Microbes I built

[evilskillit]

I built these speakers earlier last year and was quite happy with them but after hearing several other speakers, including the Dayton BR-1S kit I just built I have gained a new appreciation for them. They are not my design, they are modified version of Roman Bednarek's Microbe using the Vifa XT25SC90 tweeter and the Dayton RS125S. If anyone is actually interested the information on how to build this particular version comes from, belive it or not, a somethingawful.com forum thread that is easy to find by googling "vifa microbe".

A pair of these things can be built for about $200, give or take a few dollars. In my opinion they sound awesome. For their small size the amount of full range sound you get out of them is quite surprising. I just finished throwing together a Dayton BR-1S kit for the heck of it and despite the fact that a finished Microbe would fit inside of the BR-1S cabinet the Microbe destroys it in midrange and bass. As for the highs the are very clear and articulate without being harsh or in your face. I have a feeling no matter how soon I replace them or what I replace them with, they will serve me well for years.

I know everybody likes pictures so I'll post some, first of I want to say that this was my first woodworking project and first painting project ever and I am not proud of how they look but they are ok. If I ever stop moving forward and get bored I'll probably redo the cabinets and at least get the driver cutouts more precise if not make them better all around.

Lastly, man the flash really makes the oversized cut outs show badly. And the binding posts sticking straight out of the back was a choice of mine because I hate terminal cups. I can never get my fingers into them to really crank the nuts down on my speaker wire spades. I thought I might like the binding posts right on the back of the speaker and I do, I love it. I'll build all my designs with them mounted this way.

Also excuse the bad quality of the cheap digital camera pix.

[rob17]

They look pretty nice. I would be interested to see how they sound. Not bad for your first woodworking project.

May I recommended for next time you build a set that when you paint them to paint the inside of the driver cut outs so then when you make them slightly over sized that they don't show as noticably. Also I have always given the front baffle a light sanding with p80 or p120 to get rid of the lines that the circle jig leaves.

[Idefixes]

Is that de the final crossover version you use?



Marc

[evilskillit]

Yes that would be the one. I see you found the forum thread.

As for how they sound, I have compared them to the Sony SSK30ED and feel that they sound better in every way and have about as much mid/bass output. I also compared them to my friends Triangle Comete Ex speakers.

http://www.stereophile.com/standloudspeakers/408tri/

And found them to be comparable with almost as much clarity and sparkle in the top end and just a hair less output in the lower frequencies. I was very happy about this because before I found out about DIY I was set on buying a pair of those Cometes for approx $800. So having the microbes come out sounding almost as good for $600 less made me a very happy person.

As for the lines on the front baffles not getting sanded out... Yeah I tried, with 60/80/120 sandpaper, but I did not have a power sander at the time so I got tired. I got the lines down enough that I didn't think they would be visible. Guess I learned my lesson eh? But yeah the whole thing has been a learning experience and I think if I redo the cabinets I could do a much better job. But it would take longer than it took me the first time and considering I had NO speakers at the time I was building these things I was in a bit of a hurry to hear my work. ops:

[Idefixes]

Thanks for comments. I was looking for SE version as i wanted for a second system the smallest quality speakers a could build for reasonable price. I found the vifa version with the small form factor of the XT25SC really neat.
Since the microbe low sensitivity didn't youhave trouble to drive them?

Marc

[evilskillit]

My stereo system uses a Parasound HCA-1000 power amp which will push something like 125watts into 8ohms and 200watts into 4ohms and it would probably drive the Microbes loud enough to blow them, or my ears, one or the other.

However I also hooked the Microbes up to my Klipsch computer speaker suboowfer, which I belive outputs between 25 or 50 watts into 4ohms and it drove them well enough, they sounded good and I could listen comfortably from across the room. It did not sound as good as my stereo but that is to be expected. As for trying to use something like the sonic t-amp, it would probably be good for low volume listening such as in a study, or in a bedroom while going to bed but probably not really enough power for rocking out.

[JonP]

Lastly, man the flash really makes the oversized cut outs show badly....

Great job anyway on your first project! Interesting combo with that tweeter. There was Roman's higher end version with the 3/4" Seas metal dome, and another guy did a version with a RS28... this would be another option for a higher quality tweeter, but a bit cheaper than the $50 PE tweeter.

About the cutouts, you need to do the "Sharpie" trick... take out the drivers, and go around the edges with a black Sharpie, or paint, etc. With the side and bottom edge blacked out, a cutout gap is much less visible.

That will give you an appearance tweak, until you get around to your "v 2.0" cabs. :T

[JonP]

Lastly, man the flash really makes the oversized cut outs show badly....

Great job anyway on your first project! Interesting combo with that tweeter. There was Roman's higher end version with the 3/4" Seas metal dome, and another guy did a version with a RS28... this would be another option for a higher quality tweeter, but a bit cheaper than the $50 PE tweeter.

About the cutouts, you need to do the "Sharpie" trick... take out the drivers, and go around the edges with a black Sharpie, or paint, etc. With the side and bottom edge blacked out, a cutout gap is much less visible.

That will give you an easy appearance tweak, until you get around to your "v 2.0" cabs. :T

[evilskillit]

Thanks for the compliment and the advice. I've considered it but it doesn't bother me that much and I'm slightly afraid the t-nuts might fall out or spin if I take out the drivers, as this was my first project I don't think I got the t-nuts in as well as I could have. Next time I'm going to get them in better to begin with and give them a dab of gorilla glue or something to hold them in place so they're less likely to spin or come out.

The whole project was wrought with that sort of thing. Like you can see on the back the ports are held in with some silver screws and some black ones. I paid something like $0.40 each or maybe it was more at the local hardware store for those black screws and then on the ports they ended up being a hair too short and I was too frustrated to get longer ones, plus they cost more, so I just used some longer normal silver ones I had laying around.