My first build and i want to do something near impossible i think ...

[Meshach]

Ok, i understand what your all getting at. My speakers are rubbish and i should replace them. ( this is the very end goal, to craft my own speakers )
Before i do this i still need the measuring equipment, miniDSP's and another two amps for bi-amping.
If i buy these components it will certainly improve the sound of my current speakers and give me the opportunity to fiddle with an active crossover.
Then i can build a set of speakers.

Thank you

Meshach

 

[Lojzek]

That I certainly have not said, much less meant. The filter is the heart of how the speaker will sound, well almost, not entirely. I am confident that the units are absolutely alright.

 

[Meshach]

I'm sorry, i have not explained properly.
The new amps will improve the sound quality i think because of the L+R separation.
The MiniDSP is for my own experimentation and to try and lean hands on about crossovers and acoustics.

 

[Think]

Linn Majik 140 is an ideal candidate for a complete crossover redesign, possibly a baffle mod as well.

I read this as: good speakers with room for improvement in the crossovers.....

Instead of

Ok, i understand what your all getting at. My speakers are rubbish and i should replace them. ( this is the very end goal, to craft my own speakers )
....

So the minidsp is a good way to improve things if you get it right.

 

[Think]

Looking at the measurements of Linn Majik in Stereophile, I don't believe that minidsp would do miracles to it.

No, but it can probably do a better job

ANY mid-price 2-way speaker does better

If you talk about off axis response, I do not agree as many/most (?) speakers have worse off axis response.

and if one wants to hear low bass, a sealed sub or a wisely chosen large 3-way speaker will deliver that.

Do agree strongly

With diy and dsp it is very difficult to make a speaker that is worse that that Linn.

Because of ........

 

[Juhazi]

I don't want to stir this soup more, but Majik speakers have a strange cavity behind the super tweeter. All models present almost one octave 6-7dB dip 2-4kHz on-axis. Stereophile averages +/- 15¤ hor response and dip is still very prominent and makes strong coloration to sound. This is impossible to fix with dsp.

Bass reflex tuning of the 140 is OK, but spl is low, eq below 60Hz woud raise distortion of the single woofer remerkably. Bass might be ok when placed next to wall made of concrete or bricks.

Woofer-mid slopes don't sum like they should in 140, presenting a wide and deep dip around 300Hz. This can be easily fixed with multichannel dsp and multiamping, by setting highpass to mid and flipping it's polarity. This might help a littel te treble dip too (look at step response).

Majik 140 individual responses, from Stereophile

Room response (room mode making 30Hz bump)

Linn Majik 140 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com
Linn Majik 109 loudspeaker Measurements | Stereophile.com

To sum it, Majik 140 breaks many basic rules of loudspeaker design. If a diyer reads diyaudio.com/multi-way carefully and listens to advice given, the end result is guaranteed to surpass Majik 140's performance in every category.

 

[Juhazi]

Just one more thing about 140s bass. Because the closed box mid and ported woofer both got down, their responses develop phase difference below 60Hz (port signal is always inverted and tuning freq.) Best solution would be to blowck the woofer's port and change it's serial inductor to approx. half the value, then it would be .5 system.

Using dsp to lift woofer's top end will easily lead to clipping in digital domain, not recommended!

Obviously 140 was "designed" by just adding a woofer with lowpass filter below 109, and leaving it's crossover as is.

 

[Meshach]

I read this as: good speakers with room for improvement in the crossovers.....

Instead of
"Originally Posted by Meshach View Post
Ok, i understand what your all getting at. My speakers are rubbish and i should replace them. ( this is the very end goal, to craft my own speakers )
...."

So the minidsp is a good way to improve things if you get it right.

Im sorry, this was a dry joke about my speakers being rubbish, not a stab at you good people ! In future i will a point of making it more obvious i'm joking.

 

[Meshach]

Juhazi

Thank you for the advice given, it brought me to the conclusion i'm a bit of a fool.
The speakers were bought from a HiFi shop my family has gone to for 35 years so i naturally took the advice of the salesman and was given a good price.
At the time i assumed the Majik series of speakers came in two sizes, bookshelf and floor standing.
If i had known at the time they also made a subwoofer i would have realised its essentially a 5.1 speaker system and would'nt have bought my speakers.
At the time i wanted some PMC FB1 , i was advised against this and to buy linn.
Never mind... I will continue to read and speak with people on the site and as you suggested, eventually build my own speakers.

 

[Juhazi]

No, it is called advertizing! Linn is very good at it and most likely also the salesman knows his job!

"Few other speakers at this level can boast Majik 140's credentials. The four drive units on each speaker supply power and precision in the bass and midrange, together with incredible clarity and smooth, even dispersion at high frequencies. All this technology means that no matter what you listen to, Majik 140 will serve it up with an effortless enthusiasm." Linn — Majik 140 System

Subwoofer, in .1 system is something that I don't like for music, and many agree. I have used them for ages, also .2 and .3 but they are pain in the bottom to get right. I ended up to using subwoofer drivers in closed box as integrated part of stereo speakers. And now I realized that I had lost/wasted 35 years of my life listening to ported speakers and subs! My first hifi-speakers were 3-way with closed box, way back in '70s.

Go for a 3-way speaker with a generous (sub)woofer (or 2 standard woofers) and dsp-plate amp like Hypex FA123 or FA 253. Much easier and cost-effective than designing passive 3-way speakers of similar performance!