Low Power 2.1 HT Build - Fostex BK12m + Sub

[chad1376]

Re: Low Power 2.1 HT Build - Fostex BK12m + Sub

Just curious, what is your 2.1 bass management solution? What gear are you using?

Right now - nothing. The original sub used just a 70w plate amp that eventually died.

The rest of my system is in a constant state of swapping through gear. Everything from all tubes (Foreplay preamp, DIY tube phono stage, 300B amp/2A3 amp/ST-70) to my current midfi (Adcom preamp + a new Dayton DT100 amp).

All my tube amps need attention in one form or another - so I'll probably keep the "midfi" system hooked up until I decide which one I want to tackle.

[chad1376]

Re: Low Power 2.1 HT Build - Fostex BK12m + Sub

After a few coats of wipe-on poly. I've never used it before, but I'm really happy with it. Much better than glopping the stuff on with a brush. I probably need to give them a quick sand before I do the final coat, but I'm kinda lazy. The drivers should show up tomorrow, and I know I'll be anxious to try them out.

[chad1376]

Re: Low Power 2.1 HT Build - Fostex BK12m + Sub

Got em fired up! No pics yet, until I shim the feet and get the wiring tidy.

For the first 10 minutes, they sounded awfull..like a cheap radio you get when you open a bank account. After an hour, they started to loosen up quite a bit. At first, nasally sounding, then some upper midrange squawk. After two hours, they eased up more. The bass is surprisingly tight and deep (more than I expected). What is already apparent is their quickness and transparency.

I'm a believer that these need to be broken in, just based on how their sound changed in a few hours. Also, I need to get some better source material. I only have a PC with itunes and FM for music hooked up right now. I definitely need to drag out the tubes and vinyl.

[chad1376]

Re: Low Power 2.1 HT Build - Fostex BK12m + Sub

Alright - last post for awhile.

Here they in situ. I moved them outside of the threshold to get some better seperation.



And a closeup of the stands. Each box has about 50-lbs of sand. You can see the mounting bold that allows me to monkey with the toe-in, without moving the stand. They're nice and stable.



I'll wait until the get broken in before playing with tweaks like vent seal behind the basket and stuffing volumes.

[chad1376]

Re: Low Power 2.1 HT Build - Fostex BK12m + Sub

One more post..

Now that the speakers are begining to break in, they are starting to sound really good. Bass is "there", it's just shelved down from the mids/highs. I know a baffle step circuit could help this, but it just feels "wrong" to mess with it. A stand up bass sounds right, with all the woody overtones in nice balance. - not bloated like I've heard with big woofer systems. Electric bass, though - not enough"oomph"

The midrange is absolutely transparent and has really nice presence. The upper midrange (where a normal mid/tweet crossover would be) is noticeably more transparent than any standard two-way setup I've heard. The overall FR is not perfect, but the tradeoff in clarity, I feel, makes these worthwhile. Stuff like "spit" making it's way through a jass trumpet, or the low-level grunts and noises some of the musicians make while playing is there like I've never heard before. Overly mastered rock music - Meh. The speakers just start to sound congested. That's OK, I have another system when I want my ears to bleed.