Gravity Well Of A DarkStar

Vinnie R. · « **Reply #920 on:** 11 Aug 2006, 02:19 am »

Quote from: JohninCR on 10 Aug 2006, 05:38 pm

What needs to be done is extract the pertinent info
and essentially create a resource of basic information
attached to a multi-segment forum. The segments
would range from single drivers to multiways to deep
bass, as well as electronic and others methods used
to shape response. This is no small undertaking, and
I believe that doing anything less will result in another
monster OB thread for people to trudge through.

Hi John,

It would be great if a "Best of the Gravity Well posts" thread was made, but there are so many posts and so much content involving great ideas, experiences, etc.

So who has tons of free time to do this?

It might takes days, weeks even..

Quote from: Dmason

If John in CR would rather not, then I would be happy to Facilitate the new Thread, if no one had any objections.

No objections here!

-Vinnie

fu_man · « **Reply #921 on:** 11 Aug 2006, 12:18 pm »

or perhaps an "all the things waiting in Vinnies basement" thread, like comparisons with Bastanis, two drivers per baffle, Spruce baffles....

oh and how is my Sig 30 coming along?

I've been looking to come off a long electrostatic addiction, and so far these OB's are the only things under $10K that might actually do it. Just burning them in at the moment, getting ready for when I can do a fair comparison using a RWA front end.

Dmason · « **Reply #922 on:** 11 Aug 2006, 02:53 pm »

Fu man

This stuff is the antidote to the 'stat addiction, with potentially a far more powerful drug, which adds dynamics to the mix that stats simply cannot do. My view is that OB with dynamic cone drivers is the best of all worlds.

Take the example of Vinnie: once fairly recently a licensed electrical engineer, corporate team player, enthusiastic and loyal commuter, now he seldom leaves the house, and listens to rock music ....in the dark.

Apparently with hair much longer, he now drives an old Mercedes, and spends weekends not at the in-laws, but in Montauk, surfing, ALL because of open baffle speaker listening. Such is the gravitational pull...

corloc · « **Reply #923 on:** 12 Aug 2006, 03:25 am »

Addictive, yes, just slightly.

First time in ten years I've been listening (and enjoying) more than tweeking.

As an update: The Madison Warrior15's work with the B200 very well. They give the B200 a wonderfull foundation to work from. (They are also cheap) The downside for some is the have a 24" x 15" foot print.
Kettle drums scare the cats and make me and my littlest giggle.

Being a stay at home father, I spend a lot of time on the floor. Not a great place to listen with a current arrangment. I was thinkng of getting a second set of B200's to make a smaller baffle and bring the drivers closer to the floor. Should renforce the mids and bottom.

Fortune smiled on me, and I found a pair of Mitsubishi speakers. In those speaker were Diatone alcoe woofers and tweeters. The woofers are slightly higher Fs than the B200, but the same diamiter cone and Spl. The cabs for these were sealed with heavy wool damping so the woofers should have good x-max.

The kicker is I'm useing stair treads for the new baffle. $7.80 for a 12"x48"x1+" tread. These are MDF and should add good wieght to the baffle. The B200 can shake the baffles even without the warrior15's going.

I'll give pictures and impressions soon.

Chris

JohnR · « **Reply #924 on:** 13 Aug 2006, 08:29 am »

Hi, my last post on the OB circle idea...

What I was trying to suggest is that Dan might like to start a thread in Town Square to discuss the creation of such a circle. However, I wasn't suggesting that anyone break up *this* thread.

I'm not sure about the value of a separate site. No offence to anyone but I've seen it attempted and fail. Apart from the work needed, AC has the search engines indexing it quite heavily already, so anything posted in a new OB circle will be accessible from the main search sites.

And now, apart from all that... where are people buying their B200s?

opnly bafld · « **Reply #925 on:** 13 Aug 2006, 01:51 pm »

e-speakers.com in California
solen.ca in SE Canada

Lin

Nuuk · « **Reply #926 on:** 13 Aug 2006, 02:47 pm »

FWIW, I intend to put a comprehensive OB section on Decibel Dungeon eventually. I would like to collaborate with as many people as possible on this and perhaps we can mirror the material elsewhere, eg Darrel Hawthorne's site for one.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #927 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 03:06 pm »

Just as a heads up on emerging bass solutions, I have pulled the trigger on a pair of the 12 inch subs I posted about earlier. Affordable, and from the looks of the specs, they should perform well in my OB application.

http://www.mach5audio.com/product_info.php?products_id=41&osCsid=6afc1

I intend to install them into the existing OB I am using with the b200, I will report back on build quality, and sound quality etc.

Thanks,

markC · « **Reply #928 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 05:19 pm »

Still on the never ending quest for that perfect bass I see. I'm interested to know how this set-up turns out for you. Hope they mate well with your 200's. I would assume that you'll wire the voice coils for each driver in series and the two drivers in parallel? As for me, I couldn't be more content, for now of course, with my rig. You'll have to come visit one week-end and check out the IB subs with the OB b200's. They blend together very nicely to my ears.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #929 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 05:54 pm »

Yes other Mark, I am indeed still on the quest - the H baffle experiment I have run with my Rockford 12 has shown to be a pleasant step in the right direction.

I will actually use only 1 of the VC per sub, this results in doubling the effective QTS from the stated 0.38, to an effective 0.76, close to the desired 0.7.

If and when I come to your place, it will be to rob you of the monoblocks!

I could not employ an IB solution at my place, so I will have to continue to pursue the OB - if these 12's can perform as the Rockford does, but allow me to simply install them into my existing winged baffles, then my design will be complete.

Hope that you are well Mark, I always like reading about your experiences with the b200, because I have some insight into the glorious results with those delightful amps! Best sound I have ever heard in my room, my baffles, your amps, hands down.

markC · « **Reply #930 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 06:20 pm »

Yes, the b200's and these amps seem to have a spot-on synergy. In the next few weeks, I'll be building the finished version of the baffles. Mainly just new centre baffles as I believe I have found the correct driver height for my room and the subs. Then I'll line the entire front baffle with cork, (I think it actually looks quite nice), and probably just paint the backs flat black.

Dmason · « **Reply #931 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 06:37 pm »

MarkC

the cork is a great addition, but be sure to do the complete job and line the read baffle as well. The before and after, to my ears was not subtle.

Please tell us about the IB set up in your place.

markC · « **Reply #932 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 08:27 pm »

Dmason

by the read baffle, do you mean the back?
My ib set-up consists of 2 Dayton ib385-8 drivers mounted in the wall that seperates the downstairs listening room from the crawl space, (house is a side split). The crawl space is just under 4'H x about 25'W x 20'D. I'm driving the two ib's, (which are 8 ohm, in parallel to give me 4 ohms) with a plate amp that delivers 360W into 4 ohms. I've got them crossed to the b200's @ around 100hz and the blend is -dare I say-seamless. I can't pick out any holes in the lower frequencies and niether can my buddy who plays in a band and is the sound man also. The bottom end is so solid it is amazing. I'm sure I'm approaching 20hz. On the Patricia Barber track, Let it Rain, what I always thought was the guitar player knocking on the body of his guitar is actually a very loud kick drum. I guess that's why my poor little Soliloquy's fell apart on that passage. Depending on room size, I think a pair of these drivers is the way to go. Pretty much a kick-ass speaker system for a grand Cnd. That includes the b200's, ib385-8's, plate amp and materials. Quite easy to build everything is just a bonus. To think that I paid over $2000 for my Soliloquy's 5 years ago is really saying something for my current IB/OB speaker system. Not that the Soliloquy's are crap, they're a good little speaker, but compared to what I have now, they are just that-a little speaker.

Dmason · « **Reply #933 on:** 14 Aug 2006, 11:43 pm »

MarkC

Sorry, I didnt catch that typo;

Yes, the reaR baffle, cork there too. Diffraction issues fore and aft.

Your system sounds amazing, frankly, and this stuff is all about assembling outrageously musically dangerous systems for a relative pittance, which IMO completely slay the dreck that is out there being hawked to death. [and being assembled increasingly overseas, stuffed with cheap-ass parts, and being described as "proprietary" technology...] Solid and seamless to 20Hz must be amazing to behold. Forget Patricia Barber, and throw on Bernstein Conducts Copland, i) Rodeo, Intro, Buckaroo Holiday, for a test drive of your system's capabilities with orchestral dynamics, with Uncle Leonard behind the wheel.

or, on the baton. BIGness in dynamics is something the OB method does well, and sounds like some gigantic JBL system, less the resonances and sonic garbage. Just The Music.

markC · « **Reply #934 on:** 15 Aug 2006, 12:50 am »

Dmason

Thanks for the recommendations. Since your pretty much the Guru on this, I'll dive in and cork the rear baffle as well. As for musically dangerous systems for a pittance, I'll agree with that for the speakers, but the rest of the system ain't that cheap-at least in perspective. I've probably got about $7,000 in front of the speakers. Whether or not that is necessary is debatable, but I like it!

Dmason · « **Reply #935 on:** 15 Aug 2006, 01:15 am »

MarkC

Strictly referring to speakers, that is what this is about. As for the rest, horses for courses, as per usual.

One thing about the cork, is that it looks very nice, and the dark background narrows the apparent width of the baffle, a welcome trick of the eye. They had rolls of it at Wilson Art, so go to your SouthOnt hobby and art store and teach them about the anechoic properties of cork. They won't know WTF you are talking about, but usually there are some nice looking second year Fine Arts bunnies working there. Ask them if they want to trade up for an evening, over some wine. Tell them you know Californians. They'll think you rip. Dude.

Seriously, if you live near Mark from Burlington, possibly we can all get together to hear this phenomenon, as I am overdue for a visit into the area, T.dot etc...

I have been SIM'ing for a large and in charge backhorn, using the HempTone 8, which really likes BIG. The bigger the better. So far so good. To see two sim's, www.zillaspeak.com/bib.asp two flavours, 303 and 200in^2... this baby is 91db at 30 Hz, believe it or not!!

opnly bafld · « **Reply #936 on:** 15 Aug 2006, 02:14 am »

If MarkC is from near Toronto, I don't think the California reference will help him much.
I have been there twice and saw beautiful, I mean BEAUTIFUL, women from ALL OVER the world in that city.

Dmason · « **Reply #937 on:** 15 Aug 2006, 02:17 am »

Mebbe this is why they call it, "Toronto the Good."

Truth is, they are EVERYWHERE..

-Richard- · « **Reply #938 on:** 15 Aug 2006, 03:52 am »

It is impossible to disentangle the erotic principle from music and hence
from audio ~

The sense of spiritual ascendancy, a powerful mood of longing,
and the erotic, vie within musics syntax for our attention ~

There is another dimension of music as well... music has the power to act
on us as a Shamanic shifter of energy... music is the divine portal through
which native peoples traveled to other states of "seeing"... energetic shifts
into the unknown ~

Of all the arts, music swiftly captures the sensual and erotic the best... it has wings ~

Warm Regards ~ Richard ~

JohninCR · « **Reply #939 on:** 15 Aug 2006, 04:55 am »

Quote from: -Richard- on 15 Aug 2006, 03:52 am

It is impossible to disentangle the erotic principle from music and hence
from audio ~

The sense of spiritual ascendancy, a powerful mood of longing,
and the erotic, vie within musics syntax for our attention ~

There is another dimension of music as well... music has the power to act
on us as a Shamanic shifter of energy... music is the divine portal through
which native peoples traveled to other states of "seeing"... energetic shifts
into the unknown ~

Of all the arts, music swiftly captures the sensual and erotic the best... it has wings ~

Warm Regards ~ Richard ~

Richard,
You are quite right. My problem, and why I can't stop until I have the perfect OB bass
solution, is that my wife only really lets loose dance-wise to music that is bass heavy
in comparison to much of the music I favor. I require high impact bass to meet all my
needs.