DIY upgrade - center channel speaker (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Most normal HT fanatic upgrade by buying new gear, but us DIYers upgrade by building new stuff!

A year ago, I built a mammoth center channel speaker (28"x10"x14") with drivers more suited to my old speakers (they were a 10 year old DIY project as well).

Now that I have my new fronts and rear speakers "done" (all the gory details are in my signature links), I've decide to rebuild a center channel box, and will be using the same tweeter (Morel MDT30)and midwoofers (Peerless HDS850439) from my now current speaker setup, and will be incorporating the Morel MDM-55 midrange into the mix.

I haven't heard too many negatives for the MDM-55 midrange (though it's a bit pricey, but I figure that the center channel is the vocal anchor to a good HT setup, so money isn't as big an issue as before), and its form factor will allow me to shave over an inch off the height of the enclosure, and I think I'll be able to shave 3" off the width of the front baffle as well, so it should be a smaller enclosure once I'm done. I'm shooting for a final box dimension of 25"x8.5"x13" if I can squeeze everything into it and still hit the performance goals.

It's be a non-conventional 3-way setup, with the tweeter and midrange in a vertical arrangement and flanked by the 2 midwoofers on either side (just like my current center channel speaker, but I'll try to get the drivers closer together on this new project).

I thought about retrofitting my current center channel, but it'd be a shame to hack it up, plus I get to make the box smaller by building a new box.

 

[AndersP]

Hi!
I´m planning something very similar, beeing very inspired by this:Link Removed
Why don´t you optimize the front dimensions and adjust the depth to reach your design goals? I mean, you´re not going to put a monster like that on top of a telly, now are you?
\Anders

 

[Patrick Sun]

Actually, I used a rack for my HT gear, so the center channel's weight is support by the rack as well. Click here for how it is situated in the rack over the RPTV.

 

[Hank Frankenberg]

Have you considered the Vifa TC08SD69 3" midrange? Its shape allows close driver spacing.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Hank, thanks for the suggestion. Either are about the same size, but the MDM-55 is more of a "midrange's" midrange than the Vifa, and I can get away with less components on the high pass side for the MDM-55 in the crossover (though the MDM-55 costs $40 more, I like its self-contained attributes, no need to worry about needed enclosure volume, which will come in handy for use for the midwoofers' volume). Plus, I wanted to keep more of the Morel sonic signature if possible, and I've already ordered the parts!