Still working on the xo design. I can say that during the measurement sine sweeps the OB mid sounds VERY different than my small sealed computer speakers (that also use the TC9FD).
Just finished up my first pass simulated crossover. Being a 3 way it takes quite a few parts naturally. 17 to be exact. Luckily 7 of them are just resistors and the inductors aren't very large. The large caps will be NPE for sure. XO points are 900 Hz LR2 and 3300 LR4.
Just for S&G's I simulated a 2 way without the tweeter. Man I have all of the 6 parts per side in my stock so for fun will build some prototypes just to hear how that little mid sounds OB with no tweeter.
WOW! I just listened to this project for about an hour with some well recorded music (one of Ron E's Iowa long program CD's). This was the simple 6 component crossovers using only the ND105-4 woofers and TC9FD open baffle mids, no tweeters. Wow! I likey!
WOW! I just listened to this project for about an hour with some well recorded music (one of Ron E's Iowa long program CD's). This was the simple 6 component crossovers using only the ND105-4 woofers and TC9FD open baffle mids, no tweeters. Wow! I likey!
In your opinion, would 2 TC9's (ala the Brio Trio) overwhelm a single ND105?
Looking at the transfer function, I am padding the single TC9 -3dB. I was playing it pretty freakin loud last night and the woofer has issues before the single mid does.
I listened to these a little more after work tonight. I'm going to make new baffles this weekend with no tweeter holes I like how they sound a lot.
Nick I will be bringing these to SD as well as my Gormachos (8945A, CAM558, Neo1.0). Will also bring my latest tube amp in case anyone wants to have a listen.
Cool but beautiful sunny weather here today. So after work I was able to cut the new baffles out of a nice plank of hickory I've had for a while. Tomorrow I will machine the driver cutouts and their frount roundovers. Time permitting I will machine the edge roundovers, the driver rear rebates, driver mounting holes, and start sanding. Pictures to follow.
I've been getting up at 4 AM and going into work early for the past couple of weeks (covering for a guy who quit and training the new guy). So unfortunately I wake up at 4 AM on Saturdays and Sundays now... but with everyone else still fast asleep I can sneak down the work bench and layout the baffles. Got outside early and made some saw dust. They just need sanding and finishing. This hickory is HARD and heavy!!!
I didnt get shit done so far this summer. Last night a friend stopped by (Kolda, Nick) to buff a little on my truck and it seems the Perfect It does not work withoutcopious amounts of Leinies and bullshitting about making music. Ergo, today I did nothing but take two naps and go for a drive. Tonight we (wife and I) have a double date with a musiciand and his lady friend - he has a studio in his basement and I suspect we will be singing and recording.
Long story short - missing speaker building but so many other exciting projects that I am staying busy.
Kenny, well after I was done making critical cuts and using power tools... yeah I grabbed an IPA and started sanding. Happy to say sanding is complete and the baffles are ready for the finishing steps. Just fired up the grill, time for family time. Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few weeks.
Just finished putting the last coat of finish on the baffles. I love how they are turning out. This is the most stressful part of diy speaker building for me. I'm going to totally remeasure the in box drivers and maybe change the xo since the baffle geometry has slightly changed with no tweeters. Pics to follow I promise.
Thanks Grey! Sometimes my finishes turn our shitty, sometime meh, and once in a while really nice.
I just finished remeasuring these speakers so I can redesign the xos. Shouldn't be too much change, I hooked up the old prototype xos and had a quick listen. Not too bad, just a bit forward.
PSA - you can rattle can Rustoleum paint over fully cured Duratex. I wanted these boxes to have a bit of stipple to help hide the seams and such, but I only had some blue Duratex paint left over. I like Duratex because it does a wonderful job of sealing MDF end grain, you can thin it and choose a roller nap to dial in whatever level of texture that floats your boat, it goes a long way, dries fast, and cleans up with soap and water. So two coats of of blue Duratex... then after two full days to cure, two light coats of Rustoleum "Painter's Touch" satin black. Very pleased with how these look.
I think you could go with flat, satin, or gloss over the Duratex depending on your taste.
Ok, I started to put these back together to listen to the new xo design. I noticed a small "scratch" in the paint. Seems the Rustoleum doesn't stick to the Duratex as well as I initially thought. So everyone please disregard my PSA. I was wrong.
They may not look the greatest... but I'm hoping they sound good. They will be playing in SD in a few weeks
I declare this project to be complete. The final crossovers are installed and I'm happy with how they sound. Hard to believe they are finished with still 19 days to go (SD DIY). That never happens
This project has inspired me to dive deeper into the OB configuration. Probably stick with monopole bass but experiment with dipole tweeters and mids. For the next project I will step up the size and quality of drivers.
Comments
Nick I will be bringing these to SD as well as my Gormachos (8945A, CAM558, Neo1.0). Will also bring my latest tube amp in case anyone wants to have a listen.
Several people panned the Titan OB at MWAF and Iowa, but they still sound great in my room...center couch position...
Long story short - missing speaker building but so many other exciting projects that I am staying busy.
Looks great, Craig.
Kenny, well after I was done making critical cuts and using power tools... yeah I grabbed an IPA and started sanding. Happy to say sanding is complete and the baffles are ready for the finishing steps. Just fired up the grill, time for family time. Looking forward to seeing you guys in a few weeks.
I just finished remeasuring these speakers so I can redesign the xos. Shouldn't be too much change, I hooked up the old prototype xos and had a quick listen. Not too bad, just a bit forward.
I think you could go with flat, satin, or gloss over the Duratex depending on your taste.
They may not look the greatest... but I'm hoping they sound good. They will be playing in SD in a few weeks
This project has inspired me to dive deeper into the OB configuration. Probably stick with monopole bass but experiment with dipole tweeters and mids. For the next project I will step up the size and quality of drivers.