Calpamos two way

[madman29]

Reviving this old thread as I had a chance to visit @madman29 ’s place , being a fellow Kolkatan.
The listening room is as cosy as it gets , with one wall stacked with rows of CDs arranged by name. My primary impulse to visit his place was to listen to his hand-built JBL / Altec clone speakers with 15inch mid bass woofers, front loaded horns and super tweeters, actively crossed, of which I’ve heard good things from @bhaskarcan , whose Rethm Saadhnas and Tannoy full range I’ve had the pleasure of listening to several times.

Anyway ,the huge JBL-43** series - like speakers are driven by the renowned Mr Partha Banerjee’s SET amp , although the midbass and front loaded horns have their own individual amps (technical details of which I would leave @madman29 to furnish).

What I can do , however , is to attest to the power of the speakers as they filled the entire front soundstage end to end as madman kept playing different CDs on his Sony ESS- vintage CD player. From Dire Straits ‘You and Your Friend ‘ (On the Night live CD) to Morricone film OSTs recreated by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the scale and dynamic range of these speakers , even on moderate volumes , was huge.
Cymbals and high hats shimmered in the air, violins and cellos soared , brass sections exploded with break-taking speed from the slowest and quietest cadenzas. These were speakers that could truly handle the widest of the frequency spectrum with authority & panache, summoning bass wherever required that could be palpably felt more than heard (the true test of good bass , in my view ).To think these were built by someone with barely any speaker building experience (as I understand he had previously built only one pair before ) - was truly astonishing. The memorable evening drew to a close with a musical revelation- a CD of John Barry’s ‘The Beyondness of Things’ , an album I wasn’t the least aware of , that had some of the most hauntingly melancholic tracks I’ve heard in recent times, brought to life by these exceptional pair of speakers.
Sharing two pics for your viewing pleasure.

Thank you Bloom@83

It as a very enjoyable evening for me too. Thanks for your review. As this old thread is revived I found that I am tinkering with that pair of speakers for more than 2 years now. And the way they sound is entirely adjusted by listening as I do not posses measure equipment, nor have the knowledge to work with them. I love to think of them as poor man's JBL.

The electronic crossover and the EQ might have made them sound different from the original ones from the one designed by Humble Homemade Hifi, but I like the sound they produce now. I think that is the mot important thing. Also, like you, a few more friends of mine liked it too.

Hope this project will come to an ending point soon.

 

[madman29]

Hi
After 4 year of building the Calpamos speakers there are some updates to be shared. Calpamos being a 2 way design I always thought of introducing a super tweeter (though I don't know if I could call it that as it is crossovered at 10k).

I am using DBX 234XS as crossover which is 3 way. I have added a JBL D220TI tweeter with Eminence ATP200S horn.

As I never purchased the original crossover for the Calpamos for price constraints I really can't comment on the true output or the SQ of the Calpamos. But adding this JBL tweeter has definitely improved the top end of the audio spectrum. And that tweeter being active and driven by a NAD2100 power amp has given me the power to adjust it to my heart's content.

Right now the speaker system
Faital Pro 15pr400 mid-woofer---Driven by QSC RMX 2450a (450w x 2)
Faital Pro HF 201 Compression driver---Driven by SET amp based on 6L6, 6SN7 (6w x 2)
JBL D220TI tweeter---Driven by NAD2100 (60w x 2)

For EQ---KlarkTeknik DN360

Right now the tweeter have no enclosure. I am starting the enclosure building process and in the process of buying the terminal and other items that I need. Will post building pics as the projects proceeds.

 

[sadik]

@madman29 I have also started a similar project (not same) with Beyma Midbass 15 Inch Driver and JBL 3350ti CD with PH 2380 horn, I too will will be making my own Xover after taking measurements of both drivers. I will also soon start a new thread. Check the below image for external dimensions.

 

[arunkvivek]

@madman29 I have also started a similar project (not same) with Beyma Midbass 15 Inch Driver and JBL 3350ti CD with PH 2380 horn, I too will will be making my own Xover after taking measurements of both drivers. I will also soon start a new thread. Check the below image for external dimensions.
View attachment 68110

Now, this looks tempting!

 

[arunkvivek]

Hi
After 4 year of building the Calpamos speakers there are some updates to be shared. Calpamos being a 2 way design I always thought of introducing a super tweeter (though I don't know if I could call it that as it is crossovered at 10k).

I am using DBX 234XS as crossover which is 3 way. I have added a JBL D220TI tweeter with Eminence ATP200S horn.

As I never purchased the original crossover for the Calpamos for price constraints I really can't comment on the true output or the SQ of the Calpamos. But adding this JBL tweeter has definitely improved the top end of the audio spectrum. And that tweeter being active and driven by a NAD2100 power amp has given me the power to adjust it to my heart's content.

Right now the speaker system
Faital Pro 15pr400 mid-woofer---Driven by QSC RMX 2450a (450w x 2)
Faital Pro HF 201 Compression driver---Driven by SET amp based on 6L6, 6SN7 (6w x 2)
JBL D220TI tweeter---Driven by NAD2100 (60w x 2)

For EQ---KlarkTeknik DN360

Right now the tweeter have no enclosure. I am starting the enclosure building process and in the process of buying the terminal and other items that I need. Will post building pics as the projects proceeds.

How much money would all these components work out to? Would give me an idea whether to start or not.

 

[madman29]

How much money would all these components work out to? Would give me an idea whether to start or not.

The speaker without the crossover is 75K approx including carpenter fee. (Midwoofer+Tweeter+Horn+Marine ply box with century teakwood veneer.
The JBL super tweeter with Eminence horn flair 8k approx
The price of the rest of the equipment is as quoted on net (DBX234XS crossover, Klarkteknik DN360 EQ)
As this is an active system it requires 3 amplifier in my case.

(Start the project if the home minister is okay with it)

My wife compares the speakers with mini fridge in size

 

[arunkvivek]

The speaker without the crossover is 75K approx including carpenter fee. (Midwoofer+Tweeter+Horn+Marine ply box with century teakwood veneer.
The JBL super tweeter with Eminence horn flair 8k approx
The price of the rest of the equipment is as quoted on net (DBX234XS crossover, Klarkteknik DN360 EQ)
As this is an active system it requires 3 amplifier in my case.

(Start the project if the home minister is okay with it)

My wife compares the speakers with mini fridge in size

I would have to now just admire your build alone.