Peter's Super Alnico Monitors with matching powered woofers

pstrisik · « **on:** 9 May 2015, 06:55 pm »

I'll fill in when I have a bit of time later today. Anyone care to guess?

.......Peter

mresseguie · « **Reply #1 on:** 9 May 2015, 07:35 pm »

It's obviously a refrigerator with the freezer compartment on the bottom. I'll take two.

That's mighty nice looking.

pstrisik · « **Reply #2 on:** 9 May 2015, 08:21 pm »

Quote from: mresseguie on 9 May 2015, 07:35 pm

It's obviously a refrigerator with the freezer compartment on the bottom. I'll take two.

That's mighty nice looking.

Nice try, but you're cold.

DBC may have a good guess if he's around.

Errands... then I'll post some details. I realize I'm more excited about the project than others will be, but I hope it is at least interesting!

........Peter

mresseguie · « **Reply #3 on:** 9 May 2015, 08:31 pm »

The weather here (Willamette Valley) is so warm and dry this year. Today is more like July's weather. Cool sounds nice.

Is it an 8" or a 12" on the bottom? Knowing this will give me a little size perspective.

Michael

DaveC113 · « **Reply #4 on:** 9 May 2015, 10:55 pm »

Ok, I'll guess a 6.5" up top and a 12" down low. I like the matching veneer top to bottom, looks nice!

beowulf · « **Reply #5 on:** 10 May 2015, 01:35 am »

Mid century stackable washer and dryer?

pstrisik · « **Reply #6 on:** 10 May 2015, 02:15 am »

I like the washer dryer metaphor!

The top is none other than the Super Alnico Monitor. Typically, Louis makes them 11" wide by 14" deep by 20" high. He recommended reversing that to give a wider baffle similar to the XRS. It doesn't quite look like one would expect on a monitor though. But, since we are putting a box below with the same width and depth, overall it has the height to allow the wide baffle.

The bottoms are powered 8" woofers. Louis graciously agreed to build matching cabinets for Rythmik made woofers and plate amps that I supplied. The bottoms are 14"w x 11"d x 13"h.

The bases are 1.5" as are the platform separating the cabinets. The tops will be granite slabs that I will add once they are up here.

Note the new logo "coin" medallion that I'm sure Louis will unveil soon.

I haven't made a mockup for what I will likely do instead of grills. I've recently started listening to my Super 7 XRS Alnicos without the grills and realized the improvement immediately. So, I plan to make bar style driver protectors that will integrate with four of the six screws that secure each of the drivers.

Now, this design as you see it gives me an actively bi-amped, 2 way system. I will connect dual pre-amp outs to each amp (the main tube amp and the plate amps). The Rythmik plate amps do not have high level inputs, so the other method isn't available. However, I plan to filter low frequency from the main tube amp and thereby the monitors, so line level to both is going to be the way for me.

I said these are active bi-amp speakers, which they are, but wait, there's more! I already am running super-tweeters that I can describe in more detail, but this post is too long as it is already! And.... I've been running a pair of Rythmik F12 subs. With all running I'll be quad-amped, baaaby!

One more detail about the active woofers before I sign off (movie & pizza time coming up). Brian Ding, the Rythmik designer, modified these plate amps specifically to make mid-woofers. There are settings for use without a sub, but the setting I'm interested in cuts lows at 50Hz with 24db (forth order) slope down. The crossover setting is a continuous knob up to 200Hz. So the subs will do very deep duty

and I have the option with the woofer for them to cover 50Hz anywhere up to 200Hz. This is a very well executed servo design for which he is known and the drivers are a light paper with foam surrounds - magnets are hugh too!

Ok... enough for now! If you read to here without skipping, then BOOYA!!

DaveC113 · « **Reply #7 on:** 10 May 2015, 02:33 am »

Sounds great, only thing I would have done differently is gone with 15" on the bottom instead of 8"

I am very interested to see what you think about different crossover points, I will guess a lower crossover around 50 Hz will be best for most music and listening levels but I could see adjusting it up to around 150 Hz for bass heavy music at higher volumes, it will be a nice option.

I'm pretty much sold on active speakers with high definition DSP. The positives outweigh the negatives and, if you want, you can always turn it off and just play the single driver by itsself.

jd3 · « **Reply #8 on:** 10 May 2015, 10:56 am »

Peter,

Are you expecting to have them by the time I'm there?

John

pstrisik · « **Reply #9 on:** 10 May 2015, 04:31 pm »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 10 May 2015, 02:33 am

Sounds great, only thing I would have done differently is gone with 15" on the bottom instead of 8"

I am very interested to see what you think about different crossover points, I will guess a lower crossover around 50 Hz will be best for most music and listening levels but I could see adjusting it up to around 150 Hz for bass heavy music at higher volumes, it will be a nice option.

I'm pretty much sold on active speakers with high definition DSP. The positives outweigh the negatives and, if you want, you can always turn it off and just play the single driver by itsself.

If I wasn't running full-fledged subs, I may have looked at 12" on the bottom. I think my bass will be adequate with dual 12's and dual 8's though!

I will be using an analog active xo. It is tempting to play with the miniDSP, but maybe after everything settles down.

If using the xo, I will likely cross higher than 50 (the 8" active woofers don't go below 50, so it doesn't make sense to cross lower than that. I will cross at 50 from the woofers to the subwoofers. If the xo negatively affects the sound from the monitors, I will end up running them full range anyway and have the woofers gently augment the mid-bass range.

I'm hoping for perfect blending between the monitors / woofers and between the woofers / subs. The Marchand xo is designed with 24db slope for optimal blending with the Linkwitz-Riley specification. No phase issues and designed for a flat transition:

The Rythmik mid-woofer amp has high pass at 50Hz with 24db and the Rythmik F12's have low pass at 50Hz with 24db, so same benefit at that transition point.

But "option" is the key, as you say. This modular approach gives me Super Alnico Monitors that I can run full range by themselves or any of several other configurations like: SAMs with woofers and with monitors running either full range or with low frequencies cut, SAMs with subs only, etc, etc.

.....Peter

pstrisik · « **Reply #10 on:** 10 May 2015, 04:36 pm »

Quote from: jd3 on 10 May 2015, 10:56 am

Peter,

Are you expecting to have them by the time I'm there?

John

Hi John,

Good chance. Louis has said something like 6 weeks (no guarantee). That would be about 5 weeks from now. I think we have about double that before your visit. If they arrive shortly before you, I hope I get them broken in in time!

........Peter

jd3 · « **Reply #11 on:** 10 May 2015, 08:28 pm »

Great!! Looking forward to listening to them!

DaveC113 · « **Reply #12 on:** 10 May 2015, 09:41 pm »

Oh, ok... I thought the 8"ers were also covering the same frequencies as your 12" subs. Looks very interesting, keep us updated!

pstrisik · « **Reply #13 on:** 10 May 2015, 10:51 pm »

Maybe this will make it easier to digest:

Tweeters, btw, are behind mains pointing upwards.

........Peter

pstrisik · « **Reply #14 on:** 10 May 2015, 11:00 pm »

Quote from: mresseguie on 9 May 2015, 08:31 pm

The weather here (Willamette Valley) is so warm and dry this year. Today is more like July's weather. Cool sounds nice.

Is it an 8" or a 12" on the bottom? Knowing this will give me a little size perspective.

Michael

Michael,

Sorry missed part of your post.

Dimensions are: overall ~39"h with cap and feet, 14"w, 11"d. The monitors are 20"h. The woofers are 13" high. The base and middle platform are 1.5".

60 degrees here today at 3pm with glorious sun ('till about 11pm so far this season

).

.....Peter

pstrisik · « **Reply #15 on:** 22 Oct 2015, 03:42 pm »

I just love it when it comes time to see this:

Long time coming! Starting with the monitors - powered woofers still in the shop.

.......Peter

finsup · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 Oct 2015, 06:44 pm »

Looking forward to your follow-up, especially since different shipping schedules will allow you to evaluate the monitors without the woofers first.

DaveC113 · « **Reply #17 on:** 22 Oct 2015, 07:52 pm »

I think that'll turn out great. Kinda funny a single driver turned into a 4-way but I think it'll preserve a great deal of the single driver experience.

pstrisik · « **Reply #18 on:** 22 Oct 2015, 09:23 pm »

Quote from: DaveC113 on 22 Oct 2015, 07:52 pm

I think that'll turn out great. Kinda funny a single driver turned into a 4-way but I think it'll preserve a great deal of the single driver experience.

That's my thinking. It preserves the single driver experience as the monitors still cover ~150 on up. The rest is enhancing extension.

I did pick up the monitors and dropped them off at home. But it's now only 1:20pm here, so I've got a few hours left before I can go play!

I'll take customary unboxing photos and post them later. I know I always love to drool over photos from others!

......Peter

pstrisik · « **Reply #19 on:** 23 Oct 2015, 02:14 am »

They sure are pretty!

Been listening for about an hour and know that these are my keepers. Still adjusting a bit, but hear more of lots that I wanted more of. I've turned down my supertweets as these drivers have more upper extension.

I'll try to post photos tomorrow. Gonna get a bit more listening in before my wife is home. We then get in our nightly show (things like The Good Wife, The Wire, Mad Men, etc.). I'm looking forward to how they sound with the video. I've found that the better with two channel audio, the better in home theater as well.

Woohoo!