2 way xover and driver advice with a La Scala Bass Bin

[Jason_Hollowtree]

Hello all, I am a novice to the world of sound reproduction but I have a lot of experience building things. I'd intended to find plans for something small but after discovering this forum and studying its contents for a few months, now I want to build something big BUT not 402 big 😐 . I think I'm nearing a resolution but would love some input from you folks at this point.

 

I want to build a 2 way system with an LS clone bassbin/crites driver, essentially a jubscala but since I probably won't order any parts from Klipsch I'd rather avoid the semantics. I plan to use 3/4 baltic birch for construction laminated to another sheet of 1/4 with something called Decidamp tested here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEh01PX-q9I at 43:00. I'm pretty sure this guy didn't build the worlds best speakers though...So that's the easy part, essentially copying the LSII bin. 

 

Whatever upper horns I use, will be copies cast in a lightweight plaster/concrete mix. 

What I really need to find is a good tried and true passive crossover/ driver/ horn so that I can avoid bi-amping and actives to keep costs and tinkering to a minimum. 

 

Some potential options:

 

Faital pro HF140driver, horn and CS500 crossover from Crites

https://critesspeakers.com/crites-speaker-style-d.html

Would this work?

 

The zxpc 10x18 seems promising. User @jorjen uses them with the B&C DCX 462 but seems to have made his own xovers. @jwgorman seems to use the Em N314x but I don't know what xover he's using either.

 

ALK? Volti? Is everyone making their own?

 

I saw plans circulating for a 402 Jubscala xover but is there one for the 510? If so, the k510s with drivers wouldn't be out of the question.

 

Any input is welcome, although the really technical stuff goes over my head. Basically all of my knowledge in this field has come from reading this forum so thank you all for your contributions and generosity with your knowledge! @Islander I also deeply appreciated your Willliam Gibson comment https://community.klipsch.com/index.php?/topic/90599-jubscala/page/19/. I have been patiently waiting for Sandbenders to be realized.

 

[Thaddeus Smith]

26 minutes ago, Jason_Hollowtree said:

keep costs and tinkering to a minimum.

 

You're already tinkering, so why not go active? I chopped the tops of my La Scalas and currently run active 3-way with HF/bass bin/subs in stereo. I've gone a year now without changing anything, but if I end up wanting to try something new in the future I'm not locked in by a passive XO, lack of power, etc.

[Jason_Hollowtree]

3 hours ago, Thaddeus Smith said:

 

You're already tinkering, so why not go active? I chopped the tops of my La Scalas and currently run active 3-way with HF/bass bin/subs in stereo. I've gone a year now without changing anything, but if I end up wanting to try something new in the future I'm not locked in by a passive XO, lack of power, etc.

 

I appreciate that... In my experience, more adjustability and variability in any system inevitably leads to more necessity to update and replace. Plus with the bi-amping there are more things to be problematic and many more things to buy...

I am currently in the tinkering phase, then the building phase, after that I want to be done. If the consensus is that a passive won't do what I'm asking, I'd sooner go 3 way passive then go active.

[Chris A]

26 minutes ago, Jason_Hollowtree said:

In my experience, more adjustability and variability in any system inevitably leads to more necessity to update and replace.

emmmm...not in this case (i.e., using DSP crossovers to dial everything in)...in my experience.  It actually simplifies everything (the hard part, that is) but you wind up with much better sounding loudspeakers in the process. I didn't do anything for ~5 years before I started to tinker--and I was extremely happy with what I had during that time.

 

But really you do need to measure what you've got (acoustically) in order to know what to do.  It takes a calibrated microphone (a UMIK-1) and freeware to do that.  Then you'll have the ability to do what you want--or stay the same, in either case.  You never need to change anything (and it won't change in the mean time, like capacitors and driver characteristics do). 

 

Chris

[geoff.]

Jason, your sonic intentions are not misplaced.

 

I have K-510s with Faital Pro HF200s on Peavey FH1 bass bins with Kappa 15Cs.

 

Crites made a special crossover for the Faital Pro HF200 in a two way setup that brings the mids down a bit to compensate for the uneven response of the high frequency driver. I was fortunate enough to get them from Islander, or they would have cost me the equivalent of a good used active processor.   

 

I have also placed my LSI Split tops (going 3-way) on the FH1 bass bin. The sound is similar but different. I couldn’t pick which one I prefer. The LS tops are more forward, the K510s are neutral.

 

But, I have not been able to achieve the sonic bliss that awaits us going passive.

 

It’s close, but nowhere near where active will get you. Time aligned drivers and PEQs are game changers.

 

If I were starting new, I would invest my money in the equipment to go active. You will spend far more along the journey chasing the passive unicorn.

 

UNLESS you follow an already proven recipe, in which case 3-way would be the better choice.

 

 

 

[Jason_Hollowtree]

OK

Thanks Thaddeus, Chris and Geoff

I'm assembling completely from the ground up so nothing is set in stone. And it's true that someday I may look back and regret! So

IF I were to build it active, am I correct in assessing that my system would look like this:

 

                                           - amp - DSP - Tops

turntable - phono stage -             

                                           - amp - DSP - Bottoms

 

The DX38 is the one people like but it's out of production right? Is there a new option?

[Chris A]

This one: miniDSP 2x4 HD.

 

It does the job (two-way). 

 

Chris

[Thaddeus Smith]

Turntable > phono stage > dsp > amps > drivers