DIY Transmission Line Fast Protocol

vivek.saikia

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Hi All,
Thought of sharing my latest DIY project with you all.
This project is a fast prototype of a transmission line speaker design.
It all started as I was "In between" speakers and wanted to have a stop gap arrangement to listen to music while I was deciding upon my next speaker upgrade.
Being a hardcore DIY'er, a speaker project was inevitable.
I was interested in the transmission line or T-Line speaker design and always wanted to give it a try. With the huge discounts sale going on at Parts Express, I found it hard to stop myself from jumping into this project.

This project uses the HiWave BMR12 2inch fullrange driver and a Tang Band 2 inch subwoofer. The enclosure was made by thin basswood planks of size 3"x24" (BxH) from Joanne. I didn't used MDF simply due to the fact that I don't have necessary power tools and expertise to cut the thick MDF boards. This whole project was finished using just a hand saw.
I lined the interior of the enclosure using polyfill layers and assembled the pieces together.
To increase the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor), I used vinyl laminates to give them a decent look.

Once I listened to the sound, I was amazed by the openness of the sound as well as the bass frequencies generated by these tiny speakers.
The fs on the subwoofer specs says 90Hz but I think the T-Line enclosure is able to extract upto 70Hz of usable frequency.
Both the drivers are being driven fullrange with no crossovers.

This project has given me enough motivation to try out a bigger model of transmission line speaker using 6.5 inch Fostex driver.


DIY Transmission Line Speakers - YouTube


PS: On a side note, can anyone guide me how to embed YouTube videos in HFV?
 
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made with a hand saw and elbow grease you say?
Beautiful!

Also,did you recase the ipod yourself?and why is that headphone hanging by that tripod?remove that tripod and make a nice wooden stand for it too.
And what is the first song that plays?have heard it before,can place it.
 
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made with a hand saw and elbow grease you say?
Beautiful!

Also,did you recase the ipod yourself?and why is that headphone hanging by that tripod?remove that tripod and make a nice wooden stand for it too.

Thanks for the complement :)
I would not take much pride in my shabby craftsmanship. All I can say is that I somehow put all the pieces together and tried my best to make it a look bit better so that my better half won't throw it out thinking it as trash :eek:

I re-cased the iPod myself. Used the iVue clear panel from Rapid Repair.

I am quite happy using the tripod as a headphone stand for my HD600 due to the "flexibility" it provides....literally ;)
 
What about the music being played?the very first one as the video opens?
You do have do make one of those beautiful wooden stands.A tripod is jarring.
 
What about the music being played?the very first one as the video opens?
You do have do make one of those beautiful wooden stands.A tripod is jarring.

I picked up a few royalty free music tracks with creative commons license.

Ok then, A DIY headphone stand is next on my DIY list then ;)
 
Vivek ,

Those are wonderful speakers for a total of $60 ?

Can you post more instructions ? how to go about it ?

Thx
Amit
 
Hi All,
Thought of sharing my latest DIY project with you all.
This project is a fast prototype of a transmission line speaker design.
It all started as I was "In between" speakers and wanted to have a stop gap arrangement to listen to music while I was deciding upon my next speaker upgrade.
Being a hardcore DIY'er, a speaker project was inevitable.
I was interested in the transmission line or T-Line speaker design and always wanted to give it a try. With the huge discounts sale going on at Parts Express, I found it hard to stop myself from jumping into this project.

This project uses the HiWave BMR12 2inch fullrange driver and a Tang Band 2 inch subwoofer. The enclosure was made by thin basswood planks of size 3"x24" (BxH) from Joanne. I didn't used MDF simply due to the fact that I don't have necessary power tools and expertise to cut the thick MDF boards. This whole project was finished using just a hand saw.
I lined the interior of the enclosure using polyfill layers and assembled the pieces together.
To increase the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor), I used vinyl laminates to give them a decent look.

Once I listened to the sound, I was amazed by the openness of the sound as well as the bass frequencies generated by these tiny speakers.
The fs on the subwoofer specs says 90Hz but I think the T-Line enclosure is able to extract upto 70Hz of usable frequency.
Both the drivers are being driven fullrange with no crossovers.

This project has given me enough motivation to try out a bigger model of transmission line speaker using 6.5 inch Fostex driver.


DIY Transmission Line Speakers - YouTube


PS: On a side note, can anyone guide me how to embed YouTube videos in HFV?

Vivek, what did you use to model the line? You say that the drivers are run full range - how are they connected? Did you experiment with stuffing/unstuffing the line?
 
Looks good!.
And Desperately Need to learn these "Fast Protocol".

on other note,I felt there seems a lot of Echo in the room.

Correct me if I am wrong,is the room filled with all that we could see.
nothing else but sparse furnishing if at all to watch TV.
 
Vivek ,

Those are wonderful speakers for a total of $60 ?

Can you post more instructions ? how to go about it ?

Thx
Amit

Yeah I agree. I initially made those speakers just to kill time but now I have to say, I am hooked on to them and listen to music on them rather than on my Senn HD600s. They really create a very open and large soundstage defying their diminutive size an price. I haven't heard this kind of soundstage even from on bigger speakers I had till now. I wouldn't exaggerate by saying that they are the end word in definition and all, but they are really very sweet sounding.
I have a few pictures I took of the enclosure while making it. I will post them here once I get back home.
 
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Well,seeing where you are put up,its not difficult to get access to good material.

I went to the biggest "showroom" for wood in my place and asked for the materials you used.All i got was blank stares.

Something as simple as getting a strip of aluminium cut on a lathe or having wood cut to exact dimensions involves begging the workshop owner and then every workman under him and giving a lot of bakshis in addition to the exorbitant cost of getting work done.:mad:
 
Vivek, what did you use to model the line? You say that the drivers are run full range - how are they connected? Did you experiment with stuffing/unstuffing the line?

I haven't used any specific software tool to model the line, if that's what you are asking about. I went by my instincts and just designed the speakers using the materials in hand.
The drivers are connected in parallel.
I have stuffed the line with layers of polyfill sheets. Initially, the line was understuffed so there was some resonance around midrange but then I stuffed in some more and then it all become really sweet.
 
Looks good!.
And Desperately Need to learn these "Fast Protocol".

on other note,I felt there seems a lot of Echo in the room.

Correct me if I am wrong,is the room filled with all that we could see.
nothing else but sparse furnishing if at all to watch TV.

Well strangely enough I do not hear any echo and to my guess there should not be any as the room is fully floor carpeted and there is a sofa and love seat which are again heavily cushioned. It is only that side of the room which is less crowded.
 
Well,seeing where you are put up,its not difficult to get access to good material.

I went to the biggest "showroom" for wood in my place and asked for the materials you used.All i got was blank stares.

Something as simple as getting a strip of aluminium cut on a lathe or having wood cut to exact dimensions involves begging the workshop owner and then every workman under him and giving a lot of bakshis in addition to the exorbitant cost of getting work done.:mad:

yeah I totally agree with you. Here in the US, getting the materials needed for a project is as simple as driving up to a store and picking up what is needed. But in our India it is really difficult to get what you need and you will have to keep scouting for materials from place to place.
In the US however, the labor cost is incredibly high so I feel that's the reason all the tools & material are readily available which makes DIY the way to go.
 
Then maybe you should try the Accidental MLTL Technique. Not scientific but it might work.

Thanks for the link. Seems interesting.
After getting the huge motivation boost after creating these speakers, I am contemplating another life size T-Line built using a 6.5" Fostex driver.
I may also consider getting this TriTrix speaker kit, if I find my woodwork skills too miserable.
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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