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DIY Walsh speakers
- Thread starter ASVJerry
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shelly_d
Not An Audiophool
From the title and criptic nature of the post, I would think the OP has a set of Walsh drivers that he wants to use in a DIY enclousure.
My take:
If you have the drivers and not the cabinets, the drivers are good only to either sell or build an enclosure for. So Go For It and GOOD LUCK!
Shelly_D
Love to see the photos.
My take:
If you have the drivers and not the cabinets, the drivers are good only to either sell or build an enclosure for. So Go For It and GOOD LUCK!
Shelly_D
Love to see the photos.
I'm just puzzled by the 'repurposing' idea -- it seems to me that with the full range Walsh drivers, there is a very limited number of ways to use them. I suppose you could put them in a different alignment enclosure, but my memory suggests that they were an acoustic suspension design, so the original size is probably about ideal, and a ported enclosure might not be ideal for the Walsh driver and its power demands. Maybe a transmission line might work. But that's hardly repurposing.
But other than that, repurposing seems to suggest dunce caps, plant pots or megaphones, and that's a line of thinking that probably no one wants to encourage...
But other than that, repurposing seems to suggest dunce caps, plant pots or megaphones, and that's a line of thinking that probably no one wants to encourage...
mhardy6647
Lunatic Member
I suspect he means taking regular old cone drivers and running 'em upside down on top of a TL or vented enclosure - a la the smaller Ohm "Walsh" speakers -- rather different than the big boy Walsh drivers.
ASVJerry
Active Member
DIY Walsh exposition...
Hello to y'all. *S* Yes, a bit 'cryptic' (not the 1st time I've been accused...guilty), but it did catch your curiosity at least. If this doesn't hold your attention, I'll thank you for at least 'stopping by'.
No, I don't have any old Walsh/new Ohm drivers that I'm looking to build enclosures for. That actually wouldn't be that hard, really. 'I have that technology'.
I'm getting back into making 'new' ones by 'reconstructing' some derelict drivers of no particular pedigree into something I hope might begin to approach a decent sounding 'spoof' (if you'll pardon the expression, I 'do something of that nature' in my company...check my user file).
As for the 'getting back into making', pics attached are of 2 units that I 'repurposed' (at least) 8 years ago. They hadn't seen the light of day until recently, when I finally unpacked them and wired them up. Suprise! They still work, none the worse for the interval involved.
I'm Finally in a site and situation where I can get back into one aspect of 'my hobby', Audio with Cold Water Budget. I don't have multi-K$ amps driving esoteria that rival the window stickers on BMWs. I DO appreciate them; I've even heard some that caught my interest. But own...no....
At 63, I don't have 'dog whistle ears', either...but I know what I like to hear.
Anyway...look @ the attached. Ask, leave, whatever. I'd like to engage in some constructive criticism or get some viewpoints I perhaps might be 'tone-deaf' (literally, in some ways *L*) to. Scoff, laugh, be amused, or hang in and maybe we might have some 'fun'.
Yeah...this is Me Having Fun. I ramble, rant, crack 'funny' (well, I try), but if it isn't amusing on some level, we can all go back to whatever we were doing and this thread can die as so many others have.
I don't mean to strike this as a defensive posture. I just want to be CLEAR about this, and not be 'cryptic'. If I wanted to 'pull your leg, it just might be in my possession already. But I don't want your leg. Your input, observations, whatever might be appropo IYourHO.
(Random note: I'm a bit of a 'night owl', so most of my posts run 'late' time-wise...but I will respond...*S*)
I'll shut up now...
Hello to y'all. *S* Yes, a bit 'cryptic' (not the 1st time I've been accused...guilty), but it did catch your curiosity at least. If this doesn't hold your attention, I'll thank you for at least 'stopping by'.
No, I don't have any old Walsh/new Ohm drivers that I'm looking to build enclosures for. That actually wouldn't be that hard, really. 'I have that technology'.
I'm getting back into making 'new' ones by 'reconstructing' some derelict drivers of no particular pedigree into something I hope might begin to approach a decent sounding 'spoof' (if you'll pardon the expression, I 'do something of that nature' in my company...check my user file).
As for the 'getting back into making', pics attached are of 2 units that I 'repurposed' (at least) 8 years ago. They hadn't seen the light of day until recently, when I finally unpacked them and wired them up. Suprise! They still work, none the worse for the interval involved.
I'm Finally in a site and situation where I can get back into one aspect of 'my hobby', Audio with Cold Water Budget. I don't have multi-K$ amps driving esoteria that rival the window stickers on BMWs. I DO appreciate them; I've even heard some that caught my interest. But own...no....
At 63, I don't have 'dog whistle ears', either...but I know what I like to hear.
Anyway...look @ the attached. Ask, leave, whatever. I'd like to engage in some constructive criticism or get some viewpoints I perhaps might be 'tone-deaf' (literally, in some ways *L*) to. Scoff, laugh, be amused, or hang in and maybe we might have some 'fun'.
Yeah...this is Me Having Fun. I ramble, rant, crack 'funny' (well, I try), but if it isn't amusing on some level, we can all go back to whatever we were doing and this thread can die as so many others have.
I don't mean to strike this as a defensive posture. I just want to be CLEAR about this, and not be 'cryptic'. If I wanted to 'pull your leg, it just might be in my possession already. But I don't want your leg. Your input, observations, whatever might be appropo IYourHO.
(Random note: I'm a bit of a 'night owl', so most of my posts run 'late' time-wise...but I will respond...*S*)
I'll shut up now...
Attachments
Interesting. What do you use for the cone material?
Where would one go about locating such materials?
(...and we get to see the 'new' Dr. tomorrow...
Yep! Looking forward to it. Capaldi is a very capable actor.
DominicL
Active Member
Funny you asked that. My first impression was that the OP has access to a scrap metal yard. Reason I say that is because i worked in one for 38 years and boy, do those metal pieces look familiar!
Lithograph sheets are used by printing companies to print flyers, posters, and more! Looks like there are steel threaded rods with aluminum pipe (eletrical conduit pipe?) between the nuts as spacers clamping everything together?
AVSJerry, fantastic work! But have you hooked them up to have a listen yet? And if so, how do they sound? One more question. What is the white base made from??
ASVJerry
Active Member
G'day, gentlemen...*S*
Sam, I got the litho sheets from a friend who was cleaning up his garage, who sold wholesale supplies to the print trades. A better source suggested to me is Graingers', who stocks "full hard aluminum foil" in a variety of sizes and mil thicknesses. Another more exotic option is titanium sheet; pricey, but can be cut with scissors and has that strength/weight ratio that could be 'interesting'.
Dominic, you're spot on as to the hardware but scaled down. 1/4-20 threaded rod in 1/2" alum tubes. As to the base...a 4" dia. DWV flange. I band sawed the excess skirt off for grins...
As for the sound, I was then and still now pleasantly surprised by the first version. You'll note in the pics that there is a difference in the 'surround material' between them.
V.1 has sheet packing foam, +/- 1/16" thick. It's the sort that doesn't tear easily in one dimension. It plays rather nicely IMHO for a piece of junk taught to sing. Just sitting on it's 'base' it even has a bit of low end going, although it'll never rival your typical full range driver. I played it then (8ish yrs. ago) for some friends who were more impressed by it's dispersion than it's range.
v.2 (as an experiment) uses dental dam sheet instead of the foam. And it's going to go back to the bench to swap that out. It only plays well Very Softly; turn it up, and it 'booms' in it's miniscule way trying to toss it's voice coil. I might use that material for smaller 1.5" HF units that I'm eyeing to abuse just to see if 'scaling' (large to small, and the inverse) and surround material selection has effect...which I suspect it will.
v.1 was a lucky 'best guess', v.2, a case of too much compliance...
Earlier responses from posters suggested that I was looking to mount existing Walsh drivers onto new enclosures. I downloaded the Walsh patent, and it plainly shows the intended unit to have an enclosure that is similar in scale to what my PVC 'base' has: dinky. Perhaps a extreme variant on 'acoustic suspension"? Another thing to mess about with; v.1 sounds ok as it is. I want to explore packing the base volume with varying amounts of various damping materials to see what happens...more cheap thrills.
BTB, I like your equipment list. I'll post my junk later when I get around to actually bothering to make a catalogue of it. Nothing terribly exotic, but it didn't All follow me home, either. *L* Some of it was actually on purpose...
Sam, I got the litho sheets from a friend who was cleaning up his garage, who sold wholesale supplies to the print trades. A better source suggested to me is Graingers', who stocks "full hard aluminum foil" in a variety of sizes and mil thicknesses. Another more exotic option is titanium sheet; pricey, but can be cut with scissors and has that strength/weight ratio that could be 'interesting'.
Dominic, you're spot on as to the hardware but scaled down. 1/4-20 threaded rod in 1/2" alum tubes. As to the base...a 4" dia. DWV flange. I band sawed the excess skirt off for grins...
As for the sound, I was then and still now pleasantly surprised by the first version. You'll note in the pics that there is a difference in the 'surround material' between them.
V.1 has sheet packing foam, +/- 1/16" thick. It's the sort that doesn't tear easily in one dimension. It plays rather nicely IMHO for a piece of junk taught to sing. Just sitting on it's 'base' it even has a bit of low end going, although it'll never rival your typical full range driver. I played it then (8ish yrs. ago) for some friends who were more impressed by it's dispersion than it's range.
v.2 (as an experiment) uses dental dam sheet instead of the foam. And it's going to go back to the bench to swap that out. It only plays well Very Softly; turn it up, and it 'booms' in it's miniscule way trying to toss it's voice coil. I might use that material for smaller 1.5" HF units that I'm eyeing to abuse just to see if 'scaling' (large to small, and the inverse) and surround material selection has effect...which I suspect it will.
v.1 was a lucky 'best guess', v.2, a case of too much compliance...
Earlier responses from posters suggested that I was looking to mount existing Walsh drivers onto new enclosures. I downloaded the Walsh patent, and it plainly shows the intended unit to have an enclosure that is similar in scale to what my PVC 'base' has: dinky. Perhaps a extreme variant on 'acoustic suspension"? Another thing to mess about with; v.1 sounds ok as it is. I want to explore packing the base volume with varying amounts of various damping materials to see what happens...more cheap thrills.
BTB, I like your equipment list. I'll post my junk later when I get around to actually bothering to make a catalogue of it. Nothing terribly exotic, but it didn't All follow me home, either. *L* Some of it was actually on purpose...
Binkman
Lunatic Member
G'day: You're in Ashville I'm in Raleigh... NC 'scryptology' folks. 
Are you Aussie?
That's some pretty interesting work. Make a hell of a beacon light in a similar configuration. Is the dome original? Sounds bassy? Any links on cabinets/ pics or designs?
If the patents have run out and not reregistered it's fair game. If they haven't run out? Who cares if they sue you LOL... a patent judge would entertain it because he needs a good laugh.
Are you Aussie? That's some pretty interesting work. Make a hell of a beacon light in a similar configuration. Is the dome original? Sounds bassy? Any links on cabinets/ pics or designs?
If the patents have run out and not reregistered it's fair game. If they haven't run out? Who cares if they sue you LOL... a patent judge would entertain it because he needs a good laugh.
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ASVJerry
Active Member
Hi Binkman. *G* My alternate e/m mail goes to 'Binkyhouston', so I just Had to laugh...
Aussie, no. Smart *ss, Yes. *L* I'm from S. CA, so I claim to y'all that I have an excuse. (Follow up query: "And yours is...?") *LOL*
Unless Ohm has something legal re the patent and I'm not trying to make a buck, F them. Like you pointed out, the judge would laugh....Maybe...they're not prone to giggling much. (I only know of one case in particular; a friend got po'd @ a change machine in a laundromat and beat it into trash with a Really Big breaker bar. The judge cracked up, said "you've done what All of us have wanted to do at some time or another", and made him pay for the damage...)
Dome/cone is my doing. Design is ditto, such as it is. No links to my fevered brain that I know of, unless the NSA is doing things we Really Need To Worry About.*L*shrug*
Bassy, not really. 'Well behaved' is perhaps a better surmise. It's something I want to investigate, perhaps in various ways 'n means....
I started this thread because there seems to be a rather large contingent of Walsh fans and admirers here at A-K, as opposed to DIY-A. I thought I might kick up some dust and see if anyone might be interested in commenting on my mania, or a least throw rocks at the infidel who'd Dare to abuse an icon, such as it is. Since there's already 'Walsh clones'/DDD drivers 'out there', I'm going to innocently conclude that I can screw around to my hearts' content and y'all can either join in or Bronx Cheer. Either way, I'll do what I want....*evil L*
Aussie, no. Smart *ss, Yes. *L* I'm from S. CA, so I claim to y'all that I have an excuse. (Follow up query: "And yours is...?") *LOL*
Unless Ohm has something legal re the patent and I'm not trying to make a buck, F them. Like you pointed out, the judge would laugh....Maybe...they're not prone to giggling much. (I only know of one case in particular; a friend got po'd @ a change machine in a laundromat and beat it into trash with a Really Big breaker bar. The judge cracked up, said "you've done what All of us have wanted to do at some time or another", and made him pay for the damage...)
Dome/cone is my doing. Design is ditto, such as it is. No links to my fevered brain that I know of, unless the NSA is doing things we Really Need To Worry About.*L*shrug*
Bassy, not really. 'Well behaved' is perhaps a better surmise. It's something I want to investigate, perhaps in various ways 'n means....
I started this thread because there seems to be a rather large contingent of Walsh fans and admirers here at A-K, as opposed to DIY-A. I thought I might kick up some dust and see if anyone might be interested in commenting on my mania, or a least throw rocks at the infidel who'd Dare to abuse an icon, such as it is. Since there's already 'Walsh clones'/DDD drivers 'out there', I'm going to innocently conclude that I can screw around to my hearts' content and y'all can either join in or Bronx Cheer. Either way, I'll do what I want....*evil L*
ASVJerry
Active Member
A Disclaimer:
Previous post is NOT meant to infer that I've extended a middle digit at any viewers, nor to infer that viewers should do something unlikely to themselves.
All of what I'm doing and how I express myself is basically my own mental derangement and what a SoCal refugee from the '60s' might be when allowed access to a public forum. I will adhere to the rules 'n regs of this forum.
I will, However, Be What I Am. To quote from "My Pink Half of the Drainpipe" by The Bonzo Dog Band ('Tadpoles' LP), "I intend to be a Freak for the rest of my life!"
Mission Accomplished.
I won't bite you unless I think you need it. Or want it. In that case, the Office of Abuse is down the hall, 5th door on the right. Good day. :wave:
Previous post is NOT meant to infer that I've extended a middle digit at any viewers, nor to infer that viewers should do something unlikely to themselves.
All of what I'm doing and how I express myself is basically my own mental derangement and what a SoCal refugee from the '60s' might be when allowed access to a public forum. I will adhere to the rules 'n regs of this forum.
I will, However, Be What I Am. To quote from "My Pink Half of the Drainpipe" by The Bonzo Dog Band ('Tadpoles' LP), "I intend to be a Freak for the rest of my life!"
Mission Accomplished.
I won't bite you unless I think you need it. Or want it. In that case, the Office of Abuse is down the hall, 5th door on the right. Good day. :wave:
DominicL
Active Member
Nice stable there! I've been eq'ing my systems for many moons too. I would not be without one!
Had an active crossover too, however, once I got the Magnepans, I found that there was no sonic benefit so it's been sold. The stock crossover is quite good with the maggies. Had a real Rube Goldberg box speaker stack. Once the grandkids started getting fiesty, down that came and was replaced by the Maggies.
Had some "audiophile" gear but guess what? A/B testing and found none were better than any other. "Different", yes, but not better. The key is in the set up, as you well know! And the equalizer, well, it equalized all the gear to my room, so I sold the expensive goodies. I do love the open baffle speakers so the Maggies are staying.
And i am always on the lookout for a bargain! Got a nice Citation 16 today thanks to a fellow AKer for cheap money. Comparing it now to the Crown Class D amp. Citation matches better with my pre amp. More ooomph! I bought the Citation to flip n hopefully make a dollar or two, but not sure what im keeping now!
So what's this have to do with the price of tea in China?? Natta! Well maybe something. We are in this hobby to have fun in one way or another! Keep the "sperimenting" going!
ASVJerry
Active Member
I'll do that (continue my 'speriment)...
Yeah, I've got that 'stack 'o speakers' thing going to, but the Kenwoods are subject to being 'carved up', since they're no great shakes. I've got a vintage 15" EV woof that I got literally out of someones' trash, had re-coned and surrounded. Turns out it's considered decent by those that noodle around with pedigrees. Weighs in like 2 cinder blocks. *L* Going to replace the Polk, the Heils get detached from the Pioneers, the 5JRs' become LM/UB, and the whole thing gets dialed in...
...and there's the insane/inane quest I'm considering of a 3-way Walsh, just for the 'goof' factor. "Runs @ 100, blows up @ 101..." *LOL*
Stay tuned...
Yeah, I've got that 'stack 'o speakers' thing going to, but the Kenwoods are subject to being 'carved up', since they're no great shakes. I've got a vintage 15" EV woof that I got literally out of someones' trash, had re-coned and surrounded. Turns out it's considered decent by those that noodle around with pedigrees. Weighs in like 2 cinder blocks. *L* Going to replace the Polk, the Heils get detached from the Pioneers, the 5JRs' become LM/UB, and the whole thing gets dialed in...
...and there's the insane/inane quest I'm considering of a 3-way Walsh, just for the 'goof' factor. "Runs @ 100, blows up @ 101..." *LOL*
Stay tuned...
