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Really high quality DIY satellite speaker

post #1 of 12
2/4/13 at 2:43pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

I'm wondering if there are any recommendations on a very high quality DIY satellite speaker build that can sound better than the Paradigm MilleniaOne?

The MilleniaOnes sound pretty much exactly like the Studio 20 (except the bass, obviously).

The main goal is to have the best possible sound from a speaker (preferably, but not required) not much larger than the MilleniaOne (or 8'' x 5'' x 6'' HWD). Bass is not a concern because it will be paired with a sub.

Is this doable, say, under $500 for a pair? What would a budget increase to $1000 bring me?

Thanks
Edited by LowerFE - 2/5/13 at 12:06pm
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post #2 of 12
2/4/13 at 2:51pm
The tough part about this one is the 5" width. Finding a DIY design that is restrained to that width AND be very high quality is going to be very difficult. Most DIY'er who spend $500 build big speakers. Or at least a 12" x 8".

This is pretty small, but still doesn't fit your requirements and may not be better than what you have: http://www.zaphaudio.com/ZBM4.html
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post #3 of 12
2/4/13 at 2:59pm
Paul carmody's Speedster comes pretty close to your size goal. You could go sealed to reduce the depth.

https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/speedster

http://meniscusaudio.com/speedster-pair-p-1219.html
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post #4 of 12
2/5/13 at 12:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tuxedocivic View Post

The tough part about this one is the 5" width. Finding a DIY design that is restrained to that width AND be very high quality is going to be very difficult. Most DIY'er who spend $500 build big speakers. Or at least a 12" x 8".

This is pretty small, but still doesn't fit your requirements and may not be better than what you have: http://www.zaphaudio.com/ZBM4.html

Yeah at just $40 per speaker I don't think that'll even come close to sounding as good as the MilleniaOnes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay1 View Post

Paul carmody's Speedster comes pretty close to your size goal. You could go sealed to reduce the depth.

https://sites.google.com/site/undefinition/speedster

http://meniscusaudio.com/speedster-pair-p-1219.html

Interesting. I may be totally wrong, but that Tangband driver looks like a serious bass driver and not really a super SQ midrange driver. Are there any 4'' driver that really excels in midrange?
Edited by LowerFE - 2/5/13 at 12:12pm
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post #5 of 12
2/5/13 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LowerFE View Post

Yeah at just $40 per speaker I don't think that'll even come close to sounding as good as the MilleniaOnes.
Interesting. I may be totally wrong, but that Tangband driver looks like a serious bass driver and not really a super SQ midrange driver. Are there any 4'' driver that really excels in midrange?

It has an underhung motor, and a massive magnet, nothing about that means it's a poor midrange performer?


Measures cleanly to 5khz, well past where it's being crossed over
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post #6 of 12
2/5/13 at 3:13pm
It's being crossed over at 4khz isn't it? That would take a pretty serious filter to stop it by 5khz. Paul did that with the overnight sensations as well. Crossed really high near the break up. Hey, some people like the sound of break up I guess rolleyes.gif
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post #7 of 12
2/5/13 at 3:20pm
I wouldn't really call that a breakup, it's a coated paper cone. It's a 5db peak followed by a 10 db dip. Seems more like a resonance from the cone/surround profile. I dont see how it's an issue when crossed below that point. You can see in the filtered driver response on Paul's page that everything of concern is smoothed out.
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post #8 of 12
2/5/13 at 3:40pm
Even paper cones break up. I'm not saying it's a deal breaker as the HD plots from zaph where you got that FR plot look sorta ok up there. I'm just saying he sure crossed over close to the break up which would hamper midrange quality imo. I shouldn't get into it, cause I'm not sure how Paul does his work. But I can't see how he dealt with that in the cross over. If he did smoothing on his measurements he may have washed out that fine detail around the break up. Hey, who knows. First I've looked at that design let alone heard it. I happen to agree with you that those would probably beat the paradigms.
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post #9 of 12
2/6/13 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay1 View Post

It has an underhung motor, and a massive magnet, nothing about that means it's a poor midrange performer?


Measures cleanly to 5khz, well past where it's being crossed over

Oh no I was just under the assumption that there are tradeoffs in driver design. So if a driver is focusing heavily on bass performance (like it seems with this Tangband driver), some other design criterias must have been sacrificed to achieve that goal.

I was thinking of a driver, instead of focusing on bass, focus on midrange instead because I'm looking for the best midrange possible from a 4'' driver. I got a subwoofer to take care of the bass.

But then again, the Tangband may just be a really good driver that excels in midrange as well. However, I am looking for the best 4'' driver for midrange, so I'm thinking maybe there might be a dedicated midrange driver designed for use in a 3 way speaker that can do midrange even better?
Quote:
Originally Posted by tuxedocivic View Post

Hey, who knows. First I've looked at that design let alone heard it. I happen to agree with you that those would probably beat the paradigms.

I'm not sure I understood you correctly. You think the Zaph would sound better than the MilleniaOne? That'd be fantastic (and shocking) if I only have to spend $100 on a DIY speaker to have better sound. I was ready to spend $500-1000 on this.

I was looking at the Visaton TI 100 as the midrange driver, but I'm having trouble finding the width of the entire driver. How's that driver?
Edited by LowerFE - 2/6/13 at 2:32pm
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post #10 of 12
2/6/13 at 6:22pm
I'm not sure if you realize what you're actually looking for. A 4" driver with no bass capability, a dedicated midrange, is only going to be able to play down to 200-300hz at most, likely worse then that if moderate output is expected.
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post #11 of 12
2/7/13 at 7:08am
Yes it can be done. PM me if you're interested.
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post #12 of 12
2/7/13 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LowerFE View Post


I'm not sure I understood you correctly. You think the Zaph would sound better than the MilleniaOne? That'd be fantastic (and shocking) if I only have to spend $100 on a DIY speaker to have better sound. I was ready to spend $500-1000 on this.

No, I was commenting on the speedster saying I agree with Jay1 that it is probably quite good. Just the cone break up is a little bit of an issue is all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay1 View Post

I'm not sure if you realize what you're actually looking for. A 4" driver with no bass capability, a dedicated midrange, is only going to be able to play down to 200-300hz at most, likely worse then that if moderate output is expected.

+1
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Craig View Post

Yes it can be done. PM me if you're interested.

If someone has a high end compact design, it's Rick Craig. You'd better send him a pm.
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