Diving in to speaker build(s)! How to measure?

[Natman]

Hello all,

I have been bit by the DIY bug because I have worked with guitar amps for many years and can no longer resist trying my hand at HiFi.

I have a handful of drivers and bought a measurement mic (Dayton iMM-6c).

I intend to measure each driver using the Audiotool app and make crossovers to work as well as possible with my drivers.

I am going for 3-way (or possibly 4-way) in 2 separate projects: one large ported using 12'' woofers and the other open baffle.

Could anyone direct me on how to position mic and record the frequency plots? Are off-axis measurements really needed?

Thanks!

 

[Yelamanchili manohar]

Hello all,

I have been bit by the DIY bug because I have worked with guitar amps for many years and can no longer resist trying my hand at HiFi.

I have a handful of drivers and bought a measurement mic (Dayton iMM-6c).

I intend to measure each driver using the Audiotool app and make crossovers to work as well as possible with my drivers.

I am going for 3-way (or possibly 4-way) in 2 separate projects: one large ported using 12'' woofers and the other open baffle.

Could anyone direct me on how to position mic and record the frequency plots? Are off-axis measurements really needed?

Thanks!

Hi welcome here

Iam sure someone will be along shortly to give more technically correct advise. Iam tagging a few gentlemen with actual experience in this domain, @Hari Iyer , @Vineethkumar01 , @yogibear, @grindstone, @keith_correa .

By the way what crossover are you planning on using, is it something from the likes of Mini-dsp etc. And what drivers are you planning on using. Just curious. And all the very best for your build

 

[Kannan_madhu]

Hello all,

I have been bit by the DIY bug because I have worked with guitar amps for many years and can no longer resist trying my hand at HiFi.

I have a handful of drivers and bought a measurement mic (Dayton iMM-6c).

I intend to measure each driver using the Audiotool app and make crossovers to work as well as possible with my drivers.

I am going for 3-way (or possibly 4-way) in 2 separate projects: one large ported using 12'' woofers and the other open baffle.

Could anyone direct me on how to position mic and record the frequency plots? Are off-axis measurements really needed?

Thanks!

1. Select the drivers (they should match in some parameters )
2.. Measure the impedance and make an impedance curve using Dats or arta box
3. Simulate a box using Winisd or Vituxicad
4. Build that box
5. Place the drivers in the box and make the frequency response curves using your mic and software like REW
6. Use software like Xsim or Vituxicad to simulate the crossover
7. Make the cover measure it again,

Although there are a few steps each one listed above is ultra complicated. If you don't know what you are doing you will end up with another crappy-sounding box. There are loads of tutorials on the web both text and videos, not an easy learning thing but worth it if you put in your efforts,

Start with a simple two-way box.
A sealed box will be ideal as the chances to screwup are less

Contact @tcpip @mallikreddyk for help

 

[yogibear]

Optimize the passives at your own listening position.

The speakers you build are for your own enjoyment / listening pleasures and they don’t have to prove anything in anybody’s else’s room.

 

[Vineethkumar01]

@Natman: If you really want to design your own speakers, I would recommend that you learn some of the basic aspects like enclosure design and crossover design. If you are an absolute beginner, I would highly recommend that you enroll and learn the first 3 courses given here:

Courses

audiojudgement.com

It only costs a nominal amount most of the time (Udemy has some offer or other running most of the time).
They will give some essential basic understanding about the tools and the methodology involved in speaker design.
Once you learn enough and is confident about this, it is time to unlearn all this and delve into more elaborate techniques which includes off-axis measurements
But that part is for later.

In my opinion, off-axis measurements and polar pattern-based crossover design are essential to make optimized (in terms of certain technical parameters) speaker designs, especially if you want to play around with controlled directivity designs like open baffle, cardioid, etc.. But for a good first step into all this, the above courses will help.