[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rawhit uh...may be build this ? I'm very interested in building the orions or some similar dipole speaker. Less room interaction than other speaker types

Linkwitz just announced a much lower cost version of the ORION, called the PLUTO. Apparently it's going to be designed for really easy construction by the DIYer (PCBs will be available), and cost only $400-600 rather than $2000-3000. Could be exactly what you're looking for!

The PLUTO is the crazy tube thing to the right in the picture.

 

[rawhit]

Thats really interesting news. Will wait for some more information on these.

Only problem with Orions is powering them up. Commerical amps with 8 identical channels are fairly rare or prohibitively expensive. May be a DIY 8 channel class D amp with power modules would be the way to go with these

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wodgy Linkwitz just announced a much lower cost version of the ORION, called the PLUTO. Apparently it's going to be designed for really easy construction by the DIYer (PCBs will be available), and cost only $400-600 rather than $2000-3000. Could be exactly what you're looking for! The PLUTO is the crazy tube thing to the right in the picture.

 

[Wodgy]

Yes, amplification is generally 1/3rd the cost of the ORION, but a dedicated DIYer could build an eight channel Gainclone in a single large chassis for relatively little money. The nice thing about the Linkwitz designs is that because there are no passive crossovers the amps face the easiest possible load and you don't need any power beyond 30-60 watts.

I'm hoping that the PCBs for the PLUTO will include space for a Gainclone-style amp. If not, Chipamp.com sells very small Gainclone PCBs for little money.

Also worth checking out are Linkwitz' surround speakers, which are the hard-to-spot columns in this picture:

It's hard to imagine a surround speaker with a better WAF than these. They blend into the room very well.

 

[Nick Dangerous]

*hi-fives Daycart1*... man, you were one of the very first Head-Fi'ers I spoke with on this forum. Didn't I buy some X-Cans gear from you in 2001? Seems so long ago!

Sovkiller, I have no idea how you always find these "world beating" audio deals! I must confess that nothing short of a lobotomy would convince me that a $30 amp could beat the RKV. However, in the spirit of fairness I will do a head-to-head just for fun if anyone wants to send me one of those gizmos.

Wodgy, I think I've seen those PVC-tube speakers before. Don't they have a corkscrew-shaped interior? The ones I saw incorporated a clever method of accomplishing the twists.

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Dangerous Wodgy, I think I've seen those PVC-tube speakers before. Don't they have a corkscrew-shaped interior? The ones I saw incorporated a clever method of accomplishing the twists.

No, these aren't transmission line speakers. They're just sealed PVC tubes, stuffed with foam to absorb the woofer's back wave, which makes them really easy to build. Linkwitz prefers dipoles and sealed designs because of their superior transient performance. He's not a fan of ported designs at all. Tubes are the ideal shape for a sealed cabinet because of their inherent rigidity (actually, spheres are the best, but impractical).

The idea with dipoles like the ORION and omni-directional monopoles like the PLUTO is to have as close to an even radiation pattern as possible in every direction, which reduces room effects. You might think this would actually increase room effects, but actually the opposite occurs, since you no longer have a single wavefront that hits the listener "en masse" at least twice, once from direct radiation and once from bouncing off the back wall.

The designs are kind of odd, but those who have heard the ORIONs often say that they're the best speakers they've ever heard, with a real "you are there" feel. The ORION is basically the culmination of everything Linkwitz learned over the course of his 45 year career in audio and acoustics (he's the guy who co-invented the Linkwitz-Riley filter, among other things). It's nice to see that he's trying to translate this into a design that average people can afford and build. Looks like it won't even require any woodworking skills or tools.

 

[rawhit]

Wodgy, your posts are always very informative and a great read.

Chipamps kit does seem to be a nice way to build a good and cost effective power amp for orions.
In class D amps ICE power modules, Hypex UCD, LC Audio Zapulse and Tripath chips seem to be the availabe options. ICE modules though are available only to manufacturers. Class D amps seem to be popular for sub woofers and powering the LF drivers of active speakers.

Rohit