12" Cab Diary Continued

[stevie]

Thanks Converse - that makes eight so far. I think we've got ourselves a convoy! 😀

Would you mind just sending me a quick pm for the record? I'm going to have to start a spreadsheet to keep track of who wants what.

[stewblack]

Hey @stevie what are the drawbacks of the cheaper crossover? 

[stevie]

Good question. The more expensive crossover contains Ansar Supersound polypropylene capacitors and the less expensive one contains Philips mylar capacitors. The coils and resistors are identical. I checked the prices of the Ansars at Wilmslow Audio and the ones I'm fitting would cost you £24 to buy.

Both are film capacitors. They will handle the power no problem and will also have a long service life. However, some people think that polypropylene capacitors sound better and pay huge sums for audiophile versions that cost an arm and a leg. The Ansars have a very good reputation and you'll find them in speakers like ATC's studio monitors.

Either will do the job. If you're working to a budget, I'd say go for the mylars. It's unlikely you'll notice the difference. On the other hand, if you want the best and are not bothered about spending an extra tenner or two, get the Ansars. I'm using the Ansars on mine.

One buyer has already told me they want the Ansars. If more people go for the Ansars, I can probably reduce the price, as it's more time consuming for me to work with two slightly different board layouts.

That's probably not helped at all, has it Stu?😀

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, stevie said:

That's probably not helped at all, has it Stu?😀

Right up until the bit where you said it was more work for you. Up until then I was sold on the less expensive option.

[stevie]

Sorry 'bout that. It doesn't make much sense to me either, and I wrote it. Just ignore that bit and concentrate on the more sensible stuff earlier. There's no right or wrong choice.

[stewblack]

Yes but I don't want to make more work for you 

[LukeFRC]

3 hours ago, stevie said:

Sorry 'bout that. It doesn't make much sense to me either, and I wrote it. Just ignore that bit and concentrate on the more sensible stuff earlier. There's no right or wrong choice.

I have no idea what the difference between the cheaper an pricier bits would mean in practice - it’s your design and I wouldn’t mind paying a bit more if you felt the upgrade was worth it - esp if bulk buying and one design made it easier for you. 

[stevie]

That's very thoughful of you chaps, but don't worry about me. Just order what you think is best for you.

[Chienmortbb]

On 14/04/2019 at 15:44, owen said:

Power module = Hypex with DSP? With enough grunt to run that 2nd 12"?

My initial though was for an 700AS1 from ICEpower. Capable of 350 into 8R, 700 into 4R and 1000 into 2.7R. This assumes use of the crossover that Stevie has designed. Later on you can hang another ICEpower module on and have a fully active system using either DSP or an analogue Linwitz-Riley crossover.

However I have contacted Hypex and will look at their offerings as part of the exercise.

[Chienmortbb]

On 14/04/2019 at 15:44, owen said:

Power module = Hypex with DSP? With enough grunt to run that 2nd 12"?

One of the main reasons for this thread was to get a great cabinet. Cost was not an issue and the selection of drivers was to give the best performance.

Hypex make excellent modules and DSP  is a great tool for modifying the response of audio systems however the hypex mo

[Chienmortbb]

I have had a response fro Hypex and they will only supply if I am a Limited Company. So it looks like ICEpower for now. I have ordered some for the pre-amp but I think maybe we should start a new thread. What do others think?

[LukeFRC]

25 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

What do others think?

I want to know if we’re up to ten yet!  

if not and you’re sitting on the fence- do it! 

[Owen]

2 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

the pre-amp

?

[Owen]

If there is a preamp idea floating around could I suggest the Fdeck circuit as the first stage of it? I have yet to plug anything into one which does not sound nicer because of it.

Edited April 19, 2019 by owen
because he cannot spell

[stevie]

I'm not convinced that DSP can add much to what we have already. We're starting off with very good quality drivers – the Faital in particular has a very smooth response. Our crossover already equalises the frequency response of the drivers in the cabinet and integrates them in a phase-coherent fashion. An active crossover isn't going to offer any improvement IMO and would need a second power amp.

I think a new thread on the amp would be ideal.

Luke, we're now up to eight cabs. As soon as we reach ten, I'm closing the book because ten is about the maximum number I can conveniently handle at one time. I've only got a certain amount of space and there's going to be quite a bit of packing up and organising to do.

I want to make sure that when the kits arrive with their builders, everything is as it should be. I'm going back to the CNC company to get the back panel routed and the input panel drilled on the two pre-production models I have here. Then I'll do a proper assembly (with glue), paint the box and fit all the components. As the cabinet is slightly larger than my prototype model, I'll also need to adjust the tuning (rather than just calculating it).

I need to do this to iron out any problems that we haven't foreseen. So please bear with me on this. For example, the two pre-production samples relied on the technical information provided by the component suppliers. The Faital driver and the horn were a perfect fit - but the holes for the top handle and the port were too small, even though they were cut exactly as per the suppliers' technical drawings.

 

[funkle]

What’s the new dimensions of the build? @stevie

[stevie]

Because of ongoing developments (!), the drawings keep changing, but here is the latest one, which shows the final size. The dimensions shown for the port and handle are 1mm and 2mm out respectively. I'll attach a complete set of drawings and info to post #1 once everything has been checked and finalised. Thanks to RichardH and Ghostbass for their excellent drawing work.

The cab's not huge - smaller than the Fearless 112 - but neither is it tiny. It's easy to pick up and carry thanks to the light weight, top handle and modest front-to-back depth.

4_2019.pdf

[funkle]

Nice. That’s not different to what I had the dimensions noted as previously. It’s tallish but depth wise really good for carrying. Works fine for me. 

[olipaulo]

And it's really light! I think it'll be a winner! 

[tauzero]

5 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

I want to know if we’re up to ten yet!  

if not and you’re sitting on the fence- do it! 

Fence sitting over. Have PMed Stevie.

[LukeFRC]

35 minutes ago, tauzero said:

Fence sitting over. Have PMed Stevie.

We must be close to the magic number now!

[stevie]

Nine's pretty close. 😀

[LukeFRC]

2 minutes ago, stevie said:

Nine's pretty close. 😀

Stevie - what are we calling this cab? The “Stevie cab”?

[Chienmortbb]

Bruce. 

[Chienmortbb]

2 hours ago, funkle said:

Nice. That’s not different to what I had the dimensions noted as previously. It’s tallish but depth wise really good for carrying. Works fine for me. 

I fitted the round handle on mine a few months ago and it is great,  really easy to carry. Of course Stevie has the lighter Faital Pro driver in his but even with the heavier Beyma in mine is quite light and easy to carry.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Chienmortbb