THE ORRONOCO AUDIO DIY

As a  do it yourself  in audio system, finding the sweet-spot is more exciting and challenging at the same time. This is because you can do by yourself, to match between the components and upgrade the audio system based on what you think they will be improve. There almost no limit in this action, only self-satisfaction and at one point, enough is the finish line. I have made many DAC before. I know how to make a DAC that will be sound marvelous, or just right. And I have them all. The problem now is the other chain in my audio system need to maximized like what I did with the DAC. So, in this post, I shared my listening session activity, changing and replacing DAC, set up the room, and tuning speaker cross-over (again), which all of them are the culprits to finding the sweet-spot.

About eight years ago, I was built a 2-way speaker system using SB Acoustic drivers. The driver for woofer is SB16PFC25-08 and for tweeter is SB19ST-C000-4. You can visit the post  here . Although this speaker is sound good, but it is not perfect. This is because working on multi driver is challenging. The crossover is the components module to split the frequency range between woofer for low pass and tweeter for high pass. The crossover should make the sound from each of the drivers well blending with the correct phase, so the sound will be coherent. This is not an easy task since the crossover calculation should be made correctly. I made many changes since the day this speaker finished and the last update is on last August  here . The goal for those changes is to make the sound enjoyable to listen, less dip and peak especially on the cross-over point, and make the sound fuller and wider. So, in this post, I made other changes in this speaker system by using the detail paramet...

Continue from my previous speaker cross-over modification from -12dB to -6dB slope, I satisfy with the result and I would replace the capacitor to the better one. I had used many high-quality capacitor on my previous project and for this cross-over capacitor component, I will prefer to use Miflex MKP-14, which not only for it's affordable price, but in my opinion, the quality is better than Jantzen Cross-cap or Mundorf MKP.

We are fully aware that the speaker is the end of every audio chains. In my experience, once I get satisfy with a pair of speaker, then it will sit there for very long time. The reason is because every speaker has their own characteristic to match with the room acoustic and personal taste. This is not easy to having the right one, and of course with affordable price. My speakers is the 2-way system, they are consisting of 2 drivers from my local brand, SB Acoustic SB16PFC25-8 for mid-bass and SB19ST-C0004 for tweeter. I've listening to this speaker for quite long time with the -12dB crossover point, or commonly known as 2nd order slope. They are all good, but today I want to try the -6dB crossover point.

I haven't published any post in this new year yet because I think there are nothing worth enough to share. My last post about building a DAC that based on the Nakamichi Dragon DAC schematic is now become my currently best DAC. It is sound so good, yet the most expensive DAC I've ever built. I think this is my full stop to make any DAC again. So in this post is just about myself, lying on my sofa while listening the music with my DIY stereo system in one fine evening, probably few days before the new year. With the borrowed camera on my hands, I try to take few pictures about all of my audio system. I think the picture are worth to share.

Two years ago, I made 2 way speakers system using a local brand drivers. It is SB Acoustic SB16PFC25-08 for the woofer and SB19ST-C000-4 for the tweeter. The speakers finished and the sound is amazing. It become my reference speakers to listen the music in my audio system. I wish you followed my blog about building this speakers in  Part 1   Part 2   Part 4  and  Final Part . I explain all steps when building this speakers. Times passes very quick since that built until one day, on my daily listening session, I  think the cross-over point is all correct and I can start to glued it inside the speakers box. So here I am today, visiting this speakers again.

I shall repeat that the result of this speaker box built is very good. The cutting for each drivers holes are precise, so I just need to put all in placed. Previously I have shared the  assembly process which is very easy. I just install the cables from the driver to the crossover and to the input terminal. So in this post, I will do some upgrade on the crossover components. Check this out.

To make myself a productive person, this morning I woke up early and start to work on this new speaker project.  Perhaps this is an excuse for me not to slept well last night. I am actually not in patient to have an audition for this new speakers. So in this post, I will share the assembly process of this 2 way SB Acoustic speaker system.

I am not a carpenter, nor the speaker box builder. In the past, I usually bought a readily available box. It cannot customized based on my personal preference and the quality are not consistent. My single driver full range speaker  here is my first experience using more professional speakers box builder. The result is blowing my mind. It is of course more expensive, but the result is far beyond my imagination. With the owner permission, I can share his workshop and find out how those speakers are build here in this small house.

When I building multi way speaker system, I mostly using the 2nd order crossover for the starting point. Then, one by one I experimenting to the higher order cross over slope to get the better result from each drivers. The tweeter installation previously on my car  here is only using the first order cross-over for both drivers. This is by only using 1 capacitor for the tweeter and 1 inductor for the mid-range. I know at that time I had a short time installation but I will revised it in today upgrade. I will rebuild the cross-over and upgrade it to the 2nd order slope.

In this post I will building the crossover network for this SB Acoustic speaker project. Building a crossover network is not an easy job. Especially to determined the frequency cutting point and slope, then a proper measurement should be done correctly. Each crossover's components value is also very critical, especially when designing for the high pass filter. Then, when it is finished, it require to test by listening the result. On many cases, the sound need to be corrected by changing the components value by trial and error. This is a long project if I start from the scratch. So to make it more simple, I was searching any information related to the driver that I am using in this project. I found this  blog , which this gentlemen is very helpful to give many information related to his speakers project using SB Acoustic drivers. His project is called LARK.  My speakers box dimension almost exactly the same to his drawing. Then for the crossover schematic, after I did a co...

I had a planned since few months ago to build a new speaker for my stereo system. This new speakers will replacing my current one  here . The reason for this is because I want a speakers that can deliver wider audio frequency range and not only focusing on mid range like in the single driver full range speakers. This project is very interesting because all of the driver are local made. I am using the SB Acoustic drivers which they are very well known speakers driver worldwide.

When choosing a speakers system, I usually need to evaluate it directly on my listening room. It is not an easy pick up stuff and hope it will suit to my listening preference or with the room acoustic. There is no way I can tell how good one speaker to another by just only looking to the specification. Like this Polk Audio SDA Compact Speakers that just coming to my house last week. I can only say nothing than WOW. The finished of this speaker is astonishing and the drivers configuration are extraordinary. Remembering this speakers are actually build around 80's and maybe the older it get, the mature sound it is. Just like a bottle of wine.

It is been a long time since I bought this Vifa TC9-FD18-08  here , it is a 8 ohm driver with almost similar specification as the Vifa TG9 except TG9 is 4 ohm. Theoretically, the higher impedance will make the distortion lower and I wish I could hear cleaner sound with this 8 ohm speakers. So here there are, a pair of TC9 speaker driver ready to replace my current Vifa TG9.

I recall my memory from my teenager age, when I was looking at the MIT cable advertisement in the Stereophile magazine, I believe it was mid 90's, the mysterious box is in line with the cables that makes me curious about the purpose of that box. I was thinking it should be some magic or top-secret tuning equipment from the MIT engineer for speaker cables. My curiosity keeps rolling through my head until today, I have a chance to have it. So let's take a look closer and let's find out the magic.

It is been a long time I using Vifa TG9 here  on my living room. I personally like the character of this driver playing simple music. The TG9 is a bamboo cone with 4 ohm impedance, while this TC9 is a paper cone with 8 ohm impedance.

As an audio reference, I often do a listening session with my friends in my home audio system. Most of them are shocked about how could a small full-range can produce marvelous mid-range without compromising the low and high frequency. I often told them about this Vifa TG9 is superior. I had do comparison the sound quality with the larger driver from Visaton here , and no luck for Visaton to beat this TG9 at all. Another day, another chance to open up the battle again. This time the contender is coming from SB Acoustic 2.5 inch full-range drivers, SB65WBAC15-4 versus TG9-FSD10-04 install in the car audio system.

One thing that I loved about a good full-range drivers is I don't have to calculate and experiment the cross-over values. But in most cases, the one pair full range speaker cannot give fuller frequency band. Especially for the car audio system, in this listening space, it is require multi driver to reach the full band audio frequency. As you may have the same experience like I did, designing the cross-over in multi way speaker system may takes so much time and money. This is including trial and error from different value of components and hear the effect to the sound. I used to experimented the parallel  cross-over  configuration for long time. This parallel cross-over means each driver has the same input from the amplifier, configures in parallel. It  is more difficult to design, especially if it set into higher order frequency slope. The most problem with this parallel  cross-over is the  frequency response between the drivers is hard to blend each other ...

I wish you have following this blog and you will aware that I am using a pair of DIY small full range speaker in my audio setup. This speaker is using a single driver from Vifa TG9. It is a 3.5 inch full range driver which the sound is surprisingly wonderful. You can read my review of Vifa TG9  here . As always, DIY audio is a journey. I wish I could have a bigger driver for the single driver full range speakers as the replacement for my current speaker using Vifa TG9. Naturally the bigger driver should have better bass response. That is why, from few days before, I really put my interest on this Visaton SC13, a 5 inch full range driver that I think it could perform really well for the full-range speaker project. So how good is this Visaton SC13 compare to the Vifa TG9? I will reveal in this post.

I recall my memory from the beginning I jump in this audio hobbies which I should follow to the general audio rules of thumb. Especially for the speaker, the best sound is always from multi-way speakers system. Then if the bass is not strong enough, so adding a sub-woofer or two will improve the low frequency gain. The music can be fine tune as the listener preference with tone control. I follow this rules for years and at the end it is very complicated. I cannot enjoy the music because I am too busy dial the tone control and adjusting the sub-woofer level. The music is mix with additional noise and dirty from the unnecessary equipment in the signal path. No matters how many times I dial the tone control or the sub-woofer setting, the music never presenting well to my ears. Until one day, I was thinking about changing my audio system in a simple way. This only the source, it is a CD player, a passive volume control and power amplifier. There is nothing else. The speaker also very simpl...