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3-way Stand Mount using Fountek NEO CD3.5H
So after my search for an interesting midrange to mate with my Fountek NeoCd3.5H tweeter. After some suggestions to go with a 3" driver I decided at this point to use something I have on my shelf. I have 4 different 3" midranges. 2 of them look like they can work. One is the HiVi C3N-III and the other is a Tang Band W3-881SI. After reading a review from ampslab-spk about the C3N-III, I decided to give it a shot. The problem I have with most 3" drivers with a ferrite magnet, is that the mounting hole and magnet are close to the same diameter. With my left over butcher block counter I am using
for the speaker face, it is hard to get any breathing room for those drivers. I decided to make a metal faceplate and rear mount the 3" driver and make a much bigger hole for the rear of the driver. Here is where I am at now.
and 2 others.
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That'll be pretty nice.
What's the woofer, SIG225?
Woofer is a SIG180. I am excited to hear it.
Is that aluminum plate and did you cut it out with a router?
Looks great and a perfect solution!
That is 1/8" aluminum plate. I used a 2 3/4" hole saw for the 3" mid, and my mill/scroll saw for the tweeter hole. The tweeter will mount to the cabinet and the plate is the same thickness allowing me not to have to router for it.
Love it! That looks great.
Very slick!
Nice
Made a little progress tonight. I used a 4" pvc tube for the midrange. Hope to start measuring by the end of the week.
The box is around .6 cubic feet for the woofer with a tuning of 40hz. Should give me an F3 in the low 40s with a decent amount of power handling.
I took a first crack at the crossover. I have good phase tracking and so far looks good. The woofer and mid did not really want to cross real low. Would have to add a bunch more components in order to do it. I ended up crossing around 800hz on the low end and 3500hz on the upper end.
I believe the Q of your woofer lowpass is what is causing the 3 ohm range above resonance on the woofer. Either the coil is too small, or the cap is too large. My money is on the coil being too small and the cap is too large and should meet closer in the middle.
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You are correct. The large capacitor is what is causing the issue. I like to throw up my first try at my crossovers to get some feedback. I realized after posting that I had not paid much attention to my impedance. I usually struggle with my woofer to mid implementation in my 3-ways. It seems tough to get good phase alignment. On this one if I increase the inductor much more it tilts the woofer response much lower than what would typically be full baffle step compensation. I may need to try and cross the woofer to the mid much lower and see how that works.
Try number 2. brought the impedance from 2.7ohms to 3.6ohms.
I started finishing the boxes, and was starting to rush them in order to hear them. I decided to stop and voice them instead. That way I can take my time later. I also dropped a box in the garage on one of the mids. Put a tiny hole in it. I superglued it, but will get a new one later. Not a good day in that regard. The speakers measured identical to my Sims. So far I haven't had to make any tweaks.
I gave you an Awesome based on looks- not on the unfortunate accident.
They look great!
I took the speakers back apart to redo some of the finishing on the baffle, and paint the backs. If you look at the right speaker, you can see a gloss spot on the flat black paint. Also, the butcher block fronts were more blotchy than I wanted. I sanded everything down and am starting over. I also ordered a replacement for the HiVi C3N-III that I poked a hole in.
I got the baffle stained and used a spraycan poly this time.
I also painted the aluminum plates with Van Sickle from Fleet Farm. I really like it. Great spray nozzle and lays out really nice.
All put together and spending some time with them. First listen I had the input wires swapped internally in one. No imaging at all. Knew something was off. Much better now 😀
A great night of listening!!
I have a pair of those Fountek that I am pondering a project with. Possibly a small 2-way, but likely a standmount 3-way like yours.
Nice work, and I love the "wall of bass" you got going there.
...and the (edit) crankshaft lamp, the wall diffusers, the rug... just a cool A/V room !
Camshaft? I think you mean crankshaft!
Yes, that is a crankshaft from a Honda CB750K. I have done a few custom builds with them over the years.
The Fountek tweeter sounds really good in this configuration. Wasn't a fan in a previous build crossed to a 6.5" I also really like the SIG180. I need to take some distortion measurements. These stay surprisingly clean at high levels.
....mines the camshaft👍🏼