They do infact. I watched some very interesting thing on YouTube and the sound, compared to the driver size, is quite huge.... and some of 'em can do both at the same time!
Right -- but the question is how similar or different to the FE206E it sounds. I find the FE166E and FE206E kind of tough to listen to (with many typical recordings... not all) - although my experience with both is in non-folded TQWT enclosures.
Oh, @Kartingboy -- did you see this very interesting thread on this very interesting 'fullrange' Fane driver?
If not, I'd encourage you to take a look. I don't know how easy, or hard, these drivers are to find (they're apparently no longer in production), but this should be an easy route to a simple, sensitive, but pretty extended range loudspeaker. Yes, it will beam -- but that may be of zero consequence depending on your room geometry and your listening preferences.
Fane 15-300TC 15" full range speaker based project
Let me share another project that I am venturing into :) A few months ago I managed to buy a pair of Fane 15" full range speakers - unfortunately production of these drivers was stopped earlier this year due to low demand; as far as I know I bought the last pair in Europe (if anybody knows...
(two images lifted from the above-referenced thread)
Alternatively, if @Kartingboy is comfortableIf you wish to go the DIY route, I would STRONGLY advise you to purchase a ready-made kit, and preferably one that has measurements to give you an idea of the characteristics. Because you have indicated to us that your finances have limits, I would not advise slapping driver "X" in box "Y" and expecting it to sound acceptable. Learning things the hard way can be intersting, but it can also be expensive.
Don't ask me how I know that.
Jim
But I am not.
It was about the fact that his expectations did not live up to what he then heard in terms of groups playing the blues at small events.
This may be of interest:
What Tubes Want
Tubes like a resistive load - it's really that simple. A resistive load translates to a flat impedance, and an inductive rather than a capacitive phase angle. A less technical way of looking at an ideal speaker from a tube's point of view is as follows: tubes like consistency. They prefer a speaker that doesn't swing from 8 ohms to 2 ohms and back again. If the impedance is going to dip it should do so gradually, or in small dips. Tubes like a steady load - capacitance is the opposite. When a speaker behaves in a capacitative manner, it presents an uneven load to the amp, asking for current in sudden spurts. Tubes don't like to pump out current at the drop of a hat. They prefer a consistent and predictable load.
......
What we see here is a speaker whose published nominal impedance (8 ohms) bears little relation at all to its actual impedance. For large spreads of the audible bandwidth this speaker measures under 4 ohms. Likewise at around 55 Hz. there is a very steep capacitive phase angle which intersects with a low impedance. Taken together these two factors place very substantial demands on the amplifier. This speaker has a published sensitivity of 91 db/watt. Is it clear now how misleading sensitivity can be when selecting a tube-friendly speaker? Of all of the speakers we have measured thus far, the one with the highest sensitivity has been the worst choice for tubes.
Edit:
I'm not a "tube guy" so if what I quoted is not entirely correct the you tube people can comment on it. I've actually heard it said before, that even impedance and tubes are a good combo.
A fun challenge to match tube amp with speakers. That is if you want a colored sound. If you are not interested in coloring, I see no reason to use tube amplifiers.
Buying used speakers, some different ones to test, sounds like a good idea to me!
You are absolutely right about that, the looks. Damn how beautiful these tube amps can look. Especially when it's cold and dark outside and they light up with their cozy glow.A reason could be that one likes the look of it or prefers the sound (combination of amp and speaker).
Not everyone has the same goal (signal fidelity).
Those are sufficient reasons for me that some like to use tube gear.
Technically they are not as good and rareky are poor sounding (despite relatively huge amounts of distortion and deviating frequency response) but they have something 'magical' and 'nostalgic' to them.
There are some real good 'lookers' in this thread.
It's a bit like the wife buying a necklace. They don't really need one but have a preference and they all like wearing something 'different' now and then and preferably different from the ones other women wear they come in contact with.
Same is true for watches (regardless of gender) and clothes.
Personal enjoyment is key over technical proficiency for the vast majority of people. Just not for everyone. Some of them like to gather here and piss on everything they do not prrefer.
audiosciencereview.com
Speaking of used speakers. Search for the used speaker you are interested in to see if any measurements have been made.
CertainlySpeaking of used speakers. Search for the used speaker you are interested in to see if any measurements have been made.
If you're lucky, something of interest may turn up. I took one at random as an example. Here you see how the stated sensitivity of the manufacturer matches the measurement. FR is as usual of interest but also in your case what John Atkinson says about impedance:
"The speaker's impedance is specified as being "8 ohm compatible," with a minimum value of 4.2 ohms. My measurement is shown in fig.1—an 8 ohm rating would be fair, particularly given the generally moderate phase angle, but the minimum magnitude was 3.87 ohms between 190 and 200Hz."
View attachment 256407
www.gearpatrol.com
, they can still be enjoyable with certain genres and at reasonable SPL levels (depends on person to person preference and room size ).Kartingboy,
A few words on the options you are looking at...
A wide-band (also known as "full-range") driver will have it's limitation in SPL output (how loud it can go), and frequency response (how much of the frequency range it can cover), and is likely to have some unevenness in the response too. But all is not lost
The Fostex model you have mentioned is an example of a wide-band driver. I have some experience with an older driver, the FE206EN, and did not like it that much. I found that Mark Audio drivers can be installed in simpler and smaller cabinets, and cover more of the frequency range on both high and low frequencies. The sensitivity is lower vs Fostex, but still can go do loud levels with tube or low wattage amps.
There is also a new SB Acoustics wide-band driver that is supposed to perform well with a simple BSC circuit. There is a 5" Tang-Band unit with paper cone which folks have found good too.
A word of caution, in my experience tube-amps paired with single wide-band driver speakers can handle less complex and lighter musical genres at reasonable levels quite well; there might be some coloration to the sound, but many find them enjoyable. With heavier genres (like rock, metal) my experience was not so good.
Hence I had an earlier post asking you about your preferred genres/types of music.
