modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor

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goohsm

modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« on: 26 Apr 2012, 05:38 am »
i have a cheap sort-of hifi 2way bookshelf monitor that i dont care to throw away
is it easy to modify these 2 way monitors to single driver monitor?
the woofer is about 6 inches

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Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #1 on: 26 Apr 2012, 06:04 am »
Easy is relative.
Disconnect the tweeters and replace the woofers with full range drivers of the same size.
Or, give the enclosures entirely new front baffles and then cut the appropriate sized hole for whichever full range driver you choose.

JohnR

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #2 on: 26 Apr 2012, 08:17 am »
I did exactly that once.:



It's easiest if you can find a driver of the right size that is surface mount. (If that's the right word for it - i.e. flush mounted.)

You'd also need to check how the driver behaves in the cabinet. If it's ported you may need to adjust port length.

JLM

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Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #3 on: 26 Apr 2012, 08:25 am »
Important to match driver to desires (taste/genres/room size/budget) and cabinet design (sealed/ported/size).

Madisound and Partsexpress are two good sources for extended range drivers.

Search for basic speaker design software to answer the cabinet issues.

If you're just messing around you could nail boards across the existing holes (after you've sealed it to the front of the cabinets) and mount the new drivers (smaller than the existing woofers) to it.

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #4 on: 26 Apr 2012, 10:09 pm »
I did exactly that once.:



It's easiest if you can find a driver of the right size that is surface mount. (If that's the right word for it - i.e. flush mounted.)

You'd also need to check how the driver behaves in the cabinet. If it's ported you may need to adjust port length.

that speaker in the pic doesnt look like a single drive speaker

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #5 on: 26 Apr 2012, 10:16 pm »
Easy is relative.
Disconnect the tweeters and replace the woofers with full range drivers of the same size.
Or, give the enclosures entirely new front baffles and then cut the appropriate sized hole for whichever full range driver you choose.
can i just use the original woofer as the driver of a single driver speaker?

and if i ever buy a driver do i have to put it in a wooden box?
what if i just hang the driver on the wall or just use the driver as a speaker?
i mean the driver produce better sound when its in an wooden box?
sorry about noob question, i just found 47 labs lens monitors yesterday and learned about the existance of single driver system.

sts9fan

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #6 on: 26 Apr 2012, 10:29 pm »
I think you need to read up on how speakers work at a basic level. Those drivers will not be suitable for FR.

Mikeinsacramento

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #7 on: 26 Apr 2012, 11:05 pm »
can i just use the original woofer as the driver of a single driver speaker?

and if i ever buy a driver do i have to put it in a wooden box?
what if i just hang the driver on the wall or just use the driver as a speaker?
i mean the driver produce better sound when its in an wooden box?
sorry about noob question, i just found 47 labs lens monitors yesterday and learned about the existance of single driver system.

You may get some responses to this.  But you will learn more by doing.  Do exactly what you described above and see what happens.  And go from there.

JohnR

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #8 on: 26 Apr 2012, 11:53 pm »
that speaker in the pic doesnt look like a single drive speaker

The tweeter is disconnected, as suggested by AE above my post. My post could certainly have been clearer:

Disconnect the tweeters and replace the woofers with full range drivers of the same size.

Me in response to him (and you):

I did exactly that once.:

Hope that helps.

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Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #9 on: 27 Apr 2012, 12:45 am »
can i just use the original woofer as the driver of a single driver speaker?

and if i ever buy a driver do i have to put it in a wooden box?
what if i just hang the driver on the wall or just use the driver as a speaker?
i mean the driver produce better sound when its in an wooden box?
sorry about noob question, i just found 47 labs lens monitors yesterday and learned about the existance of single driver system.

No, a woofer and a full range driver are two different animals.

You can install a driver in-wall.

An enclosure (box) can be manufactured from any number of available materials. Wood products are affordable, readily available and easy to work with.

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #10 on: 27 Apr 2012, 08:45 am »
i really want to try FR speakers because i love every characteristics people say about FR/single driver system
but i dont think ill be able to spend much time building/creating stuff on my own partially because i dont know how to do those stuff
so i thought i could just buy something like this and install a FR driver in it
http://media01.bigblackbag.net/24577/portfolio_media/lwsm_wrs-woof2_673.jpg
any idea?

P.S i have grado rs1 and i love it
those baffle/driver-stand sort of reminds me of those grado rs1's wooden cans

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #11 on: 27 Apr 2012, 09:02 am »
before i found out about single driver speakers just a few days ago
i was originally looking for a very nice sounding pair of monitors for my mc275
i was thinking of focal utopia be, b&w 805d, dynaudio c1 with my 2k~4k budget

would very good full range drivers(OB)+ subwoofers(80hz crossover) sound better than those best-on-the-market 2way monitors?

JLM

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Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #12 on: 27 Apr 2012, 09:26 am »
I use FTA-2000 single driver speakers (bing Bob Brines) and have no need (for music) to add a subwoofer.  IMO they do nearly everything right (there is no perfect speaker).

Extended range drivers usually sacrifice the frequency extremes, beam the highs, have limited excursion (output), but serve midrange frequencies with coherency that others have a hard time matching and offer by default active design (direct connection between each channel of amplication and each driver) with all its advantages.

Open baffle (dipoles) provide increased dynamics with a more "diffused" presentation, but do require breathing space (3 - 5 feet normally recommnended) behind them.  My favorite OB is Hawthorne Audio: efficient, $300 - 1500 per pair, almost no baffle required, subwoofer very optional, but they are coaxial - not single driver (tweeter in place of dust cap plus a crossover).  For the extra dough you get more resolution.  They'll be on display at the AKFest near Detroit this weekend.  Daryl and Diane are good people.

chrisby

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Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #13 on: 27 Apr 2012, 04:59 pm »
I'm sure the FTA2000 sound gorgeous,  but at $2600 pair finished (and Bob might want to revisit that price considering the F200A now at $487 ea), even if they could be shoe-horned into the cabinets,  this wouldn't be at the top of my list of exemplars for someone looking at upgrading "a cheap sort of hi-fi 2-way bookshelf monitor".   

Did goohsm  indicate yet what the dimensions of enclosures and existing port(s) - if any- might be?   That data, and the intended application - (if re-purposing the enclosures, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that room size / location might also change)   could go a long way to shortening the list of candidates - which might well include FR drivers smaller than the existing 6" woofer.   


If on the other hand, he's looking to find something to directly drop into existing cutouts (dimensions as yet unknown) and simply disconnect the tweeter to avoid need to modify enclosure, the task becomes somewhat more daunting. 
 

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #14 on: 27 Apr 2012, 06:39 pm »
I use FTA-2000 single driver speakers (bing Bob Brines) and have no need (for music) to add a subwoofer.  IMO they do nearly everything right (there is no perfect speaker).

Extended range drivers usually sacrifice the frequency extremes, beam the highs, have limited excursion (output), but serve midrange frequencies with coherency that others have a hard time matching and offer by default active design (direct connection between each channel of amplication and each driver) with all its advantages.

Open baffle (dipoles) provide increased dynamics with a more "diffused" presentation, but do require breathing space (3 - 5 feet normally recommnended) behind them.  My favorite OB is Hawthorne Audio: efficient, $300 - 1500 per pair, almost no baffle required, subwoofer very optional, but they are coaxial - not single driver (tweeter in place of dust cap plus a crossover).  For the extra dough you get more resolution.  They'll be on display at the AKFest near Detroit this weekend.  Daryl and Diane are good people.

i think FTA-2000's are way to big for me. also i heard single driver speakers that rely on extended bass are very slow
i listen to metal and rock so i need something very fast i heard OB design offers that speed.
theres a huge empty space behind my desk so the breathing space will be provided for OB system
i checked Hawthorne Audio website and i really like this one
http://www.hawthorneaudio.com/catalogs/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=5
looks so simple and nice. maybe i could buy only the module/wooden thing and install other/better drivers
but 15" is quite big right? will my mc275 drive them nicely?

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #15 on: 27 Apr 2012, 07:06 pm »
I'm sure the FTA2000 sound gorgeous,  but at $2600 pair finished (and Bob might want to revisit that price considering the F200A now at $487 ea), even if they could be shoe-horned into the cabinets,  this wouldn't be at the top of my list of exemplars for someone looking at upgrading "a cheap sort of hi-fi 2-way bookshelf monitor".   

Did goohsm  indicate yet what the dimensions of enclosures and existing port(s) - if any- might be?   That data, and the intended application - (if re-purposing the enclosures, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that room size / location might also change)   could go a long way to shortening the list of candidates - which might well include FR drivers smaller than the existing 6" woofer.   


If on the other hand, he's looking to find something to directly drop into existing cutouts (dimensions as yet unknown) and simply disconnect the tweeter to avoid need to modify enclosure, the task becomes somewhat more daunting.
i decided to keep the bookshelf speakers as they are
i just wondered what a single driver speaker sounds like
a person above mentions that bookshelf woofers and FR drivers are two complete different things
i knew very little about FR system so i just thought any 2way speakers become single driver speakers if you just disconnect the tweeter lol
i just decide to buy a FR driver and a module for it as i dont know how to do wooden craft work
i guess my original question is answered in this thread
so i think i should post another thread if i have more questions
thanks guys for the advices

ejfud

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #16 on: 27 Apr 2012, 07:17 pm »
Head down to the local thrift, find a nice pair of real wood veneered cabinets and a used set of fullrangers and give it a go. Here's one of my examples of this process.




goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #17 on: 27 Apr 2012, 09:11 pm »
Head down to the local thrift, find a nice pair of real wood veneered cabinets and a used set of fullrangers and give it a go. Here's one of my examples of this process.



looks beautiful
how would you compare good single driver speakers you have heard
to good 2 way speakers(possibly with the very good crossover) on the market?
are they just way too different to even compare? or one of them a better monitor than the other?
im having hard time deciding between those two designs
my amp is mc275 and my maximum budget is about $4k for a pair of speakers
i listen to all other kinds of music but especially metal

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Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #18 on: 27 Apr 2012, 09:16 pm »
I listen to all other kinds of music but especially metal

My opinion. I think you might be kind of displeased with full rangers. You'd probably like a pair of three ways better.

goohsm

Re: modifying 2way monitors to single driver monitor
« Reply #19 on: 27 Apr 2012, 09:40 pm »
My opinion. I think you might be kind of displeased with full rangers. You'd probably like a pair of three ways better.
even if i get a pair of subwoofers?
i have er4s and grado rs1
i really like those headphone sounds
wouldnt full rangers produce that kind of sounds because they are single drivers just like headphones lol