I have been putting off writing this part of my site for a while now.
I was kinda concerned with the feedback (Flack) I would get from it's contents.
Then I got to thinking that it is my site and no one has to read it if they don't want to.
Anyway, there are as many trains of thoughts on audio as there are audio enthusiasts, so here goes...
Enclosures:
I think that there is not enough emphasis put on the design and implementation of speaker systems.
After all, they are the part that you hear and usually are the most prominent visually.
I like to make my speakers visually appealing if at all possible.
I have been known to come up with a design mathematically fairly quickly and then make four
or five sets of speakers based on that design until I like the way they look and sound.
I once made a subwoofer for a friends car that was upholstered nicer than his car was!.
(And believe me, his car was sweet!)
When making bass reflex (or ported) enclosures, I don't always damp the rear wall.
I like to hang a "curtain" of carpet pad or fiberglass ceiling tile about midway between
the driver and the rear of the speaker. This does not really alter the volume of the box measurably
but it does a wonderful job of breaking up standing waves and reflections back towards the speaker cone.
If you don't believe me, Just try double stick taping a piece hanging from the inside top of one
of your enclosures and let it hang just below the driver. The difference can be astounding.
After hearing it, I am sure you will want to make this mod permanent.
And as for the placement of ports, it can make a vast difference in the way the system sounds.
One case to prove my point is this, I made a set of Hawaii's based on the standard design.
My wife listened to them and liked them. A few days later, I made a different set with the port in the rear.
When my wife walked into the room and heard them, she said those sound way better than the other ones.
The speaker placement was the same and I even put on a CD we had listened to with the first set and she said the same thing.
Now, I have moved the first set around and got better placement for them and they sound pretty much like the second set.
But, as you can see by this example, it requires a lot of "listen and tweak" to get it down right
As for sealed enclosures, I really don't like them for Full Range drivers. Although I have made great ones for subs.
I am sure I am stepping on toes here but, in my experience, They just don't do the driver justice
like a bass reflex, pipe, horn or baffle does.
(If you have a design you like, for God sakes use it! Don't just take my word for it!)
I am willing to try again and usually do with appropriate drivers while testing them just in case.
When designing a TQWP, T-Line, or any variation of a pipe I generally try to come up with the approximate size
of the cabinet and then make the line fit in. This is not to say that I always do this, sometimes you can't.
But this process can help take some of the imposing looks away from them.
For example, I made a set of t-lines that hung on the wall for a friend (Gotta take pictures of them) that he said
could only be about 24" tall 18" wide and 6" thick. So I crunched some numbers and came up with a folding scheme
and a driver that would fit and they sounded darn good despite being hung up like a picture.
As a matter of fact, Dave Dlugos sent me some plans for a TL for my Jordan Watts drivers that will be pretty much the same
size. I am letting an artist friend of mine turn them into works of art and I will frame them and hang them in the bedroom.
Thanks, Dave!
Cables:
I think that in some cases the same is true for cables: we don't put enough emphasis on them.
In other instances, power cables for instance, I think people go way overboard.
I was parusing an audio supplier's site (who will remain nameless) and they had a power cable that was 3 meters long for
get this: $600.00!!! I cannot, after hearing several different power cables on some pretty high end equipment,
tell enough of a difference to merit spending the time, effort or money to try and vastly improve on standard AC
or, as some audiophiles call them, Mains Cables.
Again, if you have spent this kind of money, it is OK I am sure you are hearing something I missed.
What did make a huge difference as far as power was concerned was trying different power filters.
I used to use a surge protector with RFI filtering. Now I use a UPS. YES! Just like the one for my computer!
I bought an extra one at a yard sale for $5 and plugged it in and it made an immediate difference on every
piece of equipment I tried it on. If you can afford one or you find a cheapie like I did, snatch it up.
Not only does it make your system perform better, it will protect it better than any surge device ever could.
And, think about this, some of the most expensive pieces of audio equipment in the world have seperate, battery operated
power supplies. Just make sure you do not exceed the manufacturers wattage rating.
Now for my thoughts on interconnects and speaker cables Click Here.
I feel this is an area where we can always get some improvement, but, there is always the law of diminishing returns folks.
So, no I would never spend over a hundred bucks making or buying a set of speaker cables.
If you have postive feedback or would like to give your experiences with any mod or design on this site...
Click here.
If you have negative feedback or you just don't agree with me...
Click here.
