A mini-TL speaker that defies the laws of Physics

[Hari Iyer]

I modified the harmonic balance compensator for this mini-TL speaker to get the perfect step response, impulse response and the square wave response last weekend. Doing this modification had a whole lot of impact in the entire bandwidth of the speaker system. A perfect square wave response has the ability to make all frequency to arrive in cohernence without smudging, ringing or cancelling in phase. I still am never able to get a decent square wave in my 2 way speakers even though the step and impulse response are impressive. Infact i am far away from it.

This mini-TL speaker is my first speaker to get close to perfect square wave response (simulated). This speaker will land in one FM home next week at Chennai. Anyone interested for a listen can PM me. Its an opportunity to listen to a perfect phase coherent speaker.

Due to this enhancement, i am now able to get a very deep bass without much effort with just a 3.5" full range driver.

 

[aashish351]

Sounds interesting, Hari. Which full range driver are you talking about?

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[Hari Iyer]

Its not Peerless India but one from Iwai which is exported to Canada and not available in the local market. Its PP cone and i find it much much better than the Peerless India counterpart though they look very similar.

 

[keith_correa]

The one that was formerly exported to PSB?

 

[aashish351]

Is it this one: http://www.iwaispeakers.com/Woofer/3_Woofer_4E_20W/

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[Hari Iyer]

The one that was formerly exported to PSB?

I think the one exported to PSB is 5.25". I have used a 3.5" FR driver.

Is it this one: Iwai Electronics Pvt. Ltd.

No, not this one. Mine is PP cone. This one is Titanium doped cone. Both are different.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

This speaker will land in one FM home next week at Chennai.

The good news is that it is winging its way to my house.

The bad news is... my hearing. It has got bad to the point where I can't hear the kitchen timer at 4kHz. Whereas, even though I knew, for decades, that I had high-frequency hearing loss, I was confident that I could hear enough frequency range to express an "audiophile" opinion, I now know that I can't.

But I'm still listening to music, mostly live, but also sometimes at home. Mostly, at home, via the HD600 'phones, but sometimes on the speakers. I'm re-jigging my desktop (which is main) around an integrated amplifier (Cyrus is coming out of the cupboard) and passive speakers.

I am not going to be offering any useful review of these, or any other, speaker, simply due to lack of ability. I am, though, going to offer a vote of confidence in Hari,

I believe that Hari has been using a healthy combination of science and ears, over the past few years and my very small purchase is an expression of confidence in that.

If my ears were up to it, I would be buying one of his larger speakers.

Looking forward to the new arrivals... hyeah:

 

[captrajesh]

The good news is that it is winging its way to my house.

Too bad that I can't listen to them, having moved out of Chennai.

How about organising a listening session for the regular gang; Sashi, Srinisundar, Rajiv, Mohamednasser?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Yes, those were good sessions at your place.

First let me get them... then let me see if anyone invites me and the speakers anywhere! Looks like the larger-scale Chennai meet is not happening, but maybe one day.

 

[bhagwan]

Excellent work H. I.
Impressive.
I am sure the Chennai Chapter will listen to this mini marvel & will report.
Looking forward to a 'review' from the senior members from down south.
All the Best !
I am happy to see that DIY work is getting supported on this Forum. Keep up the good work.:clapping:
T.E.G. Congratulations.
Enjoy your speakers in good health.
You have excellent Cans & will be in a great position to do a A / B & will report soon, I am sure.:licklips:

 

[Naturelover]

This is great, Hari. :clapping:
Congratulations to you and to Thad.
Hoping to know more from Chennai FMs soon.
Maybe this will give fresh impetus to the Chennai meet .

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

T.E.G. Congratulations.
Enjoy your speakers in good health.
You have excellent Cans & will be in a great position to do a A / B & will report soon, I am sure.:licklips:

Thank you!

Yes, the HD600s are very nice. Top of the range headphones a couple of decades ago, and the major change to the headphone range seems to be more price-extension than performance-extension! Of course, there are more-expensive models I might have desired, but even the headphone fanatics grumble about the unreal situation of $4k 'phones. HD6n0 is really enough hifi for almost all of us. Of course... everyone is free to spend their own cash as they wish! I've wasted enough of mine on all sorts of rubbish in my life

Cyrus amp (somehow I have acquired two and I prefer to hoard rather than sell ) at entry level may be modest, but it was still a huge upgrade to my previous experience, and I have stuck with them for over 15 years. Desire to change never coincided with cash availability --- and I am not sorry: I have enough hifi for me. I just regret the lack of ears now :sad:

But I have been out to three wonderful concerts in three days and enjoyed them just as much as ever. hyeah:

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I have the speakers, well packed and safely delivered, and they are settling in.

Finish and appearance is not what rolls off a production line, but it is excellent for a one-man product at its price level. Some of the detail, like fabric stretching is as perfect as any factory item. Looks very nice indeed.

I'll comment further in a day or two, but with the firm disclosure that my desk is in an impossible place for speaker placement, between two walls barely 2 metres apart, closed one side and opening into the main room space on the other. And my ears.

 

[Hari Iyer]

A bit strange to know that you have so much placement constraints. These speakers may look puny, but they can give a floor stander 10 times the cost a run for the money. Try replacing your primary speaker with this gems and you will know what i mean.
Eager for an update from you soon.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

A bit strange to know that you have so much placement constraints.

Their purpose is to live on my desk. My desk lives in this tiny corner of the house! It is music for the location, rather than the location for the music. At the other end of the room, although they system to run them has not been rebuilt since the flood, are a pair of floor standers

These speakers are not "puny" at all. They are slim, but, for a pair of "desk-standers" they are quite high and quite deep. They also have a very respectable weight, as I soon realised when I carried the box indoors. "All the speaker-stand" piles of books are gone. But then the previous pair really were small.

They sound nice: they do not go very low, but sound clean, even from the rest of the room. I am trying to get find the comfortable levels and EQ for the location and my ears. The problem is that I have to cut some frequencies not because there is anything wrong with them, but because they are uncomfortable to my hearing. The problem is with the ears, not the sound source. And that is why I am such a lousy sound critic these days: I know that what I hear is not what is out there.

 

[bhagwan]

Dear T.E.G. could you share a few pics ? The Speaker / The Room / The Electronics / The Location & Set up - so we get some idea of what is going on in Chennai in your house. It will help me to understand things is better light. Shall be much appreciated.
BTW - Enjoy your new purchase...
Source ?
Cables ?
Details may be appreciated.

 

[ukjeyaraj]

Yes. can we get to see the pics of the speaker

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

ha ha, pics of my mess! OK... I'll post some pics. At the very least, I'll get one of speakers to pose for me

And my corner is still not properly reconstructed since the flood, as one large desk collapsed completely.

The technology is that, currently, my PC is the only source via an ODAC DAC. The amplifier is a Cyrus 6 VS2. I also have a GeekOut V1 DAC/hp-amp and an ifi iCAN headphone amp, but am currently using only the cyrus integrated. One day I'll get around to comparing its headphone out with the other devices, but I am happy with it. NB: I need to turn the volume up for the phones and down for the speakers.

You might recall, from conversations a long time ago, that I require nothing of a cable other than it conducts electricity and is, where there is one, built to spec. To be a little less simplistic, let's say has the appropriate electrical characteristics, rather than just is a conductor. Yes: I still reject everything exotic or expensive, but I don't reject good materials and good build, and consequently use Blue Jeans interconnects.

I also use an Aukey USB cable to the DAC, as experience with charging recent mobile phones is that one has to be sure that the power conductors in the cable are not skimped: in cheap cables they are the same size as the data carriers, whereas they should be bigger. Only then will they carry enough current to charge our hungry mobiles, and perhaps it might make a difference delivering power to a USB-powered DAC too. Some USB cables fail, or take hours, to charge some phones.

My speaker cables are just some stuff from my collecting-[dust]-for-decades pile. Wait, there is a name printed on them: Gale Electronics. An end-of reel offcut from the well-known Richer Sounds in London.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

The speakers are settling in nicely and I am settling in nicely to the speakers.

Whilst I don't think they handle heavy and dense classical orchestral music quite as well as they handle other stuff, they are doing pretty well, and sounding, within the limitation of my hearing, pretty good.