Finished the Lineup Maxx Center Channel (finally!) *PIC*

[Jed K.]

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/32092/2288546290100176193S500x500Q85.jpg

Provided Link: Click here for Lineup MaxxCC design info (http://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php4?p=361764&postcount=2)


This speaker was tough to design, since I ran into some issues with the measurements or experiments with port location, midrange chambers, etc. That made finalizing the speaker more of a challenge. Well, I think I got it right finally, so let me know what you think.

[aaron_goddard]

> This speaker was tough to design, since I
> ran into some issues with the measurements
> or experiments with port location, midrange
> chambers, etc. That made finalizing the
> speaker more of a challenge. Well, I think I
> got it right finally, so let me know what
> you think.
I like the mix of drivers that you have used. How does it sound?
Aaron

[Jed K.]

> I like the mix of drivers that you have
> used. How does it sound?
> Aaron

Thanks Aaron.

The tweeter to mid transition is undedectable and seamless, which creates a holographic sound. The woofers do a nice job creating tight bass in a small enclosure and the crossover points were selected to build on each of the driver's strengths and weaknesses.

The result is a very detailed midrange, delicate yet dynamic highs- when they need to be, and a rich vocal quality that has just a hint of warmth on male vocals.

[howard]

> Thanks Aaron.

> The tweeter to mid transition is
> undedectable and seamless, which creates a
> holographic sound. The woofers do a nice job
> creating tight bass in a small enclosure and
> the crossover points were selected to build
> on each of the driver's strengths and
> weaknesses.

> The result is a very detailed midrange,
> delicate yet dynamic highs- when they need
> to be, and a rich vocal quality that has
> just a hint of warmth on male vocals.
Very attractive. Great work. While I have not built any of your line up I want to thank you for your generosity in sharing your work for others to enjoy. Howard

[Jed K.]

> Very attractive. Great work. While I have
> not built any of your line up I want to
> thank you for your generosity in sharing
> your work for others to enjoy. Howard

Thanks Howard.

This "assignment" all started when I just asked the question; What do you all want that will serve a slightly different purpose- or one that will fit in a small package but perform beyond its small size?

In the end, I found that helping other speaker builders out is pretty gratifying, and I used drivers that I might not have tried if I had just gone down a singular path.

The Lineup Series was a collobarative effort the resulted in my learning new speaker building techniques, how to listen to needs of others who might not have knowhow to do a crossover network (like me just a few years ago), and give something back to the DIY community (a special thanks to Roman for taking me under his wing, Jon Marsh for his undieing knowledge, and many others who have far greater knowledge of technical theory than I).

[robert]

> Thanks Howard.

> This "assignment" all started when
> I just asked the question; What do you all
> want that will serve a slightly different
> purpose- or one that will fit in a small
> package but perform beyond its small size?

> In the end, I found that helping other
> speaker builders out is pretty gratifying,
> and I used drivers that I might not have
> tried if I had just gone down a singular
> path.

> The Lineup Series was a collobarative effort
> the resulted in my learning new speaker
> building techniques, how to listen to needs
> of others who might not have knowhow to do a
> crossover network (like me just a few years
> ago), and give something back to the DIY
> community (a special thanks to Roman for
> taking me under his wing, Jon Marsh for his
> undieing knowledge, and many others who have
> far greater knowledge of technical theory
> than I).

I got to listen to a Line-Up design at DIY Lexington and it was very well-done.

Cheers / Robert

[olddude50]

Jed, I've watched you build and test the Lineup series on the HTGuide board since it started. My congradulations in a job well done. Not only is the Lineup a great series, it is a build-on, so that the drivers that are used in the beginning can be used as the amount of money and skill that a builder acquire for a system increases. Your system could be build by a kid going to college, improved when he graduates, improved still as his income increases and filled out when he gets old and fat, like me. Truely a great idea.

I have two questions for you and one suggestion.

When my wife and I went to the Iowa DIY, we heard a titanium system that was made from very expensive drivers. One of the required pieces to be played was Pink's "Nobody Knows." Now, my ears are truely bad, but my wifes are quite good. She commented that, with the titanium system, she could hear the singers tongue "clack" or "snap" off her teeth when a verse ended with a word that ended in a "t." I assume that is what is meant by "dynamic." I don't remember if you measured how "dynamic" the Tangband speaker set was, and probably wouldn't know it if I saw it, but how is the "dynamic" quailty of the Tangband driver? Do you hear things like that?

Second question, how does the speaker measure as far as sensitivity? That is, what is the output at one meter with one watt? I know you probably posted this on the HTGuide thread, but I can't find it. Sorry to ask for redundent information.

Finally, a suggestion. It seems to be that the system would be a great one to recommend to someone who is starting out in life, again with the idea that the TM can be a great starter system that can be built on as someone gets more skilled and more "flush" so to speak. However, I know that many people, who would love this system, do not have woodworking tools. Have you thought about converting or designing the MT system to use prebuilt boxes from PE or Madisound? That way, someone could buy the boxes and either take them to a woodworking friend, or even hire a woodworker to cut the baffles and them put the rest of system together? I know, when I was young, I would have loved to have this system, but I couldn't have cut the baffles. No room in my apartment for tools, and no place to work. Maybe the only thing you would have to do is change the slot port over to a round port?

Anyway, I have been looking around for my next project, after I run out a few more small speakers and your lineup is at the top of the list. Great job. And thank you for sharing.

[Jed K.]

Thanks Robert. I think there is a picture of that speaker in the Lineup D4 page at htguide.com/forum in the Mission Accomplished section. MuaDibb (Tom Bond) sure did an awesome job with the wood working.

[Jed K.]

Thank you so much for the compliments!

To answer some questions about the sensitivy, I can't say that I know exactly but I can estimate for you based on the PE data and then apply the BSC.

D4- 83-84db
D44- 89-90db
R4-83-84db
R44 89-90db
MaxxCC- 84-85db
Maxx-90db
MaxxL16-85-86db

The titanium mids are some of the best mids I've ever heard. They are really sweet on the top end which is unusual for a metal driver because there usually is some kind of peak in 3rd and 5th order harmonics where the ear is very sensitive (1-5k). For that reason the little TB is very special. I find that the word dynamics describes them very well. They have so much detail, and the cone reacts so quickly, it is almost as if the music decay springs out into space. Instruments are reproduced effortlessly, and the more drivers you add, like the D4 versus the D44 for example, the better that quality gets and the lowers distortion.

As for adapting the series to precut or preassembled cabinets, I think it is a great idea, but I've been working on the series for some time and I'm getting a bit burnt out to tell you the truth. I've tried to meet everyone's needs, but that might just be the last area of exploration. That's why I decided on the madisound cabinet for the MaxxCC. I noticed that it was very close in dimension to my original cabinet design, and when I screwed that up, I didn't feel like building another cabinet, so I relied on the preassembled one. Plus the pricing and quality is so nice. The other issue with the preassembled cabinets is they are kinda large or wide, and one of the goals of the Lineup Series was a narrow baffle to look unobstrusive. The D4 could go in one of those PE .25cuft boxes though. I just don't see a preassembled cabinet that would look nice for the D44/R44 MTMs. As for a round port, that could be adapted with no problems. I'd mount it on the rear behind the tweeter. Using unibox, the users can calculate the port length pretty easily. I used the slot port, just in case someone wants to keep the speaker close to a back wall.

Well that about sums it up I think. If you have any other questions just let me know.

Regards,

Jed

[Jed K.]

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/34716/2383349180100176193S600x600Q85.jpg

Provided Link: Click here for MaxxL16 and MaxxCCL16 info (http://www.htguide.com/forum/showpost.php4?p=361765&postcount=3)


The L16s were a special request, and I just so happened to have a few "in stock" at the time. These are my favorites of all the Lineup Series. Sometimes you get what you pay for. The L16s are the best 5.5" woofers I've ever heard (using them up to about 400hz LR2). The bass is outstanding either sealed or ported. For the CC I recommend sealed.