Frugal Horn speakers. Not so Frugal sounds ...

[Gerry D]

After 2 weeks of running in I am thoroughly enjoying a new pair of speakers that I've made.

Fran was a great help to me with this project. Thanks Fran.
I know we were both very pleased when we switched on the first pair, dry assembled, at Fran's house.
Can't get over the 'bang for the buck" with these. They really sound like a lot more €'s than they might cost.

Running on 8 watts from my 300B SET amp and I am hearing a wonderful airy and mellifluous sound.
Right up there with Elac Jet tweeters and my Spendor A5's when it comes to detail and finesse.
And nice bass in my average sized room. This is easily 'tuned' to suit individual tastes and environment.
Best thing is these are a much easier load on the amp.

The great thing about them, so far, is that my wife hasn't "asked" me to turn it down from what I consider a good level to listen at.
I guess that means that they are easy going too. Not tiring, so to speak. But real Hi Fi. No doubt.

And ... "Not the worst thing I've ever seen". Wish I'd recorded that comment. :]

It's a reasonably simple design which achieves an end result which makes me wonder what all the fuss about crossovers, curvilinear panels et., etc. is really all about ?
Full Range is the right range for me. For now.

I'll post some pics tonight. Not quite finished - just some decorative tweaks left really.

Cheers,
Gerry

[Gerry D]

Mark Audio Alpair 7.2 full range drivers.
MDF cabinets - cut and ploughed on CNC machine.
Custom designed vinyl wrap.
Nordost internal wiring.

They're in a pretty raw state now. Wanted to see them in situ before I finish them and finalise.
The sides should extend backwards with a specifically designed/engineered profile.
Fran has these on his and the bass seems a tad more focussed.
I'm going to fabricate these in clear polished acrylic. Purely for aesthetic reasons.
I will also replace the outriggers with a spiked acrylic and sorbothane sandwich affair to see how that impacts on sound and appearance.

IMG_0575.jpg (101.46 KiB) Viewed 1974 times

IMG_0573.jpg (94.2 KiB) Viewed 1974 times

IMG_0577.jpg (92.47 KiB) Viewed 1974 times

[Gerry D]

Some more pics ...

I'll get a much more polished finish on them, now that I'm happy they're a keeper.

The oak top plates are loose and uncoated at present and the backs need taking beyond the primer coat of lacquer.
As you can see, in relation to the window cill in the pics, these are quite a cute size.
The drivers offer remarkable scale given there diminutive size.

I guess Fran can elaborate on any technical Q's that may arise.

Cheers,
Gerry

[fergus]

Excellent work Gerry....I am sure that you are delighted with them!!!

[cybot]

Fantastic stuff Gerry! You just can't beat a diy project especially when it turns out as well as yours :-) Kudos to Fran the Man too ;-))))))

[Fran]

I'll throw up a few pics of mine - mine are very much in the raw at the moment, no paint or anything yet, but the sound is excellent. Very satisfying sounds out of these, very economical to make and very easy to house. The sound was a bit "hard" to start with, but as the drivers ran in it all improved hugely and they are pretty good at the moment - and there's probably still more to go yet. I haven't felt the need to hook up the subs yet, the bass is plentiful enough to satisfy.


The wrap looks great Gerry - I think I'll be talking to you about that!!



Fran

[Modest]

ahhhh pure porn of the speakers :D nice job indeed Gerry
One quick link to all DIY lovers
http://www.soundup.ru/ turn on English translate on you right side at the top :)
I would love to do little project my self with drivers like: klangfilm, altec, saba, greencone. Any way it's all on the list :D
http://soundup.ru/index.php?option=com_ ... t&Itemid=2
I have good friend who was hammered in Munich high end show by the sound of Davis Acoustic fullrange driver, would love to hear it :)

http://www.cinenow.fr/videos/2957-davis ... unich-2011

[giant haystacks]

i dont think that the lowther drivers are the way to go not for me anyway -i heard frans big 7 foot horns i was very impressed i dont know what was done but they were really good
the thing about the single driver horn if you get it right it can be wonderful but if it is wrong it will be reallybad from clear with no depth or bass light or it can be really poor
i have listened to some of the larger horns , great experience listening to klipschhorn they are a great experience they get accused of being coloured but this is not true you are hearing the colouration of the amplification
i have heard big 15 inch altec 604 in 620 cabinets these can sound very ordinary but improve your amplification and things improve but you really need finest amplification or they can sound wolley is the frase due to the big 15 inch cone not being able to be controlled
there is big talk after a show in england called whittelbury hall the hifi dealer and now hifi producer john howes has brought out amplification using old uk triodes px4 and px25
but the big talk was about a set of horns he is making a re make of voigt domestic corner horns
at a huge price
well there are a set of these in burr co. offoly the origionals they look like a punch and judy stage show
the man who owns them he also has the klipschhorn he was the british isles distributor for klipsch

[Fran]

Yes - there's quite a buzz going on about the voights that John Howe is doing.... as a labour of love really I think. Bigger and even less WAF than the stacked quads!!


These little frugal horns are quite extraordinary though, really incredible sound out of them now. I'm sitting here listening to the new Eleanor McEvoy album and it is simply stunning through them. Helps to have the rest of the replay chain good too.....

Here's more pics from the web of these speakers:










Fran

[cybot]

These Frugals really do sound intriguing, I have to say; I suppose you have to have a proper workshop to be in a position to make/assemble them. How sensitive are they and how would you describe their sound? Are they the type of speaker that will show up a weak link in the system? Finally what kind of money are we talking about to build them? Sorry for all the questions but it might inspire someone here to have a go....including mise féin ;-) Also intrigued about the Eleanor McAvoy sound as I remember hearing one of her albums up in Cloneys on a Spendor speaker and you could cut the room with sibilance!!