on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

[isaeagle4031]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

My tower for the ntns is 48"H 6"W 7.5"D with a small bottom section for the x-over. Volume is right at .56 with a 2" ID port that is 4.5" long. This is a variation of a voight pipe.

[Soundslike]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

From Post #18:

My cabinet choice: 28"h x 6"w x 9.5"d. 0.55 cf
A 2"d x 7" long rear vent centered 10" up from the bottom tunes this box to 39 Hz yielding an F3 of 38. I'd mount the upper woofer's center 4" down from the box top. This puts the tweeter at about 21", so theese should sound best on about 12" high stands.

Ah..., that's what I needed. Thanks...

as long as the volume's the same, YOUR dims should be OK. When I get around to drawing up a box for the "ntn"s, It'll be 24" tall (in keeping with the 24" dimension of a "handi-panel"). SOME people have built just the single woofer Nano Neos as an almost 3 ft tall tower (false bottom used as stand and to house XO).

I'd like to keep these fairly close to what others are doing, so I'll probably go with your first suggested height of 28". But, now that you mention the 24" version, I'll want to sketch that out too, to see which set of proportions seem most correct to me, visually. That's a subjective thing, I guess. I also like the idea of making an exterior compartment for the crossover, just in case yet another improvement comes along... Fedex just arrived -- can't wait to make some sawdust..

By the way, I like how you've kept this project within such close cost parameters. Keeping costs within the reach of those with less to spend on speakers is sure to introduce lots of new people to DIY, and the design just makes good sense...

This is a variation of a voight pipe.

Voight pipe, eh...?, that sent me scurrying to Google. Are you using a taper?

[Herman Trivilino]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

I'd like to keep these fairly close to what others are doing, so I'll probably go with your first suggested height of 28". But, now that you mention the 24" version, I'll want to sketch that out too, to see which set of proportions seem most correct to me, visually.

I went with the original dimensions of 28 by 6 by 9.5. When I had my first look at one assembled, the impression made was of a mini-tower. Sort of a Tower, Jr. I liked it. Still do.

[isaeagle4031]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

My variation doesn't taper per se. Its a 2:1 ratio between the front and rear. The front is 3.5" and the rear behind the waveguide is 1.75" leading down to the 2"ID port. Below the drivers in the front is stuffed with a 1/4 lb of fill. Directly behind the drivers is lined with padding also.

[Herman Trivilino]

$75 ntn

I finished up these ntn's weekend before last. They sound great. For the first listening sessions I moved them further apart than what you see in the photo. They deliver an awesome amount of bass. When switching back and forth between these and the "reference speakers" you see in the photo, I couldn't help but marvel at the bass. Even though I had broken these in before mounting them in the cabinets, they were still not fully broken in. The tweeter is shrill until broken in, something I first noted when I built the Overnight's.

I wish I had spent more time listening to them, comparing them to my Cerwin Vega VS-120's and my Overnight Sensations, but I was anxious to get them installed in their new home.

[Herman Trivilino]

$75 ntn

Here you can see the speakers installed in their new home. Chris, you gotta know what a difference these make! They replaced some crappy Radio Snack full-range speakers in cabinets that I built back in the mid-90's. What a HUGE improvement we have in the sound quality. These are not in a location conducive to "rocking out" so I haven't had the chance to really do some listening tests. Yet.

[Herman Trivilino]

$75 ntn Nostalgia

I now feel safe in saying I've entered a new phase in speaker building. My first phase was in the early to mid 1990's when I messed around trying to rebuild those KLH 22A's I had from my college days, build enclosures for full-range speakers, a center channel speaker for my "home theater", and a pair of two-way speakers for my daughter to use in her new apartment. None of those efforts were what I would call successful, some were moderate successes, but some were failures. As of now, none of them have survived to the point where they are still in active use. Those that haven't been tossed are moth-balled somewhere.

Then, for some reason, for my 55th birthday in July 2010, I decided I would try to redeem myself. In response to the question from my wife, "What do you want for your birthday?" I said I wanted to build a center channel speaker for our home theater (a place she calls our living room). For some reason, I didn't get the eye-roll! I saw this as a sign from above: God wants me to go from 4.1 phantom mode to 5.1. Why I hadn't done this earlier is a whole 'nother story. Lack of space for a center channel was the biggie. But I figured I would play it safe, build from an expensive PE kit to my own dimensions, and make it fit. It worked. Even the wife noticed without prompting that it was a huge improvement in the way the "TV sounded".

Spurred on from this success, I started to mull over the idea of resurrecting those KLH 22A's from their grave (aka the attic) and rebuilding the crossovers. That adventure is documented here: http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...d.php?t=220428.

That excursion left me with my first pair of awesome sounding speakers, and from there I went on to build my Bird House Overnight's (http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...d.php?t=221819) and now these $75 ntn's.

So why, you might ask, am I telling you all this? Closure. Those old KLH cabinets are now useless shells, as are their crossovers and the new crossovers I bought in my failed attempt to rebuild them. I was able to salvage the speaker terminals from those cabinets before sending them off to the landfill, as well as the I-core inductors from both crossovers, and use them to build a pair of ntn's. Chris's original goal was a pair of neo-nano's for $55, and I love the notion that I was able to build, from his designs, a pair of ntn's for $75.

Once again I must thank all the folks on this forum for your help. I would never have been able to do any of this without you guys. You rock.

[Soundslike]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

Nice work Herman; looks like those lovely NTNs ended up in a classroom...

My diagnosis: you're hooked on speaker building.

By the way, I can sure relate to the rolleyes thing. My wife asked what's in the boxes that Fedex just delivered. When I told her speaker parts, she just rolled her eyes -- I don't get it...

[Chris Roemer]

Re: $75 ntn Nostalgia

I now feel safe in saying I've entered a new phase in speaker building. My first phase was in the early to mid 1990's when I messed around trying to rebuild those KLH 22A's I had from my college days, build enclosures for full-range speakers, a center channel speaker for my "home theater", and a pair of two-way speakers for my daughter to use in her new apartment. None of those efforts were what I would call successful, some were moderate successes, but some were failures. As of now, none of them have survived to the point where they are still in active use. Those that haven't been tossed are moth-balled somewhere.

Then, for some reason, for my 55th birthday in July 2010, I decided I would try to redeem myself. In response to the question from my wife, "What do you want for your birthday?" I said I wanted to build a center channel speaker for our home theater (a place she calls our living room). For some reason, I didn't get the eye-roll! I saw this as a sign from above: God wants me to go from 4.1 phantom mode to 5.1. Why I hadn't done this earlier is a whole 'nother story. Lack of space for a center channel was the biggie. But I figured I would play it safe, build from an expensive PE kit to my own dimensions, and make it fit. It worked. Even the wife noticed without prompting that it was a huge improvement in the way the "TV sounded".

Spurred on from this success, I started to mull over the idea of resurrecting those KLH 22A's from their grave (aka the attic) and rebuilding the crossovers. That adventure is documented here: http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...d.php?t=220428.

That excursion left me with my first pair of awesome sounding speakers, and from there I went on to build my Bird House Overnight's (http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...d.php?t=221819) and now these $75 ntn's.

So why, you might ask, am I telling you all this? Closure. Those old KLH cabinets are now useless shells, as are their crossovers and the new crossovers I bought in my failed attempt to rebuild them. I was able to salvage the speaker terminals from those cabinets before sending them off to the landfill, as well as the I-core inductors from both crossovers, and use them to build a pair of ntn's. Chris's original goal was a pair of neo-nano's for $55, and I love the notion that I was able to build, from his designs, a pair of ntn's for $75.

Once again I must thank all the folks on this forum for your help. I would never have been able to do any of this without you guys. You rock.

Hey Herman,

all feathers aside, I'd be interested in your listening impressions between your last 3 speaker builds.

Chris

[fastbike1]

Re: $75 ntn Nostalgia

I don't know Herman. From the looks of that classroom, I'd say you rock!

Once again I must thank all the folks on this forum for your help. I would never have been able to do any of this without you guys. You rock.

[nick650]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

X-over is done but now need to find a box builder to help me build my box as I don't have the tools :(

Anyone know of one that is in California near or around SF?

[Herman Trivilino]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

X-over is done but now need to find a box builder to help me build my box as I don't have the tools :(

Anyone know of one that is in California near or around SF?

Any carpenter with a cabinet shop could do it. Any carpenter who doesn't have a shop or is not inclined to do it would likely know of one who would.

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Mr. Bill thinks about jumping (for joy) . . .

Any carpenter with a cabinet shop could do it. Any carpenter who doesn't have a shop or is not inclined to do it would likely know of one who would.

after hearing the Nano Neos.

That's a nice story, Herman. Bet you'll have some students wanting help to "replicate" your ntns.

Chris

[nick650]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

I bought the Precision Port 2" Flared Port Tube Kit and need help figuring out how much of it do I keep or cut.

"The vent should be 2"id x 7" total length, positioned 9" up from the bottom, on the rear of the cabinet. This tunes the box to 42 Hz."

The flared pieces have straight pieces as well about 1.5" from the flair piece.

Box is .56 cube and is the NTN version I'm doing this for.

[Herman Trivilino]

Re: on Sale - $55/pr (drivers & XO)

I bought the Precision Port 2" Flared Port Tube Kit and need help figuring out how much of it do I keep or cut.

Is this the part you bought?

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=268-348

I played with the manufacturer's on-line calculator (see first PE customer review) and it appears that a 7-inch straight port is equivalent to their flared port tube cut to an overall length of 8 inches.

I don't think it's critical, though.