single driver omni directional help

organ
organ Posts: 4,969
edited December 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
Need some help here. Anybody know of any online plans for single driver omni-directional speakers? Just something I'd love to try out in the future. Looking for lower price and high efficiency.
The towers from Mirage looks interesting but I'm pretty sure they need some power.
MBL will always be a dream for me lol.
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  • Jim Shearer
    Jim Shearer Posts: 369
    edited December 2010
    If you want to get some ideas about building your own full range single drivers, the best site I know is: www.diyaudio.com
    look under loudspeakers/fullrange
    (in this case, full range = single driver)

    One design I am considering is the bi-pole Metronome which you can find at:
    http://www.frugal-horn.com/metronome.html

    Just remember: speaker building is addictive. Like potato chips, you can't stop after just one.

    Cheers, Jim
    A day without music is like a day without food.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited December 2010
    Here are some of my favorite sites:

    www.fullrangedriver.com
    http://www.brinesacoustics.com/
    http://www.quarter-wave.com/
    www.madisound.com (source of Fostex drivers)
    www.t-linespeakers.org (not strictly FR drivers, but still pretty cool)
    www.planetsofta.com (Dave Dlugos' other hifi-esque site)

    some of my own personal favorite FR drivers/enclosures (none of which is omnidirectional, though):

    R/S 40-1354 5-1/4" twincone in Bob Brines designed mass loaded folded, tapered quarter-wave tube (cabinet built by my friend Mike Berg; phase plugs by Dave Dlugos):

    DSCN5289.jpg



    Fostex FE-207E in 1ft^3 rear-ported enclosure (designed and built by Dave J here in MA; Kitteh-mass-loading optional).

    FE207E.jpg
    PartsExpress (Pioneer OEM) 269-469 "69 cent wonder" 4" FR in bass reflex cabinet (designed and built by my son as part of a Science Fair project)

    P1020270.jpg

    you can read more about these amazing drivers at:
    http://ratch-h.com/69centwonder.html
    http://ratch-h.com/pa-speaker.html
    http://ratch-h.com/farm.html
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited December 2010
    Jim,
    Thanks for the link. I have zero woodworking skill so my dealer will be building the speakers. I still haven't talked to them about it.
    I think you will enjoy the bipolar sound. I used to own a pair of bipolar speakers from Mirage and the effect is fantastic. Let us know how it sounds.

    mrh,
    Thanks. Looks like I'll be doing some nice reading tonight from all those links. I remember you helping me in my other single driver page and I'm still considering having that first one you posted built. But I doubt I'll be able to find those drivers. The Fostex 207 is fantastic. I had a pair of speakers that used them. I regret letting them go:(.

    Thanks again for the help. I'll keep you guys posted.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited December 2010
    Sorry that I was redundant - I like to go off half-cocked about things like FR and coax drivers...

    PartsExpress has a really interesting looking fullrange driver in the same price range as the FE207E; I don't know of anyone who's actually tried it... but it looks like it has potential.

    http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=295-344 6.5"
    http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=295-346 8"

    295-344_s.jpg
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited December 2010
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    Sorry that I was redundant - I like to go off half-cocked about things like FR and coax drivers...

    PartsExpress has a really interesting looking fullrange driver in the same price range as the FE207E; I don't know of anyone who's actually tried it... but it looks like it has potential.

    http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=295-344 6.5"
    http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=295-346 8"

    295-344_s.jpg
    Looks to be a solid performer.

    http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?t=220356&highlight=PS220

    http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?t=221465

    But, I don't believe it would work well for omni-directional use. Just curious, why would you want only a single driver/omni speaker, you'll be extremely limited in bandwidth.
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • strider
    strider Posts: 2,568
    edited December 2010
    Check out this series of designs from the Planet 10 website:

    http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeakers/FAL/downloads/microTower-maps-150909.pdf

    Some interesting designs in there, I'm thinking of building a pair of the inverted halfTower ML-TL for next to my flat screen.
    Wristwatch--->Crisco
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited December 2010
    I was looking at that 8"driver the other day. I am thinking about taking that bad boy for a test drive.

    May try a t-line style cabinet with the speaker set on top like something B&O would do.
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited December 2010
    Mrh,
    Those drivers look great. The 8" looks like a good one to experiment with and being 95db eff is way cool. I will keep them in mind. Thanks.

    Face,
    They will be used for late night listening at low levels where the freq extremes is not important. I think getting solid bass should be fairly easy if I follow the design of Ohm Walsh speakers but I have no idea how these drivers would behave in that configuration. Just thinking, I still don't know what kind design to go for.

    Strider,
    Thanks for the link. I'm not able to view it at the moment because I'm surfing on my PS3 but I will check it out when I get on the PC.

    Joe,
    Very cool. I'm interested to hear what your impression if you decide to try it out.



    Something else just popped into my mind. Maybe a bi-pole floorstander using a very narrow cabinet so a lot of the sound would wrap around the sides? This should be much easier than trying to diffuse the sound 360o with a single driver. But I don't like having a 4ohm imp. Maybe connecting them in series to get 16ohms is better?
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  • Face
    Face Posts: 14,340
    edited December 2010
    Narrow cabinets generally have better dispersion, so you're on the right track.

    How about an OB instead of bipole? Or consider a different driver?
    "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited December 2010
    What is an OB? Never saw those initials before..
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  • vc69
    vc69 Posts: 2,500
    edited December 2010
    OB=Open baffle
    -Kevin
    HT: Philips 52PFL7432D 52" LCD 1080p / Onkyo TX-SR 606 / Oppo BDP-83 SE / Comcast cable. (all HDMI)B&W 801 - Front, Polk CS350 LS - Center, Polk LS90 - Rear
    2 Channel:
    Oppo BDP-83 SE
    Squeezebox Touch
    Muscial Fidelity M1 DAC
    VTL 2.5
    McIntosh 2205 (refurbed)
    B&W 801's
    Transparent IC's
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  • Joe08867
    Joe08867 Posts: 3,919
    edited December 2010
    Thanks,
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited December 2010
    Face wrote: »
    Narrow cabinets generally have better dispersion, so you're on the right track.

    How about an OB instead of bipole? Or consider a different driver?

    Narrow cabinets also have issues with diffraction and pipe resonances; there's no free lunch.

    OBs are cool... heck, even I can build an OB (albeit not a pretty one).

    A favorite OB recipe here:
    http://members.myactv.net/~je2a3/open.htm

    There are numerous 8" drivers (and larger) that will work well on those baffles that will cost far less than a pair of 755s will run these days!

    BTW, Joseph Esmilla's day job is as a performing musician (violinist).
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  • megasat16
    megasat16 Posts: 3,521
    edited December 2010
    mhardy6647 wrote: »
    OBs are cool... heck, even I can build an OB (albeit not a pretty one).

    A favorite OB recipe here:
    http://members.myactv.net/~je2a3/open.htm

    That's OB? hehe...I think it's unfinished ceiling speaker installations. J/K

    Organ,

    I have not seen an Omni Single Driver using as Full Range. There are a handful of FR drivers but none can be truly labeled omni which would have 360* dispersion pattern horizontal and vertical.

    May be OB Dipole is the closest thing you can get to omni. If you are looking for a speaker for night time listening, may be a planar type OB or ESL with low sensitivity may work?
    Trying out Different Audio Cables is a Religious Affair. You don't discuss it with anyone. :redface::biggrin:
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