[pjg66]

Hello everyone.  I am a newcomer to AC, but have long suffered the hiferocious addiction (since 1958, when a friend infected me).  In my doddering old age I want to recapture some sense of the magic and discovery that was there in the beginning.  Maybe single-driver speakers can help.

I am considering putting a modest stereo system in my bedroom, utilizing SD speakers. Decadent me, I want to be able to lie in bed and listen to music.  That,  together with the tight arrangement of furniture in this small room, pretty much determines where the speakers must go, with little leeway for tweaking the placement.  It may be that SD speakers are not even suitable for this application.  But here goes.

The room  is 13.5 x 12 x 8.  The drivers must be 3 to 4 feet above the floor, which would seem to indicate stand-mounted monitors.  The speakers could be no more that one foot from the wall behind them and 2 feet from the sidewalls. The listening distance (ear to speaker) is about 11 feet and the speakers would be about 6 feet apart.

I have on hand a Bryston BP25 preamp and McCormack DNA .5 Deluxe Edition amp that could be used, but realize that 120wpc solid-state may not be a good match with some SD's.  If needed, I would be willing to consider getting a small integrated tube amp to match the speakers.  Source components would be a Classe CDP-3 CD player and a McIntosh MR74 FM tuner.  I listen to all kinds of music (classical, rock, blues, jazz, and latin), but do not listen at hugely loud volumes.

Having neither the facilities nor the talent for woodworking, I would need assembled systems, although a kit that required no more than glue and a screwdriver may be within my abilities.  I would prefer to spend no more than $1K for a pair of speakers, but could stretch that a bit.

I have zero experience with modern SD speakers and need the guidance of those who are familiar with them.  Would appreciate any recommendations about what SD speakers, or speaker/amp combinations might work in this situation.

Thanks for reading this long-winded request, and thanks for your help.

pjg66

[ejfud]

Jordans in a tall floorstander. Mine sound amazing.

[Cacophonix]

I've tried a handful of single driver speakers, and the best amongst them was easily the FT1600MKii from Brines acoustics. Bob Brines is a gentleman who goes out of his way to help you out. Depending on your budget, you can move up his chain of offerings. You can either buy the plans and build it yourself, or have him build it for you. He also sells flat pack. Give it a try, and you won't regret it.

[fiveoclockfriday]

3 to 4 feet off the floor, close to the walls, single driver, <$1000 ? That sounds like the perfect formula for Hornshoppe Horns to me! (Although you might have to put them on some feet or stands or something to get a few extra inches) Ed has a circle here, and is a true gentleman. Horns sound great, definitely a "front of hall" immediate type of sound, but very fun and very easy to listen to. Certainly worth a look/listen.

-Eric

[doorman]

IMHO, the Brines FT1600's are a good single driver speaker (FE167E's), but having built a pair, and lived with them for a while, there are perhaps better choices given your room requirements. If you push the 1600's that close to the rear walls, imaging suffers, though baffle step is reduced. They are also quite large.
 The Hornshoppe Horns would suit your application very well. They image like crazy, and have a small footprint. (they also go very loud, though that's probably not one of your requiremnets)
Not saying the FT1600's are  not good, but perhaps not the best match pour vous.
 Enjoy the search!
 Don

[jrebman]

PJG66,

Welcome to the Single Driver circle!

Yes, Ed's Horns are a wonderful choice, assuming they will work within your requirements.  Is there something on the floor where these would be standing?  I'm just trying to get some idea of why they need to be 3 to 4 feet off the ground.  The Hoorns work best when close to the floor, so if you can stand them on the floor, or fairly close to it, and then angle them upward, they might work.  I really couldn't begin to predict how well they'd work on a 6" to 18" high base.  They are also efficient enough that you can drive them easily with a 3 to 5 watt amp, of which there are plenty of good choices available.

The Horns, FYI, are 30 tall, 6" wide, and 11-1/2 deep, so very little space is required.

http://www.thehornshoppe.com

If this doesn't work, let me know and I can throw some more ideas out there for you.

Thanks,

Jim

[tanchiro58]

Hi,

I am in love with my Omega Hemptone monitors on a pair of Skylan stands. The speakers are driven by Jolida 102B intergrated amp. They are combining to produce a lively and musical sound. If you can find an used Omega speakers that cost you <$1000. Here is a pair of Omega 5 on sale in Audiogon. You would not be disappointed if you know how to tweak them.

http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?spkrfull&1218809786

Good luck,
Tan

[Wind Chaser]

Jordans in a tall floorstander. Mine sound amazing.

I'll second the Jordan's.  They can go surprisingly low and they don't have the typical fullrange driver rising response.  Considerably better than any of the Fostex units I've heard, but considerably more money too.

[bacobits1]

There are certainly some good one already mentioned.
My room is 12X11.

Check out Brines Acoustics. I have had mine (FT1600II) now over 2 years.





D

[JLM]

Don't know what your expectation level/budget is, but for rather tight constraints in a smallish room, I'd think hard about the TBI Majestic Diamond IR.  TBI is the company that makes those tiny subs that are fast and can be work inside a cabinet drawer.  An ugly split within the company has kept them away for a couple of years.  The MD-IR's are 5 inch cubes available in three finishes, rated down to an amazing 35 Hz, and can be wall mounted for $600/pair:

http://tbisound.com/dsp_products_monitors_d1r.asp


Louis at Omega does beautiful work, but haven't heard his current stuff:

http://omegaloudspeakers.com/products.html


I own Bob Brines speakers.  He does good work, has very good prices with a variety of DIY of fully built options, and offers a couple of standmounts: 

http://www.geocities.com/rbrines1/Products.html


The Horns sit low and can be lost behind furniture.  Placement to achieve decent bass output is fussy.


Good hunting.

[DaveC113]

The new Omega Super 5s look like they will work, you can get the ports on the sides or front, which could be a plus for your space. As far as the amp, I agree a small integrated tube amp would be a good match.

http://www.omegaloudspeakers.com/super5.html 

[Scottmoose]

If you've got corners, then Ed's Horns would probably be a good bet. Should still do OK without, but being designed as corner-horns, they'll naturally give their best if you can site them optimally.

WRT vented boxes, in a room that size, a standmount would probably be easier to live with than a floorstander. The smaller Brines or Omega models, or possibly a Fonken spring to mind as decent examples, all with somewhat different twists.

[rockadanny]

Tanchiro58 - With reference to the Omegas, what do you mean when you say ...

You would not be disappointed if you know how to tweak them.

Tweak them in what way?

[nodiak]

pjg66,
sorry to bend the rules. But in situation like you describe I've used upfiring speakers so the music flows around the room instead of a hot spot or small sweet spot. Works really well for a comfortable sound.
A SD could work and there are likely some out there, but also this 2 way from GR Research could work really well. Sold as a kit but easy cabinets to make, GRR or a local could make them for you.

http://www.gr-research.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=114

Don

[tanchiro58]

Tanchiro58 - With reference to the Omegas, what do you mean when you say ...

You would not be disappointed if you know how to tweak them.

Tweak them in what way?

Hi Rockadanny,

Firstly, I have used 4x OFC wires (18-20awg) and twisted tightly together for each speaker connected from the drivers to a binding posts. Padded the driver brackets with BHP. This tweak would improve the sound more cleaner and more resolution.

Secondly, since I crank up the volume control and felt that the Omegas shaking (vibration) so I added some hard wooden bars inside between the two side baffles. This tweak is to horizontally reduce vibration so the speakers would perform up to their best with more coherent IMO or to my ears.

Thirdly, I use the Shun-Mook giant footers I had in hand (you can see in the picture of the speaker) and the steel fish decoration (my wife put on the speaker-in the picture also) or the suggestion of the lead-shot bags to vertically prevent the vibration I guess. I also used Shun-Mook discs for the back footers between speakers and stands which have polycrystal spikes installed and a small DH cones on top of the BRD plates in the front to tilt the speakers.

Fourtly, I used Damar Varnish to paint over the whizzer cones (2-3 times) to reduce the brigthness. My next step of tweaking the Omegas would be having two solid maple platforms to put under the Skylan stands. I believe this tweak will add a deep tight bass that I have experienced in my horn-based speakers.

All of these tweaks put together would make a lot of differences in sound.

Tan

[rajacat]

Hi Tan,

What is BHP and what are BRD plates?

Thanks,

Roy

[rockadanny]

Tan - Wow! Good info - Thanks!

[tanchiro58]

Hi Tan,

What is BHP and what are BRD plates?

Thanks,

Roy

Hi Roy,

Sorry, it is my mistake as BDR (not BRD) plates stand for Black Diamond Racing plates which are hard and non-slippery plates (correct me if I am wrong!) and BHP is for Black Hole Pad.

Tan

[rajacat]

Thanks Tan,

I may try the internal wire upgrade to my Hemps although I'll have find a way to snake the wire from the front enclosure to the rear box. The bipoles are essentially two speakers back to back sharing the rear side. One advantage of this design is that the overall enclosure is very stiff due to the interlocking sides.

Did you use VH Audio's UniCrystal™Ohno Continuous Cast single crystal hookup wire? http://www.vhaudio.com/wire.html

--Roy

[tanchiro58]

Did you use VH Audio's UniCrystal™Ohno Continuous Cast single crystal hookup wire? http://www.vhaudio.com/wire.html

Roy,

No, I did not use VH audio wires. I only used the Japanese OFC wires made by Nippon Mining Co.. The wires are coaxial and silver plated with inner and outer sealed Teflon. This is the best wire we have used sofar to build amplifier, preamplifier, interconnects and speaker cables.

You got to use either pure OFC or OCC wires. They will make big different sonically.

Tan