Small Secondary Speakers

[DSJR]

I really ought to have a go at summat like this for myself - lazy git I am....... The LS5/9's are very "organic and smoothly coloured," but a desktop really needs something a bit more "direct" sounding I think. If the port makes the sound too "porty" thus mounted, rather than on stands, I'd probably suggest a Wilko bath sponge cut in two on standby

Good luck and hope the sound suits - should I reckon...

[Alex_UK]

everything else will go into storage

Very low rates at my storage facility in Suffolk - I'll even turn everything on from time to time and play music through it to make sure nothing has seized up!

Those speaker cabs do look good Martin - will be watching this one with interest, nice one.

[MartinT]

I've just received the cabinets from Moldova and they were well packed and look gorgeous, with an excellent finish to the veneer. The Fostex drivers are due in at the end of the week so more later.

[MartinT]

Fostex drivers have arrived. Assembling...

Photos later.

[synsei]

Looking forward to seeing those Martin

[Canetoad]

[Haselsh1]

Can't wait to see the photo's. I've wanted to do this very project for years.

[MartinT]

Let's call it final assembly, shall we? If I refer to this as a project you might think that some work was involved, instead of simple soldering and screwing. After seeing what some DIYers elsewhere on this forum can achieve, I'd have to hide!

Parts
2 x ready-made custom ported cabinets (eBay seller from Moldova)
2 x Fostex FF125WK drivers (Wilmslow Audio)
Length of Black Rhodium Twist speaker cable
4mm plugs
Some thick loft insulation
Silver solder
Stick-on feet

Assembly
Umm... put it all together.

Photos
Parts laid out. The reflex cabinets arrived finished and polished. Even the rear terminal panel was pre-fitted! The drivers came with a sealing gasket and self-tapping screws and washers.



Bang - done! I will eventually replace the self-tapping screws with T-Nuts and hex bolts so that I can experiment more easily. Loft insulation was inserted through the driver hole before assembly.



When I said near-field I meant it! This configuration, using a corner desk, is perfect as nearfield speakers sound better when they're not pointing directly at you. Driving them is my Windows 8 desktop PC via S/PDIF optical to a Caiman DAC and then a Mini-T amp.



Sound
They're on continuous soak test to loosen them up a little. I shall leave them running all day tomorrow. Listening notes after they've settled down!

I'm also going to experiment with varying levels of damping, different damping materials and perhaps a brace from the back of the cabinet to the driver magnet.

[walpurgis]

Those look very good.

Do yourself a favour though, remove the loft insulation ASAP and vacuum the cabinets out, as this stuff sheds bits of fibre that will go through the rear cone suspension spider and contaminate the voicecoil gap!

Instead, try some of this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3007151366...84.m1423.l2649

And use 1" thick polyeurothane foam sheet on the back panel (experiment then glue on if happy).

Leave an area around the back of the reflex ports clear of wadding by a couple of inches or so.

[Ali Tait]

Not to mention the fibres will chuff out of the port and you will breathe them in, and you don't wanna do that!