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DIY ?uestion

Greetings people,
     What are the arguments, pro and con, for transmission line speakers that: have channels with parallel walls, and those that progressively get wider, as in a horn?  I want to do a build with plans that show parallel walls, where I can alter them to create an ever widening channel within the same size container.  I am a newbie in this area of DIY speakers, and am sure there are opposing views.
128x128sound22card
timlub
2,039 posts
 
Transmission lines can be very satisfying... As koss_amojan explained in the past there has been a great deal of guess work... Maybe 20 years or so ago the math was fairly well proven based on figuring line length based on the cone size and what it takes to get a quarter wavelength of acoustic standing wave inside of the transmission line. It isn't typically for the beginner.  If you insist on a transmission line, I would highly recommend that you consider finding a proven kit and starting there. 
If you'd like to create an all new design of a transmission horn or something, that would be great,  we are always arguing within the forum  that there isn't real growth in speaker technology, maybe you can give us all something to talk about. 
sound22card's avatar
sound22card OP
26 posts
 
That's the kind of info I need ....to determine that I need more info.  Will delay my build until I can get a better grasp of this.  Thanks muchly!!!!
roberjerman
4,319 posts
 
Take a look at some of the old IMF's (U.K.) and how they built their trans lines. TSL - 80's. I'd just copy them!
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,714 posts
 

A speaker with well-designed transmission-line woofer loading is the ESS Transtatic I, from the very-early 70's (I first saw and heard it in 1971). The woofer in that speaker was the famous KEF B139, a great driver for it's time (David Wilson used two of them as the mid-bass driver in his WAMM loudspeaker).

The reason ESS ended up being the manufacturer of the Heil AMT speaker is that Dr. Heil had heard the Transtatic, and wanted to use the B139 in the speaker he was designing. He came into the hi-fi specialty shop in San Jose that was an ESS retailer, TV-Audio Center, Inc. (where I heard the speaker, and where legendary High End retailer John Garland worker at the time), to find out where he could buy some of the drivers. They put him in contact with ESS, and the rest is history. I have a pair of Transtatics; if you're anywhere close to the Portland, Oregon area, come on by!

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