[rickcr42]

it is my understanding (have not tried it myself) that the varnish takes care of some midband nasties,damps the cone .You COULD overdo it and kill the dynamics but from what I have read on the subject it is more like do a coat,let it dry,listen.It seems most do about 3-5 coats .Also it must be thinned out,not straight from the can.

If you want to try another cool project look at the "Afterburner" on the same site (DIY area).I built this as a bottom for my sattellites which sit on top and am VERY happy with the bass,also the look is cool too.I used a birch veneer plywood which takes a nice finish,tad expensive though.But the beauty of that project is you can experiment with various top mounted tweeters as long as they are efficient and this baby plays LOUD with little power,I hit it with 10 watts.

many possibilities and all are valid designs,and all are bottom line plain ass fun

Rick

 

[Neruda]

I love efficiency. that fostex driver I was talking about produces 96-98db with one watt. I want to make a speaker that needs no more than about 3 watts to power it. don't know why, but I do...

 

[rickcr42]

BTW-did you know the rat shack 1197 is a chinese knockoff of the fostex FE-103 ? (look on the back dude).Just as the US version of certain Japan products are made there.

 

[skippy]

yep. i noticed that too. the 1197 is even stamped FE103. i always thought it was a cheap version of the FE103, kinda like the way alps makes cheap pots for rat shack. but at any rate, at the fostex site they have some dimensions for a bass reflex enclosure for the FE103. i'm going to build that cabinet and stick in some 1197's (maybe add a cancellation magnet for shielding) and pair it with a sub. it should make a pretty multimedia kit at the very least.

 

[Budgie]

Neruda, I listened to a pair of identical designs as the ones in the picture you posted, this weekend . They used a Fostex driver in the same setup. Made by Cain & Cain . They sounded very nice, indeed. Suprising bass exstension with very sweet mids and the top end was suprisingly smooth. I think the design has alot of potential.

 

[Neruda]

Cain and cain? What fostex driver?

 

[Budgie]

I knew you were going to ask that. I did not pick up any literature, but let me dig around abit.


(later that day....) The web site seems to be unavaliable. They had two models at the VSAC show up in Silverdale Wa. last weekend. I found a picture of the other model they showed which uses the same driver in a back loaded horn. Lets see if I can get it to show here..
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache...Cain+Co.&hl=en

 

[Neruda]

oh yeah, I heard about that show in silverdale. Wish I could have gone. That looks like a very sweet speaker; the driver might be part of the Sigma line, either a 208 or 228. very cool...

and yeah, you probably listened to that exact same speaker with different drivers, because terry cain was the guy who designed it.

 

[rickcr42]

checkng some of the files on my other computer I found some references to the proceedure for taming the "mid range nasties".Get some Dammer Varnish and cut it 50/50 with thinner,allow this to dry overnight,listen,apply more if needed.Avg coats turns out to be six.

BTW-check out this site,meant to mention sooner but just flat out forgot to.Good forum,good selection,great prices

Rick

 

[Budgie]

VSAC was great. Lots of goodies to look at and listen to. Positive Feedback magazine was there and will be reporting on the show. I believe they took pictures too. I saw the most beutiful amp I have seen in ages. And it was a DIY amp!! I didn't get the guys name but he is a metal sculpter by trade. I wish I could describe it. Copper and aluminum in a retro art deco electronics style. And a preamp that complimented it too. (suddenly my best efforts look like a kindergarden art project.)

 

[rickcr42]

hey budgie , bounce over to the bottlehead site for a link to pics of the amp I think you are talking about (the one with the stacked controls on the front ?)

http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/bottlehead/bbs.html

 

[Budgie]

Thats the ones! The pictures almost do it justice. http://www.smallwires.net/vsac2001/vsac-craft.html

 

[Budgie]

The preamp and power amp were used to power a pair of speakers in the craftsman room and it was a pretty nice sounding setup. Nice to see and nice to hear. The mercury rectifiers have a beutiful blue glow when fired up too. Sweet!

 

[Neruda]

which one is it, this one?

no wait, I'm guessing it's this one:

 

[Budgie]

The second picture, Neruda, is the one. That is the preamp and the power amp has a round milliamp meter in the face. Similar style but different. The pictures don't really do them full justice.