Why do I like the miniwatt N3 more than the Yaqin 10L + what can I do about it?

Thinker1920 · « **Reply #40 on:** 22 Jun 2012, 10:02 pm »

sounds interesting*looks pensive*..... bi amping...... so I would have the miniwatt drive the treble and the yaqin drive the bass? I wonder what that would sound like... could I just use Y splitters or would that be a bad idea? So would the midrange be powered by the miniwatt also? I wonder if the top half is still 88db?

Thinker1920 · « **Reply #41 on:** 22 Jun 2012, 10:05 pm »

(

So Happy I came across this forum!!

)

roscoeiii · « **Reply #42 on:** 22 Jun 2012, 10:15 pm »

Quote from: Thinker1920 on 22 Jun 2012, 10:02 pm

sounds interesting*looks pensive*..... bi amping...... so I would have the miniwatt drive the treble and the yaqin drive the bass? I wonder what that would sound like... could I just use Y splitters or would that be a bad idea? So would the midrange be powered by the miniwatt also? I wonder if the top half is still 88db?

I am hardly an expert on bi-amping (zero actual experience) but it seems that often solid state is used to drive the bass and tubes the mids and highs. There are a number of inexpensive solid state options that could work for you. Tons of not too powerful (but much more powerful than the MiniWatt) chip amps out there.

Do you have anything you could use as a preamp?

OK, I will defer to bi-amp experts from here on out.

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #43 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 02:46 am »

The Russians and JJs are a good combination for the MW but cryo IMO is a waste.

True bi-amping is not possible without removing the passive crossover network in the Polks. Bi-amping uaually means there's an active crossover placed upstream of the drivers. My OB Tang Band tops are driven straight off the MW without a filter while the H-frame woofers are driven by two Dayton solid state amps which have built in active crossovers.

The real advantage gained with bi-amping is getting rid of the sound robbing passive crossover where much of the sound is turned to heat.

Since the MW is an integrated amp a preamp is not necessary. You can easily split the source signal with Y cables and feed the MW plus another amp.

The large folding baffles when spread apart give acceptable bass with the Betsy's. It's there but not in abundance like the H-frames which can always be added later to augment the Betsy bass.

Thinker1920 · « **Reply #44 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 03:01 am »

what are H-frames?

Thinker1920 · « **Reply #45 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 03:17 am »

what would you suggest for DIY speakers..... I looked but got kinda overwhelmed by all the stuff out there, is there any one design that would be a good full range that the miniwatt could drive?

not sure if this is relavent but I saw that there's a guy that sells speaker parts and he had ribbon tweeters for $5, they're high efficency right? would I want to do something like that? or would the betsy's be the safest bet? or the betsy k's?

roscoeiii · « **Reply #46 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 03:23 am »

For a straightforward easy box build that will get you bass, Common Sense Audio. Posted the link earlier.

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #47 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 03:37 am »

An H-frame is an open ended box with a flat baffle in the center on which is mounted a full range bass woofer like the 15 inch Eminence Alpha ( as shown in post 475 ).

http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project08/Jordan.pdf

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #48 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 03:41 am »

I would build the Betsys to partner with the MW. They are easy enough that a 10 year old could put them together. After that you'll be hooked.

InfernoSTi · « **Reply #49 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 04:53 am »

I have the original MiniWatt and enjoyed it with my Hawthorne Audio PSI speakers (I'd recommend the 15" PSI...one of the best bargain drivers for low watt speakers around...96 db is great for SET amps). http://www.hawthorneaudio.com/catalogs/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=1 I've since upgraded to a 2A3 amp (and the SSI and then Reference drivers) but still find my MW to be a great performer. I recently lent my MW to an audio friend who ended up building his own tube equipment. It sold him. I ended up bi-amping with a solid state woofer (Augie) from Hawthorne.

I think the theme here is that SET sound is addictive...hard to leave...but low watts require high db speakers which are hard to find (but getting easier). Trust your ears...

Best,
John

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #50 on:** 23 Jun 2012, 11:40 am »

The Hawthornes ( made by Eminence of Kentucky ) are an excellent choice but at $160 each they're beyond your stated budget of $200.

Thinker1920 · « **Reply #51 on:** 24 Jun 2012, 04:42 am »

so if I go and get the betsy's should I put them in a H frame or the way you have them?

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #52 on:** 24 Jun 2012, 11:53 am »

H-frames are used for bass woofers. The Betsys work best in the hinged folding wings.

Below is the same design using the German Visaton b200 driver which is close to your budget.

The Betsy and Visaton use the same plans as found on Wild Burro Audio Labs. The great thing about DIY is that once you buy the drivers you can use them in many designs. Plywood or MDF is cheap compared to buying new speakers every time the mood strikes you.

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/roadtour5/roadtour5.html

roscoeiii · « **Reply #53 on:** 24 Jun 2012, 01:46 pm »

But be sure you are aware of the advantages and disadvantages of single driver designs (great mid range, needs little power but less strong in highs and bass) and open baffle designs (less bass than a ported speaker but avoids box's effects on sound). Speaker choices are about tradeoffs, especially at your price range. But beware that you may end up taking advice from people with different listening priorities and muiscal taste than you have (for exaple they may zero in on midrange and/or listen to small ensemble music without much bass content).

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #54 on:** 24 Jun 2012, 06:41 pm »

I base my recommendation totally on the fact that you only have $200 to spend and want to use the N3. This limits the field drastically as you can't have pounding bass and mids to die for on that small of a budget. The Betsys or Visatons will give great mids, highs and passable bass in the folding wings.

What you can do is go with the Betsys or Visatons for now and add the bass components as funds allow ( either H-frames or flat baffles ). Here is an example of the Betsys and bass woofer Alphas in an easy to build flat baffle. I call them my Zu killers as they caused me to sell my Omens after building them.

Thinker1920 · « **Reply #55 on:** 26 Jun 2012, 12:38 am »

I like the idea of the Betsy's with the woofer. I think that's what I'm going to end up doing. But how did you power it? Minwatt for the betsy's and a solid state for the woofer? And then would I need a preamp for that?

as for the yaqin I order some of those cheaper Russian output tubes and if it doesn't open up I think I'm going to try selling it.

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #56 on:** 26 Jun 2012, 12:12 pm »

The Betsys are driven straight off the Miniwatt with no filters in the signal path. The Alpha 15s are powered by a separate solid state amp.

In my case I use an older 100 wpc Denon AV receiver which I picked up at a garage sale for $35. Since the Denon has a DAC it accepts the digital output from a CD player while the Miniwatt gets the analog output. This way there's no need for a preamp.

If an AV receiver is not available you could use two Y cables off the CD player's outputs, splitting the signal and sharing it between the Miniwatt and another amp ( you could even use the Yaqin if you don't sell it ). There's no signal loss when using Y cables.

I use an 80hz low pass crossover from Parts Express on the Alphas which acts only as a filter for the higher frequencies.

One could build these open baffles for a little under $300 yet it will easily compete with speakers 5 times it's cost.

fredgarvin · « **Reply #57 on:** 26 Jun 2012, 03:40 pm »

If you do decide to build speaker boards rather than bi-amping the LSI's, you should sell those and use that money, those are pretty popular loudspeakers.

Poultrygeist · « **Reply #58 on:** 26 Jun 2012, 04:03 pm »

This link gives an explanation of bi-amping which is often confused with active bi-wiring.

http://sound.westhost.com/bi-amp.htm#basics

HiFi Buck · « **Reply #59 on:** 20 Aug 2012, 10:04 pm »

So with the Miniwatt, does the ohms of a speaker make a difference as well as the sensitivity? I was looking at some Decware SET amps and Steve told me to get a 4, even a 2ohm speaker and the SET amp would love it. What low ohm high sensitivity speakers are out there? It looks like the Tekton,ZU and Omega's are primarily 8ohm speakers.