DIY Flat Panel Speaker Love

[Unbiasedsound]

Nice work! Back 20 years ago I worked at an electronics retailer and we had a set of the Wharfedale Picture Speakers in a sound room. They came in a picture frame and were advertised such that people could indeed put a picture in them for true stealth tunes (they came with a hideaway woofer). IIRC they licensed the tech from NXT. I never bought a set as they were $$$ but did pick up (and still have) a set of NXT flat panel speakers that are about the size of a pair of smartphones. Neat tech indeed!

Those NXT flat panel speakers you own are they directly from NXT or licensed by NXT for the Teac brand?

[listencarefully]

Love them! Been geeking out on them for the past 2 days. Totally exceeded my expectations!

[Unbiasedsound]

You're welcome. Glad you like them.

[listencarefully]

This is a great idea! You mentioned that a TEAX25C10-8/SP 25mm High Power 8 Ohm Frog Exciter 10W is suitable as a sub exciter. That is a 10W exciter.

What watt sub amp would be needed? Would the Dayton SA25 25W work for that purpose?

[Dukk]

Nice work! Back 20 years ago I worked at an electronics retailer and we had a set of the Wharfedale Picture Speakers in a sound room. They came in a picture frame and were advertised such that people could indeed put a picture in them for true stealth tunes (they came with a hideaway woofer). IIRC they licensed the tech from NXT. I never bought a set as they were $$$ but did pick up (and still have) a set of NXT flat panel speakers that are about the size of a pair of smartphones. Neat tech indeed!

[listencarefully]

Ok. I couldn't wait and finished up the speakers today. :-)

I painted one side and then put them in the picture frames. I didn't get fancy... just used the metal tabs to hold the panels in the frames. They are nice an snug.

Then I tested different locations for the exciters. That was great advice because I could definitely hear the difference as I moved them away from center. You could actually hear the sound getting tighter. I settled on a location that I felt sounded good for each speaker then marked the location with a sharpie.



I hooked them up to my amp (unfortunately my LP-2020TI is having some issues). First played them stand alone then with my Sub. These are much different than my XPS panels. Much smoother and more mid-range.

Here is a picture of them hooked up to the sub on my bench.



How do they sound?? In a word "FANTASTIC!!" The sound I am getting out of these things is unbelievable!

Can't thank you enough Unbiasedsound for walking me through this!

[Unbiasedsound]

DML panels are similar to Open Baffle speakers where sound radiates from both the front and back almost equally. By hanging them on the wall it will restrict the sound coming from the back in which it could affect there performance as part of the magic from DML's comes from being able to produce sound from both sides.

Most exciters can play down to 100hz and starts dropping like a rock below 100hz so 150hz will be ok.

[Unbiasedsound]

The paint is actually used as the skin while the glue mixture is used for damping and to harden the panel.

Test each panel individually by moving the exciter around the center to find the highest frequencies then mark/circle the spot where the exciter sounds the best. If you can get someone to help you it would be even easier.

[listencarefully]

Those will work! I will order them when they are back in stock.

[listencarefully]

Its best to mount panels in a wood frame. Depth of frame can have different outcomes. A frame the same thickness as your panels will be more holographic while a frame with a deeper depth then your panels can have a more focused type of sound, its personal preference.

The 99 cent store also had an assortment of picture frames. I picked up on roughly the size of my panels. I may need to trim my foam panels a little but thought it would be worth trying them out.

There are many ways to mount the panel to frame and it will depend on ones design. For smaller panels I use Frost King foam all around the edges and snuggly fit it in the frame. Other methods is double sided tape or painters blue tape.

The picture frame has some metal tabs built in but I also picked up some foam tape at the 99 cents store. I also have some 3M double sided tape that I have used to hold the exciters to the back of my XPS panels.

Small panels should be placed on low stands so that the panels are below ear level and or you can build built in stands on the frame with just a wider piece of wood so that the frames don't tip over. You can also use a small 2inchX2inch piece of wood between the frame and wide wood to act as a decoupler. sp? lol

I was hoping to hang these on the wall. Do you think that would affect their performance significantly?

Since you are using a sub you don't have to run the exciter full range. If your receiver/amp does not have a high pass Xover you can just use a high pass (200uf) Nonpolarized electrolytic capacitor at around 100hz. Then you can dial in your powered sub at 100hz for low frequency.

I have a couple of 150hz High Pass filters that I purchased for my XPS panels. I also put in an order for some 100hz as you suggested. Do you feel there would be a noticeable difference using the 150's?



Thanks for all of your help! Will post with results when I get everything put together.

[listencarefully]

Here is where I am at so far....

I would get the higher density EPS. IMO Ideal thickness is around 1/4 inch (5-6mm). Size of panel is optional but like with smaller conventional cone speakers it seems that smaller panels image better. A small panel is one that is 10-12 inches in width and 14-16 inches in height if its a rectangle shape. If its a square shape then 10-12 inches even on all sides.

I purchased some 2lb EPS foam that was cut to 12" x 14" x 1/4". Here's what they look like.

Best all around exciter IMO is the T.E. TEAX19CO1-8. as it has the best balance of highs and lows.

I put in an order for these but may try them out with the DAEX25's I have on hand if I get impatient. :-)

Coat both sides of the panels with PVA glue mixture of 80% water and 20% glue.

I diluted PVA glue and painted it on the panels this morning. They still need to dry but can already see that it has made an impact on the panel surface.

Then you can spray paint ONE SIDE of your panels any color you want with a very light coat of gloss enamel spray paint. EPS is sensitive to corrosive chemicals so do not spray too much paint in one spot. Spray at least 2-3ft. away from panel. The side with the paint will be the front of the panel the side without the paint will be the back where the exciter will reside.

Do you like this over adding tint to the PVA solution?

Exciter placement should be close to the middle/center of the panel give or take a couple inches from the center, you need to play around to find where the best high frequencies will be close to the center. Once you find that perfect location you can either use the sticky tape that comes with the exciter to mount it to the panel but the sticky tape tends to fail after a while so if you want it permanent you can use the 5min. 2 part epoxy glue but make sure you remove the sticky tape from the exciter if using epoxy glue.

What would be a good way to test? Would mearly taping them to the back of the panel work until the best placement is found?

I picked up some epoxy at the 99 cents store. They had both the 5 min & 90 second.



See next post....

[Unbiasedsound]

Not a huge difference but there is a difference, and at $6.80 each or around $14.00 a pair they are cheaper and better then the Dayton DAEX25 but they dont have the spring loaded terminals.

I use these to attach to my frame and they are really cheap>https://www.parts-express.com/two-co...minal--260-300

[listencarefully]

Ok. So I picked up my 12” x 14” x 1/4” 2lb EPS foam panels today. Wow! What a difference from the 2’ x 2’ x 1’ project panels.

When I first saw them I thought they struck me as the size of a picture. So I went to the 99 cent store and picked up a couple of picture frames for $3 each.

While I was there I got some some of the epoxy you recommended and some foam mounting tape.

Will start coating and post pictures tomorrow!

[listencarefully]

This is SUPER helpful! I will put in the order for 12" x 14" x 1/4" 2lb EPS foam panels today.

I am hoping to use these outside. The DAEX25's are plastic coated and have a clip built in for the wire connections which makes it super easy to connect/disconnect the panels if necessary. Do you feel there is a huge difference in exciter performance? If so would you recommend a connection process for the TEAX19C01 's?

[Unbiasedsound]

OH I forgot to mention that smaller exciters 19mm and under that do not require much bass response do not need to use a spine.  Only the larger exciters with the heavier magnets and or when bass is needed do you need a spline to hold the magnet in place so that it does not sag and to have something to push off of for better bass response.