luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Long story short, I'm thinking about completely overhauling my speaker rig. I'm going to do something I haven't really done before: work back from the transducers. I've decided on a pair of Lowther DX4 drivers. More data. Everything else is up for debate. Opinions? Enablers, start enabling!
skullguise Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Stereo Review had once bascially said speakers are the most important, and everything else sounds the same if it measures well. So I think you're ready to go! Seriously, I think the DX4 is a nice driver, without going nuts in price. I had them in a simple bass reflex tower bought from Lowther America, and drove them VERY nicely with some Wright 2A3 mono's, as well as a Pathos Twin Towers integrated (this was all before we had our child; exposed tubes and sharp and hot class A equipment went away after we did). Slight brashness in the vocal region, but not quite that "honk" that is sometimes claimed.....
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 Seriously, I think the DX4 is a nice driver, without going nuts in price. I think it's quite nuts. However, no crossover needed and only a single driver? yeah, that helps a bit...... Did you use the "doorknob" phase plug, and any additional modifications to the drivers?
Dusty Chalk Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Are you going to DIY the whole thing yourself?
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 Are you going to DIY the whole thing yourself? I'm not sure at this point. I've come to the end of a journey that says that DIY isn't the end-all-be-all in this hobby. There is a lot going for many (well, not many ... relatively few) commercial designs out there. Also, it's fun to own one-off-designs and first-run items by first-rate designers, something like this would be too cool to pass up (eyes Al's Unnecessary Complex 300B and half of Kevin Gilmore's house) I will say that I'll leave the enclosure design to the pros on this one, having done it "all" myself on more than a few occasions... I reserve the right to employ a misplaced Alaskan as well.
recstar24 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) Lowther dx4 is a very nice driver, though my dx45 driver being a 5" has a nicer treble response (wink wink). And yes I can attest to the first watt series especially the F1 being the perfect mate to lowthers, and with your DIY chops could make one very reasonably. Edited March 8, 2011 by recstar24
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) I've had my fill of the 5" size, I think bigger is better here, after playing with the Jordan and Fostex drivers. As for the treble, that depends on the enclosure, i.e. Front- or back-loaded designs, etc. I think I can work around that The DX4 looks like a compromise between the double digit DX and say a PM2A, which is why I chose it. Edited March 8, 2011 by luvdunhill
recstar24 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) http://lowther-america.com/page22/page22.html Jon is great. Use him as a refence and for info, incredibly nice and giving of all things Lowther. I am of the opinion as others are that he knows more about Lowther drivers than even Lowther uk themselves. Edit: oh you might want to consider the dx65. Jon thinks very highly of it and believes it is the first 5" to match what the 8" drivers offer but with the better high frequency response and dispersion characteristics that the bigger drivers can't offer... Edited March 8, 2011 by recstar24
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 http://lowther-america.com/page22/page22.html Jon is great. Use him as a refence and for info, incredibly nice and giving of all things Lowther. I am of the opinion as others are that he knows more about Lowther drivers than even Lowther uk themselves. Agreed! I have a slot open to talk with him on Thursday. Oh and yeah, that one has my name on it already
recstar24 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 Agreed! I have a slot open to talk with him on Thursday. Oh and yeah, that one has my name on it already
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) Edit: oh you might want to consider the dx65. Jon thinks very highly of it and believes it is the first 5" to match what the 8" drivers offer but with the better high frequency response and dispersion characteristics that the bigger drivers can't offer... Agreed. I'd like to do a front loaded, or more likely a front AND rear loaded design, which has implications on the TS parameters of the driver I'd need. I'd like to keep the kids hands away from the driver and address dispersion and WAF. I think you might have an idea of the designs I'm considering, but want to talk with the expert before I spill the beans Edited March 8, 2011 by luvdunhill
Dusty Chalk Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 I will say that I'll leave the enclosure design to the pros on this one, having done it "all" myself on more than a few occasions... I reserve the right to employ a misplaced Alaskan as well.So you're saying you're going to follow an extant design? I think that's a nice compromise. I mean, I agree with you about enclosure design. Do I really think I can do better than decades more experience by people who are just plain better than it than me? Not by a long shot. But I still want to go through it just because I want to go through it.
swt61 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 I've had my fill of the 5" size, I think bigger is better here... If it weren't for this attitude I'd never get a date. But seriously, did you think about my idea to use 10' Sonotubes, and make "Home Edition" Bazookas?
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 If it weren't for this attitude I'd never get a date. But seriously, did you think about my idea to use 10' Sonotubes, and make "Home Edition" Bazookas? I do have a spare room above the listening room, and now that you mention it it might provide the proper frequency to cancel out snoring
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 So you're saying you're going to follow an extant design? I think that's a nice compromise. I mean, I agree with you about enclosure design. Do I really think I can do better than decades more experience by people who are just plain better than it than me? Not by a long shot. But I still want to go through it just because I want to go through it. The whole horn / transmission line concept is just beyond me learning, without a lot of trial and error. As far as regular box speakers, don't be so hard on yourself, I think one can do better than a lot of people in terms of design.
crappyjones123 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 how about one of those bi mouthed behemoths on planet10s site or the ones i think scott moose came up with. cant remember what the name of the site was but they were all in the same family. similar design with slight tweaks. a while back i went to this guys house who had the dx9s in giant plexiglass open baffles. sounded quite nice. a bit bloomy but sweet jesus midrange.
Dusty Chalk Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 The whole horn / transmission line concept is just beyond me learning, without a lot of trial and error. As far as regular box speakers, don't be so hard on yourself, I think one can do better than a lot of people in terms of design.Actually, the design I have in my head is fairly bizarre, I haven't decided if it's going to be transmission line or sealed, but either way, they're going to be very unorthodoxedly shaped enclosures. No, Steve, "penis" is not the shape I will be going for; and no, "breast" is not the shape I will be going for, neither, that one has been done. It's "bowtie".
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 (edited) how about one of those bi mouthed behemoths Already have one of those mBVR is the general term. Edited March 8, 2011 by luvdunhill
crappyjones123 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Posted March 8, 2011 considered a bib? i doubt its more refined than the above but sure looks like an easy enough build to scrap if it doesnt sound terribly good.
luvdunhill Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Posted March 8, 2011 Yeah, that would be possible, but IMHO the above sound better than any Cains I've heard in the best case and is a lateral move in the worst case. Also, I am of the opinion that Lowthers work better in a front loaded, or mixed loading scenario, for the reason that recstar24 pointed out.
swt61 Posted March 9, 2011 Report Posted March 9, 2011 Actually, the idea he has in mind sounds really promising to me. The thing is, you can't be absolutely certain how it'll work in a particular room until you try it, but my guess is it'll work great. Sorry for the clandestine posts, but I'm sure he'll let the cat out of the bag soon.
luvdunhill Posted March 9, 2011 Author Report Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) Yeah, I just wanted to see what ideas people might have. I'm considering the Lowther TP1 Isis and the Lowther Opus One The former isn't a true corner loaded design, as the corner isn't part of the transmission line. However, it's made to sit in the corner, just like the old school TP1. The later is a true corner loaded design.. Edited March 9, 2011 by luvdunhill
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