Solar Paul
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2021
- Messages
- 4
- Likes
- 5
I am thinking of building some speakers. These would be my first but I did train as a cabinet maker some years ago and this would be an enjoyable project in my retirement. I have had some good gear in the past but I had to let some of this go when we downsized our home. I would like to upgrade our "minimalist" approach. Here is some background and few questions seeking assistance from the forum.
We lived in the US in the late 90's and I put together a system of Vandersteen 2CE signature series speakers powered by Quicksilver M60 monoblock valve amps and a Vandersteen 2WQ sub for extra base to get full range. When we got back to Australia, I used this as the basis for a home theatre / music system adding a Theta Casablanca II surround processer, a third Quicksilver M60 for the centre channel and Vandersteen speakers for the centre (VCC-1) and surrounds (VSM-1). This system was a good compromise for home theatre (with musical but not viscerally pounding bass) and music (not as good as with the original Quicksilver valve 2 channel preamp but acceptable) and I loved it. But it was physically big and difficult to fit into combined living AV spaces as we moved around and although tolerated by my wife I think it fair to say that this was only to accommodate her audiophile husband. The AV space in our current home is quite small and I downsized the system to fit – selling the 2WQ sub and replacing the 2CEs with Vandersteen VLR Wood bookshelf speakers and the 3 M60 valve amps (and another small amp for the rears) with a Rotel RMB1095.
Our “new” system fits our living space much better, but it doesn’t hold a candle sonically to the old one which I miss and I am exploring what I can do to get better quality sound and deep bass in our much smaller living space. Well, actually the space is quite large – 8.4 metres 28 feet wide by 6 metres 20 feet long with a vaulted ceiling 4 metres 13 feet high, but only a quarter of this is used for AV (with one speaker in a corner) and there is definitely no room for subs unless they are under main speakers. I am attaching a photograph of our living space.
I’ve been thinking about what would work for us and I’ve formulated a plan which I’d like to get some feedback on before I go any further. Here are the key points:
We lived in the US in the late 90's and I put together a system of Vandersteen 2CE signature series speakers powered by Quicksilver M60 monoblock valve amps and a Vandersteen 2WQ sub for extra base to get full range. When we got back to Australia, I used this as the basis for a home theatre / music system adding a Theta Casablanca II surround processer, a third Quicksilver M60 for the centre channel and Vandersteen speakers for the centre (VCC-1) and surrounds (VSM-1). This system was a good compromise for home theatre (with musical but not viscerally pounding bass) and music (not as good as with the original Quicksilver valve 2 channel preamp but acceptable) and I loved it. But it was physically big and difficult to fit into combined living AV spaces as we moved around and although tolerated by my wife I think it fair to say that this was only to accommodate her audiophile husband. The AV space in our current home is quite small and I downsized the system to fit – selling the 2WQ sub and replacing the 2CEs with Vandersteen VLR Wood bookshelf speakers and the 3 M60 valve amps (and another small amp for the rears) with a Rotel RMB1095.
Our “new” system fits our living space much better, but it doesn’t hold a candle sonically to the old one which I miss and I am exploring what I can do to get better quality sound and deep bass in our much smaller living space. Well, actually the space is quite large – 8.4 metres 28 feet wide by 6 metres 20 feet long with a vaulted ceiling 4 metres 13 feet high, but only a quarter of this is used for AV (with one speaker in a corner) and there is definitely no room for subs unless they are under main speakers. I am attaching a photograph of our living space.
I’ve been thinking about what would work for us and I’ve formulated a plan which I’d like to get some feedback on before I go any further. Here are the key points:
- I'm retired now and don’t have a big budget to make a significant upgrade
- I’m thinking of mini towers, preferably no higher than the bookshelf speakers on stands (870 mm 34”) with subwoofer driver/s under and main speaker driver/s above, with separate feeds from the preamp to the powered subs and from the Rotel amp to the main speakers. Externally there would be 1 cabinet (internally partitioned into 2 for sub and main) with a single grill to cover all
- From my research I am drawn to Rythmik Audio FM8 subwoofers – here are the pros and cons I am aware of:
- Small volume with 2 x 8 inch drivers per side - would be a good base for the mini towers – their standard cabinet size is 290 mm 11-1/2"(W) x 510 mm 20" (H ) x 395 mm 15-1/2" (D)
- Very good upper range – to 250 Hz. As I understand it frequencies above around 80-100 Hz can be localised so subs which output up to 250 Hz would be better suited to being placed under the main drivers
- Very good musical bass
- Their direct server system gets bass down to 20 Hz (-3db), not big bass for HT but I think good enough for me
- Expensive – this would be the biggest outlay of the project
- I would swap out the Casablanca II, which is only 5.1 channels, for an Anthem AVM60 which offers 11.2 channels (I understand the Anthem is still quite good for music and is able to be set up to crossover between the main drivers and the 2 subs for both HT and music. I would experiment to find the best frequency to crossover – expect 100 to 200 Hz
- I am also drawn to single full range drivers for the main speakers on the basis that
- It will be easier to fit a single driver will into a mini tower
- No crossover will be needed
- The FM8 subs higher top end would mean the main driver only needs to go down as far as the upper range of the subs (possibly 150 – 200 Hz). With no need for deep bass from these hopefully a wider choice of drivers and better quality/cheaper cost
- Are mini towers with 2 speakers in 1 (powered subs and passive mains) a good approach?
- Are there good alternatives to the Rythmik Audio subwoofers?
- Would I be better going with a single “full range” driver or tweeter and mid/woofer plus crossover for the main speakers?
- What drivers would be recommended for the frequency range of 200 Hz to 20kHz