Full range driver suggestion

[tony_M]

My friend asking me about a full range driver for his room 10x12.
He preferred small to medium floor standing
Any suggestions in terms of

1. Size (should he go to 8, 10 or 12)
2. Quality and sound
3. He want to compare between FOSTEX vs Jordan vs Audio NIRVANA (never heard about this one)

Tks all. I did suggest him to build Mini Statement but he said a lot of work on crossover

cheers

[tony_M]

any one???????????

[joeybutts]

A lot of work on crossover?? I can solder up a crossover in 20 min..... There is more time spent in building the cabinet for anything than building the crossover.....

Is there a budget to this project?

[5th element]

Maybe he thought he'd be designing the crossover himself and that indeed would be a lot of work. However if the crossover is already designed by someone else, as Joey said, they are easy to construct.

[ruseriousclark]

In no way do I intend for this to sound critical, but the manner in which you qualified your question, lends one to think your friend hasn't fully considered the contradictions within his requirements.

If he's concerned with the difficulty in assembling a completed design, namely the crossover, I'd wager he's far too green at DIY to fulfill the requirements of a well built enclosure specifically designed for a certain fullrange driver. These designs often require a complicated loading enclosure not nearly as simple as a sealed enclosure, or BR, (Although there are some, but none in the performance range of the Statements) in order to get the most out of the driver.

A full range single driver system will never perform to that of the Statements. To even sniff the performance of the Statements it will take a very technical and carefully constructed enclosure, which is FAR more difficult and tedious than following a completed crossover design.

Single driver systems will also not play nearly as loudly as multiple driver arrangements when played full range without distortion and breakups.

I've built several full range loudspeakers absent of notch filters or crossovers using only a full range driver. Having used several drivers smaller than those you've referenced, you can accomplish a very pleasant sounding loudspeaker, but the considerations in placement, cabinet construction, etc., are challenges that you will encounter.

Here's my suggestion. If you want a proven design, with excellent performance, etc. Learn to wire up a crossover and how to solder, then build the Statements.

If you just want to try entry level DIY, get two decent full range drivers and build the cabinets according to driver parameters in a simple sealed or BR design. You'll likely find the sound is adequate, but not breath taking. Again, to get the most from these driver types takes a very complicated, TL, back loaded horn and other designs.

[Bear]

While there are some full-range drivers that can work and a community of people who love them (e.g., Nelson Pass), a full-range driver does not necessarily work without a filter (i.e., a "crossover"). If anything, getting equal performance out of a full-range driver may require more work in a filter to tame the peaks and valleys across the full audio spectrum than a good two-way design.

[numberoneoppa]

The gentlemen above have summarized the main points. Building a pair of enclosures takes upwards of 30 hours of work (could be far more, though). Crossovers, however, don't take more than a couple of hours even for the larger more complicated ones (assuming you know how to solder).

[AdelaaR]

Yeah ... what ruseriousclark said

[captainobvious]

You and your friend may want to look into Wayne and Curt C's design with the Dayton PS220 here: http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...t=ps220+design

The "Singularities"

Very simple, and low part count.

They should be able to fill that size room with sound and would probably be even better paired with a small subwoofer. :T

[Curt C]

The "Singularities"

Very simple, and low part count.

They should be able to fill that size room with sound and would probably be even better paired with a small subwoofer. :T

Yes they will, and The PS220 doesn't require much power to do so. As in any FR, for the best fidelity listening on axis is suggested.

C

[wushuliu]

Along w/ Curt's Singularities, there are also the new gen Mark Audio full range drivers, like the Alpair 7, 10, or 12 (4", 5", 6"). You can use either the plans on Mark's site or any of the plans on Planet10. The Pensil series listed there are simple to build and the Mark Audio drivers are - in a word - amazing. None of the peakiness of typical FR drivers, no crazy peaks to tame. No filter or XO needed in most cases unless you need extra bsc. I built the double bass reflex with Alpair 12 and it was just as good if not better to my ears than the Modula MTM (provided you're not going for max SPLs).

[I loved my Modulas btw, no slight to Jon!]

[tony_M]

Yes they will, and The PS220 doesn't require much power to do so. As in any FR, for the best fidelity listening on axis is suggested.

C

Curt, funny thing .... after he listened to my DIY Statement Speaker, he fell in love with it..... tks So much Jim and Curt ;x(

[Curt C]

Curt, funny thing .... after he listened to my DIY Statement Speaker, he fell in love with it..... tks So much Jim and Curt ;x(

I'm thinking a pair of Statements might be just a tiny bit of overkill in his room...

C