for the job I can always reconnect the two groups into one.
Separate subs in time is the plan yes, however no immideately plan getting startet that yet hehe
Should I upgrade later to a different say 2-channel amp big enough for the job I can always reconnect the two groups into one.Separate subs in time is the plan yes, however no immideately plan getting startet that yet hehe
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