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I've searched around here a bit but haven't found much discussion on small surrounds. I've seen the Microbe mentioned here, but not much else. I also found this at PE, but haven't seen anything about them aside from what's on the PE site. That's about the size and cost ($50 ea. for parts) I'm looking for. Does anybody have any comments about either of these or have any other designs they would recommend?
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I have built a pair of the Microbes for my parents' 2-channel living room setup (w/ no sub). They sound really good and I would easily recomend them. I am currently building a pair for surround sound duties in my house to go with my Cryolties. Since I will be running them crossed over through my receiver I am building mine sealed and a tad smaller than the enclosure posted on Roman's site.
There is really not much available price wise between one of the good 3" single driver designs and the Microbes. -
I agree that the Microbes are very good. I'm using a pair as surrounds as well.
However, if you want something quite a bit smaller, Inquire of "Wolf" over at the PE forum. He has some very small MT and MTM's that are about the size of a cd case and a half and 2 cd cases tall respectively. I heard them at the Indiana DIY and they sounded very good. I preferred the MTM's since they have a bit more bass extension.
You can see them here:
Images not availableDan N.Comment
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How much are the good 3" single driver designs (generally)? What did the Microbes end up costing just for drivers and crossovers? I didn't see a BOM with prices for that design, so I was just guessing on price.Originally posted by robfiveComment
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Roughly, a good 3" single driver design will between $20 and $35 each depending on which driver you go with and how much filtering you wish to employ. I believe the Microbes will set you back around $68-$75 each for drivers and crossovers. I couldn't come up with a design in between these two price ranges that I though would be better last Fall when I was looking. Other designs may have surfaced since then e.g. Wolf's design. Check out www.zaphaudio.com for some good 3" driver designs.Originally posted by bjmmyComment
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I have built the RS28 version of the microbes, They are being used as mains for my bedroom.
Very nice speakers indeed :T . You can find this version here:
At the bottom of the page there are 2 pdf files.Comment
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Wow, those Zaph Audio 3" single driver is dirt cheap! How would those compare to the Microbes in terms of sound quality as surrounds? I like the size and the price, but if the Microbes are that much better, I'd go that route. I will be building 3 of the new WTMWs when the design is completed for LCR, and built an Adire Tempest sealed sub a few years ago.Comment
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You're building the new w-m/t-w and want to use a single B3N full range speaker for surround? Don't get me wrong, the little full range drivers sound pretty good, but mixing them with your planned LCR set up doesn't make sense to me. Sure, they will work for movie surround effects, but if I were putting that kind of money into my fronts, I would want a more capable surround for more convincing effects.
Is your room lay out suitable for in wall (or even partially in wall) speakers? Something like THIS (IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE) in a small sealed cabinet wouldn't be too expensive, maybe $150 for the pair plus wood.Comment
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Consider Zaph's Aura 3" project over the B3N... If size is the driving factor.diVine Sound - my DIY speaker designs at diVine AudioComment
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My biggest problem is the room size. When I went to a front projector (fortunately with a short throw), I moved my setup to a small room to get away from windows. Consequently, I just don't have room for large surround speakers unless the person sitting on the couch wants to use one as a headrest! The wall the speakers are on is an exterior wall and I'm not sure how long we'll stay in the house, so in wall speakers are out. The Dreydel design looks interesting.Comment
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Those look cool - I assume the unique enclosure design is not necessary (didn't have time to read the whole thing). That looks like a lot of work!Originally posted by cjdComment
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I used the 3" Auras for surround sound duty and they worked well. However, a good two-way design will be significantly better than a single 3". That is why I am building the Microbes to replace the Auras.Originally posted by bjmmy
If you want to save money now and get something better when you are in a more permant status then the 3" drivers will be fine. Or if you want something of more quality that you want to keep around for awhile I would go with the Microbe.
Just my 2 cents.Comment
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Well, it definitely sounds like the Microbe is going to work best for me if I can make the size work (and I think I can). Ideally, if size were no concern, I would go with Modula MTs, but that's far from possible in my room. I hope the Microbes will be a good compromise. I might start building them if the new WTMW design isn't completed soon. Thanks for all the help!!!Comment
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