transformer
Active Member
This is the story about how I came in procession of an amazing pair of little speakers that cost peanuts to build yet sound like a million dollars.
It all began when I bid on and won a vintage Marantz amplifier on eBay. The unit had been rebuilt and modified by the seller whom I have since come to know as Richard.
After receiving my Marantz amp, Richard followed up the sale with a phone call. We got talking about how he improved the sound of the amp along with a general chit-chat about various electronic components that he employs as tweaks.
You see, Richard is an audio enthusiast who has been tinkering with amps, tuners and speakers for many years. He believes that engineers and audio marketers are often too overly concerned with product specifications and seemingly neglect to evaluate how the product 'sounds' in actual usage to human ears.
Richard suggested that I might appreciate a pair of his little, home-made speakers. 'I should make you a pair', he said.
Now being an avid collector of audio equipment, I can tell you that I needed another set of speakers as much as I require a hole in my head. However, since Richard made a loss on the Marantz amp that I bought from him, I figured that I would supplement his finances by buying something else from the fellow. I opted to paint the speaker boxes myself and put forth my order.
Richard boasted how he uses inexpensive Audax tweeters (TW6X9A) along with the budget range 3.5" Dai-1Chi mid-woofers (HFS89-15-8). Individual drivers cost little more than a cut lunch. Add to this the cost of a few passive components for a simple first order crossover, terminals, a few sheets of 12 mm MDF, wood glue, and you have yourself the makings of a modestly priced pair of miniature Hi-Fi speakers.
He calls them ARMAC speakers and began making them for friends. Others hear the ARMAC's, comment on the great sound and always ask, 'where did you get those little speakers from?' Most of his orders are generated in this way.
After taking delivery of my own order of ARMAC speakers, I placed the raw MDF cabinets on stands in a large room and connected the drivers to my Marantz amp. First off, I played one of my favorite reference tracks: Three O'Clock Blues by Eric Clapton and B.B. King.
Wow! My jaw dropped to the ground. I then had a grin on my face from ear to ear. I listened, motionless, in disbelief ... The bass that was pumping out from those tiny 24 mm diameter port holes was so well defined, clean and surprisingly pronounced. Stereo imaging was superb, full and rich, with highs and lows all working in unison for overall great balance. Simply outstanding and astounding.
Still smirking, I thought to myself, this is not possible. No. No way. Cheap little speakers are not supposed to sound this good.
What I was hearing had the presence of much larger floor standers, yet these boxes take up less space on my bookshelf than Encyclopedia Britannica volumes A, B and C. The cabinets measure about 264 mm (H) x 164 mm (W) x 139 mm (D).
Enough listening. I was so excited that I rushed to the phone to thank Richard. For a moment there, I remember being speechless. Eventually, I explained that I have just done an A/B comparison test with your speakers and several high-enders (costing appreciably much, much more). To my ears, these little speakers that you've built hold their own so remarkably well thank you very much.
Some time has passed since I first auditioned the ARMAC's and the buggers are still one of my favorite audio acquisitions. They continue to make me smile. They are very easy to listen to. Very fun. Very inviting and involving. Although they lack the ability to pump out high decibels before distortion is heard, I am mindful of their meager cost. Even so, they can still fill a medium size room with pounding rock music and image a symphony orchestra quite convincingly. Although they do not need much power to drive, I've found they respond really well to monster amps.
I have since disassembled the cabinets for painting and finishing. While there, Richard suggested I dive in and remove some acoustic stuffing to further improve the bass if this will be to my liking. And so I did. And I like.
Amongst other reasons, in an attempt to lower distortion at higher decibels, I experimented (to Richard's dismay, sorry buddy) by coating the inside cabinet and drivers with bitumen. I also swapped out the the 30 cent Hitano electrolytic capacitors that were used and replaced them with Solen capacitors. Richard believes Solen caps sound gritty but I found after some hours that the drivers have rewarded me with even better low frequency sound, smooth as. The bass and treble on my amp are now set completely flat, squashed - defeated.
Incidentally, I did not replace the original Hitano capacitors that were fitted because of an inferior sound. The swap was purely done so that nobody would have to re-open the boxes to replace aging electrolytic caps anytime soon; the metallized polypropylene Solen capacitors from France have an extended working life.
In short, these are amazing little speakers with respect to their performance vs cost factor. Top marks go to Richard for his careful 'listening' skills and for his choice of crossover component values. These ARMAC speakers are very worthy of my 'Best Bang for Your Buck' audiophile award. Thank you Richard.
Enjoy the photos.
.
It all began when I bid on and won a vintage Marantz amplifier on eBay. The unit had been rebuilt and modified by the seller whom I have since come to know as Richard.
After receiving my Marantz amp, Richard followed up the sale with a phone call. We got talking about how he improved the sound of the amp along with a general chit-chat about various electronic components that he employs as tweaks.
You see, Richard is an audio enthusiast who has been tinkering with amps, tuners and speakers for many years. He believes that engineers and audio marketers are often too overly concerned with product specifications and seemingly neglect to evaluate how the product 'sounds' in actual usage to human ears.
Richard suggested that I might appreciate a pair of his little, home-made speakers. 'I should make you a pair', he said.
Now being an avid collector of audio equipment, I can tell you that I needed another set of speakers as much as I require a hole in my head. However, since Richard made a loss on the Marantz amp that I bought from him, I figured that I would supplement his finances by buying something else from the fellow. I opted to paint the speaker boxes myself and put forth my order.
Richard boasted how he uses inexpensive Audax tweeters (TW6X9A) along with the budget range 3.5" Dai-1Chi mid-woofers (HFS89-15-8). Individual drivers cost little more than a cut lunch. Add to this the cost of a few passive components for a simple first order crossover, terminals, a few sheets of 12 mm MDF, wood glue, and you have yourself the makings of a modestly priced pair of miniature Hi-Fi speakers.
He calls them ARMAC speakers and began making them for friends. Others hear the ARMAC's, comment on the great sound and always ask, 'where did you get those little speakers from?' Most of his orders are generated in this way.
After taking delivery of my own order of ARMAC speakers, I placed the raw MDF cabinets on stands in a large room and connected the drivers to my Marantz amp. First off, I played one of my favorite reference tracks: Three O'Clock Blues by Eric Clapton and B.B. King.
Wow! My jaw dropped to the ground. I then had a grin on my face from ear to ear. I listened, motionless, in disbelief ... The bass that was pumping out from those tiny 24 mm diameter port holes was so well defined, clean and surprisingly pronounced. Stereo imaging was superb, full and rich, with highs and lows all working in unison for overall great balance. Simply outstanding and astounding.
Still smirking, I thought to myself, this is not possible. No. No way. Cheap little speakers are not supposed to sound this good.
What I was hearing had the presence of much larger floor standers, yet these boxes take up less space on my bookshelf than Encyclopedia Britannica volumes A, B and C. The cabinets measure about 264 mm (H) x 164 mm (W) x 139 mm (D).
Enough listening. I was so excited that I rushed to the phone to thank Richard. For a moment there, I remember being speechless. Eventually, I explained that I have just done an A/B comparison test with your speakers and several high-enders (costing appreciably much, much more). To my ears, these little speakers that you've built hold their own so remarkably well thank you very much.
Some time has passed since I first auditioned the ARMAC's and the buggers are still one of my favorite audio acquisitions. They continue to make me smile. They are very easy to listen to. Very fun. Very inviting and involving. Although they lack the ability to pump out high decibels before distortion is heard, I am mindful of their meager cost. Even so, they can still fill a medium size room with pounding rock music and image a symphony orchestra quite convincingly. Although they do not need much power to drive, I've found they respond really well to monster amps.
I have since disassembled the cabinets for painting and finishing. While there, Richard suggested I dive in and remove some acoustic stuffing to further improve the bass if this will be to my liking. And so I did. And I like.
Amongst other reasons, in an attempt to lower distortion at higher decibels, I experimented (to Richard's dismay, sorry buddy) by coating the inside cabinet and drivers with bitumen. I also swapped out the the 30 cent Hitano electrolytic capacitors that were used and replaced them with Solen capacitors. Richard believes Solen caps sound gritty but I found after some hours that the drivers have rewarded me with even better low frequency sound, smooth as. The bass and treble on my amp are now set completely flat, squashed - defeated.
Incidentally, I did not replace the original Hitano capacitors that were fitted because of an inferior sound. The swap was purely done so that nobody would have to re-open the boxes to replace aging electrolytic caps anytime soon; the metallized polypropylene Solen capacitors from France have an extended working life.
In short, these are amazing little speakers with respect to their performance vs cost factor. Top marks go to Richard for his careful 'listening' skills and for his choice of crossover component values. These ARMAC speakers are very worthy of my 'Best Bang for Your Buck' audiophile award. Thank you Richard.
Enjoy the photos.
.
