Open Baffle Opinions - I Won't go back to Boxed Speakers Evr Again (maybe....)


https://photos.app.goo.gl/cg64ScibP75b1YVF6

My very last DIY effort after doing the DIY Speaker thing (for myself only) for 35 years (only 5 pairs built in that time). These are my best effort WRT to sound quality. Bass down to 30Hz, sweet treble and midrange to die for.

All Parts Express Drivers. GRS Planar, GRS 12" (Qts = 1.27) Woofers, and Dynavox 5 1/4" midrange/midbass Drivers. All in $600. Still some tweaking to to on the Cabinet and the Crossovers. A simple 1st Order 16uF Sonicraft Capacitor on the Tweeter and a 2nd Order Bandpass on the 3 Dynavox Drivers. The H-Frame Woofers section is powered by an ICE Power Class D (1000W@4 Ω). Two for stereo of course. MiniDSP dialed in for a 250Hz Linkwitz-Riley 4th Order LPF, the Bandpass is 250Hz - 2500Hz, and the Magnetic Planar BG knockoff by GRS takes over at 2500Hz. No L-Pads anywhere !

My question is what is the Phantom Center like ? Mine is not as focused as I’d like it to be. But my God, the soundstage, imaging, front to back depth is amazing. Clarity like I’ve never heard before form a Box Speaker and the Bass is like I’ve never experienced. No Box Boom. 40Hz all Day and I can hit 30 Hz with very little attenuation

rajugsw
Again, my Wife will kill me if I DIY’d 3 PVC pipes taller than the Speakers and placed one in the middle of my room (see pic link on my original post).

I am building some calculated Diffusers from 2x2’s cut to specific lengths using QRdude and chose the design frequency of 300Hz (human voice). No clue if I’m gonna fail or pass but I have lots of 2x2’s doing nothing in my garage and some cheap thin plywood to glue the pieces on to. I’ll try them behind the Speakers first (plan A), then replace the foam panels at my first reflection points with the diffusers if plan A doesn’t work (plan B).

Or build more of the diffusers and reuse the foam panels as fake Bass Traps that will raise the height of my current.

Is my frequency selection correct since it’s the female/male voice that’s the problem ? Drum Kicks/Snare are pretty centered.
OP,
Tinnitus (on average) starts at around 55 years of age...I got it at 54. Dont count your chickens just yet. Enjoy your unaltered hearing every day!!
Lovely design and execution.

Try active crossovers and amping.  Try it, don't speculate it in an online forum where 90% of the input will be from individuals that don't have any firsthand experience.

Not analog, but decent digital so you can achieve phase alignment via delay and FIR filtering.

That will take you to the next level and give you a much higher degree of control over the system.  :)
@quadprod :

You make some excellent suggestions regarding using active X-overs and Finite Impulse Response Filtet also can more precisely help with some of my issues.

But as I’ve stated earlier, I don’t want to feed the Analog output of DAC into another DAC (of sorts).

Fixing my room problems for me is the key to getting that damn center image sorted out.

I’m almost there. Built a 2’x4’ Skyline Diffuser for the back wall behind the sofa and an building two smaller 2’x2’ Skyline Diffusers for behind the Speakers (preferred WAF) or on my 1st reflection points where I have absorbers currently.