Safineia Rival/ScanSpeak 2way

[isaeagle4031]

Safineia is Greek for "clarity" which defines this combo pretty well. For this build I selected the Rival Acoustics R176P08 woofer and the ScanSpeak R2604/8330 Ring Radiator tweeter. I have used a few of the Rival woofers over the last year or so and can say they really are a great piece of gear. This time I made use of the paper cone version. It did not disappoint. There really is no cone breakup to speak of. The on axis response is pretty flat to nearly 5k where there is diffraction from the surround. The 430Hz Fs of the ScanSpeak tweeter results in a very large overlap of flat response.

The enclosure is a pretty straightforward affair. Nothing particularly difficult. This was very purposeful as the supplier for the Rival woofers has made this and another build as a kit in which they include the baffle. For my version, I used 3/4" BBply for the top, baffle, and bottom with an extra layer of 1/2"BBply on the baffle Sides and rear are 3/4" MDF. The ply is finished with 2 coats of dewaxed shellac. The MDF is finished with multiple coats of Rustoleum hammered black and silver. The enclosures were then sealed with 3-4 coats of Rustoleum frosted pearl seal. Overall dimensions are 16.5H 9W 14D for a net volume of .75 cu ft/21L The rear 2"x6 port results in an Fb of 40Hz and F3 of 38Hz. There is 1 brace connecting the sides, top, and bottom and one more between the rear and the brace.

[isaeagle4031]

The crossover is a fairly simple affair as well incoporating 3rd order electrical (damped on the tweeter) filters on both sides. The woofer adds a tank cap in parallel with the first woofer inductor. Resistor R1 may be adjusted for personal taste to tailor the upper response a bit. I am using 4.7 ohms currently and I suggest a value ranging from 3.3 to 5.6 ohm. The inductors are all 18ga. I used Polar caps myself and really like them. The crosser point comes in right at 1.9Khz with great phase tracking.The impedance is an easy load for any amp. Notice that in my crossover pic the 4.7 ohm resistor is "missing". I chose to wire it directly to the tweeter to make quick changes to the value if I felt it was needed. Simply pulling the tweeter allows easy access.

Ignore the response in the graphs below about 200Hz or so. That is more room interaction than anything. The measurements were taken at 1m on the tweeter axis at 90db. The omnimic measurements are also at 1/48the octave so very little smoothing.

[isaeagle4031]

Listening evaluation: First song is Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight" (2016 remix). Very favorite song and one I know very well. Imaging is spot on. Soundstage is wide. Great attack and release on the drums. Vocals are clear with no sibilance.

Next is Jim Croce. Live recordings from 1973 of "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" and "Operator". These can be very fatiguing as Jim's vocals are very forward and bright. However, it is great at testing integration between the drivers. Again excellent. It's very difficult to hear where one stops and the other takes over.

From there it is a variety of tracks from classical to metal to new age and even some hip hop. They didn't disappoint in any fashion and handled everything I threw at them. One of the keys that I strive for is seamless driver integration and these do that very well. This was the first ScanSpeak tweeter I have worked with and it more than met my expectations. Rival woofers are outstanding and offer a lot of performance. The bass is solid and tight. These will be my new mains for my 2 ch system,

Feel free to comment, ask questions,etc!

[andykriech]

Sounds like a great setup and they look great too.
Well done.
Andy.

[stephenmarklay]

Listening evaluation: First song is Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight" (2016 remix). Very favorite song and one I know very well. Imaging is spot on. Soundstage is wide. Great attack and release on the drums. Vocals are clear with no sibilance.

Next is Jim Croce. Live recordings from 1973 of "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" and "Operator". These can be very fatiguing as Jim's vocals are very forward and bright. However, it is great at testing integration between the drivers. Again excellent. It's very difficult to hear where one stops and the other takes over.

From there it is a variety of tracks from classical to metal to new age and even some hip hop. They didn't disappoint in any fashion and handled everything I threw at them. One of the keys that I strive for is seamless driver integration and these do that very well. This was the first ScanSpeak tweeter I have worked with and it more than met my expectations. Rival woofers are outstanding and offer a lot of performance. The bass is solid and tight. These will be my new mains for my 2 ch system,

Feel free to comment, ask questions,etc!

First, these look great. I hope to build something higher end this year. I a going to keep these in mind.

Funny on your first choice of song. Last night I hooked up a set I finished last night and the first song I played was Phil Collins, "In the Air Tonight" (2016 remix).

[howard]

Nice job, Chuck!

[craigk]

Very nice looking speaker. I know they sound great. Will they be at a show near you soon ?

[isaeagle4031]

Very nice looking speaker. I know they sound great. Will they be at a show near you soon ?

Yep, these will be at InDIYana.