DIY Audio Projects Forum

Hello! I've been lurking around for quite some time on this board, and have learned a tremendous amount of information from other users' threads. I'm new to DIY electronics, but not to DIY projects in general. I've got a lot of experience related to automotive design and repair...have numerous engine, transmission, and rear end rebuilds under my belt. I've also wired full engine and body harnesses and dyno tuned the engine control logic for several projects. I'm mostly self taught when it comes to these projects, but have always been a bit fearful of any detailed electronic work...

Music has always been a large part of my life, and so I wanted to seek the best way to experience it, and of course build something myself to be proud of!
After doing some reading, I've ordered the K-12G kit and should be assembling it shortly. I've decided on two TangBand W8-1772 drivers, as the reviews sounded very good.
My question is regarding the enclosure design. I understand the theory behind a simple bass-reflex enclosure, but I've also seen the tangband plans for their recommended enclosure.
I've searched around for build pics but this might be more of an opinionated question. Would you guys recommend I build a nice simple bass-reflex for them or use this more intricate
enclosure? http://www.tb-speaker.com/detail/1230_0 ... s_rev1.jpg

Are there any inherent benefits to the one I linked, or does anyone have any experience with that exact same design and these speakers? Thanks for any and all input!

OH! In regards to music, I predominantly listen to progressive rock, anything from the 60s-70s to modern tunes!

irocz
the "recommended" enclosure is a little more intricate then a bass reflex but certainly worth the effort.

The TB enclosure is a rear loaded horn. The idea is the horn will have enough low end pick up to balance off the high end. The horns will be more critical of room placement and you will need to invest time to experiment with stuffing and damping for optimal sound.

With the bass reflex I think you will find it necessary to use some level of correction circuit for baffle step correction. http://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/B ... alculator/
However, in my experience a passive speaker level filter tends to rob these sensitive drivers of the special qualities that drew us to them in the first place.

I vote for the more intricate horn enclosure. The high sensitivity will be a good match with the k-12.

Cheers

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[ DIY Mains AC Power Cable Cord ] - [ Gobo LM1875 Amp Kit ] - [ Tang Band D4-1 Horn Speaker Kit ] - [ Monoblock Push-Pull KT88 Tube Amp Kit ]

Hi Gio, thanks for the info! I've read a bit more about rear loaded horns as well, and I'm gathering materials to start building that enclosure. I think they'll be well worth the time too. I've been having difficulty finding hard science on the stuffing and damping material within horn enclosures. It seems like trial and error is what most folks do regarding damping material in their enclosure. Do you happen to have any good resources for info on how stuffing actually works? thanks!

I'll be sure to post some pics of the enclosure build!

I've begun gathering material for the rear loaded horn and had a quick question. Using 1" thick MDF, a single speaker enclosure box will come out to around 160 pounds....Is this normal or does this enclosure seem a bit on the heavy side? I can make it out of 3/4" MDF to shave some weight...Let me know what you think!

I don't think you want to build those out of MDF because of the weight. I would suggest Baltic birch multiplex plywood. Here are photos of the horns I use with the Fostex FE206E, built using Baltic birch plywood and voids sand filled. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=606
Considering the amount of effort that will go into building those cabinets you should really consider using a premium plywood like Baltic birch.

Cheers

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[ DIY Mains AC Power Cable Cord ] - [ Gobo LM1875 Amp Kit ] - [ Tang Band D4-1 Horn Speaker Kit ] - [ Monoblock Push-Pull KT88 Tube Amp Kit ]

It's been a little while, but I've got some build pics to post! My coworker is helping me do the woodwork, and it looks great so far. We decided to go with 3/4 and 1/2in MDF in most places versus the 1inch suggested. Just like we talked about in previous posts, it would be extremely heavy. We've never worked with exotic wood so I was a bit fearful for my first project.. So far the final cabinet (minus driver) is around 75lb, which I can manage. I've got a faceplate with the counterbore to attach, so i can flushmount the driver. I've also got to start paint soon, and wiring the driver/binding posts. I've also finalized a decent enclosure for the k12-g amp, looking forward to putting it all together.

Nice, they are coming along. Looking forward to your listening impressions. The TB driver is very nice and quite sensitive so it should match well with the k-12g.

Cheers

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[ DIY Mains AC Power Cable Cord ] - [ Gobo LM1875 Amp Kit ] - [ Tang Band D4-1 Horn Speaker Kit ] - [ Monoblock Push-Pull KT88 Tube Amp Kit ]

Hey guys sorry for the late reply! It's been tough to find time to finish these, but I finally did it! I set up a spraybooth in my friend's basement to apply the paint. It turned out great. We did 3 coats of a water based latex paint from an HVLP gun. This was a satin black finish for the sides/back/top. The front face is entirely sprayed on with Rustoleum's textured "aged iron" grey. That was probably the hardest part, as it needed to be sprayed in light coats otherwise it'd run easily and pool up. I'm not sure what I want to do with the mouth's yet. They're currently primer grey and look alright with the paint scheme, but I might do a black veneer...not sure.

Sorry about the bad lighting, and I'm using a camera phone so it's not the best quality. I'll try to get more later.




I'm using a small mission II amp right now to drive them, but will finish my K12G project soon. So far they sound incredible, super clear and I'm still impressed with the bass. I've read a lot from the realtraps website about imaging my room and have been messing with that so far. I need to get a mic rigged up to measure response however. Regardless, I'm ecstatic so far!

-Will

awesome job they look great!
do tell did you use any damping/stuffing in the driver compartment or liner along the first segment of the duct?