BillFitzmaurice.info

Ok, so this is my first build thread so bear with me folks! It might run a little slow b/c I work on these when I can and sometime time is limited (70+hr work weeks here).

Im build these for medium volume live music settings. I have other systems that I use regularly so I went low end with the 8" mids here just to see how much bang I could get for my buck. Ill have roughly 225-250 total investment when Im done, so if they arent up to par, ill swap them out for the recommended eminence drivers. These will be 72" tall, basically following plans.

Im using the recommended 1016 tweets which well be melded with the crossover/filter build as described in the plans. For mids ill be using the peerless 8" specials at parts express (http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... er=299-068). Ill be running these at roughly 250 watts...maybe 350 tops per channel. While im not sure what the recommended volts on these would be (sorry newbie, still learning), in figuring these should run roughly 425-450rms per channel, so I should be able to get what I need from them without over-stressing them. Lets hope, Im sure a $5 speaker wont take too much stress!!

Anyway, here some pics (we all like those), feel free to feedback guys, I look fwd to all of your expertise advice!

more pics..sorry about the random order, and all the typos. Man I gotta start proofreading!

Hey I saw those buyout drivers at PE too. I'll be anxious to see how they perform for you. The price is certainly attractive though. So your woodwork looks great too. Is it hardwood, or are you using plywood?

I'm just starting to cut wood for a TLAH Pro too for a sanctuary install. But I'm a slow woodworker. I'll try to post progress too as I follow you along the build.

Cheers.

Chris

Let us know how they sound.

This might have been a little closer matched to the recommended drivers for a dollar more each:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... er=299-290

Sounds good Chris, post away! Might as well get some good out of this thread. I will try and keep steady progress, I think this wknd I will trace out and prepare to cut out the baffles, theres a lot of holes that need cutting!

gzc_stageTech wrote:Hey I saw those buyout drivers at PE too. I'll be anxious to see how they perform for you. The price is certainly attractive though. So your woodwork looks great too. Is it hardwood, or are you using plywood?

I'm just starting to cut wood for a TLAH Pro too for a sanctuary install. But I'm a slow woodworker. I'll try to post progress too as I follow you along the build.

Cheers.

Chris

Thanks for the input Jon, I was trying to match as close to the emeinece as possible, wasnt sure if the ts paramaters listed orginally in the build manual applied to all versions or just the SLAs. For the price, I might just pick up the $6 ones and try them, save the others for something else!

Jon Barnhardt wrote:Let us know how they sound.

This might have been a little closer matched to the recommended drivers for a dollar more each:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdet ... er=299-290

I would leave it to Bill for the final say, but at face value I think the $6 are a better match and also have a higher xmax, but Bill knows best.

The main concern is that neither likely will go nearly as high as needed. Cheap drivers are cheap because they have loose tolerances, and that usually means poor high frequency response. I won't buy any driver that doesn't have an SPL chart to see what it will do above 300Hz, as that's as high as T/S specs are predictive.

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:The main concern is that neither likely will go nearly as high as needed. Cheap drivers are cheap because they have loose tolerances, and that usually means poor high frequency response. I won't buy any driver that doesn't have an SPL chart to see what it will do above 300Hz, as that's as high as T/S specs are predictive.

I agree, typically I wont buy speakers that dont offer SPL charts and offer a name that I recognize. Like you said, my concern is the transducers ability to perform at the more extreme frequency ranges. This project is more of an experiment than anything. I just wanna knock the rust of of my wood working chops and do a dry run on my "woodworking" area. The real work starts after these. Doing sum titans and omni's or DR's....not sure which!

Ok, moving right along here. I got the holes traced out along with a general idea of where the tweet array is gonna go. Im cutting the holes out with a jig saw, which I am not happy about (too sloppy). I need to get some 1/4 or 1/8" stuff so that I can make circle jigs for my router. I have one hole that is a little big, so Im attempting to layer some PL inside the hole so I can get a better fit. Were talking 1/8" too big in a couple spots, nothing too major. Otherwise I think everything's going as planned, it should as this is a fairly simple build which is perfect for my first BFM project. Should have all the holes cutout tomorrow. From there I think Ill make a jig for my piezo melding, paint the baffles and build my crossovers. Ill post plenty of up close detailed pics so that I can verify they are being done right! Plus if they are right other folks may be able to use them as a guide

chenry78 wrote:Ok, moving right along here. I got the holes traced out along with a general idea of where the tweet array is gonna go. Im cutting the holes out with a jig saw, which I am not happy about (too sloppy). I need to get some 1/4 or 1/8" stuff so that I can make circle jigs for my router. I have one hole that is a little big, so Im attempting to layer some PL inside the hole so I can get a better fit. Were talking 1/8" too big in a couple spots, nothing too major. Otherwise I think everything's going as planned, it should as this is a fairly simple build which is perfect for my first BFM project. Should have all the holes cutout tomorrow. From there I think Ill make a jig for my piezo melding, paint the baffles and build my crossovers. Ill post plenty of up close detailed pics so that I can verify they are being done right! Plus if they are right other folks may be able to use them as a guide

Need a router and a circle jig for clean driver circles.

I agree router would be great. On a limited budget one could also make a similar model circle cutting jig for the jig saw.

AntonZ wrote:On a limited budget one could also make a similar model circle cutting jig for the jig saw.

+1
Been there, done that. Works just fine.

Yup, my poor router was just chilling in the corner , In the past I have made jigs to cut circles but I use 1/8 or sometime 1/4 to make the circle jigs and I didnt have any at the time. Oh well no one will see my holes after the speakers are in!

gdougherty wrote:

chenry78 wrote:Ok, moving right along here. I got the holes traced out along with a general idea of where the tweet array is gonna go. Im cutting the holes out with a jig saw, which I am not happy about (too sloppy). I need to get some 1/4 or 1/8" stuff so that I can make circle jigs for my router. I have one hole that is a little big, so Im attempting to layer some PL inside the hole so I can get a better fit. Were talking 1/8" too big in a couple spots, nothing too major. Otherwise I think everything's going as planned, it should as this is a fairly simple build which is perfect for my first BFM project. Should have all the holes cutout tomorrow. From there I think Ill make a jig for my piezo melding, paint the baffles and build my crossovers. Ill post plenty of up close detailed pics so that I can verify they are being done right! Plus if they are right other folks may be able to use them as a guide

Need a router and a circle jig for clean driver circles.

Front or rear mount?

Im thinking about front mounting the 8" mid/subs and sealing the baffle to rest of the box...rather than rear mounting..thoughts?