Ed's new bookshelf speakers. Suggestions welcome. And a fun poll. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 05:59:04 am
content: [ Specified attachment is not available ]I've got a pair of Energy brand speakers from 199? They have mostly preformed more than adequately above the desk at shitpost central.They have served their master well. However they seem to have endured one too many mix-down. I'm sad to see them go. But like all good things, well, you know how it is.The company that produced these 20-25 years ago, unfortunately, is not the same and seems to offer no support or even a close to direct replacement or parts.I welcome any suggestions some new and fancy but I have a wishlist this time:Port front facing not rear facing.Slightly bigger enclosure and woofer. There was a larger model I wished I had bought.Passive. If you suggest a active (and likely noisy) speaker, I will swear at you and call yo mama what she is.Looking for mid price range. Not cheap rubbish. Not boutique nonsense either. Something decent that might last another quarter century.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 07:15:27 am
content: I have a set of black front ported Wharfedale Diamond 8.2's you can have, the woofers are both good but too muddy for my liking and one tweeter doesn't work, it measures open so probably requires replacement. These speakers have bi-terminals and a bridging link.If your cabinets are in good order I would recommend just getting some replacement speakers, Radio Parts used to have a good assortment. You should list the dimensions of replacement woofers and tweeters in addition to your location for postage calculations.

author: magic
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 07:58:49 am
content: Voted 1 because zero clue about speakers repair but I know there are recordings in mono out there

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 08:03:47 am
content: Quote from: magic on March 07, 2022, 07:58:49 amGeorge Martin, Bless him. All that remastering. He reckoned that the mono ones on the early ones are the shit.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 08:06:13 am
content: Wouldn't It Be Nice (Mono) - The Beach Boys

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 08:53:59 am
content: I have a set of Polk Model Nine floor speakers from the late 1970's.They have one mid-range and a soft dome tweeter in the front, three mid-range speakers and a passive woofer in the back.They stand about waist high and you place them about 12" from the wall to get the reflection correct.They are comparable to the Bose 901's for half the cost.They lasted for about 20 years until the foam mounting around each cone of the mid-range speakers fell apart.I was able to find replacement mid-range speakers and they've been good ever since.All eight of them bad. You don't have anything to complain about.Last year my Pioneer 1010 receiver (100W per channel) went out. No more tunes for me... I suspect it needs re-capped.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 11:31:05 am
content: Option 7- spend more money than a new pair and getting the existing drivers reconed

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 11:53:00 am
content: Quote from: themadhippy on March 07, 2022, 11:31:05 amYes, I want this approach. Would like suggestions for something new and nice.Fixing the woofer is a possible but finding a new pair tweeters that will drop in without needing to mess the x-over too much if there's a nasty notch, I dunno. Might fix them up for a rear-setup Floyd session.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2022, 02:55:39 pm
content: Off the wall variant:I'm thinking old school GUITAR AMP ...sincerelyWhat if you go in WholeHog, and find a couple medium sized BASS GUITAR AMPs, say having 10 inch speaker,like a high school orchestra Bass player might exhibit.Two of those, each are really really close, or maybe 3 inches taller/wider, it's more a cosmetic match left and right.Tweeters, you could use ¢ 75 cent piezo elements schotch taped to whatever. But if that's at work, not living room, hmmm : skip the tweeter part, just buy a candy bar, if that's like, forklifts passing by the aisle etc

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2022, 05:21:02 am
content: Maybe check at diyaudio.com If there are decent replacement parts available for your speakers, probably someone there will know.

author: twospoons
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2022, 09:03:42 pm
content: How's your carpentry? You can build your own from scratch and get good speakers for reasonable money + a little effort. Oh, and bragging rights.I built some floor standing 3-way speakers using Vifa drivers 30 years ago, and they're still going great. Only one driver replacement - after my amp blew a mosfet and dumped DC into one bass driver.diyaudio.com is definitely a good place to start.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 12:26:13 am
content: I'm extremely sorry for mentioning the book of faces but I've recently been in the market for some full sized speakers, bass mid and tweeters and there's a good range of second hand ones on there for less than a hundred bucks, especially if you don't mind rough, dinged up enclosures.Very local to me too, looks like there's a bloke in my town that has heaps of old hi-fi stuff.You never know what's around the corner in your neighbourhood<abe simpson rant>A lifetime ago I use to source 10" etone speakers from a guy in Sydney, no more than a couple of 100m from central. 30 bucks a pop and they were great for refurbing guitar amps. Very punchy sound and on par with good old fender twin reverb amps<end>

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 04:34:13 am
content: Yamaha HS-7 or HS-8. Add center sub if needed.Bit pricy..but Oh, what fun. I Have a pair for my personal stereo. When I need to mix or master something, or for small group at Church, or lunch party at work, I can grab and go.Steve

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 09:28:17 am
content: Quote from: MarkF on March 07, 2022, 08:53:59 amGood 'ole Polk.Starting to warm up to either Polk S20 or the R200. Can't make my mind up about which tweeter. I believe if I can give them a bit of clearance from the wall and be prepared to adjust it a bit, the rear port's OK. But we still call them 'book-shelf' speakers.Still gotta do a few more calcs to figure placement/separation etc. Rough sums a few days ago indicated that the newly mounted 2nd monitor has to go and have a more normal side by side dual monitor setup. Booo.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 09:51:51 am
content: Quote from: twospoons on March 08, 2022, 09:03:42 pmI built a few in the late '80s. Back in those days I could pick drivers from spec sheets and build boxes to match the drivers and the room they were going into. We had a couple of shops that could supply all you needed (Jaycar and Altronics). They even had the inner cloth and grill fabric. Was so easy.I used to do the x/overs myself and if need be with one rare stubborn case, add a notch filter. I never bought any Vifa drivers, but I got some pretty good results with well-chosen foam surround ones combined with mids and tweeters.When the stubby, fat enclosures started to go out of fashion, I was happy that the newer, smaller woofers, doubled up could reach the lows and substitute the 12" and 14" monsters. Just as well, cos by that time I wasn't allowed to bring these 20"+ wide speaker boxes into the house.I seem have nerded out. Sorry.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 10:08:27 am
content: Quote from: AlfBaz on March 09, 2022, 12:26:13 amMomma turn around a spit on the ground!QuoteA few years ago I stumbled upon a really nice ancient Revox receiver/amp. Bit of a deceased estate sort of thing. I'm sure the person didn't know just what they had but understandably grateful to have matters taken care of.A little bit of contact cleaner on the pots and matched up with similar vintage giant speakers, it found a new home in the workshop of a relative, who is grateful to have workshop tunes but surely also unaware just what he has. He's a fierce eBay-er, one day the penny will drop.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 12:18:08 pm
content: Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on March 09, 2022, 09:28:17 amI bought my Polk's when I was in college. There were two stereo stores in town about two blocks apart. One had the Bose 901 and the other the Polk Model Nine. I would go in one store and listen for a while, then run up the street and listen to the others for comparison. Price one out.The store with the Model Nine's one day had two pairs setup. Two left speakers beside one another and two right speakers on the other side of the room next to each other. The second pair made a hugh difference. Much fuller.As far as placement goes, I just moved them around till they sounded good. Although, the difference is more imagined than actual. Around 11" with a slight (5 degree angle) is where I ended up. The wall material makes more of a difference. For example wood paneling verses drywall. They still sound like new today even with the replacement mid-range speakers. I was able to find a local store at the time that was able to match the original ones.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2022, 12:32:17 pm
content: Quote from: MarkF on March 09, 2022, 12:18:08 pmGotta ask. Did the 901's come with that [essential?] active eq in those days?

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 11:21:50 am
content: I don't remember the Bose EQ at all. Is this what you are talking about?At quick Google search:"The EQ Box and The Moment of TruthBecause the Bose 901 makes use of nine full-range drivers, it takes advantage of an inline equalizer to make the speakers sound the way they are intended. Traditionalists, before you cry foul, think of the popularity of DSP-based speakers these days. Bose achieves a similar, if less sophisticated and considerably less-expensive effect with a passive EQ. The manual states the EQ can be used with series V 901s, but earlier models require the proper box.If you are using a receiver, the EQ must be placed in a tape-monitor circuit, or between amp and preamp if you have separates. The supplied pair of three-foot RCA patch cords gets the ball rolling. The EQ features a two-position button: position one offering a flatter response, and position two adding a slight bass bump, not unlike the loudness button on a 70s receiver. Finally, there are two sliding controls for mid-bass and mid-treble, the latter claiming the most control over the overall tonal balance."

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 12:00:57 pm
content: Quote from: MarkF on March 11, 2022, 11:21:50 amI wonder if the EQ was snake oil. Of was the 901 just a glorified mid-range speaker.Found this:Quotehttps://forums.tomsguide.com/threads/bose-901-equalizer-needed.445482/Plot thickens.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 12:06:36 pm
content: The 901 Series 1 from 1968:Quotehttps://www.soundandvision.com/content/flashback-1968-bose-901-speaker-system

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 03:37:42 pm
content: Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on March 07, 2022, 08:06:13 amNo, BIG MISTAKE!The solution is to use these:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164401549165Polished Lepidolite Tumblestone 15-25mm Reiki Chakra Healing CrystalsPut one in each speaker/tweater, it can take up to 3 months for the healing 'repair waves' to work.Then listen to the 'Rolling Stones'. But please keep the volume down, or you will end up breaking the speakers again.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2022, 08:46:22 pm
content: Make a grown man cry.

author: Jeff eelcr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2022, 05:23:56 pm
content: Bose also made a receiver with the EQ built in to it.Jeff

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2022, 02:56:43 pm
content: Moar Polkery..Much want.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 01:47:18 am
content: Hey Ed ;A tiny bit off'audio but for nice dress-up, You can't beat an '87 Cents' Store, purchase a pair of Storage-Totes, the things look like stiffer version, of CANVAS shop bags, etc.Point is, those 10 inch cubes (28 cm), with bottom panel omitted, make 'attractive' little covers...; THEN, You insert 'Ugly' from 1992, speaker, with, I don't know...Bat Shit stains, or something...but insert with that 'thinner' fabric bottom, as Your sound output grill.In other words, looking good, cheap, and 'cubes' would be perched up on any file cabinet or whatever, (blaring Santana!)I think was 2 .39 $ at that thrift store.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 01:47:58 am
content: Here is picture;

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 03:50:20 am
content: Since you sound like you are handy, Parts Express has a number of 2-way ported speaker kits. I built their downward firing subwoofer and it came out very good.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 04:07:34 am
content: Quote from: David Hess on March 26, 2022, 03:50:20 amNice. Thanks. What a great website.BTW, the .au version of that domain is for tractor parts. Who doesn't like tractor parts?

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2022, 09:43:41 pm
content: Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on March 26, 2022, 04:07:34 amI suspect the Russians now object to tractor parts.All of their ported kits have the port on the back. I was thinking of moving the port to the front but that project is on hold since I already have a pair of acceptable bookshelf speakers, and I suspect gaining a significant improvement over them would require a 3-way design anyway.

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 01, 2022, 06:48:08 am
content: Where are you at with the speakers?I don't own a set but theseEdifier P17speakers look okay and seem to get pretty good reviews. They are currently half price and only $65 delivered from Amazon. You can search the linked site for Edifier to check out other peoples feedback as well.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2022, 07:52:12 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on April 01, 2022, 06:48:08 amThanks. Great bargain. But I think the 20w rating is a bit on the low side. Still holding out the hint that Santa might put a pair of Polks into the stocking, if I'm a good boy.Quote

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2022, 05:42:46 pm
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on April 01, 2022, 06:48:08 amI bought theEdifier P12s from Amazonand have been completely happy with them. They are of course a massive improvement over the 20 year old computer speakers I was using. Being pretty small, they are not real efficient but small 50 watt per channel amplifiers are plentiful.My bookshelves are 16 inches tall so could take advantage of a larger speaker, but I have not found anything that would be enough of an improvement for the cost. Maybe next year I will have time to design and fabricate my own 3-way bookshelf speakers.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2022, 07:50:06 am
content: Buchardt S400 MKII