Sensitive speakers for tube amps

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by Cspirou, Sep 29, 2015.

  1. Lojay

    Lojay Friend

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    Thanks, that's very helpful!
    I've got a really good deal for the BLH and fe166en. I hope to upgrade to the Sigma 168ez later.
     
  2. Jeb

    Jeb Friend

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    Sorry if you covered a lot of this on CS already, but do you guys think the BK-16 & Mr Nagaoka cabinet designs are a big improvement over the Fostex recommended enclosure designs for the FE166/166EZ on the fostex website ( http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/speaker_components/recommended_enclosures.shtml ) ? It seems like the Madisound cabinets are a bit different with the angles of the internals as well as the space behind the driver.

    If I were ever going down the DIY route then I would probably need a simple design with cut list & layout and then get the wood sourced and cut locally so the fostex designs would be easiest in that respect. But not it they are not all that great.
     
  3. Noodlz

    Noodlz Almost "Made"

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    man those DIY speakers look great, but doesnt look like i'll be able to make those anytime soon. In the meanwhile, i'm thinking of either getting the ELAC B5 or the B6 speakers to be used with my eddie current super 7. Does anyone know if they'll work well?

    here's a link where they have the specs:
    http://elac.us/speakers/

    i hear amazing things about these speakers, so very curious~ plus they're very cheap in comparison (in the $200-$300 range for a pair)
     
  4. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    I don't think the Elac speakers are anywhere near sensitive enough to run from the Super 7.
     
  5. Noodlz

    Noodlz Almost "Made"

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    ah~ thanks @Hands damn i was really hoping that the super 7 would be able to run it~ (still just might buy them anyway tho, would need to find another amp for it lol).

    Anything good sub / around $500 thats not DIY that would work well in a small room with the super 7? Also hopefully nothing too big (bookshelf or slightly bigger?) im using pretty crappy polk audio T15's right now.
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Just caught up in this thread.
    1. DO NOT CRAM an 8" Fostex (FE208EZ) into a BLH cabinet designed for a 6" Fe166En! While the FE168EZ (another 6" driver) will work somewhat in an enclosure build for the Fe166En, this is because the Thiele/Small parameters are very close. The 8" driver needs a completely different design for the horn.
    2. Madisound makes an EASY KIT for the 8" drivers: the BK-20 cabinet https://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/full-range-speaker-kits/fostex-bk-20-cabinet-sold-flat-each/. The Fostex 8" drivers will NEED a supertweeter, unless you have lost a lot of high end hearing.
    3. 85db efficiency speakers will NOT WORK with EC Super 7, Studio, 2A3 amps. Those kinds of speakers need 100W minimum.
    4. For other high efficiency speakers, try these guys. STUPENDOUS VALUE: http://omegaloudspeakers.com/home.html
     
  7. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Man, I really need to get that house fund put together. I really want some of those Omega towers, but I literally don't have the space in this apartment. Well, I take that back, I do have the space but that would require me to remove my flat mates and doubling my rent. Anyway, I bet those towers would sound great with a studio.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    They are calling to you!
    [​IMG]
     
  9. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Damn it man, don't make me chose between the house fund and speakers, it hurts too much.
     
  10. Kip

    Kip New

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    JK47... or anybody

    Thinking seriously of ordering BK-16 and 168 Sigmas soon from Madisound. I might wait til the T.H.E. audio show in Orange County in June- maybe I can audition as well as get discount there. Can I get any more feedback from you? Expand on your thoughts or opinions? Tips? There's not a lot of feedback on internet on this setup- and some negative opinions as well. I would be using them with my BottleHead Paramount 1.1 8-watt monoblock amps which use 300B or 2A3 tubes. I have lost significant high end hearing, so tweeter not an issue. Thanks, Kip............
     
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    As with all full-rangers or wide-banders, and specially with the BLH, frequency response will not be as even compared designed multi-way speakers. The speaker buildings who value almost perfect frequency response will not care for these. There is combing in the mid to upper lows from the interaction between the horn and the driver. The highs are uneven and not as smooth as a dedicated tweeter. There may be some disunity between sounds coming out from the horn and the driver. Finally, some folks heavily in the horn stuff prefer curved internal horn construction (difficult) or other more "optimized" designs.

    If you use the Sigma drivers, take note of the internal damping and EQ network I used:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...nd-fostex-blh-speakers.1358/page-2#post-35371
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...nd-fostex-blh-speakers.1358/page-3#post-38572

    The Sigma drivers can be a bit shouty and it's really a personal decision on what to do. The full-range purist school demands no components between the amp and the speaker.
     
  12. Wfojas

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  13. Jeb

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    When choosing a full-range speaker, If it is an option to support them with separate subwoofers, would there be an advantage to sticking to speakers with smaller (say 4 - 5") full-range drivers or would you usually recommend to choose speakers with the largest full-range drivers that space and budget would allow ?
     
  14. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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    I'd personally recommend going no larger than the 6" full-range types. 4-5" is probably the sweet spot (same size as your average midwoofer....who'da thunk it?) if you're looking for maximum smoothness and bandwidth. Larger does get you better power handling and bass performance, but at the cost of severe cone breakup issues. Certain folks might say that trade-off is worth it, but unless you are going to use strategic EQ (which still won't fix the uneven off-axis issue with larger cones) I would not bother. You're going to be supplementing with a pair of additional subwoofers so any additional bass performance gained from a larger full-range would be more-or-less nulled once you bring over the REAL big boys into the equation.
     
  15. Jeb

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    Nice one OJ. Thank you. Yeah that was kinda the impression I was getting from reading around - lots of love for 4-5" full-range drivers... lots of crazy huge cabinets for them too.

    I guess my other question is: if using subwoofers, what are the advantages of using a horn design vs just using smaller single-driver monitor style speakers ? Do the horns do great things sonically that other full-range speakers can't or is it mostly about maximising efficiency and trying to avoid the need for bass support in the first place?

    I love the idea of building some horns like Purrin's but just want to check it will be right for my needs. I recently added a sub to my 2-way bookshelf speakers and it was a revelation.
     
  16. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Depends upon use. The Fostex drivers with their low Qts were made for transmission line / BLH type enclosures, especially if the speakers are going to be used as mains in the living room. The other alternative is to put them in a box and use them against a wall as bookshelves) or possibly implement a small baffle step circuit. The back loaded horns as implemented in the Fostex kits maximize efficiency in the bass in the designated region. Below that, bass response drops like a rock - that's the price paid (among others).

    The 4-5" will have smoother and more extended response at the cost of power handling and distortion. The 6" should be a bit easier to integrate with a sub (I run full them range down to their natural bass roll-off, and cover the rest with a sub with the x-over around 40Hz. The 4-5", with their earlier roll-off, need something that is closer to a woofer than sub. My next project may be a 4-5" kit.
     
  17. dubiousmike

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    Another Omega fan here! I have been running a pair of super 7 mk2 monitors in my office for the last few months and really enjoying them via a first watt f3 clone. Louis is also a pleasure to deal with and his craftsmanship second to none.

    Mine are finished in the graphite tweed:

    image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2016
  18. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I'm looking at PA speakers more and more. Mainly JBLs. Is there something about a PA speaker that wouldn't work as a HiFi speaker? Besides WAF?
     
  19. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    I would think they would not be as good quality. And they are pretty big.
    I have a pair of jbl pa speakers I use for my bass, I might test them as hi-fi speakers.
     
  20. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    You use pa speakers for your bass? They are full range with tweeter?

    Expect a PM from me for advice on a bass setup.
     

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