|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
106.206.221.98
In Reply to: RE: That's very kind of you... I am HONORED! posted by John Marks on July 16, 2021 at 17:00:07
Thanks for the response John. What I had in mind was 500 per pair and similar to the Zaph but better due to improved technology over the years. Since Zaph is highly regarded any design to top it will be highly desirable. It should be far better than the Andrew Jones Debut B6.2. Well, he did great ones for Pioneer for peanuts, less than $200 or so. So for $500 it could be very good. Some of the Parts Express competition winning speakers with drivers costing less than $200 have turned out better than the expensive category designs.
Well, what am I looking for? I am looking for the common man's KEF LS50.
Best Wishes
Follow Ups:
There's a bunch of decent coaxial drivers that you could make a small two-way with. If your goal is to make something like the Trenner & Friedl Sun on the cheap, that's attainable. But if your goal is to make a KEF LS50 on the cheap, that's not gonna happen.
However, the LS50 is built to a price point that includes distributor and dealer profit shares, and so...
I cheerfully assume that, for example, if an audiophile were willing to pay the retail price of a pair of LS50s ($1500) for DIY parts, the result should be better.
I think I should print up some T-Shirts that will say:
LET'S DE-PRIESTHOOD-IZE
LOUDSPEAKER BUILDING!
Case in point: SEAS makes a Graphene-cone 5-inch coaxial that has a US onesie-twosie MSRP of $555--EACH.
Two of those, two crossovers, and two decent cabinets (perhaps from IWISTAO) bring you to $1500, and obviously, you have spent a lot more money where it counts than KEF's business model allows for.
No disrespect meant to "real" companies. Who employ people and pay benefits, and so on.
jm
. . . that any hobbyist or small upstart manufacturer would be hard-pressed to match. Their economy of scale helps offset overhead costs to keep the retail price down. There's no way you or I could design/build an LS50 equivalent and distribute and sell it for that same $1,500. Even if we paid ourselves third-world minimum wage for our design time and labor.
Yes, the LS50 is built to a price point. But you can't buy its design features from anybody else.
The response of that Excel 5" coax with the graphene coated Mg cone looks lumpier than the cheaper Presige model with the Al cone. The more expensive one is a couple dB more sensitive and can work with a lower reflex tuning. But the frequency response will be better with the cheaper one, on-axis and off-axis.
as far as smooth response of a speaker(drivers/box/crossover) goes it's the total design that counts, especially the driver/crossover. Most drivers have lumpy response to various degrees. In a well designed speaker the crossover does more than just a crossover. It acts as a passive equalizer that helps smooth out the driver response. This smoothing can often be significant. Some times the smoothing is done with extra elements but some times it can be included in the actual crossover by varying some values from the ones that would only provide a crossover.
True, but you lose some sensitivity and maybe power handling as well. In this case, if you equalize the Seas Excel drivers to get a FR as smooth as the Prestige drivers, the sensitivity advantage of the Excel is lost. Notwithstanding the allure of graphene, I'm not sure that it's worth the tradeoff with this particular driver.
I am with the Virtuous Pagan Aristotle:
"If it sounds good, it is good."
jm
I am wondering about a speaker that I cannot listen to. It is a birthday gift from my bro in law who chose it without consulting me. Surprise. Spent 600 bucks on it. Cannot stand the sound. I am planning to tear off the yellow drivers and throw them out of the window over to the east river and modify the cabinet to receive the appropriate new drivers. This will enable me to go for some solid drivers as suggested here.
This brings me to an old question of mine. Where are all the speakers gone.There have been millions of them sold over the years and I dont see too many at Goodwill. I was told that folks take them to camping trips for late night fires to scare the bears. Playing my yellow driver speaker would do the same. Where are the Insignias? Can be reused with new drivers.
Thanks for the patience
All the best
Bill
Seas has the longest running commitment to coax drivers for home constructors and they have offered kits and crossover diagrams for decades with coax units
I have not heard or used th SB units but there non coax versions of drivers are quite good
I'd look at Seas Prestige L12RE, $160 from Madisound. A pair of them with crossovers, wire, and binding posts could be under $500, not counting the box.
They have an "Homage" to the LS-50.
Here are the cabinet plans--I don't think it's a "beginner" project.
http://tb-speaker.com/products/sug2-25#
The driver set costs $211 each, and then you need crossovers, so there goes at least $500, and then you need cabinets.
I'd budget $250 each for nice cabinets, so, all in, that's $1,000. Apart from the cost savings, there is the possibility that with first-class crossover components and long-haired Mongolian sheeps' wool, you'd have a very nice sounding pair of loudspeakers.
ciao,
john
Again, a crossover is necessary.
jm
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: