Building some speakers

[tony]

That is a bargain Fran but I think for most people one would have to factor in getting the drivers cut out and also maybe getting somebody to do the veneering. I am choosing to ignore the crossover tweaks adjustments etc as no doubt you would support that! But even allowing for that extra cost one would still be getting a fantastic set of speakers for a bit north of €1k-1.3K. Puts into perspective a shop bought pair of Dynaudios or Spendors etc in the same league that would be most likely in the 4-7K bracket

[HiFiFan]

Nice job - they look great. I hope you get many years of enjoyment from them.

[Adrian]

Great work Fran, thanks for sharing the pics.

I wonder would it be possible for somebody to loan you a pair of AP Kontrast speakers so that your new speakers could be tuned to the sound which you are seeking?

[DaveF]

Fran,
There was a youtube video I watched yesterday from 'Tarun A British Audiophile' about tuning a transmission line speaker and that it gave you a high degree of freedom in how you could tune the bass response in such a speaker. Did you play around much with this in yours?

[Fran]

Adrian:

Yes, I have a pal with a pair, but haven't been over to hear them in a long time. As they settle down, they are really smoothing out, and I'm pretty happy with them. I have a little tweak coming on the type of resistors in the crossover, might be better or not yet, but I'm happy enough even if there's no change.


Dave:

TBH not hugely. I did test out different amounts of filling - you strike a balance between bass fullness and losing speed and agility while all the time making sure that you have enough damping so that only bass notes are exiting the port. The other thing is that these are bass reflex rather than TL so somewhat different in what you do. I think I also got lucky in that they weren't far off to be begin with, so tweaking was made easier.

[Maciej]

Congratulations Fran. I admire your determination and skills.
If you'd like I can drop you my amp some time soon for few days or a week.
Let me know if you're interested.

Regards
Maciej

[tony]

Got to hear Fran's speakers yesterday in my place using the Jadis amp. Wow is all I can say. Fantastic tight full detailed sound. They looked really fantastic in the flesh. Effortless and engaging and very sorry to see them being packed away in the back of the car to go back to Fran's. Hugely non-fatiguing even when Derek fed them some Rammstein junk metal at insane volume levels :) Great job, Fran as per usual undersells the skills and attention to detail he brings to the table suggesting it would be a piece of cake for any of us to build. Hats off great job done in I think less than 5 weeks after work hours.

[Derek]

...Derek fed them some Rammstein junk metal at insane volume levels :).

The only way to really enjoy Rammstein. When Fran’s speakers well and truly bed in we’ll try them at ludicrous levels 👍🤪.

They perform superbly. The detail and attention Fran applied to the crossover is key in how these work. The soundstage and impact dynamics along with ability to provide detailed insight into layers of music, just a joy to listen to and not a fatigued ear in the house.

[Fran]

Ah thanks for the kind words lads - it was really interesting to hear them in a different room, and with a different amp. I did a bit of experimenting last night with positioning, and like we found on Saturday, if you toe them out a little so you can sight down the inside face of the speakers, plus sit back a bit further, then you get a much more expansive soundstage. This is a major bonus in my eyes as I love a good soundstage. So, sit closer and you get more of a monitor effect, sit further back and you have a more coherent whole. Also, sitting back a little further in my room reinforces the bass a little more. So there is a sweet spot between soundstage, bass reinforcement but staying away from boom.

What we should have done is brought down your nigeamp to see how it went compared to the jadis. That would have taken another variable out of the study.


Honestly, the box construction is straightforward, quite easy with minimal space and tools (clamps, cheap brad gun, glue, router is handy for the driver holes), crossover is worked out, drivers selected etc. The only bit in making a set of these is making them look good. A vinyl wrap might be a cheaper/easier middle step. The great thing about lashing them together like that is you can always take the drivers back out and do something fancier with the boxes after.

[tony]

I never thought about the nigeamp as you had listened through that but yes we should have done a comparison between the Jadis and it.
We got caught up throwing tracks at the Frantrasts and time slipped by. Sure next time if you are happy to bring them back!