DIY Flat Panel Speaker Love

[Zene]

Unb ...more panels should have been built around the country so other people could get a chance to hear them properly. Initial ads showed them to be playtoys and stocking stuffers. Unfortunately for us DIY pretty much died out. I've tried to get others to do a little reading but not getting any results. I'm in new town so lost all my stereo friends. Streaming the top 40 has bitten them, too. I mentioned them to my good (stereo) friend of 40 years who usually likes new things and he very quickly said he was not even interested.
I won't be able to demo mine properly as I'm in apt complex.
I have an ext headphone amp for phone. It might drive 2 - 8 ohm exciters in series on a small panel for demo.

[Zene]

Almost forgot what I was going to ask ... Contemplating putting heavy mass (supported) attached to magnet to prevent movement instead of brace to frame. I alluded to this before, but too lazy to look.

[Unbiasedsound]

Most people including DIYers don't realize the true potential of exciters/dml technology as most have not heard some of the better DML panels out there like Bertagnis and Podiums etc. Most start off and build Rich M's beginner design and when they are not satisfied with that build most usually quit, believing that is the limit to DML technology which is far from the truth.....DML panel designs are almost endless that have enormous amounts of potential but it will all depend on ones design.

One of the unique features of my design is that there is three ways to tune the sound of the panels so one can tailor it to there own preference which takes less then 10 seconds to do....I already mentioned one of the techniques above.

Actually a heavy mass is not needed to support the exciter magnet since most exciter magnets are very tiny, a simple brace aka spline is all you need.

[Zene]

Good, Unb ... didn't want to try do mass anyway, but will isolate brace from frame as best as I can. Getting anxious to hear. Slow going as I always build for as much experimential ability as possible, such as easily changeable panels and exciters. I do not build prototype sample, disguard and try another.

[Barringer]

So what you're saying it's worth it investing a bit more money into it and going with Bertagnis and Podiums from the get-go?

[Zene]

Bar ... Isn't this thread about improving on much overpriced panels?
I'm sorry DIY is dead because of easily available and cheap mediocre speakers and in most cases streaming. I won't be able to compare mine with the Bert's or even other DML's. I do believe I can best most. As I said earlier I don't believe in a one speaker full range system even with a sub. Mine will fly in the face of 90% of these postings. It's to be quad speaker/amped. Cost around $100 for the panels and exciters.

[Unbiasedsound]

So what you're saying it's worth it investing a bit more money into it and going with Bertagnis and Podiums from the get-go?

What I am saying (since this is a DIY forum) is build your own panels utilizing there DESIGNS at a fraction of the cost.

[Zene]

Unb ... your help has been most valuable, but may have to disagree if I read you correctly. Copying other designs with improvements is not a DIY goal in my book. Extending way beyond them by taking different paths is. This thread seemed to go on forever with only slight improvements from all I read. Don't get me wrong as I would not have had a chance without you guys' pioneering.

[dwigle]

We've been down this road before on this forum. DIY is a continuum and you can jump in wherever you like. You can grow cotton and harvest trees to make your own paper woofer cones. On the other end you can use someone else's proven design and build a kit. Both are DIY but at a different scale. There is very little unique in this world, nearly everything comes from the sum of our experiences. Improving on other's designs isn't cheating the DIY system, it's progress. The hugely successful Pioneer HPM 100 wasn't unique, it was a copy in concept of another hugely popular speaker, the JBL L100.

[Unbiasedsound]

Unb ... your help has been most valuable, but may have to disagree if I read you correctly. Copying other designs with improvements is not a DIY goal in my book. Extending way beyond them by taking different paths is. This thread seemed to go on forever with only slight improvements from all I read. Don't get me wrong as I would not have had a chance without you guys' pioneering.

DIY means Do it yourself which means you can do what ever you want to reach your own goals or destination....If you feel the need to take a different path just to be unique then good luck with it but often times that path way is usually a dead end....The path that everyone should strive for is the path that yields the "BEST RESULTS".

[Cahudson42]

Has anyone done an A/B of their designed and built panels against a pair of, say, Magnepan .7s?

URLs? Post reference? DIY design details of those compared?

[Cahudson42]

We've been down this road before on this forum. DIY is a continuum and you can jump in wherever you like. You can grow cotton and harvest trees to make your own paper woofer cones. On the other end you can use someone else's proven design and build a kit. Both are DIY but at a different scale. There is very little unique in this world, nearly everything comes from the sum of our experiences. Improving on other's designs isn't cheating the DIY system, it's progress. The hugely successful Pioneer HPM 100 wasn't unique, it was a copy in concept of another hugely popular speaker, the JBL L100.

Great point! From Vilchur's original AR1 came 2, 3, KLH, Advent - to my current B652 AIRs😊

Hopefully to be replaced/augmented with panels when get back to my Woodworking shop in June...

[Unbiasedsound]

This thread seemed to go on forever with only slight improvements from all I read. Don't get me wrong as I would not have had a chance without you guys' pioneering.

From my own experience when comparing Bertagni speakers to Rich M. panels in a direct A/B comparison, Bertagni speakers are a significant improvement over (Rich M.) the standard beginners design.

I even took it a couple steps further and improved and bested, Bertagnis design....So coming from my own experience the improvements weren't just slight but vastly improved like night and day.

Also I am still learning as I learn something new about these DML panels every time I tinker with them to try and further improve on there sound quality....in fact right after I type this I am going to see if my idea that I had since last night will make the sound of my panels better.

[Unbiasedsound]

My order of the refurbished Tectonic exciters arrived yesterday. Tested them all out and they all work fine the only down fall was that 2 of the exciters had a lot of solder on the terminals.

With these exciters I am planning on building a similar design to Yamahas NS-20/30 Ear speakers which uses Expanded Polystyrene for the woofer with a conventional cone midrange and tweeter....My design will be a little different using 2-3inch full range drivers one facing forward and one on the back like in a bipolar configuration....The polystyrene woofer will be crossed with a 2nd order 800hz low pass, while the full range conventional cone drivers will be ran with a high pass at 800hz....I usually use 4inch frames but Yamahas frame seems to be double or even triple the size in which I suspect they did it for increased bass response since the polystyrene woofer is recessed closer to the back of the frame while the conventional cone drivers are on the front side or because the conventional mid woofer is close to the polystyrene woofer to prevent phase issues.....They also use some type of dampening material inside of the frame.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNGsFul8sXI

I also ordered a Dayton usb dac for my PC and oh my goodness the clarity and dynamics is much better now....playing some Chantel Chamberland on my revised Bastat panels with a powered sub it sounds so friggen amazing.

My project will start once I acquire the longer length of wood, probably going to go with 10 inch length or whatevers the cheapest available.

[Zene]

Unb ... now you're talking my language moving off the beaten path. Can't wait for results and pics. My 4 way is moving slowly (very). Oddly is almost opposite; cone bass, DML upper bass, DML mid and BMR tweeter.