Help! I have no idea how to start looking for a speaker design to build. My budget is under $600, I’ll be driving them with an F5 (but I have the parts for an F6 when I want to change it up). I have a full woodworking shop and the knowledge of how to use it so I can build any baffle. I think I’d like to try an open baffle design but I’m not sure. My “listening room“ (living room) is an open room 30’x18’ with a 12’ vaulted ceiling that has a kitchen at one end and lots of furniture. Did I mention space is a premium? Also I have a toddler. Currently I’m using a pair of vintage fisher XP-56S speakers that I re-foamed. I’ve tried coming through archives here and elsewhere but barely know enough to understand half of what I read. Truly any suggestions or advice would be welcome.
I have tried quite a lot of open baffle drivers in my time and always keep coming back to the Visaton B200. A well respected driver with plenty of information about it on the net so saves you the guesswork.
If you lack the space but still want that open baffle sound you can cut a hole in the wall behind and uses the wall itself as the baffle board and the driver can use the room ( in my case the kitchen ) behind for air to breathe in.
Looks really neat without the need for big lumps of wood cluttering up my living room, paint a grill and put it over the driver for decorative effect and you are good to go, safe from the toddler too. I have a few and know what it is like to see scratches and hand marks all over my speakers, tweeter domes crushed in.
If you lack the space but still want that open baffle sound you can cut a hole in the wall behind and uses the wall itself as the baffle board and the driver can use the room ( in my case the kitchen ) behind for air to breathe in.
Looks really neat without the need for big lumps of wood cluttering up my living room, paint a grill and put it over the driver for decorative effect and you are good to go, safe from the toddler too. I have a few and know what it is like to see scratches and hand marks all over my speakers, tweeter domes crushed in.
I think you're hindering yourself by choosing to run an old architecture. Using an F5 amp forces you to use passive crossovers. In contrast, active speakers with DSP produce superior results. If you take two speakers that are designed and built correctly, one passive the other active DSP, the active will always be better.
You have a woodshop so I wouldn't buy a kit. If I was in the mindset to buy a kit I'd probably just get on Facebook and buy used speakers then modify them in my woodshop. Or you could buy new active speakers and build a nice wood box for them. You'd be way under your $600 budget and have great speakers.
You have a woodshop so I wouldn't buy a kit. If I was in the mindset to buy a kit I'd probably just get on Facebook and buy used speakers then modify them in my woodshop. Or you could buy new active speakers and build a nice wood box for them. You'd be way under your $600 budget and have great speakers.
Will they now.
I can give you an example immediately where they are not: situations where it is a physical impossibility to use active loudspeakers. Such as my lounge, where I do not have sufficient power sockets available in the necessary places, and am unable to run unattrative extension leads all over the place, let alone afford the expense of rebuilding it.
Ejecting partisanship from proceedings, we can consider the matter a little more objectively. Active loudspeakers have a number of potential advantages over passive, and have certain elements of flexibility not available to passive. However, the reverse also applies, for different reasons. Passive speakers offer increased ease of placement and can be employed with a wide variety of different amplifiers, which is not always the case with active designs. What is often overlooked in such debates is that different people have different requirements -such as wanting to use an F5 or F6 amplifier they already own rather than xyz alternative. Which is their choice, and the fact is, the alterative may not in fact be 'better' by their desired performance / acoustic criteria or objectives.
I can give you an example immediately where they are not: situations where it is a physical impossibility to use active loudspeakers. Such as my lounge, where I do not have sufficient power sockets available in the necessary places, and am unable to run unattrative extension leads all over the place, let alone afford the expense of rebuilding it.
Ejecting partisanship from proceedings, we can consider the matter a little more objectively. Active loudspeakers have a number of potential advantages over passive, and have certain elements of flexibility not available to passive. However, the reverse also applies, for different reasons. Passive speakers offer increased ease of placement and can be employed with a wide variety of different amplifiers, which is not always the case with active designs. What is often overlooked in such debates is that different people have different requirements -such as wanting to use an F5 or F6 amplifier they already own rather than xyz alternative. Which is their choice, and the fact is, the alterative
A small floorstander would be my choice in that kind of space. The amp choice says 25w at 8R, so you need a farily efficient design to go loud in your space. Maybe a Frugel-Horn XL with a Mark Audio Alpair 10 series driver could be what you want. Or something similar. That avoids also the need for a crossover (although the driver may benefit from some little notch filter, but it's not essential).
Well I can say that I am intrigued by active crossovers, especially after pouring over SL’s site and the LX Mini (I’m pretty sure I could build one out of wood...) but I think that will be a rabbit hole for another time. I’m also unclear why you can’t use a standard amp with a DSP or other type of active crossover. Do you need to bi-amp?
Anyway, I’ve sketched up the layout of the room including furniture in a cheap iPad app. I currently have the speakers framing the sliding door next to the wood stove. They definitely sound better when pulled away from the wall and elevated. I think Frugal Horns would fit there. I could also do some smaller wall-mounted speakers. The wall behind the couch could be opened up to be an OB speaker, but then the sound would be coming from behind or to the side of where we usually sit. Sometimes I wonder if it might be better to sit in the chairs and listen to speakers coming from the wall opposite the kitchen.
When I google SMSL SA300 I get a cheap digital Bluetooth amp...
Thanks for your suggestions!
Anyway, I’ve sketched up the layout of the room including furniture in a cheap iPad app. I currently have the speakers framing the sliding door next to the wood stove. They definitely sound better when pulled away from the wall and elevated. I think Frugal Horns would fit there. I could also do some smaller wall-mounted speakers. The wall behind the couch could be opened up to be an OB speaker, but then the sound would be coming from behind or to the side of where we usually sit. Sometimes I wonder if it might be better to sit in the chairs and listen to speakers coming from the wall opposite the kitchen.
When I google SMSL SA300 I get a cheap digital Bluetooth amp...
Thanks for your suggestions!
Attachments
Active = one amplifier channel per driver per speaker.
I would try your present speakers on the right wall on either side of the couch,
before you decide on what kind of new speakers. Sit them on a box a foot or so high.
There's room for either floor standing or stand mounted speakers there. Of course,
the chairs would be the best listening position then, but the sound would then also be
better back in the kitchen.
I would try your present speakers on the right wall on either side of the couch,
before you decide on what kind of new speakers. Sit them on a box a foot or so high.
There's room for either floor standing or stand mounted speakers there. Of course,
the chairs would be the best listening position then, but the sound would then also be
better back in the kitchen.
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ne of the few 8” FRs that by itself is capable of bass on an OB. Should be fairly wide.
I have 4 of these i am still noodling on a box for. Likely a big (200L) Boffle similar to what Bigun did for his AN15.
The B200 is not nearly as sensitive as specced, and the easiest (and best sounding) way to fix the rising response is to remove th edustcap and add phase plugs.
Personally i have not been wowed by OBs.
Lots & lots of good FR projects for less than $600. My favourites are most Mark Audios, some Fostex, SEAS FA22, and the B200. There are many others. From really small to really big.
dave
Huh? He is talking about an active system. 1 driver, 1 amp. And introducing DSP can add its own issues. Everything is a compromise.
It does bring up that most OBs need helper woofers. See Martin King.
dave
No, in part why I’m not sure. Also no idea how I’d get to hear one without building one these days.
Trying it now. Sounds better everywhere but the couches. Was worried about the couch arms, but is still better than where they were.
The first one I heard was a coaxial car speaker in a cardboard baffle that I made in a few minutes.
It might sound daft, but it will give you an idea of whether you like the sound, which, simply put, is more diffused, slightly less focused but having more depth due to the late reflections from the back of the speaker reflecting towards you.The first one I heard was a coaxial car speaker in a cardboard baffle that I made in a few minutes.
That’s a great point. I have what i need to build one now. I’ll go do it.
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