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Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Since my buddies are over here and I totally forgot I didn't post here, I'll carry over my current project from *elsewhere*. ;)
After some deliberation and gear swapping, I finally decided to build a set of speakers that I want as opposed to just holding myself over with something that was close to what I wanted. For about $500 more than what I had in my passive Kef R500 towers, I'll be able to build a fully active 3-way setup with the following gear:
- Kef R-Series concentric mid/tweeter
- Scanspeak 26w/8867T 10” woofer.
- Rane RPM26z for processing (crossover and EQ)
- Crown DriveCore XLS1500 for tweeters (525w x2 @ 4ohm)
- Crown XLS2000 for mids (650w x2 @ 4ohm)
- Crown XLS2500 for woofers (775w x2 @ 4ohm)
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_8831.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...AA6C82DC2D.jpg
Total power overkill, I know, but I had a couple already and I see no downside to using them. Talk about headroom… sheesh!
Initially, I had planned to use dual woofers per tower. This was intended to keep the driver within beaming at the crossover but also allow me the abillity to smooth the LF response with the 2nd woofer. As the testing and simulations went on, I realized that using a single 10” would behoove me in regards to vertical polar and strike a nice balance for where I intended to cross thanks to the mid’s lower frequency limits and the woofer’s higher frequency limits, combined with baffle step. Ultimately, I plan to have the crossover between the woofer and concentric mid in the neighborhood of 400-500hz. I may still be lacking in regards to the LF smoothness, but it's a tradeoff I'm willing to take.
I’m really not a fast worker when it comes to wood. I’m not a fan of building anything because I can’t achieve the ‘measure twice, cut once’ aspect. With that said, this build really will be simple at least with respect to the cabinet. I wanted to go with curved cabs but I was worried I’d spend more time and money buying materials than I have at my leisure, it’d make more sense to start with a very KISS method and possibly revisit a more complex, but aesthetically pleasing tower design this summer when I have time.
Each cabinet is 12x13x48. This size was chosen in order to achieve a baffle step between the woofer and mid at about 500hz. Again, I’m just assuming that doing so allows for a more natural driver response without the need to put any correction in to the system. Of course, the 10” woofer size really drives the necessary baffle width… I suppose it all just sort of fell together in this regard. The woofer height will be placed about 23” from the floor. This height was chosen as it helps me stay within some reasonable range of lobing limits in conjunction with being at a good frequency with respect to floor bounce. The concentric will be placed roughly 41” from the floor. This height was chosen because that’s approximately where my head will be. There’s nothing I can’t stand more than looking down on a speaker at a normal seated height. It totally kills my psyche, man. :D
I did a klippel test on each woofer to obtain large and small signal parameters. Small signal specs indicate a sealed enclosure size of 0.75ft^3 to hit a Qtc of 0.707, though my measurements showed different. Ultimately, based on my measurements, I arrived at a sealed volume of about 1.75ft^3. This puts the Qtc at about 0.60. Namely, however, it gives me some play room and by adding or removing stuffing, I should be able to achieve a Qtc that I desire. The upper section, where the midrange concentric will be housed was not targeted for any particular Qtc. I did, however, model up the enclosure size I plan to use (simply by default of bracing location and cabinet size) and found the f3 to about 213hz. This is less than half of the desired crossover point, so I think Im OK here. I wanted the extra room in the enclosure to be able to stuff it with varying materials. A target Qtc isn’t important to me here. Though, managing the internal reflections is.
On to the build...
I went to a local lumber yard to look at their Birch offerings. $65/sheet for domestic. And it looked good. The problem was they wouldn’t cut the sheet in half for me to fit in my civic. And they closed soon which meant borrowing a truck wasn’t going to happen and I wanted to get started the next day and work on the project during the weekend. I went to the local Home Depot and found they sell 12x48” MDF shelving pieces for about $5/sheet. These were practically perfect for me. $75 later I drove back home with a stack of 13.
All said and done, I didn’t get too far this weekend. I did manage to cut dados in the main structure pieces for both enclosures to support the 4 braces I plan to have. In my first time ever using a dado, I learned a couple things. So, if you look closely you’ll probably see some bad spots where those lessons were learned. ;)
I also took a scrap piece of birch and cut some practice holes for the drivers so I’d know exactly what size the OD, ID, and depth was in order to flush mount them. Pictures are below.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_8816.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_8822.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_8833.jpg
Sawdust sucks! Thank goodness for respirators.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_8829.jpg
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I've been going rather slow with this build. I've been doing this while my 3 year old plays in the driveway on her new bike, so I'll work a bit and then jump on mine to ride with her. Trying to balance this project with being a good Dad. Needless to say, I haven't gotten to where I'd like to be, but I have managed to make some decent progress. I got all the pieces cut for the tower and managed to glue them up, sans the front baffle.
So, here's the point at which I beat myself up... you ready? Let's go...
This was my first time cutting dados and I'd say I got about 75% of them right. The other 25% are about 1/8" too large or have crazy spots in them because the router wandered. :mad:
Reading up on dados before purchasing a bit for the router, I found out that typically 3/4" mdf is actually typically undersized and the dado bit for this kind of project is typically a hair smaller: 23/32". I ordered one up from Amazon. When I got the MDF pieces I realized they're actually oversized... say 0.80". Really?! Man! So, I wound up having to make multiple passes anyway, which effectively doubled the time I thought it would take. Lesson? Don't buy a bit until you get the wood... that, or just plan on doing multiple passes since not all wood is created equal.
I also made a TOTAL nooB mistake when cutting the dados for the top braces (3rd & 4th from the bottom in the picture below). I had taken some pre-measurements to make sure those two would give me the airspace needed for the woofer, and I also liked the idea of having a gap between the woofer and mid volumes. Thinking I could treat it with something later (made a post about it here). Anyway, at some point in the process, I cut the top brace about 2" too high; putting it's location just under where the midrange would mount. Didn't realize it until after I glued up the first cab. Speaking of realizing your mistake once you've already glued, I also realized I didn't cut the air holes for the woofer enclosure brace (2nd brace from the bottom) so I had to do the best I could with a hole saw and jigsaw. I got enough material cut out but it looks ugly. Luckily I caught that before I glued the 2nd tower up so I could cut that brace as needed before it was glued in to place. I'd like to say lesson learned, but I doubt it.
I really seem to have no ability to cut a perfect square but somehow they turned out OK. There are some gaps that are going to get some bondo-glass treatment for sure to cover them up and sturdy up the structure. Somehow or another when cutting the top/bottom pieces, my straight edge wasn't so straight so at one point the piece matches up perfect with the cab, but at the other end, it's off by nearly 1/4". Ugh. :rolleyes: But, as sad as it is, I'm actually REALLY looking forward to the bondo/Rage Gold sanding phase on these. That means I'm closer to the end and those spots should clean up. Anything is better than cutting more MDF. I had that stuff all in my beard. Glad I have a respirator because MDF boogers suck!
Maybe you guys can learn some lessons from my mistakes. But, judging by the caliber of builds here, I'm probably the only one making these mistakes and I also seem to be the only guy here who can't cut a square to save his life! :mad:
All said and done, however, I'm pretty happy with how things turned out. The small gaps I have can be remedied and I can take pride in knowing I did this all myself, as much as an aggravation and time consumer it was. I'm about 80% done with the construction. I'm going to double layer the baffle so I need to glue those pieces together. Before they are glued in, I'll line the enclosures with varying density material and route the wires where needed. Not a whole lot to see, but here's some pictures.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/13/apy6ynet.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/13/8a8u5yde.jpg
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I've decided to add some tie-rod in to the equation to provide additional bracing. The reason why is because the rod will hold in both compression and tension, and will do so much better than a jacked up, wanna-be squared brace. :rolleyes: $50 in all thread and hardware and I'm starting to brace the fire out of this enclosure.
These are only the vertical supports. I'm actually also considering adding two more main supports in the woofer cabinet and running a board between those two to act as a seat for the woofer and take any torsional load off the front baffle. Though, that may be completely unnecessary.
Anyway, here are a couple pictures. That middle brace got butchered. The other tower will look better. Thank goodness there'll be a baffle to cover up the screw ups. ;)
Attachment 45501
Attachment 45502
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
The above was carried over from the PE forum, so here's the latest update.
I went and bought more tie-rod.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_8896.jpg
Some CLD on the midrange enclosure section
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_8900.jpg
Insulation/foam/stuffing, with some side threaded rods added to the woofer section.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_8904.jpg
Close ups, showing some LLP for added mass loading to the midrange enclosure.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_8905.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_8906.jpg
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Ain't nothing wrong with MDF in the house. Looking good man!
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Thanks!
I hesitate to post build pictures because my wood working skills are nill. But, I'm pretty excited about what it's going to be. I put in about 2 months' of research, simulating and testing stuff before I even started. I even built a test speaker just to play around with various woofer locations for a dual 8" woofer setup, which I wound up scrapping in lieu of the single 10". That scan is a thing of beauty.
I'm still trying to decide if I want to fill that air gap between the woofer and mid enclosures with something. Great stuff was suggested, but that stuff is a mess. I think an air gap with some light fill (as pictured) is best. The great stuff is a great mess and I think the air gap as a good air density variation to the cabinet. Sony actually does something similar it seems with their flagship AR-1 speakers. I was reading their "white paper" on the Sony SS AR1 speaker and they mention leaving an air gap between the woofer enclosure and mid enclosure in the cabinet. Start on page 6. Here's the excerpt:
Quote:
What appears from the outside to be a single enclosure is actually divided inside by two thick birch partitions with an air cavity in between. Just as a double-pane window with air in between helps provide thermal insulation in winter, the partitions and air cavity create two well-insulated enclosures: one for the woofer and one for the midrange/tweeter. The mid/tweeter sub-enclosure is also vented with a bass reflex port that’s been carefully tuned and positioned.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I would not put foam in there.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I'm really not planning on it. I had it in my hand at the hardware store and then remembered all the times I've cursed it. Not only that, but IF I have to get in that section somehow, for some reason, it's going to be a nightmare. I've already coupled the two braces that make up that gap, but I did so with tie rod to stiffen up the panel. I just have the gut feeling a simple air gap is better all around. But, I have nothing to back that up with... other than it's just plain messy.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
It's pretty rigid when dry, we all know this, if anything it will defeat the purpose by coupling the 2 chambers further.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
some is. there's a different version that is intended to remain flexibile. I believe that's the window & door version.
oh, I got one word for you: speakOn. :D
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
NL8:D
I use the window and door stuff a lot... Log homes grow and shrink a ton :D
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I was going to order an NL4 for the mid/tweet but I thought it might be better to have separated just in case I needed to pull a single speaker for troubleshooting. Would make wiring easier though.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I will say one thing about this build... At some point I hope to be finished. ;)
I've been working on this for about 3 weeks now and keep thinking "okay, I'm gonna finish it this weekend". Then something happens and I lose all my free time. This weekend I burned two hours playing with using additional vertical supports in these speakers. Was up until 2 am Friday.
The next day was supposed to be my day to gain some traction but I wound up going to my nephew's HS baseball game that lasted 3 hours. I then came home to put together a basketball goal that took 4 hours to complete thanks partly to me not reading directions (what are those!?) and partly to it not coming with the right pieces. Luckily I had all thread on hand from this speaker project to remedy that. ;)
Anyway, I'm nearing the end. I've yet to decide on how to finish these but I'm looking to possibly just paint them flat black to get me through. Still have to do some testing to see what DSP settings to use for crossover and EQ. Once these get wrapped up I'm gonna fire up the oppo and my twin JL subs and get down! Then I'll worry about the rest of the HT.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Just do NL8 and mute at the rane.. or the crowns..... Doesn't the Rane have control voltage inputs and outputs? Whip up a panel like I did with my Shure... you can mute your ass off.
http://www.mobilesoundscience.com/sh...ll=1#post17622
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Active 3-way DIY Setup.
It does. But then I'd have to break out the laptop to control the Rane. Most likely that'd be the case. But I honestly don't mind having them separated.
I DO wish they made an 8 gang (6 gang, really) plug for outlet cover type installs (wall plates). It would be so much easier to tie a single Neutrik connector at the wall plate than multiple banana jack connectors like I have now. Plus, it would sure look better than 3 sets of banana plugs. I could fashion my own but I still wish they made them that way. I know why they don't; can't
Imagine they'd see that much use since this stuff is typically used in "on the go" type environments and a home isn't really fitting to that.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
IIRC they make single gang NL8 plates... they also make single gang with 2X NL4.
By using the CV I/O you just program switches for mutes. I have 6 outputs on switched mutes with 7-8 unmuted as a test output. The switches have a red/green LED above them to indicate mode. I switch my sub on/off, shop speakers on/off, and garage speakers on/off. I was going to build an "oh shit" global mute but the knob is big and smooth so I can roll it really fast with my hand if things get out of hand in a hurry.
Although an NL8 is huge, it's ONE huge wire as opposed to two, it's also impossible to mis-patch one as opposed to two. I'm always VERY careful about that patching shit. Don't want a sub channel ending up on a HF device :D
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
It took me an hour and a half to cut the hole for the kef. I test cut on two separate pieces of mdf to make sure I got the flush depth right. The flush mount is about as perfect as I could ask for.
There's a fine line between too much and too little in the ID, so I cut that on the smaller side and spent a good 20 minutes sanding a but and test fitting until I got it just right.
This is just a test fit to see how it's coming together which explains the clamps. I will chamfer the inside for the mid. I still have other things to do before I worry about attaching the front piece permanently. But it's actually starting to come together. Woot!
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/18/9eny7uva.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/18/9a6anyju.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/18/upeny2yv.jpg
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
yeah... not bad...
No really, it's a hell of a nice job ;)
Kelvin
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Wowzers. Excellent work sir!
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Awesome erin, I'm glad you decided to go the diy route! Looks like you chosen some excellent drivers as well. I think you should have gone all out and hand built your own passives though, maybe a bit selfish there, as I would've enjoyed seeing what you would have come up with considering your knowledge and all the tuning tricks that can be applied to passives. Maybe the active application can serve as a starting point for learning the drivers behavior in the room, and lead to the experimenting later.......lol.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I simulated some passive designs as a starting point. But, the time it would take to get the passives right... I just don't have that. I imagine it would take weeks of listening and evaluation to get what I really want after a few large hammer swing attempts.
That's not only time but money as well. I figure active gives me the control I need at not a WHOLE lot more cost than running active. Especially since I was going to have to get an extra DSP anyway (the 8 channel Rane would've been maxed out once I added additional surround and subs).
I'd hate to spend a month on tweaking passives. I'm ready to be done. Lol.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Just contact XtremeRevolution. He could design you an outstanding x-over using his proprietary software :P
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
If you had a wall of parts drawers with every value of cap, coil and resistor under the sun then yeah, passive would be dope...
But as you stated.... Fuckit. Active rocks anyway, no sense in wasting power.
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Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Yep. Active FTW!
Another 1.5 hours cutting the woofer hole out. This part makes me a nervous wreck given how much time has been spent already on the baffles with the dados, and double baffle. Don't wanna screw em up. That would SUCK!
So, this is what I managed tonight. The woofer is flushed in.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/19/7ube7y3a.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/19/e4yvenes.jpg
I ordered some t-nuts and screws from Madisound and hadn't even considered the diameter of the mounting holes... and guess what... the screws were too large. No big deal, just take a step bit to the $300 driver and make the holes bigger. :rolleyes: ;)
You can see that they have indeed been enlarged by looking at the exposed metal (silver) in the mounting hole.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/03/19/uzyrepy7.jpg
For reference, that's a 10" woofer and it looks like a baby in that tower. These things are seriously imposing and that's exactly what I want. I want to sit down in front a speaker that you KNOW is about to deliver the goods. I'm really, really looking forward to firing these up. Still gotta finish this one and then move to the other one.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I thought the months of tweaking was the whole point...lol. Ah, just a dream no one else shares I guess.....to design a speaker I could hook a two channel amp to and blow minds......knowing the voicing that manufacturers do with their passives I have a strong desire to learn the magic they are working in there.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
I finally managed to get the speakers assembled. First order of business was to run a sweep on the woofer section and see if my Qtc was what I built it for. To my shock, I was dead on.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/01/aqy8u8ar.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/01/a3evurun.jpg
Up next was to make sure everything played. I set some fairly generic crossovers on the towers through the Rane and lugged them upstairs. Hooked them up and was grinning from ear to ear for the next 30 minutes. They sound phenomenal. So. Much dynamics and incredible tonality. The soundstage is just plain stupid. By far the best speakers I've ever heard. So much promise.
Can't wait to get some fine TA and level matching going. I was going to paint them but think I may wait until after the NC meet so I can work more on my car's tune and maybe even wax/polish it if I have time. So for the time being I think the speakers will be plain mdf. Plus, after two months, I need a break from this build.
I'll post measurements once
I've gotten to that point as I tweak the crossover and other DSP driven aspects. Once this is done I'm gonna have to have a meet of my own just to get some others' ears and subjective feedback.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
That looks great, Erin. I think Todd's reference system had the same KEF drivers and it sounded awesome. I can't wait to hear it.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
His KEF drivers are a model or two up from mine. The midbass... those are a huge step forward!
Al, every post you make I just want to 'like' if only because of your avatar pic. Just...wow.
wow.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BigAl205
That looks great, Erin. I think Todd's reference system had the same KEF drivers and it sounded awesome. I can't wait to hear it.
Todd actually uses the Q700 which has a different driver in it. The driver I'm using comes from the R500 speakers which I had setup at my GTG for demo. These are intended solely for midrange/tweeter use where the midrange drivers in Todd's Q700 are designed to be more a midwoofer/tweeter. Different designs meant for different goals. For anyone curious about the differences, here's some notes from Kef's design engineer here:
Quote:
It may be of use to go into a little more depth about our Uni-Q development:
The drivers from the Q series, R series and LS50 all share a common lineage. The Q-series speakers were the first to be developed around 2010 as a concerted effort to get some of the features of the Concept Blade drivers into "affordable" loudspeakers. Over the years following the launch of the current Q range, we have refined and tweaked the drivers, resulting in those used in the R-series and LS50 drivers.
A quick summary: There are 5.25”, 6.5”, and 8” Uni-Q driver arrays in the Q range. The driver in the two-way R100 is based on the Q100 driver, but has a different cone (which you can identify the driver by from the font) and some tweaks to the tweeter and midrange magnet systems to reduce the distortion (addition of shorting rings and a copper cap).
The LS50 driver is a special edition of the R100 driver with a different voice-coil spec (to give a slightly different bass response in the system). The surround is also different and gives a slightly tidier upper mid-frequency response. We slightly adjusted the geometry around the tweeter-magnet outside diameter, also to improve the mid-frequency response.
The R-series Uni-Q as used in R300, R500, R700, and R900 is better than the LS50 one. The tweeter is the same as the LS50 tweeter. The small surround on the R-series mid-frequency driver greatly improves the response of the midrange and also improves the tweeter response as it presents smaller "disturbance" in the waveguide.
As ever with loudspeakers, people have different tastes -- we have come across many who love the LS50 (79Hz, +/-3dB), but require more bass and scale. They often choose the R300 (50Hz, +/-3dB) or R500 (46Hz, +/-3dB). Some others, albeit fewer people, go for combining the LS50 with a subwoofer. But most appreciate the raison d'ętre of the LS50 as a purist point-source monitor, and, given the right acoustics and positioning and driven by quality electronics, are more than happy with the bass extension.
KEF's fundamental approach is to try to offer differing designs with engineering trickled down as far as possible from the very best, to suit varying tastes, but trying also to maintain a "family sound."
Johan Coorg
KEF
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
highly
His KEF drivers are a model or two up from mine. The midbass... those are a huge step forward!
dang. caught me while I was typing up my reply. took me FOREVER to find that quote/link. lol
FWIW, I nearly bought the same speakers Todd uses. And based on his feedback, I may have very well been happy with that. But, having already owned the R-series and using them in my car and having the R500 speakers, I knew what they were capable of in the right bandpass. So, I went with those. Plus, it's a bit of an exclusivity factor. With this build I was pretty much swinging for the stars... hoping to get the best drivers I could as my baseline. I looked at a LOT of options but everytime I came right back to the Kef/Scan combo. Instead of wasting another month trying to decide, I just pulled the trigger. Haven't looked back. And so far, I'm glad I did. :)
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
highly
Al, every post you make I just want to 'like' if only because of your avatar pic. Just...wow.
I photoshopped that pic, her name is Martina Dimitrova.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
lugged the pair upstairs and moved the rack in to the room to make wiring it up quicker. I set simple crossovers on it by ear but plan to measure it all once I get some time to. Right now I have the following crossovers:
Scan Midbass - HPF: None. LPF: 480hz, LR4.
Kef Mid - HPF: 480hz, LR4. LPF: 2.8khz, LR4.
Kef Tweeter - HPF: 2.8khz, Bessel 18dB.
This stuff gets STUPID loud and incredibly clean. I hit 106dB full range at about 8 feet listening distance and the speakers didn't even flinch. These are just downright impressive. I'm looking forward to tweaking the crossovers further and dialing it in once I determine the final placement. But for now with the 'out of the box' crossovers, it's just scary good.
That said, I've also considering doing something different due to changing priorities. But, that's still TBD. It just depends on how things work out in the next month.
Here's a few pictures. Keep in mind the subs on the floor are 12 inch JL Audio E112 subs. That gives you an idea of how friggin' large these towers are. ;)
To recap, the tweeters are powered via a Crown XLS1500, mids are powered by a Crown XLS2000 and woofers are powered by a Crown XLS2000. The Rane RPM26Z at the top of the rack area is the DSP and the Oppo at the very top feeds in to the Rane (and another Rane RPM88 at the very bottom, blocked by the sub, which feeds signal to the center, surround, and subs).
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_9867.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_9881.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_9885.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...d/IMG_9868.jpg
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
You didn't even need wire risers :thumbup:
I can't wait to hear it
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
It seems underpowered.
:rolleyes:
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
BigAl205
You didn't even need wire risers :thumbup:
LOL. I honestly thought about that last night.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
highly
It seems underpowered.
Indeed.
What's crazy is those 3 amps I'm using for the speakers is still only 1/10th the price of some of the power-equivalent of the Mcintosh/Brystons of the world. Heck, nearly twice the power and an additional channel than the $1k Emotiva XPA-5.
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Re: Active 3-way DIY Setup.
Painted! Two coats of satin black. Made shortcuts by not hitting the cabs with a flush trim bit but my attitude is screw it. Cosmetically, they're good enough. They're gonna be in a dark room. The only reason they're being painted is to help them not stand out like a sore thumb.
Anyway... Looks good. Not glossy but not flat.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...385DB8D189.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...C490805C37.jpg
Now sound wise these are every bit as awesome as I'd hope they'd be. Sure, I'm biased, but I also spent a good 3 months testing and designing before I even cut the first piece of wood for these so it's not like I threw something together and am fooling myself in to thinking it sounds good.
What I've yet to do is REALLY sit down with the system and tweak phase via time alignment between the sub/midbass/midrange. Right now the crossover points are set but could use some improvement and the subs really need to be more integrated and EQ'd. There's a couple hot spots that need EQ below 400hz. Overall, though, it's impressive. And gets stupid loud. :D
Once I get all that completed I'll post up the measurements. And I AM NOT adding absorption. I threw a couple panels on the wall and it caused the width via ambiance to suffer. Which makes perfect sense. All the more reason why a good set of speakers with attention paid to polar patterns need little DSP and room treatments in a real room.