I also designed and built the Fredarrays. These are very different from the XT-8s'. The object of this exercise was to find out how inexpensively I could build a line array that actually sounded good. Building on a budget requires some serious compromises, including inexpensive midbass drivers and a point source tweeter. The downside of the inexpensive midbass drivers is heard mostly in the midrange - $15 drivers just don't do midrange as well and high quality drivers. The disadvantage of the point source tweeter is that the speaker must be voiced for the listener to be seated a specific distance from the speaker. In spite of these disadvantages I believe I got good results for the money spent (less than $500).

I'll describe the Fredarray II since it was an improvement over the original. The nine Fredarray midwoofers were Silver Flute W14RC25-08's, available from Madisound (for $11.25ea back then when bought in quantities of 12 or more). The price has gone up a bit, so you should check with them to find out their current quantity discount price. The nine midwoofers were enclosed in a 61" tall enclosure which was internally divided into three separate chambers, each holding three drivers, with a 3" port. I didn't keep a record of the dimensions, but the internal volume for each chamber should be 1.3 cu ft, with a 3" by 3.75" long port. Sorry, but I don't remember the details of the crossover. You would need somebody with the necessary software to design it for you. The Silver Flute woofers weren't bad, especially for the price, but much better drivers are available today for a bit more money.

Rick Craig has designed a line array using nine 6" Dayton RS150 drivers in a sealed enclsoure, or eight 7" RS180 drivers in the ported version, along with a single Fountek ribbon tweeter. Last time I checked the kit, with assembled crossovers, sold for $800/pr. This is about what you would pay if you bought the parts yourself. You can see a picture of the DayTek at the Selah Audio picture gallery.

This is the way I would go if I had it to do all over. With the DayTek you will be getting a very good sounding speaker that you'll not feel the need to upgrade. Go to the link below and scroll down to the Day Tek for more information. Also, don't hesitate to call Rick.

• Day Tek