Introducing: The Pit Vipers (Ooh Yeah!!!)

[djg]

You would want it big enough for the speaker to fit inside.

[Serenitynow]

I've been wondering about the internal volume for the midranges as well.

I don't think ( I could be wrong however ) that it really matters unless the driver is playing close to fs. I can't remember the specs right off hand, but I don't think Paul has them playing that low in this design.

Someone more knowledgeable will hopefully settle our confusion about this.

Just checked.
Fs of the mid is about 52 Hz. Looks like they're being crossed at around 450 Hz. I don't THINK the size of the enclosure for them will matter in this case.

[Paul K.]

18-mm wood has a thickness of 0.708 inches, as compared to 0.75 inches for 3/4" wood. I've been using 18-mm Baltic Birch Plywood for years for speaker building and it works just fine.
Paul

[9sheng]

I was looking for 6" PVC pipe caps and found some differences.


No.1 As shown in the picture above, the pipe cap of model DN150 has an inner diameter of 160.7mm, an outer diameter of 184.5mm, the height of L1 is 86.5mm, and the height of L2 is 125.9mm. It will have a spherical bump at the top. So his total height is 125.9mm.
I looked at paul's photo and it looks like he has bumps too.



No.2 I saw the cap numbered 6P06 from Amazon, his total height is only about 80mm.
this is the connection

https://www.amazon.com/NDS-6P06-Solvent-Fitting-6-Inch/dp/B00L4AO506/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=6+pvc+cap&qid=1657344569&sr=8-2

No.3 I also found another specification of the cap, their inner diameter is 160mm, but their height is different. Below is the connection

https://www.plasticpipeshop.co.uk/6-Plain-PVC-End-Cap_p_716.html

I know that the size of the interior space formed by different heights is different, so I need you to help me determine which model. Or in small differences, there will be no effect on the sound? Can I choose No.1 first?

As long as the diameter is 160mm, whether it is a raised hat or a flat hat, the same internal space can be achieved at a certain height. But if you choose a flat hat, how much height do you need?

[9sheng]

Thank you, please allow me to thank you again for your designs, I am a big fan of yours

[djg]

Here's a link to a Troels SBA 8" 4" dome tweeter 3 way speaker, significantly smaller than the Viper, with some good construction pictures.

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/SBAcoustics-3WC.htm

[Serenitynow]

Nevermind. I see now it is for your designed speaker

[Serenitynow]

Thanks. I braced the heck out of it.

I see you didn't use the PVC cap on the rear of the mid. Instead you enclosed it. I've been thinking this as well.
What size enclosure did you use for it ?
Oh. Nevermind. I see now it is for your design.

[Wesley H]

Thanks. I braced the heck out of it.

[beenzapped68]

Paul, that's what I was hoping.
I had the opportunity many years ago to vist a major recording studio in Toronto a friend worked at.
Wish I could remember the name...
They had just built a state of the art anechoic chamber that was huge, what a trip that was to be in.

What you are describing is exactly what I thought at the time when I heard the studio monitors.
Been chasing it ever since.
Thanks for leading the way!

[Paul Carmody]

Afternoon Paul,
I have to ask...
How does the Pit Viper compare to the Tarkus?
Seems like it would be similar in voice.
I am thinking of using my Tarkus for surrounds and the Pit Vipers for my mains.
What are your thoughts?

I knew this question would come sooner or later, so i've been giving it some thought.

Now, keep in mind that the Tarkus live hundreds of miles away from me, and I only get to hear them once or twice a year. But with that said, I feel like the Pit Vipers are just "more-ish" of everything. Like, you know when a photo has HDR boosted? That's what the Pit Vipers sound like to me. Like, nothing is "subtle" about the Pit Vipers. Imaging is almost exaggerated. Bass is almost exaggerated. Treble... well, I never exaggerate treble... treble is very well-behaved on both designs.

According to the simulations, the Pit Vipers WILL go louder... the 12" Dayton DVC in the Pit Vipers just has more xmax than the 10" Peerless in the Tarkus.

Both designs are still after the same sort of vibe, though. They're for studio-produced music. Rock, Hip Hop, Metal, R&B, EDM, etc. The Pit Vipers are just a bit more ostentatious.

It's funny, I was having lunch the other day with a friend of mine from college. He's a professional guitar player. He doesn't really know much about speakers, but he asked me, "What did you think of the speakers they had in XXXX* studio?" (*a studio we both had recorded in many years ago) And I'm like, "Of course they sounded great!" And that's when it hit me that THAT was the sound I've been chasing all these years. That massive, articulate excitement you get when you're hearing your mix in a studio on big mains monitors. It's like, everything just sounds so huge, yet clear. You can hear all the little nuances you put in the recording. I want people to feel that same sense of excitement the people in the studio get when they hear the mix.

Does that mean that I'm aiming for ruler-flat FR and perfect polar plots like one might get in true studio mains? No. Your living room ISN'T a recording studio, so it doesn't have all that fancy room treatment and geometry that studios get. So in essence my speakers are like a simulation of that experience. It's a holodeck

[Paul Carmody]

18mm is essentially the same as 3/4" stock, correct? Because that's what I used.

[Paul Carmody]

Cool! I really like the bracing you did in the back.

[beenzapped68]

Whoa,
Moving up to Gorilla coffins!
Looks like you will have big sound too.
Start a build thread please.
Ron

[Wesley H]

I'm working on a similar project, big old-school box, also inspired by the JBL L100 (but very different). It's 4-way and I was originally going to go active between the SW and upper end but decided to go full 4-way active. I'm using the following drivers, all independently sealed.

RSS390HF4 15" Reference HF Subwoofer 4 Ohm
RS2254 8" Reference Woofer 4 Ohm
RS125T8 5" Reference Woofer Truncated Frame 8 Ohm
RS28F-4 1-1/8" Silk Dome Tweeter 4 Ohm

I started on the cabinets last summer and am pulling them back out to start up again. Here are a couple pics from my previous work on them: