Last speaker ill ever build

[stayfrosty]

Hello everyone Ive been getting the upgradeitis itch again and I'm looking to possibly diy another pair.. hopefully the last pair of speakers ill ever build. I'm going to cap my budget at 2500$ for drivers and crossover parts/plans and I'm looking to see what you guys think represent the absolute best I can build.

My skills..
I can build pretty much any cabinet design
I can follow a schematic and soldier
-cannot design any electronics/crossovers myself

So I would like a project thats well documented and uses high end drivers. Towers are prefered 3 way or 2.5 if they can go low enough on the bass.

If I left anything out let me know pick 'em good so I can stop sinking money into this... even though I LOVE! to build these things so satisfying :T

[Amphiprion]

Can an Orion be done on that kind of budget? I was thinking they were more like 4k but am not up to date.

[stayfrosty]

I looked at them and was interested in the OB design (ive only done regular speakers open to anything tho) but you need too many amplifier channels I think its 4 amps per speaker so 8 channels total I just have 2 channels but I do like what that project looks like

[wkhanna]

Have you checked this out?

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3430

[BobEllis]

:rofl: Last build? :rofl: :rofl:

Orions probably come close to being a final speaker. They don't need a lot of power. The drivers are on sale at Madisound for $1802. Add an Emotiva UPA-7 on sale for $600 (which can handle both of the XLS drivers on one channel so you'll have a spare or you can use your existing two channels in addition to 6 of the Emotiva's.) Add Plans and crossover boards for $290 and you only busted your budget by $300 or so depending on how you build your crossover. You could also use a UPA-5 for the bottom three drivers and your existing amp for the tweeters and save a $160. Yeah, it seems wasteful to not use a channel, but it is the most cost effective way to get as many as you need in the Emotiva line.

You can get back under budget if you build a pair of 4 channel LM3886 based amps for $300-350. You can do it if you build a simple wooden case (like you would for an external crossover) for each and shop surplus for expensive parts like power transformers, heat sinks and filter capacitors. I just built 4 channels to power an active center channel for <$70. I built the amps dead bug style without boards, but there are lots of kits available fairly cheaply. You can save even more buying just the boards and then sourcing the few parts yourself.

You could also build the Statements or Khanspires and buy a decent 2 channel amp for about what you budgeted. Zaphs ZRT 2.5 way also deserves consideration, again well under budget.

[stayfrosty]

My current amp is an Emotiva RSP-2 *hug* and Im using zaphs waveguides I was thinking the ZRT 2.5 might be a good one as I'm pleased with my waveguides.. can the dayton speakers, statements or khanspires really hang out with something like the scanspeaks in the zrt?

yea last build funny right? I say that now.....

[Silver1omo]

mmm, perhaps:

https://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29944

[BobEllis]

I haven't heard any of the three, but have used the Fountek tweeter and the Dayton drivers in various projects. The Dayton drivers are quite good. Comparing a RS150/27TDFC to a Zaph design using Seas Excel drivers (W15CY001 and T25CF001) is close, slight edge to the Seas. Probably as much because Zaph is a better designer than me as any real performance difference.

Take a look at Zaphs driver tests. Quite often the Daytons performance is on par with more expensive drivers.

In the larger systems like the Statements and Khans the drivers are pushed less because you have RS225s handling bass duties. Crossing to a sub at any reasonable frequency means the RS225s are loafing even when playing quite loud.

A pair of RS225s have almost as much Sd as three 18W8531Gs and more xmax. At the same SPL and extension the RS225s won't be pushed as hard and could have lower distortion.

Overall, I suspect the differences will be slight. Probably would come down to the difference between Chateauneuf-du-Pape and a nice Barolo. Both excellent choices, just what do I feel like having today?

[mtmpenn]

If OB is an option, maybe consider the NaO note:

http://www.musicanddesign.com/naomain.html

I have no idea how it sounds, but JohnK strikes me as a real smart guy and the graphs look pretty impressive.

The challenge (IMO) would be making the speaker look good. I think the prototype on the website is pretty ugly, but I'm sure it can be spiffed up quite a bit.

Mike

[Bastek]

For $2K you can get some serious speakers from the "used" market. I'm curious how close are these to the Orions?

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1296316323&/Salk-Archos-Open-Baffle

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1297460759&/Salk-Archos-94-db-sens.-open-b

[Jonasz]

I also vote for the NaO Note. :P

Seems like a very clever design using good performing drivers playing in their best regions. Semi-active, only a total of four channels of amplification needed for a stereo system. You have the choice of monopole, cardioid or dipole bass.

It's IMHO so interesting that I actually have the drivers and plans laying right here in front of me... :B

Now if only the baffles were done...

[Jed]

With a $2500 budget that opens up options like the Accuton C173-6-090 mid (in a 3 way setup), which is quite something special in my opinion. It's used in some $40k plus speakers.

[Jim Holtz]

+1 what Jed said.... Accutons are the finest sounding drivers I've heard.

Jed didn't mention it but he has a number of Accuton designs that I'd recommend you check out.

My $.02 worth... :T

Jim

[Deward Hastings]

A lot depends on the kind of music you listen to, and how loud, but if I were doing it over on a budget I'd do ORION again, but . . . (watch me get burned for heresy) . . . I'd certainly consider substituting a less expensive tweeter for the Millennium (RS28 maybe). You'd be "on your own" without support, though . . . and there is no substitute for the W22 midrange.

Amplifiers are cheap, there are plenty of good "used" ones for under a dollar a Watt. Limited bandwith and single driver loads opens up options you might otherwise ignore . . . you don't need (or want) anything over 60 Watts per channel, for example.

[CraigJ]

I also vote for the NaO Note. :P

Or a NaO Note clone



StayFrosty, have you heard good OB design?

Craig

[Jim85IROC]

I've listened to a few of JohnK's NaO designs (though not the Note) and I am highly impressed by them. They are easily some of the best sounding speakers that I've heard. I suspect that the Orion would share quite a lot of similarities in the sound, but those I haven't heard. I have heard the Phoenix in the same room as JohnK's NaOs, and other than not having the bass dialed in correctly, I found those to be impressive as well.

[ruseriousclark]

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Soup_Ceramique.html

Probably pushing that 2500.00 but if you're going out...go out with some style.

[tktran]

There is no last speaker

I can guarantee you that there is no last speaker.

This hobby is just too addictive, and you can go around and around.

After you build your ultimate speaker, you'll wonder whether you can do one just as good, except smaller.

Or just as good, but more sensitive.

Or just as good, for cheaper.

Or you'll wonder what happens if you upgrade one part of it, or another part of it, or more parts of it. Or what happens if you change the design slightly.

eg. Orion, the "Build your last loudspeaker yourself" mutated into Orion+, then Orion++, Orion 3.2, now Orion 4...

Reaching that final speaker is a illusion.

regards,
Thanh.
owner of more loudspeakers than rooms to put them in.

[Undefinition]

I can guarantee you that there is no last speaker.

This hobby is just too addictive, and you can go around and around.

eg. Orion, the "Build your last loudspeaker yourself" mutated into Orion+, then Orion++, Orion 3.2, now Orion 4...

Yeah, I could swear SL touted the Orion as "the last speaker you'll ever own." So why's he keep revising it? :W I'm only joshing him; I know he's just as addicted as the rest of us.