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A great DIY line array speaker????

Your prelate is seized with the urge to build a pair of line array speakers for his new room, possibly to replace my current Mezzo Utopias. Advice and opinions are sought.

I am fortunate to have access to a precision cabinet maker who will build virtually anything for me, just for the cost of the raw materials. The room in question will be roughly 18x22x8.5 when complete. Electronics will be all solid state and sources will be digital.

My concern, of course, is that I don't invest a lot of money in nice wood and expensive drivers and crossover components and end up with mediocre sound. I want something better than the Mezzo Utopias but with the added sonic characteristics of a line array design.

So my question to my erudite brethren and sistren on the 'gon is: Has anyone heard a diy line array that was really world class? If so, can you point me to specs, plans, discussion, etc?

Many thanks in advance!

will
bishopwill
cjr888
34 posts
 


http://www.gr-research.com/Alpha.htm
bishopwill OP
369 posts
 
I spent a while looking at the gr-research site, which is remarkably uninformative. Has anybody heard them?

will
drrasta
224 posts
 
Go over to harmonicdiscord.com for more info, discussion and pics on the gr research alpha's. There's a manufacturer's info site there.
audiokinesis
2,742 posts
 
Once upon a time I designed and built several different line-array speakers. I really like the kind of sound field a tall line source sets up in the listening room.

Here are the lessons I learned:

1. It's pretty much impossible to get a seamless blend between a line source array and a point source woofer or subwoofer - if possible, make the arrays capable of doing the bottom end.

2. The amount of money spent on all those drivers would probably be more effectively devoted to fewer, higher quality drivers.

3. Horizontal symmetry is desirable if you want the tonal balance to be uniform over a wide sweet spot.

I have three ideas for a DIY line-source speaker, but I haven't built any of them.

The simplest design would be a stack of about a dozen Jordan JX-92's per side. This driver wasn't available when I built my line source arrays years ago.

A bit more complex symmetrical array would be based on an MTM kit using say 6.5" woofers and a 1" dome tweeter, but with the drivers oriented horizontally instead of vertically. Basically, imagine stacking eight such sets of drivers per side, so you have sixteen woofers flanking eight tweeters per speaker.

My last symmetrical array idea array would be a large dipole panel about four feet wide. In the center you'd have a stack of ribbon tweeters, whatever your choice is. The ribbon tweets would be flanked by a pair Bohlender-Graebener planar-magnetic drivers. Sure you could use a single B-G and save quite a bit of money, but note that Genesis and VMPS both use ribbon tweets to do the top end instead of relying on the B-G drivers. The reason is that the relatively rugged B-G driver isn't as articulate and lively at high frequencies as it is in the midrange. Anyway, the bottom end is handled by eight 15" dipole woofers per speaker, flanking the B-G drivers in stacks of four, to maintain symmetry.

If you'd like to talk about any of these options, shoot me an e-mail.
bryhifi's avatar
bryhifi
374 posts
 
Check out Zalytron.com under Audiophile kits for a Dr. Joseph D'Apollito design, very interesting and has customer comments. Also check out ORCAdesign.com which had the same kits and schematics for a nice line array project, if ORCA's new site is not fully finished just email or call Kimon Bellos at ORCA for details. He's a wonderful guy to talk to!
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