64 inches and 900 watts of SPEAKER

[Big_Valven]

Hi all,
Some of you may have noticed progress has been slow on the VY and VZ Ipod control systems. This is what I've been doing with my time:

http://members.dodo.com.au/~callummartin/webimages/spk2.jpg

http://members.dodo.com.au/~callummartin/webimages/spk3.jpg

http://members.dodo.com.au/~callummartin/webimages/spk4.jpg

http://members.dodo.com.au/~callummartin/webimages/spk5.jpg

http://members.dodo.com.au/~callummartin/webimages/spk6.jpg

http://members.dodo.com.au/~callummartin/webimages/spk7.jpg

Brief specs:
225w RMS continuous output power per speaker
0.007% total harmonic distortion at 225w RMS

50mm ribbon tweeter
4" cone mid
10" poly cone woofer

Freq. Response ~ 26Hz - 40KHz

Approx 70l ported box, 19mm pine veneered MDF, lacquered.

They're a metre tall and about 40kg per box. And believe me, you've never heard anything as loud as 4 of these in your house. I can vibrate double brick with these suckers. And those tweeters are sublime.

We've been unable to make them distort or clip yet, and they're very deceptive because they just keep getting louder and louder without getting harsh. The bass is incredible for a subwooferless system. So overall, very proud of these babies. Pity I don't get any of them though :bawl:

Feel free to comment :)

[TAKEITEZ]

each speaker is amplified and you only have to supply an RCA style input to them???

thats not a bad idea... build another for a front/centre speaker and you'd be set...
with a properly sized and ported box, plus the 10" woofer in each speaker, surely you couldn't need a dedicated subwoofer?...

unless the sound track of a movie or something is recorded to provide the bass to the subwoofer itself???

[Big_Valven]

No, definitely no need for a subwoofer.
They've actually gone to two different people, a pair each, but we had them all together for one night to rock the house down :)

Today we watched Troy on the Sony Bravia 40" 1080p LCD in the corner of one of the photos, and just used the stereo mixdown outputs from the DVD player. Needless to say it was mind blowing... we realised the windows in the house rattle much too easily, even though the yamaha 5.1 floorstanding system they also have there can't do it :) Each speaker also has a gain control for when they're not used with volume-controlled sources.

Most 5.1 receivers can be configured to run all the subwoofer bass to the main speakers.

And BTW, these speakers are completely from scratch jobbies, cabinets, wiring, crossovers, everything. Even the amps were built up from a box of parts. Lots of time and effort, but certainly worth it.

[pagey]

and the cost...?

[Big_Valven]

Around $1300 a pair including my labour. If you think about the fact they include a shmick amp as well (as opposed to being normal passive ones) it's worked out pretty cheap.

[TAKEITEZ]

its not such a savage price really!!!...
would make awesome front side speakers for someones home theater set-up...
they'd be killer either side of somebodies computer desk!!!! lol.... :)

[Big_Valven]

Ultimately 1 pair is going to sit either side of whatever Dell LCD is biggest right now, paired up to a new quad core with an Audigy HD sound card, and another pair is going to a budding musician's studio / pool room :) Both ways I am looking forward to parties at either house :smilesandbanana:

[goodalu]

Ahhh yes,

As the recipient of a pair of these i cannot tell you how happy i am and how well they turned out. Big_ V and myself have done a few projects together and we always go by the motto "No expense spared" and as a result we end up with a pair of speakers that cannot distort and are unique. Not to mention the build quality is absolutely stunning. (Just like the ipod project he is doing) And yes in the next month when my 5k computer is built from scratch much like these were i will become a hermit and never leave my room, unless its to go to work.

Great Work Big_V

[DCJ81]

just out of interest what would be the cost for a non-powered version of those speakers? I'm looking at getting a yamaha amp and was after some good speakers, and have always wondered how hard it would be to build a set.

Also how did you go about working out the design of the speaker boxs?

[Big_Valven]

The design was based on an earlier one published in the now defunct Electronics Australia but it was changed to fit the amp in the bottom and to work with a different mid and tweeter.

Not sure of the actual cost to build without an amp... they're a limited run. It's a little too time consuming if I'm honest, especially while the Ipod project is on. I'd suggest you googled Vaf Research, they make some excellent kit speakers but you don't have to make the cabinets from scratch.

[beaver_roadkill]

Holy crap, now I feel lazy. I haven't set up my 5.1 setup because I can't be bothered ordering roof mount brackets, and you guys make up speakers from scratch? :bow:

[macca33]

Absolute bargain price these - pity they're 'one-offs'. Another fine example of your work BV. Good stuff.

Cheers,

Macca

[Big_Valven]

Thanks fellas.
A couple of months on these speakers are all going very well and if anything low frequency response has improved as the drivers have loosened up. If I'm not at home or tafe, I'm around at one of their houses listening to them. We just can't crank them often enough :)

Next speaker on the list is a 12" subwoofer and amplifier to go with my own existing home theatre system.

And yes, a lot of effort, but I don't function well unless I'm at WOT, and these along with work, tafe and the Phase2 system means I was more than busy :)