My latest IKEA sourced speakers - inspiration by botrytis

[markus]

Inspired by botrytis' DIY speaker visit yesterday (see here: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=161907), I whipped out some speakers that have been dancing in my head, itching to be built . . .

I do love the IKEA 'as-is' section . . . mostly for the oddly shaped, pre-finished, STUPIDLY cheap chunks of wood. Here's the latest IKEA spawn . . . . total cost invested in these speakers : $1.00 :thmbsp:

Last time I was down at the New Haven Ikea, I snagged two pairs of birch veneered MDF panels I had the crazy idea to make some baffles that fit inside our birch Ikea Expedit shelf system; each cube's opening is 13.25 X 13.25 inches, and about 13 inches deep. Being an open baffle junky (and lazy ) I just made a a baffle 13 X 13 inches, and mounted a foot on each one from the leftover birch MDF.

I used my handy homemade circle jig to cut a hole for some Jensen made, Motorola 'Golden Voice' 8 inchers that I pulled from a VERY trashed and abandoned motorola console scored last summer . . .

I was under the gun to build these before my daughter's nap time, so they ain't perfect, but as 'version 1' they are VERY promising. :thmbsp:

I do love these old papercone console drivers :yes: . . . these particular ones are found in late 50's and early 60's three channel motorolas, and have a whizzer cone. Surprisingly, my 1958 RCA console 12 inchers actually play higher . . . bass is there, maybe down to 70 Hz, treble is lacking, probably dropping off in the 5K to 8K region. These motorolas DEFINITELY need a tweeter . . . one more note: I applied a few coats of Damaar varnish to them a while back for shits and giggles. In one of my recent consoles, it too has these 8 inch Jensen/Golden Voice so I might pull them to see if there's any noticeable difference . . .

I've got them playing off a little PP 6V6 Magnavox tube amp and my ipod.

I have some other 8 inch drivers that I'm anxious to try in these baffles. Ampex, RCA, Zenith, etc . . .

check out the pic's :

 

[mhardy6647]

I think Markus and I may disagree on this, but my sense is that 8" is the 'optimum' size for a fullrange driver, be it single-cone, twin-cone, or 'biflex' (a la the Lafayette SK-98).

 

[markus]

you gotta bring those babies to play in June !

listened to them some more tonight, and they're growing on me (big surprise )

midrange is really nice . . . . I'm thinking I'll do a little Frankenstein action on the dustcap tonight and add a phase plug :scratch2:

 

[mhardy6647]

I only have one SK-98 :-(
I do have a pair of the 6" ones, as you can see.
AKer Nat kindly gave this trio to me.

Your new speaker baffles are very nice, BTW, Markus!

 

[markus]

I only have one SK-98 :-(
I do have a pair of the 6" ones, as you can see.
AKer Nat kindly gave this trio to me.

Your new speaker baffles are very nice, BTW, Markus!

thanks they're good '10 footers' to use a car analogy . . .

I only used one of the panels, so I have three more to play with . . . I'm thinking one for 6 1/2, since I have those NOS Radio Shack fullrangers, one for 4 inchers (FE103's, NSB's, or other), and the last will be a mini Bessel Array of my favorite little KLH fullrangers :thmbsp:

 

[titanstats]

Hey, that's a pretty good idea! You'll have me thinking all damn night now -- I have one of those Expedits too... :scratch2:

 

[markus]

Hey, that's a pretty good idea! You'll have me thinking all damn night now -- I have one of those Expedits too... :scratch2:

I had another idea too ...

right now, I've made a very leaky box - not ideal . . .I'm thinking I'll use some gasket of sorts around the baffle edges, and use a panel on the back side, either pegboard to emulate some of the old German 'vented' (if you want to call it that) designs, or use the back opening to make a aperiodic vent by just sandwiching some fiberglass mat with some mesh :scratch2: might improve bass performance a bit . . .

I gotta say too - I've kinda shot myself in the foot - these sound SO good, Blair will be hard pressed to justify any big 'uns in the sunroom anymore :tears: looks like it's time to wall mount my KLH line arrays :thmbsp:

 

[Fedallah]

right now, I've made a very leaky box - not ideal . . .I'm thinking I'll use some gasket of sorts around the baffle edges, and use a panel on the back side, either pegboard to emulate some of the old German 'vented' (if you want to call it that) designs, or use the back opening to make a aperiodic vent by just sandwiching some fiberglass mat with some mesh might improve bass performance a bit . . .

You could also get a couple of these.

 

[titanstats]

Array, huh? Well, I notice that your bookcase has 16 spaces in it -- time to find some more drivers.

 

[avguytx]

I had thought about doing that with mine too but I think I'll end up dropping some small bookshelf speakers in them. It's too bad the shelves aren't wider for putting the electronics in...short of the tube amps. TT's, integrateds, etc, have to go on top which makes it a little interesting for changing LP's! Too bad I sold my Dynaco A-10's awhile back. Still have the A-25's for now but they (or the Small Advents) won't fit.

 

[Zilch]

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=160535

 

[Zilch]

He's talking distributed port and aperiodic here, now, it would appear. :yes:

And AVguytx, bookshelves that'll fit.

Custom Indignias built-in will, yup....

 

[avguytx]

Oh, believe me....I can get tons of new speakers for cost as I work for a distributor/rep in DFW. I definitely don't pay retail for my electronics/speakers!

Here's one pair I thought about getting that are more than the Insignias. Audio Pro Bravo FX-01's which are a Swedish speaker company that uses all Vifa drivers. Does that ring radiator tweeter look familiar? Damn nice soft dome used in many speakers out there...Polk LSi, etc.

I just wish I could get the FX-04 towers. They are one bad ass pair of speakers.

 

[markus]

I had thought about doing that with mine too but I think I'll end up dropping some small bookshelf speakers in them. It's too bad the shelves aren't wider for putting the electronics in...short of the tube amps. TT's, integrateds, etc, have to go on top which makes it a little interesting for changing LP's! Too bad I sold my Dynaco A-10's awhile back. Still have the A-25's for now but they (or the Small Advents) won't fit.

Ya know . . . in the Expedit in the garage I took out two of the vertical seperators, turned the whole shebang on its side (it is a big square after all) and I fit KLH Model SIXES in the damn things . . . I also experimented with removing the center one and it'll fit components . . . IF you bolt it to the wall with the supplied brackets, it's definitely strong enough - no wobble . . . :thmbsp:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=160535

huh . . . didn't actually see that one yet . . . my goal was to fill the hole void (13.25 X 13.25) and utilize some of my 'in stock' paper cone drivers, and I am kinda open-baffle centric as botrytis says :yes: . . . interested to play with aperiodic though :thmbsp:

gotta go run the dogs - post later

 

[avguytx]

Ya know . . . in the Expedit in the garage I took out two of the vertical seperators, turned the whole shebang on its side (it is a big square after all) and I fit KLH Model SIXES in the damn things . . . I also experimented with removing the center one and it'll fit components . . . IF you bolt it to the wall with the supplied brackets, it's definitely strong enough - no wobble . . . :thmbsp:

You know...that's true. Doh! That would allow for some larger bookshelf speakers to go in there and my Expedit is bolted to the wall, too.

 

[MeatLoaf]

clever very clever

 

[westend]

Ya know . . . in the Expedit in the garage I took out two of the vertical seperators, turned the whole shebang on its side (it is a big square after all) and I fit KLH Model SIXES in the damn things . . . I also experimented with removing the center one and it'll fit components . . . IF you bolt it to the wall with the supplied brackets, it's definitely strong enough - no wobble . . . :thmbsp:



huh . . . didn't actually see that one yet . . . my goal was to fill the hole void (13.25 X 13.25) and utilize some of my 'in stock' paper cone drivers, and I am kinda open-baffle centric as botrytis says :yes: . . . interested to play with aperiodic though :thmbsp:

gotta go run the dogs - post later

I started experimenting with a variety of OB arrangements and single drivers a couple of years back. I thought I had found a great small full-ranger in the CSS FR125. Alas, it was not for me and pushed my efforts into an enclosure for this driver, ending up with a design based on the North Creek aperiodic math, explained Here. The boxes turned out rather well and the drivers image like crazy. It certainly helped the small full-ranger adjust it's bass roll off and power handling capabilities.
The Expedit cavaties would fit a large range of single driver speakers, IME, especially if used wih an aperiodic enclosure. More on aperiodic Here