• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

That Open Baffle sound...anybody do it on the cheap?

O

OhioEric

Active Member
I picked up a pair of infinities with a tweeter on the back. i love em! i guess thats dipole? ( or bipolar? wait, thats the kid next door....LOL )

anyhow anyone doing open baffle on the cheap? no electronic crossovers or multiple monoblock amps....possible?

Anybody? Hows it sound?
 
Register to hide this ad
Open baffle line arrays are fantastic! I play with open baffles sometimes just to experiment with the sound of different drivers, but my line array project now consists of a big box of "full range" mids, awaiting the finding of the tweets to go alongside of them, plus some paper designs. I'll be cutting a few board parts as early as next month, but can't do final cutting/work until I source the tweeters. Hope to finish it later this year.

After that, two other future projects will be along similar lines: one involves an almost skeletally minimal baffle (think of the 1/8-wave baffle on DQs and you'll be close) on a 3-way, the idea for which has me all excited but which I'm keeping to myself for now, and the other, a long-range open baffle project, will be a line array of nine of the big Heil AMTs on each side (I have three pairs so far; six more pairs to go). THAT one I expect to be a "killer" system, which might even bump my RS IIs and NS-1000Ms out of my living room permanently! At least that's what I think/hope may happen; I'll be disappointed if my theory is all wrong and they don't sound spectacular.

There are a couple shops here which regularly have open-baffle speakers; I listen there sometimes, and like them! :yes: :thmbsp:
 
I whipped up two 1 x 8 OB arrays of the excellent little PartsExpress (Pioneer OEM) 269-469 "69 cent wonder" 4" FR driver one hot summer day a few years back. They sounded "interesting"... probably in a 50 foot deep room they'd have been terrific; really weird up close. Dunno if comb filtering or inductance effects of the series/parallel wiring scheme I used was the primary culprit. It was a pretty unscientific experiment (scientific experiments are my day job).

But I digress...
 
A rear mounted tweeter isnt really an open baffle speaker but it does give you the signature of one, ofcourse an open baffle is just that, open on the back and its front fire driver radiates sound from rear. I run open baffle midrange drivers that have a sweep of 280hz to 8000hz so I get that entire critical midrange presence that only a open baffle can give but my bass and tweets are standard front face and fire sealed units. I also have Innersound Eros MKII Electrostatis hybrids that are like a Martin Logan with cone bass driver but Electrostat from 450hz out to ultrasonics and love those too even tho they are in storage.
Look into older Alon speakers as a budget example for a mid and tweet dipole speaker that performs great.
 
A short and phenomenally biased list of nice OB speakers (some cheap, others not-so-much):
WE/Altec 655
Pioneer/Lafayette SK98
JBL D120 (?.... the one used in the Ampex suitcase speaker/amps for the Model 600 tape recorder)
EV Wolverine LS8
EV SP8B
R/S 40-1271
R/S 40-1272

those are just the 8 inchers...
 
I am pleased. Can be a little shouty on some things, but then, a live orchestra can be a little shouty at times. ;) Very open sound stage and fairly insensitive to listening position. Great clarity which should improve with proper crossover. Had a friend over who is a classical pianist and teacher and she was quite taken with the sound. Not sure why the pic of the FR didn't get up (probably too big) but it was just a close up of the driver that you see on the baffle anyway. I am thinking that CS WR125 would be a very nice upgrade if I ever have the money.

mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom