justinsweber Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I wanted some speakers for my Garage system... Something that would sound great... Ive built more than a few CS1's but really wanted to try an Econowave. Dave @ fastlane audio was kind enough to make it reality. I had no desire to build my own crossover... ALK and Bob do that for us all :-). The Econowave is really well know. Its a 1.6CU cab, with a cheap HF horn... Dayton $12 horn and a 12" woofer with a low VAS value and a high Q value. The Cabs are not Dave's usual amazing work or the handy work of south LA cabinet makers, but from Parts express... They leave much to be desired.... Never ever buy them unless they are intended for PA use. As for comparisons: I would place them well below the CS1s, but they are much less expensive. The CS1 use a great woofer from Bob or even an eminence woofer... The DC300 is only $40... does well for its price. I still would put my CS1s 1st in the sub Cornwall size, followed by the Econowave and then the Audionervana as a very very very close 3rd. The AN 8" in the 19" cab is just so charming... its the smallest and doesn't leave much behind. I have let 2 budget minded friends listen to the AN8 and the econowave... I now have 1 building the AN and 1 collecting parts for the Econowave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinsweber Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Daves handiwork @ crossovers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 but from Parts express... They leave much to be desired.... Never ever buy them unless they are intended for PA use. I am fairly certain that Justin nor I will ever use the knock down cabs again. The CNC work appears ok, but the plywood is less than desireable, containing numerous voids and inconsistant layering. At first I thought the CNC machine used to cut these cabs had a bad bit, but when I used my cnc to make the cutouts for the horn and crossover the cuts looked nearly identical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Crossover installed in cab. When I listened to these Econowaves, I felt much the same as Justin. The Econowave has good bass impact and clean highs, but is lacking in the midrange, overall is a decent sounding speaker best used for second systems. ALK has some crossover suggestion to try, seems the Zilch crossover leaves a nasty hole in the response around 1khz which would explain the lack of midrange. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Looks like a fun build for a garage speaker. I'm sure you guys can tweak it up to sound better. The PE cab quality is pretty disappointing. I've looked at their knock down cabs online, but would have to take a pass on them now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 The PE cab quality is pretty disappointing. Yes the Cabs from PE were very dissapointing, so much so Justin and I got together to rebuild from the ground up. I layed out a complete cab for my CNC to cut, it's roughly 2 cuft. I used $35 cabinet ply from depot. The build turned out very nice although the Depot ply has a very soft skin an gouges easily if not careful. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Next, I spent some time working on the sound. The lower midrange seemed almost non existent using the original crossover design, so I took a few measurements to verify what I was hearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 After numerous calculated adjustments with little to no success, I meaured the woofer without the filter. Notice steep roll off near 2k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Here I tried the speaker fully assemble without the Woofer filter, with the HF inverted. I found this to be a very listenable speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Modified Econowave crossover with no woofer filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 New Econowaves ready to go. Justin will be finishing the grills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinsweber Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 I keep telling Dave he should offer these as a kit for dumbasses like myself. Flat pac with crossovers build :-). The bass is very comparable to the CS-1 though I find the HF much less fatiguing. The ability to adjust the HF is very helpful when getting good room placement. Id place these as drop in replacements/ slightly better than the CS-1 ive built or modified. They do appear less efficient than the CS-1s though my 5 watt 300bs were loafing at normal listening levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 They do appear less efficient than the CS-1s though my 5 watt 300bs were loafing at normal listening levels. You have to love this...What is the efficiency rating on these speakers? Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djk Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 SPL = 90.5 dB/1W/1m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finallygotmyheresies Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 I keep telling Dave he should offer these as a kit for dumbasses like myself. Flat pac with crossovers build :-). That would be pretty sweet if he did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I have taken some measurements on the basic Econowave in an attempt to gain knowlege and perhaps share something as well. These basic measurements are taken on axis at 1 meter using ARTA. This is my first bout with ARTA suggestions welcome. First measurement DC300 woofer in PE trap cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Here is the PE waveguide with the Selenium D-220-Ti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 This one is the combined drivers crossover at 1500hz second order filter HF normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 This example is the same combination without the woofer filter and the HF inverted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 This is the overlay of the 2 different combinations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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