Dave,
Thanks for the input.
Do you think a well stuff box can offset the reflection issue? Or should I be looking a different shallow depth FR or mid-woofer?
Maybe I'd be better off allowing a little more depth and harvesting my Alpair 5 and LDW7 out of an unused to build and use those instead.
The LDW7 seems to perform ok in the smaller box and since it has a reasonable amount of surface area and excursion I might be able to extend that low end with a little EQ lift in the 40 to 60 Hz range. This could allow ample bass at low or medium volumes at least. Obviously at high volumes the excursion would start to add up.
Then decide from there whether or not the subwoofer is required.
Thanks
Thanks for the input.
Do you think a well stuff box can offset the reflection issue? Or should I be looking a different shallow depth FR or mid-woofer?
Maybe I'd be better off allowing a little more depth and harvesting my Alpair 5 and LDW7 out of an unused to build and use those instead.
The LDW7 seems to perform ok in the smaller box and since it has a reasonable amount of surface area and excursion I might be able to extend that low end with a little EQ lift in the 40 to 60 Hz range. This could allow ample bass at low or medium volumes at least. Obviously at high volumes the excursion would start to add up.
Then decide from there whether or not the subwoofer is required.
Thanks
Last edited:
Thanks Dave, based on your input I think I'll push out to at least 5" internal depth. At that point I am thinking the LDW7 and 5.3 combo is most appealing (especially considering I am buying no new parts).
Wait and see from there if I feel a subwoofer is needed. This is for a new "aesthetically pleasing" living room setup. The subwoofers would be done as end tables or possibly hidden in the adjoining closet. I'm really only a fan of the in-closet one if I can get the crossover down quite low.
Wait and see from there if I feel a subwoofer is needed. This is for a new "aesthetically pleasing" living room setup. The subwoofers would be done as end tables or possibly hidden in the adjoining closet. I'm really only a fan of the in-closet one if I can get the crossover down quite low.
Last edited by a moderator:
Alpair 11MS in medium Nostromo cabinet - listening impressions.
As requested here are my findings but first some disclaimers: my right ear has a drop in HF hearing, and I suffer from tinnitus. Comparisons are made against my other speakers, some PMC Twenty21s, using my Hypex NCore amp (very low output impedance), yet to try them with my ANK EL34 all valve integrated (much higher output impedance).
1. With a wide variety of music I have never missed tweeters.
2. They are very detailed; significantly my wife commented that she'd never before heard the helicopter sounds in a particular REM track we were listening to.
3. The bass improves significantly after a week of use.
4. They can go loud, and provide a good stereo image, even when sitting off-centre.
5. Fed with well-recorded music they really shine, with deep and tuneful bass.
6. But with lesser material, they just sound OK, still HiFi but with a definite lost of bass quality, and can be a bit 'shouty'. I guess they don't suffer fools gladly!
Overall I'm very pleased, and I've gained considerable woodworking confidence. Will follow-up with valve amp listening feedback sometime later in the Autumn (when it's colder).
As requested here are my findings but first some disclaimers: my right ear has a drop in HF hearing, and I suffer from tinnitus. Comparisons are made against my other speakers, some PMC Twenty21s, using my Hypex NCore amp (very low output impedance), yet to try them with my ANK EL34 all valve integrated (much higher output impedance).
1. With a wide variety of music I have never missed tweeters.
2. They are very detailed; significantly my wife commented that she'd never before heard the helicopter sounds in a particular REM track we were listening to.
3. The bass improves significantly after a week of use.
4. They can go loud, and provide a good stereo image, even when sitting off-centre.
5. Fed with well-recorded music they really shine, with deep and tuneful bass.
6. But with lesser material, they just sound OK, still HiFi but with a definite lost of bass quality, and can be a bit 'shouty'. I guess they don't suffer fools gladly!
Overall I'm very pleased, and I've gained considerable woodworking confidence. Will follow-up with valve amp listening feedback sometime later in the Autumn (when it's colder).
Alpair 11MS in medium Nostromo cabinet - listening impressions - Part 2.
Last night I fired-up the valve amp, and I must say that the speakers sounded better balanced, had greater depth but with no loss of detail - listening to tracks such as Angel by Massive Attack, and Morph the Cat by Donald Fagen - compared to my solid-state amp. I've no idea what the output impedance of my (DIY) valve amp is but certainly greater than the other amp. Would this difference account for the changed (for the better) sound?
Last night I fired-up the valve amp, and I must say that the speakers sounded better balanced, had greater depth but with no loss of detail - listening to tracks such as Angel by Massive Attack, and Morph the Cat by Donald Fagen - compared to my solid-state amp. I've no idea what the output impedance of my (DIY) valve amp is but certainly greater than the other amp. Would this difference account for the changed (for the better) sound?
It should be. As noted in the Nostromo pdf the three enclosures were designed with an eye to different amplifier output impedances. The smallest was primarily intended for voltage source amplifiers with about 1/2ohm loop resistance included for typical decent gauge wire, binding posts etc. The medium sized box can be used with those but was intended for amplifiers with an output impedance up to about 2.5ohms (& also inclusive of aforementioned loop resistance). With a mean output impedance of about 1.5ohms, F3 is a couple of Hz lower, and while still well-damped around Fb, it has a little more output below 100Hz. The differences aren't vast (about a dB or so) but sufficient to provide an audible difference to the general balance.
It could well be. Is the tube amp SE or PP? How much feedback? Matt seems to be assumming SE.
It could be Rout, giving a bit more on the bottom, depending on the amp, perhaps a bt of richening due to a more than desirable 2nd order, or the tube amp, as they often are, is simplier with a more limear output and a greater ability to reproduce (ie not lose) the small details that are so importants to the music. Or a combination of all of that.
What matters is that it seems that you are enjoying it more.
dave