Psyco's first build

[Psycoacoustics]

Hello everyone: So here's my first build. After hanging around here for a while I realize I did everything wrong, yet I'm still pretty pleased with the results.

After reading a review of Direct Acoustics Silent Speaker, I thought to myself, "I can do that"! The slanted baffle and the TL cab just spoke to me.

Direct Acoustics wouldn't share their cab drawings with me. So after consulting many different web sites and calculators, and downloading WinISD, this is what I came up with.

I already had a pair of Cerwin Vega 6in woofers. Unfortunately I didn't have the T/S spec's for these, so I decided to use the spec's of the Aura NS6 buyout woofer. Wrong, I know, but I just wanted to build something and these were to be my "Prototype" all along.

So, with that woofer, and PE's buyout 2in treated paper cone tweeter (#279-024) and a crossover spec'd by Win ISD (L1 .45mh C1 6.8uf L2 .22mh C2 3.3uf) These are what I came up with. The cab is 36h 12w and 9d which equals about 1.6cf and a line lenght of about 59in opening to a square port that's 2x8, stuffed with 1lb of acoustic stuff.

I gotta say they make an insane amount of bass for a 6in woofer, and that tweeter doesn't sound so bad. Like I said, even though I did a lot of things wrong they sound way better than the $300 I got into them!

I like the idea of using a smaller woofer for good transient response and the TL box for bass extension!

So now that I've built the "Prototype" I'm ready to move on to the "Model 1" Actually, I'm thinking "Surround Sound system".

So, I'm asking the heavy hitters around here for input. Good or bad, I'm a big boy, I can take it!

I'd like suggestions for drivers, and a crossover. I'm pretty sold on the box, although I'm thinking they need to be a little shorter by maybe a couple of inches, maybe using 1/2 mdf for the labyrinth, instead of 3/4 to help maintain the internal volume.

Take a look, let me know what you think, and help me if you can. Thanks, Mark

[Steve Henry]

Nice work. I think you can find the specs for that woofer here if you want to check your design:http://www.apexjr.com/speakerstuff.html

[domwilson]

Good Job. Maybe do a write up and some cabinet plans?

[bolland83]

Almost an omni design, kinda like some of the old Ohm Acoustics stuff. I think they were flat on the top, but this is kinda similar. Looks good. As much as you think you did "wrong" you get brownie points for not using an off the shelf crossover.

[domwilson]

I think he was trying to copy these...http://directacoustics.com/?page_id=16

[Psycoacoustics]

Thanks guys for your kind words! Also thank you Steve for the link.

I do have a question. One of the Cerwin Vega drivers in the link does look exactly like mine, however, it says it's a 16 ohm driver. Mine was stamped 8ohm on the magnet.

Would all the rest of the specs be accurate? Would I just have to substitute 8 for 16 in Win ISD?

I'd appreciate your thoughts, and Thanks Again, Mark

[mzisserson]

I have heard the Silent Speaker II. It actually was pretty neat. Competitive at its price meaning it was a good speaker. The designer, Winslow Burhoe is a legend in his own right. Though I believe in his 80's now. Looks cool, and like a fun build!

[Psycoacoustics]

I have heard the Silent Speaker II. It actually was pretty neat. Competitive at its price meaning it was a good speaker. The designer, Winslow Burhoe is a legend in his own right. Though I believe in his 80's now. Looks cool, and like a fun build!

Thank You! Yes it was a fun build! As I said though, I'm kinda looking for a little input to make them better. Better drivers of course, and a better crossover. With all that I've been reading about crossovers, mine seems just a little too simple! I'd bet it can be improved!

I think the box design is pretty solid, but I do have a few ideas to make it better.

I'd be interested to know what you thought of the way the Silent Speaker imaged? Unfortunately I didn' t have them in my house long enough to really get a feel for them. They're at work now in a very noisy environment. I'm a printer, and after asking the boss if I could use them at work and he said yes I didn't want to take the chance that he'd change his mind. That's why I need to build " Model 1"

So if you have time, let me know your thoughts. Thanks, Mark

[AR3A]

Looks good man I want to make something like your design for a unique surround sound system.

One question

I have never really got the x over feature of WinISD to work for me

Any tips ?

[domwilson]

Do you have any plans drawn up? I might be interested in building these.

[Psycoacoustics]

Looks good man I want to make something like your design for a unique surround sound system.

One question

I have never really got the x over feature of WinISD to work for me

Any tips ?

Well, I'm on my deck with my iPad, Win ISD is on my computer in the basement, and it's been a while since I looked at it but if I remember correctly, all I did was pick a crossover point, (3500htz) in my case, enter the impedance of each driver, select a 6 db slope, or a 12db slope and it just spits out the values for the inductors and capacitors. Than it was off to PE's web site to find closests matching parts.

I hope this helps. Also, I agree with using them for surround sound. That's kinda what I was thinking about too. Mark

[Psycoacoustics]

Do you have any plans drawn up? I might be interested in building these.

Believe it or not, the first pic is the drawing I worked from, and the only thing that's different is the size of the port. It's larger on the speaker than in the drawing.

The window brace is dadoed into all four sides, the labyrinth is dadoed into the sides and front. I glued cove moulding in to soften all the 90 degree turns. The baffle is screwed to the top with machine screws and inserts. (all brass of course) lol I did that because I thought I would be going in and out of the Box, fussing with the crossover, but when I do it again I'll just biscuit it like I did the sides. The driver opening is large enough to access the crossover, and besides, after listening to them they sounded pretty good. Not having anything to measure with I didn't need to fuss with the crossover.

I have more pictures. If you pm me your email address I'd be happy to send you what I have, which should give you a larger copy of my drawing.

Hope this helps and let me know, Mark

[AR3A]

Well, I'm on my deck with my iPad, Win ISD is on my computer in the basement, and it's been a while since I looked at it but if I remember correctly, all I did was pick a crossover point, (3500htz) in my case, enter the impedance of each driver, select a 6 db slope, or a 12db slope and it just spits out the values for the inductors and capacitors. Than it was off to PE's web site to find closests matching parts.

I hope this helps. Also, I agree with using them for surround sound. That's kinda what I was thinking about too. Mark

Are you using alpha or beta Win ISD ?

I cant seem to figure out how to add a tweeter into the mix just keeps saying unexpected end factor lol

[domwilson]

Believe it or not, the first pic is the drawing I worked from, and the only thing that's different is the size of the port. It's larger on the speaker than in the drawing.

The window brace is dadoed into all four sides, the labyrinth is dadoed into the sides and front. I glued cove moulding in to soften all the 90 degree turns. The baffle is screwed to the top with machine screws and inserts. (all brass of course) lol I did that because I thought I would be going in and out of the Box, fussing with the crossover, but when I do it again I'll just biscuit it like I did the sides. The driver opening is large enough to access the crossover, and besides, after listening to them they sounded pretty good. Not having anything to measure with I didn't need to fuss with the crossover.

I have more pictures. If you pm me your email address I'd be happy to send you what I have, which should give you a larger copy of my drawing.

Hope this helps and let me know, Mark

PM Sent.

[Psycoacoustics]

Are you using alpha or beta Win ISD ?

I cant seem to figure out how to add a tweeter into the mix just keeps saying unexpected end factor lol

Ok, first off remember, I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer! You may do better asking this question in the Tech Talk forum.

I'm using the Bete version.

I just got done playing with it again so now I know what I did. Under "Calculators" pick 2nd order, I entered 4000 in both the "Bass cutoff and Tweeter cutoff". Than in "Drivers" I entered 8 in both "BassZ and TweeterZ" hit "Calculate" at the bottom, than click on "Components" where you should see the values the program picked. In my case it chose L1 0.45mh, C1 7.034, L2 0.225mh, C2 3.517. Maybe plug in my numbers and see if you get the same result.

Originally, I thought I picked a 3500 crossover point, but I guess it was really 4000. Don't ask me why, reread my first paragraph

Hope this helps, Mark

[domwilson]

Got the pics. Thank you.

[mistercmason]

How do you get WinISD to make a TL?

[Psycoacoustics]

How do you get WinISD to make a TL?

You don't! Cause it doesn't. So how do I explain what I did,,,, I guess you could say that these were the "extrapolation" of about seven different web sites. In other words, "I guessed". WinISD got me to the basic volume. The line length was calculated by a formula I found on "inspyder website" Somewhere I read that the port opening should be the same area as the woofer cone, so that's what I did. That pretty much covers it.

Like I said in the beginning, "I know I did everything wrong" yet they sound pretty damn good for my first try. I believe the box design is solid. The TL is doing what it's suppose to do based on the amount of bass I'm getting from a 6 or 6.5 woofer depending on whose doing the measuring.

I'm really new at this so I don't have anything to measure them with, but my ears tell me I don't have a "one note bass speaker"

I know that Martin J Collins has a bunch of formulas to sim a TL but I'm just not that good at math. That stuff all looks Greek to me! So like I said,,, I GUESSED!

If all this doesn't answer you question,,, pm me and I'll do my best to send you the links to the sites I used.

Thanks for your interest, Mark