New project, 2 way floor standing
speaker.
Preparation for cutting
Preparation for cutting
Slightly slanted front baffle design
Cutting holes for drivers and
reflex port
Starting to take
shape
With the extra long PVC reflex
port glued to the front panel
2 pieces standing tall side by
side
View from the
back
Lining the internal wall with
felt
Finally it's time to put them
together.
It is time to put all the drivers in place to proceed for sound tuning
5.25" Bass driver is from Castle acoustic and 3/4" soft dome from Vifa
Inside is the modified 2 way crossover from the KEF C series speakers
After switching with a few different tweeters to match with the bass unit, i finally settled for a less expected combination which is a hybrid design tweeter. I would have to redo the mounting hole to accomodate the squarish magnet at the back of the tweeters.
A rectangular shaped hybrid tweeter. Don't know what brand but looking at the built quality is quite decent moreover they are made in Japan and also patented with individual serial numbers.
Up and ready for audition!
close up pic.
It is time to share a bit of my
experience with this pair of speakers after a few listening sessions. First test
i powered them with my old and faithful NAD 3020 Series 20 amplifier with Epos
ES11 as the reference speaker, what immediately draws my attention was the
coherence between the midbass and the high frequency units are superb. Worth the
hassle of cutting and drilling holes to switch tweeters. Midrange is smooth with
a good level of warmth and very well presented. The highs are crisp and detailed
without any trace of harshness while the bass lines are clean and extended.
However the down side is that i will need to dail the volume up a little to push this speaker, comparing with my other speakers i estimated it's output sensitivity should be in the 86 to 87dB region only.
Conclusion-I am very satisfied with the initial test results.
Next is to power them up with different amplifiers and sources to
see if they can perform better.
However the down side is that i will need to dail the volume up a little to push this speaker, comparing with my other speakers i estimated it's output sensitivity should be in the 86 to 87dB region only.
Conclusion-I am very satisfied with the initial test results.
Next is to power them up with different amplifiers and sources to
see if they can perform better.
I cannot stop saying good things
about this speaker when i switched driving them with my class A+AB 50 watter
intergrated Duson PA50 amplifier combo with a Pioneer 20bit cdp. Improvements in
every area and proven that the earlier 20 watter NAD is under powered. The
soundstage opened up tremendously and bass has more slam and authority. It goes
loud without sounding harsh or bright when pushed hard where i can continue
listening on a pile of CDs for hours. I believed that it could be due to the
natural characteristic of the hybrid tweeters itself that contribute to the
overal oganic presentation. I can say that it outshines the ES11 in many
areas.
I am eager to test them with more powerful amplifiers.
I am eager to test them with more powerful amplifiers.
The very final thing to do, dress them up with stainless steel wrap.
Looks very heavy and solid, no not only it looked heavy it is heavy! imagine 2 layers of 3/8" MDF with high pressure laminate on both sides.
Painstaking details
Labour of love
- Next, i am going to do modification on the midbass unit, to remove the dust cap and replaced them with custom made phase plug hoping for better midband delivery.
Dust caps removed, it looks like i will have to plug-up those ventilation holes near the neck of the cone before i can proceed to install the phase plugs.
Ok, i have the holes temporary covered with vinyl laminates to avoid the internal air escaping to the outside.The immediate result of the initial test with the phase plug temporary in place is quite promising, fortunately the side effect on the bass is minimal.
I will need to work further on the wooden phase plug in order for it to fix properly.
The making of a Birch wood phase plug. First is to cut the wooden rod of a specific diameter in to desired length. Bore a hole at the centre to allow the fixture of a holding pole.
Next is to apply some heavy duty wood glue to fix centre pole in place.
Some knocking required to ensure the pole is properly fixed.
Well done.
A piece of foam gasket to seal the joining to prevent leakage.
Some painting to match the colour.
The installation of the plugs begins
I insert bamboo pegs to lock down the poles from behind.
Wolla!
Done!
Putting them back to the enclosure and ready for firing up
I am further working on a "T" base for the speaker using plywood and MDF
Painted in black and now have the N-nut screwed in to accept floor spikes
With the 3 floor spikes inserted. I always don't like the idea of having 4
spikes as its normally very difficult to get it stable especially on uneven
flooring
Done!
It was the most satisfiying DIY project ever done by myself. After a few
fine tuning and mix & matching process, they have now taken over the centre
stage in my house and sings like a pro. They are driven by a pair of Antique
Sound Lab tube monos hooked to a Promitious TVC passive preamp and a Pioneer
20bit CDP by AudioQuest cables. Quite difficult for me say how good they are but
the replacement of my all-time favourite JM LAB Megane Carat with this Metalic
Floor Stander is self-explanatory.
In conclusion, it worth all the effort of putting them together and it also make me start thinking how much they worth if the value of the speakers are determined by the quality of the sound in commercial markets.
In conclusion, it worth all the effort of putting them together and it also make me start thinking how much they worth if the value of the speakers are determined by the quality of the sound in commercial markets.
