Re: 60 Degree DIY Mid Hi
Max, your box looks great.. nice first build ! This has been my second DIY attempt; first was labhorns back in 2003. They still work really well...I'm sold on DIY and how much you learn. Don't think I've saved a dime, but sure l have learned a lot.
FWIW, I've noticed as I get better at tuning, using smaart and other tools, the DIY60 gets clearer and clearer throughout the spectrum. It seem very sensitive to subtle IIR eq, more so than I'm used to with self powered boxes. My acid test on tuning is my girlfriends dog, and how often it barks cause it think it hears something real sounding that it can't place! Dog's been barking a lot lately
If you do get into FIR, the minidsp route, using the free rephase software to generate filters, is dang cheap IMO, and the instructions on how to do it on the minidsp site are easy to follow.
The only real penalty so far has been fussing with interfacing consumer to pro.
Smaart can make the files rephase needs. I'm going through driver by driver tuning right now...need some warm weather to get outside and do the DIY mid section....
Also, if I may repeat Marjan's question... what kind of power were you and Evan putting on your box? And what kind of limiting?
Another FWIW, using a PLD 4.5 with two channels paralleled for mid (2250w), and a channnel each for the two coax drivers, I get 130-132 db with blinking ever few seconds on the amps -10db lights on mid, every 5-10 seconds -10db blinking on HF, and almost never on VHF.
So there's clearly more MID room left, which is the constraint. I'm using 60Vrms limiting on MID, and won't see limiting light up until I can get back outside....had to look up the color of limit lights in the manual to know what to look for haha
Good luck! Mark
Evan and I did have a ton of fun a few Saturdays ago when we did the mini-shootout. It was nice to hear the DIY with a sub as well as in comparison to other speakers. For the first cabinet I've ever built, it didn't turn out half bad, though certainly not perfect. As far as it not being as "compact" as Evan was hoping, that is certainly my fault - mine is a tad taller than the other boxes so I could have an easily removable horn baffle, and I didn't angle the back sides of the box like Peter did. I haven't weighed it yet, but I'd say I came in right around 80 lbs. Certainly manageable.
Evan is pretty spot on with the listening test results. The M4 kicks ass, the 960 is stupid loud, and the DIY was a little cleaner. I will say that the coaxial driver really makes a difference, especially active rather than passive. Evan and I didn't mess with it much at all, and it still sounded absolutely fantastic. When I have some extra time, I'll be able to clean up the DIY settings a bit more, since Evan and I left a lot to be done.
As far as Evan's subs go, I'll spill the beans: It's a big box with a big driver and a big port. Additionally, it also has a big amp!Really - Evan's done a great job with them. In all honesty, if my limiters weren't set so low (think at least 3dB, if not more), we might have been able to outrun his sub, as the 12s had plenty left in them. Even so (if I know Evan) by the time I catch up his subs will be even louder, so what's the point?
The definitive conclusion from that day was that the DIY is a great box that makes a lot of sound and sounds good doing it. I can't wait to revise my CNC design in the coming weeks and get the thing sounding as good as it gets without FIR processing. Might even take a pass at it with the TDA if I get excited - who knows?!
Max, your box looks great.. nice first build ! This has been my second DIY attempt; first was labhorns back in 2003. They still work really well...I'm sold on DIY and how much you learn. Don't think I've saved a dime, but sure l have learned a lot.
FWIW, I've noticed as I get better at tuning, using smaart and other tools, the DIY60 gets clearer and clearer throughout the spectrum. It seem very sensitive to subtle IIR eq, more so than I'm used to with self powered boxes. My acid test on tuning is my girlfriends dog, and how often it barks cause it think it hears something real sounding that it can't place! Dog's been barking a lot lately
If you do get into FIR, the minidsp route, using the free rephase software to generate filters, is dang cheap IMO, and the instructions on how to do it on the minidsp site are easy to follow.
The only real penalty so far has been fussing with interfacing consumer to pro.
Smaart can make the files rephase needs. I'm going through driver by driver tuning right now...need some warm weather to get outside and do the DIY mid section....
Also, if I may repeat Marjan's question... what kind of power were you and Evan putting on your box? And what kind of limiting?
Another FWIW, using a PLD 4.5 with two channels paralleled for mid (2250w), and a channnel each for the two coax drivers, I get 130-132 db with blinking ever few seconds on the amps -10db lights on mid, every 5-10 seconds -10db blinking on HF, and almost never on VHF.
So there's clearly more MID room left, which is the constraint. I'm using 60Vrms limiting on MID, and won't see limiting light up until I can get back outside....had to look up the color of limit lights in the manual to know what to look for haha
Good luck! Mark
.... IMO, it works well
