title of thread says diy mini monitor, how about this,
Pushing the limits of small speakers - The Reference Mini build thread
Pushing the limits of small speakers - The Reference Mini build thread
@chrisabc
re- Pushing the limits of small speakers - The Reference Mini build thread
i have no scientific basis to this but, there is something i dont like about passive radiators. do they even improve the sound ?
gaz
re- Pushing the limits of small speakers - The Reference Mini build thread
i have no scientific basis to this but, there is something i dont like about passive radiators. do they even improve the sound ?
gaz
This speaker is excellent and the designer is a very sharp guy, but this is no budget build, and the learning curve to do this kinda design is steep.
I'm the designer. Javad built those from the Meniscus kit. Yes, they sound VERY good.
Wolf
Wolf, Very Nice Indeed!
I have not heard the Kef LS50 in person, what stands out is the look, same with the Boenicke W5 (crappy measurements, owner says,"I paid thousands, they sound wierd. At least they look nice.).
Here's a Boenicke sorta like (1/4 way down) the measurements look better.
Scelta ragionata di un altoparlante e suo eventuale impiego per la costruzione di un utopia micro - Pagina 6
The Stance have stand out looks (the tweeter closer to the woofer,closer to a point source) nice wide baffle & nice sound.
I just listened to the Kef LS50 on youtube, sounds nice- for the money it better sound nice. Does the Kef sound 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, 5 times better than the Stance, I don't think so.
I just compared on youtube. I don't know what a direct comparison would reveal.
I have not heard the Kef LS50 in person, what stands out is the look, same with the Boenicke W5 (crappy measurements, owner says,"I paid thousands, they sound wierd. At least they look nice.).
Here's a Boenicke sorta like (1/4 way down) the measurements look better.
Scelta ragionata di un altoparlante e suo eventuale impiego per la costruzione di un utopia micro - Pagina 6
The Stance have stand out looks (the tweeter closer to the woofer,closer to a point source) nice wide baffle & nice sound.
I just listened to the Kef LS50 on youtube, sounds nice- for the money it better sound nice. Does the Kef sound 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, 5 times better than the Stance, I don't think so.
I just compared on youtube. I don't know what a direct comparison would reveal.
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The Stance are excellent speakers. We have built many here in Ontario-io and coupled with a some low-end assistance, they can be lifetime speakers.
Here's a pic or 3 of my build below...
I will note that they are not flat measured, and the tweeter HD fills in the dip to balance it out. BUT- they sound flat and balanced. These I lovingly call the 'baby 'Tudes', as they were built with some principles from the Attitudes design including the same Formica for the baffles. I still use them as surrounds in the HT, and pull them out as mains from time to time.
I've also been told by a few peers that the breakup of the RS125-4 is sufficiently suppressed in this design, and that others did not do this sufficiently in their designs with the 125. Some of these peers did not like the other designs they heard with the 125 for likely this reason alone. The sim takes it down to -50dB from reference, and that is IMO where it should be if at all possible.
Both Paul Carmody and JeffB were enamored with the woofer's sound around that timeframe.
And yes- we did separate the spiders from the triple-joint at InDIYana 2013 playing 'In the Air Tonight' from the Audio Fidelity pressing of the Phil Collins album Face Value when the toms kicked in. PE replaced the drivers as they should not have done that according to the PE staff member that was on site. They sounded GREAT until then.
Thanks for recommending one of my builds, as I am very fond of these.
Later,
Wolf
I will note that they are not flat measured, and the tweeter HD fills in the dip to balance it out. BUT- they sound flat and balanced. These I lovingly call the 'baby 'Tudes', as they were built with some principles from the Attitudes design including the same Formica for the baffles. I still use them as surrounds in the HT, and pull them out as mains from time to time.
I've also been told by a few peers that the breakup of the RS125-4 is sufficiently suppressed in this design, and that others did not do this sufficiently in their designs with the 125. Some of these peers did not like the other designs they heard with the 125 for likely this reason alone. The sim takes it down to -50dB from reference, and that is IMO where it should be if at all possible.
Both Paul Carmody and JeffB were enamored with the woofer's sound around that timeframe.
And yes- we did separate the spiders from the triple-joint at InDIYana 2013 playing 'In the Air Tonight' from the Audio Fidelity pressing of the Phil Collins album Face Value when the toms kicked in. PE replaced the drivers as they should not have done that according to the PE staff member that was on site. They sounded GREAT until then.
Thanks for recommending one of my builds, as I am very fond of these.
Later,
Wolf
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Wolf you said,"PE replaced the drivers as they should not have done that according to the PE staff member that was on site. They sounded GREAT until then."
Hmmm
Is this still worth building?
Are the current drivers being sold used in the youtube clips?
Hmmm
Is this still worth building?
Are the current drivers being sold used in the youtube clips?
I'll second these. They sounded great at Chicago Diy. Very stout build and sound than what the drivers look like.
Similar drivers as the Boenicke W5, but with a micro tweeter and sealed and passive boosted side firing woofer in even smaller enclosure...
Photos are courtesy of Bill "4thtry" at IndIYana 2017
There are a lot more competent micro speakers with top notch finish.
Photos are courtesy of Bill "4thtry" at IndIYana 2017
There are a lot more competent micro speakers with top notch finish.
ani101- that is very cool!!
although that crossover makes you look like a crazy person. 😉
although that crossover makes you look like a crazy person. 😉
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Chris- not trying to be a dich here, but you're not gonna find things that are 2,3,4 or 5 times better typically in speakers. Maybe a 10% improvement, but more likely this one has better bass, the mids are just right on this one, and the highs are best on this other one. I have had a pair of Carreras and not surprisingly the bass was way better than the LS50 and the highs were better too but the coherence of the midrange and imaging were better on the LS50. Which is the better speaker? Kinda depends on your priorities. You're well in to the point of diminishing returns within the category of small passive bookshelves, not to mention the factor of personal preferences.
I would also never trust a youtube or even a short in person evaluation of a speaker. Any opinion I give on a speaker has been in my listening room for an extended period of time, there is no other accurate way to evaluate a speaker. I do trust measurements for general info and gross errors. I certainly don't trust the designer of diy designs to accurately evaluate their own design. This is not a dismissal of any particular designer just an observation of human nature.
Nice work Ani101. I have used the FR58EX as a tweeter paired with the AC130F1 (same as used in Continuum) in a FAST with a 1kHz crossover. Your crossover is quite complex. I ended up using a pretty simple crossover.
My first generation FR58EX did not have a nasty 10kHz peak which seems to be prevalent with later units (the rubber surround does not seem to cover as much of the aluminum cone). Here is the response with this crossover:
Here is the response with an earlier FR58EX:
Despite that peak, it sounds quite nice, although I may have to take apart the speakers that are holding the older versions and swap them out.
My first generation FR58EX did not have a nasty 10kHz peak which seems to be prevalent with later units (the rubber surround does not seem to cover as much of the aluminum cone). Here is the response with this crossover:
Here is the response with an earlier FR58EX:
Despite that peak, it sounds quite nice, although I may have to take apart the speakers that are holding the older versions and swap them out.
Yes- they are still valid and worth building. If you knew how loud we had them in that large conference room, you'd not have a remote worry.
The glue joint ripped at extreme excursions.
Yes, the drivers are available last I knew still from both PE and Meniscus.
Later,
Wolf
I like the Speedsters but they have too much baffle step for desktop use in my opinion. I much prefer the Continuum for desktop use.