New Design: The AviaTrix

[curt_c]

A new kit coming from the good folks at PE: The AviaTrix

These have been running in my system for the last month, getting final voicing tweaks. No pictures yet, as they are still in bare MDF, but you can get an idea of their size from the drawing below. A little taller than the TriTrix, and a little less deep. A little more svelte looking, and perhaps a bit higher SAF as well.

High SPL and good low frequency extension are generally mutually exclusive in designs utilizing 5” drivers. -But not in this case: An f3 of 40 Hz and an f6 of 30 Hz can be expected while the design models up to 107 dB of SPL without abusing the published Xmax too much. -And yes, that is a 3” flared port on the front, which is required to keep the port velocity reasonable.



The tweeter is the new RS28F, and an impressive sounding tweeter it is. Forget the fact they have the capacity to cross very low or exhibit class leading distortion plots. Forget the great looks, fit and finish. Like a prima ballerina, they appear to my old ears to navigate the most complex passages with nary a misstep. PE and Usher have come up with something special here. I’ll be using this tweeter again.

The ND140-8 woofer is also new, and sets the Dayton performance bar higher in what I’d call the high value driver class. While I didn’t explore the 20 mm of Xlim in any great depth, I can say that a pair of these can play very clean, very loud, and very low in the enclosure below. When overdriven, the woofers appear to be suspension limited, and do not bottom out on the back plate, making them more likely to survive power abuse or the occasional explosion, train wreck, gun shots, etc. when watching DVDs at near realistic levels.

Like any high value driver, it has a couple of attributes that separate it from its high dollar cost-is-no-object brethren. The Qts is on the high side, and in most cases will limit its use to sealed enclosures. While the frame is adequate, and allows flush mounting without cutting a rebate, I think this driver deserves a cast aluminum frame. -But the ease of mounting will be a boon for many, and properly mounted, I heard no frame resonance issues. During early trials, I found the ND140 sounds quite good used full range, with its sins being those of omission. It could be easily used for a nearfield monitor or a full ranger with no or a very minimalist crossover.

While the ML-TL enclosure appears to be a simple vented floorstander, the enclosure internal height was carefully chosen so the quarter wave resonance was a bit higher in frequency than the port. This helped augment the response sag in what would otherwise have been an extended bass shelf alignment. This resulted in a nice slow inital roll off below 100 Hz of about 3 dB / octave until shortly before the f6 at 30 Hz, where it drops off the cliff, and reverts to the expected vented response rolloff.

The crossover: The RS28F is crossed roughly 4th order acoustic at 1000 Hz. and an overlapped 6th order acoustic transfer function on the woofer, which sum in phase quadrature. Like the TriTrix, it is a very simple network, with only 6 elements, -and two of them are resistors. Why did I cross so low in a floorstanding design? -Because I’m lazy, and when Wayne and I design the matching center channel, surrounds, etc., I won’t have to reinvent the crossover. The current topology provides a nice wide horizontal off-axis response when turned on its side.

AviaTrix Horizontal off Axis measurements:


The response dip around 3K is a tweeter diffraction artifact caused by the close proximity of the midwoofers. I'll be investigating this further to see what can be done about it, or if it fills in in the vertical plane. -Certainly during auditioning, it isn't all that noticeable.

EDIT: Further measurements indicate the dip at 3K is a non-issue. It fills in completely at 6 feet and beyond when measured on the design axis.

How do they sound? Clean is the word that comes to mind. -Very clean and balanced from top to bottom with surprisingly deep bass. There is no heavy hand at work here, but a smooth and seductive, airy sound, hence the feminine moniker. Tribal wisdom says a high Q driver in a vented design will end up sounding boomy, but not in this case. The transmission line configuration, the tuning, and the stuffing all seem to ameliorate any potential boom quite nicely. –Note on the impedance plot how the resonance is damped.

Those that prefer the full, lush sound of a good ol’ paper driver woofer may find the bass and lower midrange a little too clean and articulate for their tastes, but I think many will find the sound quite enjoyable. Extended listening sessions, some at high SPL’s, have not resulted in any fatigue.

In my opinion, this design augments, rather than replaces the TriTrix design. A little more upscale, with a little more expense attached, and a slightly different sound.

For the extra $$$, the AviTrix will play lower and louder than the TriTrix. Once the crossover design is finalized, I understand there will be kit offerings from PE similar to the TriTrix designs.

C

[evilskillit]

I'm at work and haven't even had a chance to read this whole thing yet, but let me be one of the first to saw... WOO NEW DESIGN FROM CURT! And a kit too. Kudos to you sir for making the hobby a bit better for all of us.

Neat, I finally got a chance to read it all. Looks pretty juicy. Wonder what the kit options and prices will be. Looks like a great alternative for people who want something like the Tritrix but a but "more" in every way but don't want to spend a lot more. If I wasn't running out of space for speakers I'd be all over a pair.

[MrkCrwly]

Congrats. Glad to see PE adding more kits. This is obviously a sign that the TriTrix kit has been a commercial success. I hope PE will see fit to add even more "high value" kits.

[dlneubec]

Very Nice, Curt! I can't wait to hear them. People are going to want to avoid the budget class now, however.

[---k---]

Curt,
I thought you were going to let CJD and I beat you to publish a design.

Looks like a nice design. I think I may steel your box design as an option!

[Dirk]

So! Who's gonna have a pair at InDIYana?

[Jim Holtz]

Another fine job from our resident wizards! VERY nice!

Jim

[Mark65]

Wow! Looks like another winner, for sure! And that tweeter looks to be the BOMB! 1kHz xpt? Me likey!


Can't wait to see the finished product!


Mark

[kornphlake]

These look like what I was wanting the Tritrix to be, which is to say I'm not ashamed of the Tritrix I built at all, but I had a few more dollars and wanted something with a little taller cabinet and a little more sound. I'd have built the Aviatrix first if they'd been available, there's a decent chance I may build them as a second set of speakers if the price for the kit is right around $200.

[scottsehlin]

Very nice looking design Curt.

Ever since the ND-140's came out, I have been tempted to pick up a couple to see how they would drop into the "Matrix" design from last year's Iowa gathering. My initial thought is that they are about the only driver I've seen that could improve the bass capability vs. the existing RS-150T's (which sound very good as long as you keep SPL down to a reasonable level) without requiring a wider cabinet.

[curt_c]

Curt,
I thought you were going to let CJD and I beat you to publish a design.

Looks like a nice design. I think I may steel your box design as an option!

Ryan, at the rate you and Chris normally whip out designs I was SURE you'd be done before I received permission to let the cat out of the bag. I’m sure all will be impressed with Sietecerocero Project design as well.

I see no issue with you ‘stealing’ the enclosure for your design. The AviaTrix center and surrounds will probably resemble your enclosures as well. –Only so many ways to skin that cat…

Very Nice, Curt! I can't wait to hear them. People are going to want to avoid the budget class now, however.

Yes! -After the failure of the Mavericks to make it into the budget category last year at Iowa, this year the AviaTrix comes in under budget!

Thanks Dan!

A rough calculation for the drivers and crossover bits comes up to about $250.00 at PE's normal pricing. The flared ports add another $25 to $35 bucks, so I figure maybe $300.00 + MDF all together for a pair without the kit pricing.

C

[mzisserson]

Curt, looks wonderful!

As you know I have been using the ND-105, and if the ND140 is 1/2 as good (which I am sure it is), with you driving the ship I am sure these will actually be a world class speaker.

Perhaps people will believe these can reach amazingly low now!!!

[curt_c]

Very nice looking design Curt.

Ever since the ND-140's came out, I have been tempted to pick up a couple to see how they would drop into the "Matrix" design from last year's Iowa gathering. My initial thought is that they are about the only driver I've seen that could improve the bass capability vs. the existing RS-150T's (which sound very good as long as you keep SPL down to a reasonable level) without requiring a wider cabinet.

Thanks Scott,

Yes, I suspect there will be a lot of comparisons between the ND-140 and the RS150's. The ND's can provide the bass is you have the enclosure volume for them. The RS drivers get the nod for their cast frames.

C

[martyh]

Yes! -After the failure of the Mavericks to make it into the budget category last year at Iowa, this year the AviaTrix comes in under budget!


great....juuuuuussst great.

Now what in the heck are the rest of us gonna do, Curt?

Well, I could just start my own DIY event (DIY Little Chute), call it 'The Biggest Speakerbuilders Event in My Mind' and declare myself the winner, just like that Russian figureskater dude.

All kidding aside, Congratulations Curt!

[Paul K.]

Looks pretty good, Curt, and I'm sure glad the speakers I'm currently building won't end up in the Budget Class at Iowa!
Paul

[jacobwayne154]

Hoooowee Overnight Sensations, tritrix, unisounds, and now these. I think you guys a trying to get me fired (put in the dog house). Now I have to figure these into into the budget. There has to be a medication for this illness.

[gowa]

It looks to me like the budget class 'Gauntlet' has been thrown. Sorry, I just renamed your speaker.

[Dirk]

Now I have to figure these into into the budget. There has to be a medication for this illness.

Sure, it's called "prioritization". Cut back on non-essentials, like cable, heat, dining out & medical treatment. Keep the electricity; you'll need that. Don't sell the car, either, unless you find someone that will deliver MDF.

Yes! -After the failure of the Mavericks to make it into the budget category last year at Iowa...

Oh WOE IS CURT! The Mavericks in budget would have been a gun at a knife fight.

[curt_c]

Oh WOE IS CURT! The Mavericks in budget would have been a gun at a knife fight.

If I just wouldn't have had to buy those $8 tweeters, I'd have made it!

It looks to me like the budget class 'Gauntlet' has been thrown. Sorry, I just renamed your speaker.

I would have named them The Ariels but Lynn Olsen beat me to it.



Thanks guys, but don’t forget that I’m just half of the team. Without Wayne’s expert cabinet building and voicing skills, this would be some ho-hum, also ran design. No matter how close I think I get them, Wayne always can get them better. My highest complement from him to date is:
(After listening to a design for 5 minutes.) “Well, my ears aren’t burning yet.”

You may laugh, but this is a long way from the first time Wayne came over to listen to one of my creations. It was a nice little 2 way with a SS tweeter and a peerless CSX 5”, but having recently read dlr’s article in Speakerbuilder on felt treatments, I’d gone way overboard with the felt. Wayne was his typical genteel self, but I know he was thinking: “Whoa! These things sound like they’re covered in dirty gym socks.” After all the felt came off, the veil had indeed been lifted. –I never doubted his abilities again…

C

[Wolf]

Certainly looks viable! Nice job, dudes.
I'm glad I'm gonna be out in the 'Unlimited' category now...unless I'm allowed a second or third entry.
Later,
Wolf