Seas DIY

[TheWarrior]

After further research, rationalization, and the likelyhood of a big move in the not to distant future, I have found the Seas Idunn speaker to appear a good match for my needs.

The big need being, a wall mounted cabinet. I can keep their internal volume, but may want to shallow up the cabinet an inch or two and turn the cabinet in to a trapezoid to maintain the volume.

Would that change make the port ineffective?

Thankfully they recommend beefing up the internal bracing, as I will need to in order to keep the cabinet sturdy, mounted to the wall.

Any suggestions from you experienced folk? Madisound offers a great deal on the package, so I'll likely buy from them. I'll shoot them an email as well incase they have any recommendations.

Thanks!

 

[GranteedEV]

...meh.

The crossover is the heart of the speaker, and i've seen some online criticisms of a lot of seas' crossovers. Plus, the U18 woofer doesn't seem all that great.

If you wanna stick to that tweeter, i'd rather build Mark K's ER18DXT design.

Else, I suggest this:

Mandolin Speaker Kit / Pr

instead.

Before all that, I don't really suggest messing with the baffle. Not normally a good idea.

 

[TheWarrior]

bah.....

Simply put, I just want to try my hand at speaker building. Whatever is built needs to be a noticeable improvement over my WM-30's. I see it is a great way to expand my knowledge of sound reproduction and light electrical engineering. Not to mention it would be less expensive than buying new bookshelf/wall mount speakers that can top the RBH's.

While I would not modify the front baffle, if you feel that the cabinet shape of a trapezoid would be a problem then no worries. It was for aesthetic reasons only.

I do have a hard time believing that the engineers of well regarded drivers are able to screw up the math on their own crossover. I'll shoot Madisound an email in the morning and see if they have any opinion.

Thanks for the other recommendations. I don't have my heart set on anything, and am totally flying, um, deaf in to this. Haven't heard any of these drivers, but logic says that $300 worth of drivers must sound better than my mass produced speakers in fancy aluminum enclosures. Keep it coming!

 

[GranteedEV]

While I would not modify the front baffle, if you feel that the cabinet shape of a trapezoid would be a problem then no worries. It was for aesthetic reasons only.

Actually, a trapezoid is a good baffle shape if you do it right. You don't want to change the average width, but a trapezoid isn't a bad idea. Overall though, any time you change something, you should just approach it carefully and understand the consequences.

I do have a hard time believing that the engineers of well regarded drivers are able to screw up the math on their own crossover. I'll shoot Madisound an email in the morning and see if they have any opinion.

That's not it. The seas crossovers are mathematically fine, but not every crossover is equal. There's hundreds of different design philosophies out there.

Keep it coming!

If you're cool with building a tower instead of a 2-way bookshelf, also take a read through this thread:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/diy-corner-tips-techniques/68531-new-diy-mtm-towers-designed-dennis-murphy-paul-kittinger.html

 

[TheWarrior]

Actually, a trapezoid is a good baffle shape if you do it right. You don't want to change the average width, but a trapezoid isn't a bad idea. Overall though, any time you change something, you should just approach it carefully and understand the consequences.

There are no consequences, only solutions! And my solution is to keep studying the Loudspeaker Cookbook, which is what gave me the idea for a trapezoid because of its lack of equal/parallel sides.

That's not it. The seas crossovers are mathematically fine, but not every crossover is equal. There's hundreds of different design philosophies out there.

Any comments on Madisound, with or without their upgraded caps and inductors?

Seas Idunn 2-Way Speaker Kit - Pair - Parts Only: Madisound Speaker Store

As for the tower design, I dig it, and several others. I will however, wait until I have a room worthy of a more full range design. This is my first go at speaker building. Again, my goal is simple. Noticeable upgrade on the cheap.

 

[GranteedEV]

Any comments on Madisound, with or without their upgraded caps and inductors?

Seas Idunn 2-Way Speaker Kit - Pair - Parts Only: Madisound Speaker Store

Like I said earlier, you can do better on a whole.

As far as upgraded caps and inductors are concerned, they won't make much of a difference. No harm in them, but don't expect them to change the sound meaningfully.

Any particular reason you're looking at that design?

 

[TheWarrior]

Bah...

Thanks for your help, seriously!

It now seems to be confirmed that we are going to move to ATL next year, and space in the car will be limited to clothing, other electronics, and guitars. So looks like speaker building is canceled for the time being.

My reason for wanting the Seas was simply for it to be a relatively inexpensive upgrade, but more, a fun project as I love to build and tinker.

The good news, I'm sitting on a pile of cash and we're moving to a housing market in shambles. So guess who gets to build some Orions for a new theater hehe, we'll see what happens.

Anyway, thank you for your input, its greatly appreciated!