They're just big sealed boxes, can make them ported in the future if I want but sealed is simple. My rooms somewhere like 16x25ft, but the back opens into some hallways and a kitchen so not sure how long it really is acoustically, but I appear to get extension down to 20hz. Iphone niosh app says we top out at like 85db at the LP about 6-7ft away, any louder and I get fatigued pretty quick. Bass is a bit uneven due to the room but I have two 10" subs to my rear I can turn on that evens the low end response throughout the room really well.
So I have the tweeter integrated well, and it does sound quite good, but it has one problem that I seem to run into with certain waveguides. The sound just kinda feels a bit closed in, like my brain knows the tweeter is loaded into some sort of horn. Ran into this with the horns and CDs I tried. I'll toy with placement and see what happens but it's a bit disappointing.
I've mentioned this speaker before but the only waveguide I've heard that I didn't hear this on was in the Behringer 2030p. I've since longed for the same 70 degrees of controlled dispersion but didn't see any good 3/4" dome + waveguide combos on the market. All the planar stuff I can afford that wide seems to have too much distortion and really narrow vertical. Could just buy some 2030a but where's the fun in that?
So I have the tweeter integrated well, and it does sound quite good, but it has one problem that I seem to run into with certain waveguides. The sound just kinda feels a bit closed in, like my brain knows the tweeter is loaded into some sort of horn. Ran into this with the horns and CDs I tried. I'll toy with placement and see what happens but it's a bit disappointing.
I've mentioned this speaker before but the only waveguide I've heard that I didn't hear this on was in the Behringer 2030p. I've since longed for the same 70 degrees of controlled dispersion but didn't see any good 3/4" dome + waveguide combos on the market. All the planar stuff I can afford that wide seems to have too much distortion and really narrow vertical. Could just buy some 2030a but where's the fun in that?
Gotta retract that, just moved them out slightly and back a little, sound just about perfect now in terms of width.
That kind of minimal shallow waveguide doesn't beam too much. Your hor-polars show there's wide dispersion around 4kHz and more directivity between 1-2kHz in mid's upper range. Typical for quite large mids. I have used 5" mid crossed 3500Hz to non-wg tweeter and get same kind of changes but just at a bit higher F. https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/avalanche-as1-modernization.321711/post-7235489
Really smooth room response, do you have a very large padded room or did you use lots of low end room-eq?
Really smooth room response, do you have a very large padded room or did you use lots of low end room-eq?
Another thing to consider... I found that putting a circular waveguide into a rectangular baffle, with large radius edges, worked very well... about as good as a full circular waveguide housing. For an example, see the March Audio Sointuva https://marchaudio.com/product/sointuva-awg-stand-mount-speaker/
Depending on your tools and equipment, a rectangular housing may be easier to construct. Here is a photo of my prototype test. The rectangular and the circular were so close in performance, my decision really came down to aesthetics.
My prototype test:
I made a test mount out of mdf, which was a great idea because I messed it up a bit but the construction process is pretty easy for me and my tools. The audible improvements are obvious to my ear, with and without the ring mount sounds totally different. Almost makes me wanna construct a sointuva like box. They look like they use massive round overs, do they make router bits that big? Anyway some quick and dirty in room measurements makes it appear as though the round overs help.
Haven't shared any info with the bigger waveguide, all that other data is with smaller nd25fw.
Not much in the way of treatment in here, just some curtains on one side, some triangle shaped 4ft tall bass traps in the corners and a rug. I have just two filters on the the left woofer and three on the right. The shot is a 10db scale so probably looks a little better than it is. Room is pretty mismatched, right wall is bricked and drywall with a big window, left is a fireplace and a really weak wall that rattles that I need to figure out how to secure. House was built in the 60's for my gf's grandparents and they were pretty unhappy with the construction. I've found several places where there's just no studs behind the wall making treatment mounting tough.
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Yeah isn't it, I do not know how to describe otherwise what I think is audible effect of edge diffraction. When there is "less" edge diffraction the sound seems more calm in general. To me edge diffraction is almost unnoticed, it's just feeling of restless sound or something, taking attention somehow but not sure what's that. Until there is another speakers to compare to which has calmness to the sound and doesn't take attention. Perhaps good and bad edge diffraction systems are hard to differentiate if one had to AB head in vice, perhaps goes unnoticed if fully concentrating to "critically listen" head in vice, perhaps it's not that bad so it doesn't bother most in most situations, but as we humans constantly move naturally it some how contributes quite much to overall impression it seems. Perhaps this is mostly high frequency phenomenon, and less important when wavelength exceeds head size.
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https://www.freudtools.com/products/34-140
I use this one. I recommend it highly... very smooth cut.
When making furniture or cabinetry from solid wood, I often use a hand plane to profile the work piece. Most of the time it is faster than the effort of setting up a router and then vacuuming 200 square feet of shop space. Hand planes are an extremely satisfying tool to work with.
But I never use my hand planes on plywood or (☹️) MDF.
But I never use my hand planes on plywood or (☹️) MDF.
Did you ever think about using an ESS AMT for the tweeters?
https://essspeakers.store/collections/heil-amt/products/pair-of-heil-amts-mounting-kits
https://essspeakers.store/collections/heil-amt/products/pair-of-heil-amts-mounting-kits
I generally try to keep driver costs to around $50, but I'll go past that for larger drivers. Also trying to avoid the "gotta catch em all" with drivers, I've got many unused ones as is.
I was bored the other day, always wanted to try the BMR drivers I have. What are these things?! I just slapped them on top of the woofer box with a high pass and my word, what impressive sound from a single driver. These guys are really giving me the mid range width I feel more familiar with. The wg300 is amazing, but again it just doesn't make the sound expand outwards enough. I'm definitely nit picking here.