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Latest Projects [message #59305] Wed, 27 May 2009 07:35 Go to next message
AudioFred is currently offline  AudioFred
Messages: 377
Registered: May 2009
Location: Houston
Illuminati (1st Degree)
There have been four in the last few months, and they are as different as night and day, ranging from an under-$150 standmount to a high end WMTMW, with a single driver thrown in just for fun.

The best, and not coincidentally the most expensive, is the Selah Audio Texas Revelator Tower, a $1,500 2.5-way kit featuring all Scan Speak Revelator drivers. I can still be contented with speakers whose drivers cost less than $220/ea, but there is a correlation between driver cost and sound quality. I've learned this through my membership in the Houston Audio Society, where the typical member's system cost upward of $20K, and the systems with the better speakers offer a clearly audible improvement is soundstage, resolution and detail. I wanted that, but without a $5K+ price tag, and I got it in the TRT's. They aren't as impressive as the XT8 line arrays in the downstairs system, but overall they offer the best sound of any speaker I have owned.
http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/132721_wacsQ#499276826_ A6Dqs

The most unusual is the Jim Griffin designed full range single driver mass loaded transmission line bipoles. This is my second build of these unusual speakers, which have a unique and pleasing sound of their own. My only criticism of these speakers is the lack of that sparkle you hear with a good two-way, and I'll probably add a supertweeter with a single cap crossover.
http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/132721_wacsQ#527422643_ PypvH

My sons are members of an alternative rock band, and few high end home audio speakers are capable of playing at the levels I hear when Low Rent (that's the band's name) is playing to a crowd of 60 to 80 people at Hanover's bar in Pflugerville Texas.
http://www.myspace.com/lowrentatx
Enter the Khanspires, a three way WMTMW using all Dayton reference series drivers, and suddenly you have a wonderful combination of high end clarity, sensiitivity and ability to play loud. Cool!
http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/132721_wacsQ#328911345_ SZZXY

And finally, something I've been doing for my musician friends who typically have really bad home audio systems (plastic speakers) and not a lot of money for upgrading. It's a slightly modified version of the Parts Express BR-1, with some added bracing to control the resonances of the 5/8" enclosure walls. This speaker kit sells for about $150. It excels at nothing, but you can still get some very nice sound, even when it's used with a $100 Best Buy Insignia two channel receiver and a $60 DVD player.
http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/132721_wacsQ#353384806_ uv9QM
Re: Latest Projects [message #59306 is a reply to message #59305] Wed, 27 May 2009 10:34 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Wayne Parham is currently offline  Wayne Parham
Messages: 18783
Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)

Wow, cool! You've been busy!
Re: Latest Projects [message #60580 is a reply to message #59305] Tue, 11 August 2009 07:13 Go to previous messageGo to next message
AudioFred is currently offline  AudioFred
Messages: 377
Registered: May 2009
Location: Houston
Illuminati (1st Degree)
AudioFred wrote on Wed, 27 May 2009 07:35

The most unusual is the Jim Griffin designed full range single driver mass loaded transmission line bipoles. This is my second build of these unusual speakers, which have a unique and pleasing sound of their own. My only criticism of these speakers is the lack of that sparkle you hear with a good two-way, and I'll probably add a supertweeter with a single cap crossover.



I finally got around to adding a supertweeter. For economy reasons I selected the Dayton ND20FA-6 3/4" Neodymium Dome Tweeter, crossed with a simple 1uF cap. The full range drivers still run full range. The result is very good.

On another forum Duke alluded to the fact that dipole and bipole speakers need to be placed at least three feet from the back wall to sound right, and that applies to this speaker. In the picture below it's less than three feet, but because it's so light I can easily pick it up and pull it out so it's sitting on the carpet for listening.

http://fredt300b.smugmug.com/gallery/132721_wacsQ#616868309_fQyk9
Re: Latest Projects [message #60655 is a reply to message #60580] Sat, 22 August 2009 15:56 Go to previous message
Jim Griffin is currently offline  Jim Griffin
Messages: 232
Registered: May 2009
Master
Fred,

Thanks for taking the opportunity to improve my bipolar speaker design with the addition of a tweeter. I'm pleased that you like that design.

I have a current project going that creates an offset dual MLTL bipolar speaker design that uses the CSS EL70 4" driver recently built by Mark Audio for CSS. There is a thread on this design that I started on the DIYaudio full range driver forum. I used some of the new thinking pioneered by Duke LeJuene on the new project.

I'll have to try your tweeter trick as well.

Jim
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