X-onken Xpress - 7
Ummm.. it sure looks yummy, and certainly smells good. But don't we all know that the proof of any pudding is in the eating! Unless, of course, you take the chef's culinary magic for granted. I urge all my DIY friends to take a good helping of the pudding and taste it ... oops! test it, in detail with their own discerning palates.
Tasting ... Testing ... Testing
I have a feeling that the test audition has left a delectable taste in your mouths, and you have some amount of trust in the chef and what he has cooked up for you. Let me go back a bit in time and recall our own "full-scale testing" here some time back. The little X-onken was placed on top of my medium-sized Wharfedale towers, the sound of which in my home setting was quite familiar to most in my personal group. Amplification was Death of Zen class-A, and a recent build of the Trans-Nova class-A monoblocks, with twin floating power supplies and floating speaker. (Later JLH class-A was also brought in on another occasion.)
We started the session with a "reference audition" to the Wharfedales, and then after a few familiar tracks, switched to the X-onkens. Somewhat mischievously I started off with a few soft Jazz tracks and some Indian fusion music with the focus on the vocals. Everybody agreed that the full-range driver (a humble Visaton 4 inch) acquitted itself well as regards the MF and even the HF (none expected its paper whizzer cone to rival the Wharfedale's silk dome tweeter). Then we moved onto some well known soft rock tracks.
By this time many had forgotten that we were listening to the 'babies', and went on enjoying the tracks one after the other, playing individual preferences. After a while suddenly I switched to some drum tracks, both Indian and Japanese, and people were looking at each other ... slowly clapping when they realized it was the X-onkens that were playing! The audition session went on and on, and soon everybody agreed that perhaps the only thing missing was the "weight and authority" of a truly big driver in a heavy cabinet (the Wharfedales had two 6.5 inch woofers), and the brilliance of a soft and ethereal upper end. Today, at this point in time, what we need is your own test audition results and impressions. They matter a lot -- both for yourself (when it comes to a final decision regarding the selection of drivers) and for other DIYers. Do share them here.
When it comes to the selection of suitable drivers, I have a feeling that we have a good selection available to suit a range of pockets and tastes.
All things considered, especially when you weigh value-for-money against quality and smoothness of response, I am a big fan of a little known brand -- Visaton. It is a German brand with no pretences to being a "high end" driver, but its response really puts to shame many others which cost three to four times more. We are in luck as they are available in India online, and on rupee payment!
Tasting ... Testing ... Testing
I have a feeling that the test audition has left a delectable taste in your mouths, and you have some amount of trust in the chef and what he has cooked up for you. Let me go back a bit in time and recall our own "full-scale testing" here some time back. The little X-onken was placed on top of my medium-sized Wharfedale towers, the sound of which in my home setting was quite familiar to most in my personal group. Amplification was Death of Zen class-A, and a recent build of the Trans-Nova class-A monoblocks, with twin floating power supplies and floating speaker. (Later JLH class-A was also brought in on another occasion.)
We started the session with a "reference audition" to the Wharfedales, and then after a few familiar tracks, switched to the X-onkens. Somewhat mischievously I started off with a few soft Jazz tracks and some Indian fusion music with the focus on the vocals. Everybody agreed that the full-range driver (a humble Visaton 4 inch) acquitted itself well as regards the MF and even the HF (none expected its paper whizzer cone to rival the Wharfedale's silk dome tweeter). Then we moved onto some well known soft rock tracks.
By this time many had forgotten that we were listening to the 'babies', and went on enjoying the tracks one after the other, playing individual preferences. After a while suddenly I switched to some drum tracks, both Indian and Japanese, and people were looking at each other ... slowly clapping when they realized it was the X-onkens that were playing! The audition session went on and on, and soon everybody agreed that perhaps the only thing missing was the "weight and authority" of a truly big driver in a heavy cabinet (the Wharfedales had two 6.5 inch woofers), and the brilliance of a soft and ethereal upper end. Today, at this point in time, what we need is your own test audition results and impressions. They matter a lot -- both for yourself (when it comes to a final decision regarding the selection of drivers) and for other DIYers. Do share them here.
I recall that I had assured you that virtually any driver you could accommodate on the front panel was par for the test, and I do stand by my word. But I keep getting mail about which driver to use, which is the "best" driver etc. Sorry, but I am yet to come across a "best" driver that suits the design totally, fully and completely.
All I would do here is to pass on a list of drivers which a few builders and myself had found to be good. As always, let the builder/user be the final arbiter here-- tastes, after all, do differ as we all know, and which we respect.
Drivers Galore
All I would do here is to pass on a list of drivers which a few builders and myself had found to be good. As always, let the builder/user be the final arbiter here-- tastes, after all, do differ as we all know, and which we respect.
Drivers Galore
All things considered, especially when you weigh value-for-money against quality and smoothness of response, I am a big fan of a little known brand -- Visaton. It is a German brand with no pretences to being a "high end" driver, but its response really puts to shame many others which cost three to four times more. We are in luck as they are available in India online, and on rupee payment!
So, first a list of Visaton drivers.
1. https://in.element14.com/visaton/4630/speaker-fr-87-4-ohms/dp/1683905
2. https://in.element14.com/visaton/4899/speaker-fr-10-hm-8-ohms/dp/1683911
3. https://in.element14.com/visaton/2020/speaker-fr-10-4-ohms/dp/1683890
4. https://in.element14.com/visaton/fr10-8ohm/speaker-4-full-range/dp/5095542
5. https://in.element14.com/visaton/4800/loudspeaker-fullrange-13cm-4-ohm/dp/2357159
6. https://in.element14.com/visaton/2110/speaker-fr-10-wp-4-ohms/dp/1683902
That should take care of most of your diverse needs and tastes, and that too at budget prices. Do check out the online specs, response curves and the prices. (Likely you will get better value for money if you organize a group buy.)
Here is another list of drivers available from diyaudiocart, an online retailer based in Chennai. (No, I don't get any commission ... too bad!)
1. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/markaudio-chn-70-natural-4-inch-driver-pair-copy/
2. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/markaudio-chr-70-4-inch-driver/
3. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/tang-band-w4-1320sif-4quot-paper-full-range/
4. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/dayton-audio-rs100-4-4-reference-full-range-driver-4-ohm/
Here is another driver available locally in Bengaluru for about 2.5 k rupees each.
5. https://faitalpro.com/en/products/LF_Loudspeakers/product_details/index.php?id=401005151
When viewed in the light of popularity and overall performance, especially accurate upper registers, the Mark Audio drivers are right there in the front. Tang Band is much loved by hobbyists who swear by the "natural tone" of its bamboo paper cone. Dayton is a brand that offers drivers covering the entire audio spectrum at reasonable prices and great quality. The last one, Faital Pro is much loved by speaker builders, and many "high end" designs employ this full range unit as a mid driver.
1. https://in.element14.com/visaton/4630/speaker-fr-87-4-ohms/dp/1683905
2. https://in.element14.com/visaton/4899/speaker-fr-10-hm-8-ohms/dp/1683911
3. https://in.element14.com/visaton/2020/speaker-fr-10-4-ohms/dp/1683890
4. https://in.element14.com/visaton/fr10-8ohm/speaker-4-full-range/dp/5095542
5. https://in.element14.com/visaton/4800/loudspeaker-fullrange-13cm-4-ohm/dp/2357159
6. https://in.element14.com/visaton/2110/speaker-fr-10-wp-4-ohms/dp/1683902
That should take care of most of your diverse needs and tastes, and that too at budget prices. Do check out the online specs, response curves and the prices. (Likely you will get better value for money if you organize a group buy.)
Here is another list of drivers available from diyaudiocart, an online retailer based in Chennai. (No, I don't get any commission ... too bad!)
1. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/markaudio-chn-70-natural-4-inch-driver-pair-copy/
2. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/markaudio-chr-70-4-inch-driver/
3. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/tang-band-w4-1320sif-4quot-paper-full-range/
4. https://diyaudiocart.com/product/dayton-audio-rs100-4-4-reference-full-range-driver-4-ohm/
Here is another driver available locally in Bengaluru for about 2.5 k rupees each.
5. https://faitalpro.com/en/products/LF_Loudspeakers/product_details/index.php?id=401005151
When viewed in the light of popularity and overall performance, especially accurate upper registers, the Mark Audio drivers are right there in the front. Tang Band is much loved by hobbyists who swear by the "natural tone" of its bamboo paper cone. Dayton is a brand that offers drivers covering the entire audio spectrum at reasonable prices and great quality. The last one, Faital Pro is much loved by speaker builders, and many "high end" designs employ this full range unit as a mid driver.
Naturally the selection depends on your tastes and the type of music that you listen to most of the time. Like I had said earlier, the X-onkens are very tolerant of driver parameters and you could try a variety of drivers before zeroing in on your "best".
Now that you are armed with the full set of instructions and other guidelines for the build, you have no excuses but to hurry and finish the build, and get the audition part going. Once you are in the listening chair, I have no doubt you will stay put and will be switching from one track to another ... to another. Such is the magic of the X-onken baby ... and nothing sounds sweeter than your own DIY baby!
Now that you are armed with the full set of instructions and other guidelines for the build, you have no excuses but to hurry and finish the build, and get the audition part going. Once you are in the listening chair, I have no doubt you will stay put and will be switching from one track to another ... to another. Such is the magic of the X-onken baby ... and nothing sounds sweeter than your own DIY baby!
Do post your build pictures and share your experiences which will prove to be a strong inpspiration and impetus for other builders, and which also might serve to "convert" those "fence sitters" who remain sceptics. Xpress DIY is an easy way to audio Nirvana, if we are to believe those devotees of the X-onken.
Pranams to Koizumi San and to Hiraga too!!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Pranams to Koizumi San and to Hiraga too!!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Well explained 👍
ReplyDelete