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Compact 3-Way Horn Speaker

Gigantic

Gigantic

A big, big love
@THD+N gave me an idea for a scaled down horn with a 12" driver based on my 3-way design, the bass bin operating between 32Hz-1200 Hz, with either our favorite PRV WG45-50 horn up top with a driver tbd, or possibly @mboxler's MBX-400 horn and a driver TBD or ironically, a more cost-effective 3-way with either of the aforementioned mid waveguides, the PRV D2200-PH driver and an eliptical tweeter lens & compression driver TBD .

It would look something like this, but without the multicellular look that's all the rage with the hipster kids these days:
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I've done the maths and it would be a 80% scale speaker, measuring approximately 19-1/2" x 19-1/2" by approximately 34-36" tall, with the upper enclosure coupled to the doghouse of the bass bin with a pair of 6-1/2" alloy-cone passive radiators, for a cabinet displacement of 4.5 cubic feet. I'll be shooting to tune the enclosure from 32Hz to 20kHz. Since it's an 80% scale enclosure, it's a simple matter to adapt my existing cut sheets to work. I will make one for a proof of concept before I commit to building a pair.

Stay tuned.
 
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IMG_1523.jpegIMG_1524.jpegIMG_1526.jpegI had a productive day in the wood shop today. I got all of the pieces cut and pre drilled, except for the bass bin corner transitions and assembled the doghouse. If I didn’t have to take my s/o to target this afternoon, I might have gotten them almost fully assembled. I made a cutting error out of sequence, so I didn’t have quite enough 3/4 ply for the doghouse, so I made it from a mixture of MDF and 1/2” plywood, doubling up the 1/2” ply for the motor boards for the bass bins and upper enclosure we’re supposed to get a bit of snow tomorrow and if I’m unable to to get to work, I’ll take the snow day in the shop, since it’s just five blocks from home.

Regardless of whether it works or not, it’s gonna be so heckin’ cute!
 
Mini in terms of it being a fully horn-loaded 3 way. Yes, a meh can be much smaller, but I’m intending these to have much better response down low. It will be quite a bit smaller than my current 3-way and a bit more svelt than a LaScala, but they will be just as tall. I’ve seen others make mini LaScala, but they were even more hamstrung in frequency response than the real thing.

The chair is for a class where members learn to make one out of poplar or cherry.
 
I'd like to see a "mini" something that works well on a bookshelf. Physically smaller than a Heresy but with some, well you know what. A radically different cabinet shape would also be a nice departure from the same old generic square edged Klipsch aesthetic of the past. Looks like Gigantic has the resources available to take on that challenge, if he'd dare to. :thumbsup:
 
jayvis said:
I'd like to see a "mini" something that works well on a bookshelf. Physically smaller than a Heresy but with some, well you know what. A radically different cabinet shape would also be a nice departure from the same old generic square edged Klipsch aesthetic of the past. Looks like Gigantic has the resources available to take on that challenge, if he'd dare to. :thumbsup:
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I think a bookshelf MEH the size of a Heresy, paired with a subwoofer would be the best solution. Ultimately, as you go down in size, you sacrifice frequency range for sensitivity. Of one were multi amping, that’s less of a concern, but in the interest of maintaining driver coherence with passive networks, it can become unworkable.
 
Gigantic said:
I think a bookshelf MEH the size of a Heresy, paired with a subwoofer would be the best solution. Ultimately, as you go down in size, you sacrifice frequency range for sensitivity. Of one were multi amping, that’s less of a concern, but in the interest of maintaining driver coherence with passive networks, it can become unworkable.
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Yes, it's definitely a challenge to even get close to full frequency range with a small speaker, but I always thought Klipsch could have done a better job at it than they have. Even something with close to 40Hz-20kHz response and more attention to cabinet design aesthetics would be welcomed since I grew tired of the common sharp cornered boxes on most speakers 30 years ago. Admittedly, I tend to agree with my wife on a lot of things.
 
jayvis said:
I always thought Klipsch could have done a better job at it than they have. Even something with close to 40Hz-20kHz response and more attention to cabinet design aesthetics would be welcomed since I grew tired of the common sharp cornered boxes on most speakers 30 years ago. Admittedly, I tend to agree with my wife on a lot of things.
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This has driven my diy experiments. My first experience with Klipsh was not positive, nor was my second, however, I eventually was able to discern what Klipsch actually does well: build speakers that have high sensitivity, dynamic range and low distortion. With regard to the Heritage line, I suppose I understand their reluctance to do what I've done with my 3-way horns: if they made the Heresy perform better down low, they'd have no reason to have the Forte in their lineup; if they made a proper "cornscala," it might eat into LS sales; if they did a proper port job on the LS, it would cut into K-Horn sales and so on. When I had planned on doing a Chorus inspired speaker, my intention was to have a 1.5" thick, solid wood front baffle, easing the edges to make it look like a modern speaker. The hard corners are one thing I'd revise if I ever redid my 3-ways.
 
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Gigantic said:
I think a bookshelf MEH the size of a Heresy, paired with a subwoofer would be the best solution. Ultimately, as you go down in size, you sacrifice frequency range for sensitivity. Of one were multi amping, that’s less of a concern, but in the interest of maintaining driver coherence with passive networks, it can become unworkable.
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It already exists, and I have heard them during a trip to Georgia, in June. Also 7 years ago in the same place.
 
Doctors appointments this morning and a snow day this afternoon gave me a few hours in the wood shop. The cabinet is roughed in and the doghouse and upper enclosure are coupled. Next steps are to rout out the motor boards (I made two) one for 2-way, in red and the other for 3-way in black. I was concerned that the enlarged upper cabinet would look out of scale, however, the narrower boxes look more cohesive together than do my 15” horns. It’s so adorable, and not much bigger than a Chorus, at 19-1/2 x 19-1/2 x 35-1/2.

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I have a couple guitar projects that I need to complete next, but once they’re finished and I have some spare cash, I’ll order some drivers, a P-Audio (Lase) BD-M750 for two-way and I have spare D2200s and an extra B&C DE-10 for the 3-way alignment, although I’ll have to find a K-79 sized waveguide for it or adapt the k79 I have for 2 bolt attachment.

I have my eyes on a few woofers, I’ll likely trade a few dB of sensitivity for increased frequency range, Vas and Q. Driver installation and measurement is probably a month off. If they test well, I’ll build another and make them pretty
 
Gigantic said:
. I was concerned that the enlarged upper cabinet would look out of scale, however, the narrower boxes look more cohesive together than do my 15” horns. It’s so adorable, and not much bigger than a Chorus, at 19-1/2 x 19-1/2 x 35-1/2.
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Good work.
The woofer specs won't help you much with the horn part, mostly the reflex part.
Looks to me like it will have 130 Hz. peak instead of 140 for a full size LaScala. Elimination of the straight section was the best thing you could have done (like the FH-1).
This should test out well for you, since it's, essentially, a repeat of a prior success you have worked so long to achieve. I applaud your efforts in this direction.
I'm just wondering, are doing this for rear channels? Or for a different room?
 
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Gigantic said:
The horn itself is about 26-28 inches
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Depending on woofer specs, you have plenty of high end to mate with the horn and mid driver you propose, you will spend more time optimizing the bass reflex portion. All indications from my perch, says you will succeed! I'll be amazed if you can get to 20 hz. like your other one. You should be happy if your reach 30 Hz.
 
ClaudeJ1 said:
Depending on woofer specs, you have plenty of high end to mate with the horn and mid driver you propose, you will spend more time optimizing the bass reflex portion. All indications from my perch, says you will succeed! I'll be amazed if you can get to 20 hz. like your other one. You should be happy if your reach 30 Hz.
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my goal is 32Hz, based on cabinet volume calculations. If I get that, I'll be thrilled; if it's better, I'll be over the moon. The trick will be to find a woofer that meets my requirements for Fs, q & Vas, as well as budget. I've found applicable products from Faital and Lavoce, but I'm reluctant to drop $300+ on a driver for speaker I'm doing to satisfy my curiosity. I'm willing to sacrifice a few dB in sensitivity too get where I want to be; if it meets expectiations and I opt to complete the pair, I may improve the woofer.
 
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