We're away for a short break, new orders will be dispatched Monday 10th February.
We're away for a short break, new orders will be dispatched Monday 10th February.
DRIVE UNITS BY MANUFACTURER:
SB20FRPC30-8
UK STOCK ITEM
The SB20FRPC30-8 from SB Acoustics is an 8 inch 8 ohm full range loudspeaker drive unit that offers an exceptional frequency response with high sensitivity. This new drive unit is ideal for low powered class A amplifiers and offers a level of performance unheard of at this price point. A very well considered design with a pleasingly full bass response.
Resonant frequency (fs) | 39.4 Hz | Nominal impedance (Zn) | 8 Ω |
Mechanical Q factor (Qms) | 10.1 |
DC resistance (Re) | 6.0 Ω |
Electrical Q factor (Qes) | 0.47 |
Max power handling | 40 W |
Total Q factor (Qts) | 0.45 |
Sensitivity (2.83V/1m) |
92dB |
Equivalent volume (Vas) | 66.3L | Chassis diameter |
218mm |
Firstly I would like to thank Willy Hifi for the superb service. To explain, one of the drivers had a fault (which is very rare in my experience) but a quick phone call to Will explaining what the issue seemed to be, and it was replaced straight away. Thank you.
The fault in the driver caused the top end to get very harsh and aggressive at times, however now I have two working drivers, the sound from these Voigt pipes is just fantastic.
For those interested, I had to tweak the BSC circuit and increase the capacitor from 1uF to 2uF. This brought up the top end and made these drivers really sing. Open, airy and detailed and the sound stage has become even more defined than it was before.
The BSC gives these a slightly relaxed sound that is non fatiguing, but if you want more upper mid presence, lower the 6.8R. I wouldn't go much below 4.7 though as this makes the drivers sound a bit nasally and bright.
I can highly recommend these drivers to anyone wanting a single point-source unit.
The cab for the 8" is just over 1m tall (folded Voigt pipe), can't wait to see if SB release smaller versions of this driver (6.5 / 5.25).......??
Thanks again Will.
Thanks for the follow up - glad things are now sorted. ;0)
Will
I bought these a while back with the idea of making a Voigt pipe speaker, finally got round to doing it. I ended up with a folded duct version to keep the height down to it would actually fit in my room!
The end result was mildly surprising. With a bit of baffle step compensation (1.5mH coil + 16.8R resistor (10+6.8) + 1uf cap (to lift the top end back up), I got a pretty good response.
One thing I will say, out of the box these sound a bit harsh but give them a few days to 'burn in' and the sound becomes a lot smoother. They are capable of huge bass and a very detailed top end considering that they have a simple whizzer cone.
The response image is nearfield in room, so it will be a bit lumpier than when measured outside or in an anechoic chamber (like I have one of those available!) The slight dip between 1.8k & 3.2k is not really noticeable and actually makes these pretty forgiving and non fatiguing. They also cope with poor recordings quite well.
The imaging is very accurate, but I do have a well setup/treated room, so most speakers tend to image well in my room.
I have provided a link to a YouTube video that I based my design on. I added some additional bracing and made the cab from 18mm MDF. A bit more stuffing was needed (compared to the video) and I ended up adding some stuffing to the port and some 'dodo mat' to some areas to tame the midrange and resonances.
All I would say is, don't think you can get away with putting these is the corners of a room, they need to able out in the room at least a .5 metre, preferably 1m to get the most balanced sound, so a reasonably large room is required to get the best from them.
These drivers are well worth the price, but make sure you don't skimp on the cabinet!
Thanks for the comprehensive review. Full range drive units often have very little real bass response, the SB20FRPC30-8 bucks that trend & as you rightly say the cabinet design is imperative to get the best from it. At the price we think these are an absolute bargain.
Kind regards, Will
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The foam grill covers of my Mission 770s crumbled into dust many years ago. Only recently was I able to find what I thought would be a suitable replacement. Everything about the process went smoothly. The foam cut easily, looks good and, to my ears , is audibly transparent.
Has fixed the slight grainy sound on my old Mission 771s. The tweeter had a stain on the back suggesting the fluid had escaped. Make sure you release(unsolder) the coil wires before splitting the tweeter. Audax have replacement tweeters TM025C1 albeit 8 ohm which is another way to go.
Couldn’t be happier, more detail, more clarity. Vocals massively improved and less harsh sounding. Thanks Willys hifi.
Very flexible and easy to work with cable. Made up 6.5m cables shielded with some faraday tape and added PET cable sleeving outer and terminations of ChordOhmic bananas . After about 25hr ‘burn in’ compared with my NAC A5. IMO a better sounding cable, definitely better soundstage.
1990 Linn Index II LS120 Crossover and wiring upgrade.
Truly Outstanding performance upgrade flying in the face of conventional wisdom.
The resistor value is increased from 2.2 to 2.7 and is an official Linn Service 'performance' upgrade.
HF
C1 3.9uF Jantzen Superior z-cap
C3 1uF Mundorf MCap EVO Aluminium Oil
R1 Mundorf M-Resist 5W 2.7 Ohm 2% MOX
LF
C2 5.1 uF split
3.3 uF Mundorf MCap EVO Aluminium Oil
1.8 uF Jantzen Superior z-cap
Carded lambswool replacing original poly wadding. Increased weight replacing 132g ea. for 215g ea. This was weighed out in stages and determined by sonic performance.
Small amount approx 15cm sq of Bitumen foam panel placed in two pieces in base of cab. (leftovers from another project.)
Jantzen solid core speaker cable AWG 17/ 1.15mm stripped of PVC outer sheath to leave only high performance PE insulation. Doubled and twisted Star-Quad. 2.3mm
x2 400mm lengths ea.
Replace binding post steel nuts and locking nuts on back of PCB with copper nuts x8 and locktight. (steel nuts in signal path???= Nuts)
Remove all Plastic front panels and rubber securing bungs. Seal air holes in front baffle sockets. (Holes!)
Total cost £190.00.
Worth every penny! The cost of replicating this level of performance will be many, MANY times this amount. This understanding determined my budget. Happy to spend £200 upgrading on a gamble for the knowledge and experience. The results are very serious for this money.
I purchased these new in 1990 and paid £220.00. They were never highly regarded but always delivered a satisfying sound I never bored of even though Bass is not a strong point in this sealed design. Proximity to rear wall is everything here.
No previous experience with crossover upgrades. Never built a PCB. Very limited knowledge of electronics A beginner !
Every sonic element is vastly improved. Detail everywhere, Soundstage opened up. Depth, Clarity, Definition, Truly remarkable the level of performance these 'nothing special' loudspeakers are now delivering. They are being driven by Oppo 105 upgraded, John Sampson upgraded Musical Fidelity A1. All solid core power/interconnect/speaker cables.
This project was only completed 'confidently' with the kind, generous help and insights from Willys HIFI who supplied all the excellent Mundorf components.
Cannot thank Will enough for his patience and knowledge. My lack of knowledge and understanding was never a barrier to success only because Will was so helpful, enthusiastic and interested in my enquiries. Will cautioned against my extravagant choice of caps. The results could not be predicted and so a more responsible and cost efficient choice was Will's sagely recommendation. Trustworthy, Knowledgeable and Approachable. How refreshing. My choice was a gamble to push the limits and the budget, the results are beyond my hopes and expectations.
Highly commendable service and support. Outstanding in the Audio/HiFi marketplace.
Thank you Will.
John.