Tempest 122L complete - now for the kit281's!! (1 Viewer)

[Rod Simmons]

Well, I completed my 122L sealed tempest enclosure a couple of weeks ago and couldn't be more pleased. I learned a lot from the experience (I will follow up later with a lessons learned post). This experience has me fired up for another project. I'm thinking about the kit281 to complement the sub. I will finally be able to retire my 13 year-old Bose 401’s. This leads me to my next questions:
1. I haven't seen any pictures of a 281 with a grill cover on it? Is there a reason? I know it's a shame to cover those good-looking drivers, but I have young kids and it would be better if they were hidden from small hands. Any comments?
2. Baffle width. I've heard that you shouldn't screw with the baffle width on these things. I would really like an extra inch of width so that I could round off the corners with a router. If I were to add just an inch to the width and compensate by slightly reducing the depth, how much of an impact would that make on the sound. If the differences would be minimal, I believe that I'll make the change.
3. I've heard that it is not recommended to make driver changes to the kit281. I hear that the audax that comes with the kit is good. I was just wondering if anyone had thought about upgrading the audax to something like the vifa XT25TG30 dual concentrics that some high-end manufacturers like Rocket use. Would it require changes to the existing crossovers that come with the kit? If there is a general agreement that the existing tweeter is smooth enough, I'll stay with it. I'm just curious to see if anyone has made a substitution.

I'm really enjoying this new hobby. Thanks to everyone for providing such a wealth of knowledge for free. Lessons learned from the 122L sealed tempest project coming soon.

Rod

 

[Brian Bunge]

Rod,

Adding 1" to the width won't cause enough of a difference for it to be audible. I wouldn't worry about that. As a matter of fact, I think quite a few people have modified the width slightly for that very reason. IIRC, the finished speakers that the guys from DIYCable sells have been widened slightly. And I wouldn't really worry about modifying the depth. The difference in tuning will also be very slight.

 

[Rod Simmons]

Brian - thanks for the quick reply. That's good news. I'll certainly be adding an inch to the baffle width now.
Any comment on tweeter substitution?

 

[AjayM]

I think the tweeter is pretty impressive (especially considering the cost), actually I should rephrase that and say I think the whole thing is pretty impressive. Changing the tweeter will no doubt require totally changing that entire side of the X-over and probably some modifications to the woofer x-over as well.

Probably just better to keep the original tweeter and see how you like it first.

Andrew

 

[Kyle Richardson]

Rod, you can add an inch to the width if you are going to round the edges. Rob Lloyd did just that after asking Dan if it would cause any noticable changes and he replied that the effect was less than 1db IIRC.

 

[Brian Bunge]

I agree with Ajay. Stick with the Audax unit. I don't have the KIT281's but I do have the LCC, which uses the same tweeter. It's a hell of a nice unit for the money. I personally don't think you'd gain anything substantial by going to a different tweeter. In fact, it would make the CTC spacing of the AV8's even further apart since the Vifa unit has to be at least an inch larger in diameter than the Audax.

IMHO, the KIT281's would benefit more from a dedicated midrange like the AV5 used in the LCC than from a tweeter upgrade. Incidently, Adire is working on a 3-way tower using the same drivers as the LCC.

 

[Rod Simmons]

Good input! I won't touch the tweets. Any idea on the eta of Adire's 3-way?

 

[Rob Lloyd]

Yes that's correct - I made my 281's 1" wider for a 3/4" roundover. I did make them 1/2" less on the depth to make up for it but Dan said it would be just fine as it was.
They are still raw MDF but I'll be covering them up w/ some kind of veneer.

I was thinking of making grills for them but fo far the wife doesn't mind the bare drivers so I'll keep them like that for now. I have made a pair for someone else that had grills. I don't remember if Acoustic Visisons has those picutres posted or not.

They sound great how they come. I did the vented design w/ the vent in the back.

Rob

 

[KyleGS]

Rod- so tell me, how does the 122L tempest sound?! Email me if you don't mind. I have a few questions and I don't see your email posted.
Thanks!