EconoWave

[Zilch]

An AudioKarma Design Collaborative DIY project using components available from Parts Express:

Sixty-five systems have been "officially" completed by AK members to date; click the ID's to see the individual projects here:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2260584#post2260584

You must be registered to view the images -- tell 'em Zilch sent ya.

Project details: everything necessary to build them is linked from Post #1:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=150939

The rest of AK's largest thread is just us havin' fun designing and building eWaves.... :D

[critofur]

Re: EconoWave

Can you give us a subjective review of the sound? Compared to other systems? Summary of the various most common/best combinations of parts?

[Zilch]

Re: EconoWave

Can you give us a subjective review of the sound? Compared to other systems? Summary of the various most common/best combinations of parts?

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2528142#post2528142

Many builders have retrofitted eWave into vintage speakers such as large Advents and others, though some have built beautiful cabs of their own designs all over the world. I believe the only continent not represented is Antartica ... yet.

The woofers are designer's choice, and several variants of the crossover are offered for standard and high-efficiency (>95 dB/W/M) combinations.

We've recently "discovered" the PE KD Trap cabinet kit, and the Collaborative is experimenting with these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=245-325

An apparent "slam dunk" using 10" or 12" Dayton Classic woofers, though we're just now working through the details of optimizing the lowpass filter for them, specifically....

[brianpowers27]

Re: EconoWave

What exactly is the EconoWave?

[Zilch]

Re: EconoWave

What exactly is the EconoWave?

eWave is a pre-engineered high-frequency "module" for building 2-ways comprising an inexpensive compression driver, modern constant-directivity waveguide, and a crossover incorporating the requisite compensation. Mate it with any woofer and cabinet of your choice which will play competently through its 1.6 kHz crossover region. The builder is responsible for optimizing the lowpass filter for the specific combination they use; a generic one is suggested as a starting point, and many have found that to be adequate for constructing a successful project....

[brianpowers27]

Re: EconoWave

eWave is a pre-engineered high-frequency section for building 2-ways comprising an inexpensive compression driver, modern constant-directivity waveguide, and crossover incorporating the requisite compensation. Mate it with any woofer and cabinet of your choice which will play competently through its 1.6 kHz crossover region. The builder is responsible for optimizing the lowpass filter for the specific combination they use; a generic one is suggested as a starting point, and most have found that to be adequate for constructing a successful project....

Is it a commercial product?

[critofur]

Re: EconoWave

Is it a commercial product?

It's a collaborative DIY project which has many iterations made by many different people.

Could be thought of as a much cheaper version of Earl Geddes speakers (but without the fancy foam tweeter waveguide plug).

[isaeagle4031]

Re: EconoWave

The Ewave (I've got one in the works now to be mated with a 12"EV woofer) is in my opinion a better sounding and much cheaper alternative to Geddes. His waveguide is circular and needs the foam plug to tame the harshness generally associated with CD's. While the Ewave is still a CD, the xover does seem to do a good job of reducing the "honking".

Zilch, I have read the whole thread over there. Took me about 2 weeks to do it!

[dubbreak]

Re: EconoWave

So basically some predesigned x-overs for use with the Selenium D220Ti mounted to one of two horns (one being the cheap pyle pro which is no longer in stock?

Have FRD and ZMA files for the driver attached to the two suggested horns? Pre-designed x-overs are pretty useless imho. Might as well model it with the driver you plan on mating it with.

I'm thinking mating it with quad 6.5" silver flute drivers in an mtmmm format would be interesting.

[Zilch]

Re: EconoWave

Is it a commercial product?

No, you buy the parts from Parts Express and build it yourself.

Zilch, I have read the whole thread over there. Took me about 2 weeks to do it!

At 491 pages and 7364 posts today, that's one heck of a project in and of itself! :p

I can't say that eWave is better than the Geddes products, but we have incorporated many of the same design principles at a much lower cost. Some are now moving up to higher-quality components such as the same compression driver that Earl uses, the B&C DE250 (also available from PE,) and alternative waveguides. There are several similar projects going on at other forums, but none have yet approached the performance/value of the entry-level standard eWave....

So basically some predesigned x-overs for use with the Selenium D220Ti mounted to one of two horns (one being the cheap pyle pro which is no longer in stock?

Yes.

Have FRD and ZMA files for the driver attached to the two suggested horns? Pre-designed x-overs are pretty useless imho. Might as well model it with the driver you plan on mating it with.

Consider the context. The design is not that specific; the highpass and HF comp are optimized well enough based upon Parham's Pi-Speakers topology to mate with a variety of woofers.

We have included measurements in the thread, and Earl measured the polar responses of the CD/waveguide, which are posted on his site; I've put them up on four other forums. Not many DIYers at AudioKarma have the equipment and skills you might apply. Post your findings once you work through that, please....

[isaeagle4031]

Re: EconoWave

The xover MAY need to be tweaked to work with the LF driver yes. But it is a very good starting point to work from. The xover as it sits (HE version) is mating very well with the 12" EV PA driver I am using. If I have any qualms at all its with the limited extension of the EV and very low Xmax. But when using a pair of Ed 16Ov2s and Crown MacroRef amps, I am not really concerned with that portion

[Zero the Hero]

Re: EconoWave

Thanks for spreading the love Zilch! One of these days I'm going to build a pair, as soon as I figure out where I'm going to put them!

[dubbreak]

Re: EconoWave

Consider the context. The design is not that specific; the highpass and HF comp are optimized well enough based upon Parham's Pi-Speakers topology to mate with a variety of woofers.

We have included measurements in the thread, and Earl measured the polar responses of the CD/waveguide, which are posted on his site. Not many DIYers on AudioKarma have the equipment and skills you might apply. Post your findings when you work through that....

Well the provided x-overs would be a good starting point for modeling since I assume they have been voiced (read comment about removing honk).

My thoughts were throw it in PCD with some other drivers that I have data for and see how easy it is to get it to work with other drivers.

With the depth of that horn it looks like the AC of the tweeter would be behind the woofers instead of in front..

[Zilch]

Re: EconoWave

With the depth of that horn it looks like the AC of the tweeter would be behind the woofers instead of in front..

Yes, but only measurements can determine for certain.

The larger QSC waveguide, subject of recent posts on AK, AVS, HTG, and elsewhere (also on backorder due to unanticipated demand,) is deeper yet, and we are rear-mounting the woofers to help compensate somewhat.

[DS-21]

Re: EconoWave

The Ewave (I've got one in the works now to be mated with a 12"EV woofer) is in my opinion a better sounding and much cheaper alternative to Geddes. His waveguide is circular and needs the foam plug to tame the harshness generally associated with CD's. While the Ewave is still a CD, the xover does seem to do a good job of reducing the "honking".

Have you actually heard the Gedlee speakers? Because those are some extraordinary claims. Never mind that you fundamentally miss the point of the foam in the waveguide. Look up "Patrick Bateman" on diyaudio.com to see some interesting investigations with foam.

I'm not slighting the Ewave, because I think it's exceptionally cool for what it is - an inexpensive plug n' play solution for people to get their hands wet with superior (narrow and constant dispersion, high efficiency) loudspeakers - but is it going to best a top-to-bottom bespoke design springing from one of the brightest minds in audio using superior drivers? Not a chance. But Ewave also costs a lot less, and allows for more learning due to the modular nature of it. And in the end, anything that gets people past the asinine paradigm of a dome tweeter mounted flush in a baffle with highly audible power response errors due to the inevitable directivity mismatch between tweeter and next driver down in the crossover region is a net plus for the hobby.

It would, however, be interesting to see polar measurements from a truly rigorous Ewave design: one with foam in the mouth and crossover adjustments for it, a low-diffraction cabinet with very large roundovers everywhere, and a high-quality woofer that exactly matches the Ewave's horizontal directivity at 1.6 kHz with a sophisticated crossover. I bet it would come close to the GedLee Harpers. It may, however, also cost more...