Tymphany custom OEM surplus drivers group buy

Siva, the boxes look very good!!

Can you share more information?

CSA and length of the line?

Position of the midpoint between the drivers from inner top?

Terminus size?

Stuffing?

Hi Keith - Thanks, the credit for the quality of the carpentry and finish goes to the fabricator. He has been making high-volume cheap sealed enclosures so far - this is the first TL that he has executed, and he has picked up the salient features as well as aesthetics very fast.

The length of the line and most dimensions are the same as Bjorn's TABAQ box:

http://www.coolcat.dk/bjoern/TABAQ BOX Cabinet build.pdf

The differences are:

1) Front and rear baffle side-edges have been chamfered to minimize diffraction effects (probably only relevant for the front baffle, with the rear being mainly for symmetry and aesthetics).

2) Cutouts for 2x 3.5" drivers centred at ~168 mm and ~272mm from the top. This moves the midpoint of the drivers about 52 mm closer to the closed end of the line (which has also been suggested by Bjorn even for the single-driver case - i.e. moving the driver ~5 cm higher).

3) Terminal connector block is lower down on the rear, to reduce the internal wire length to the drivers.

4) The connector cutout is sized to accept either an MX dual binding post, or a generic spring-loaded wire-insertion connector.

5) Push-fit plastic dust baffle with cloth diffuser.

The terminus dimensions have been retained at 97mm x 120 mm x 13 mm. I haven't stuffed the line in the first prototype, but will probably add the stuffing later (I'm planning to use the nylon stocking-like bags which are provided in some supermarkets for carrying produce and fruits, stuffed with polyfill from an old pillow).
 
But isn't Bjorn's box meant for just 1 driver? With 2 drivers...

It works, because the original Tang-Band driver is 4" and has almost double the effective area (Sd) of the Tymphany 3.5". Also, the Tabaq works for a range of drivers from 3" to 4.5" without altering most of the dimensions including the terminus.

The main concern with 2 drivers is reflected waves from the central divider muddying the response. However, superposition comes to the rescue, and the rest can be taken care of by stuffing the region behind the drivers if needed.
 
@Linuxguru, it is not clear as to who all are participants of this group buy. I request you to publish the names of participants in this group buy.
 
@Linuxguru, it is not clear as to who all are participants of this group buy. I request you to publish the names of participants in this group buy.

OK, will have to dig through the thread and PMs to obtain the list - will do so in due course. I've also got your PM of today, will reply in the morning.
 
Thanks Siva, Yesterday, I received two pairs of Tymphany driver in a very safe packaging. Drivers are looking good.

I was stuck with the work till 10 PM in the office but after reaching home I could not wait anymore and immediately mounted the drivers without screws in my Tabaq box (original tower specs with driver 5 cm higher). Hooked up with Marantz 5004 amp, Meridian Explorer DAC and my PC. Played some tracks in Foober and I must say they sound great for the size. Good midrange and tight bass. I did not feel lack of bass in most of the tracks played but these drivers alone are not for very bass heavy songs which was evidently clear when I played Hotel California from the album Hell Freezes Over. Though sound was clear and precise but bass was not that effective as I heard in my other speakers and HT with sub. Still they are adequate for most of the songs that I listen. They have not yet broken-in but still I did not feel harshness in the high range. I did not use any filters/BSC. Extended listening after proper mounting and sealing is pending that I will try to complete by this weekend. Overall, I think they worked very well so I am happy so far with the progress. Sound should improve more once drivers are settled properly.

I like the sound but now question is to measure the frequency response/curve, I do not have any equipment or technical knowledge, so I would be grateful if somebody can suggest a cost effective method for it. Is there any app/freeware that I can use via my IPhone 5s. I will be more than happy if such an application can provide even 70-80% results.

Thank you all for being so supportive.

Vinay
 
Thanks Siva, Yesterday, I received two pairs of Tymphany driver in a very safe packaging. Drivers are looking good.
... I did not feel lack of bass in most of the tracks played but these drivers alone are not for very bass heavy songs which was evidently clear when I played Hotel California from the album Hell Freezes Over. Though sound was clear and precise but bass was not that effective as I heard in my other speakers and HT with sub. Still they are adequate for most of the songs that I listen. They have not yet broken-in but still I did not feel harshness in the high range. I did not use any filters/BSC...

Vinay - thanks for the update. You may need to use a BSC network to get the +6 dB bass re-emphasis which is lost due to the solid angle of radiation being twice that of the mids and highs due to baffle-edge diffraction. Try a BSC network of around 0.75 mH || 5 ohms || 0.47 uF (capacitor is optional, only required for emphasizing the highs). This network also works well for the dual-driver TYMPHAQ2, which scores over the single-driver TABAQ on bass authority between 55 to 120 Hz (in other respects, both are sonically similar). Single-driver TABAQ could probably use a slightly higher BSC inductor value of 1 mH to 1.5 mH as suggested by Bjorn.

I have not optimized the BSC yet, but I'm satisfied with the sonics as they are now. I'll check the Eagles tracks you've mentioned in due course with the TYMPHAQ2 - so far, I've auditioned some Simon & Garfunkel, Doors and Abba.

Edit: A FAST setup with a folded TABAQ coupled with a subwoofer in a separate enclosure attached below the TABAQ for the lows below 120 Hz is also a viable future design option. In such a case, a bi-amp setup with a Class-D plate-amp for the sub and something like a MyRef or MiniRef for the TABAQ would work well in conjunction with an active Linkwitz shelf-filter for the sub. This is just a random idea I got after listening to the F&D A520 2.1 multimedia speakers, which are phenomenal for deep bass.
 
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Thanks Siva - Yesterday, I placed these against wall and sound quality improved with more bass. Now I want to try these with BSC. for that please can you let me know where I can find the above specs resistors and inductors. Thanks a lot.
 
Thanks Siva - Yesterday, I placed these against wall and sound quality improved with more bass. Now I want to try these with BSC. for that please can you let me know where I can find the above specs resistors and inductors. Thanks a lot.

I used two Dale CW-2B 10 ohm, 2W resistors in parallel to get a 5 ohm, 4W resistance. However, you can use a generic 4.7 or 5.6 ohm, 5W cement resistor instead.

I wound the inductor on a plastic transformer bobbin with 22 AWG enamelled copper wire. The bobbin used has a central core cross-sectional area of approx. 20 mm x 19 mm (actually about 2 mm more on each dimension if you include the plastic bobbin thickness). The length (height) of the winding area of the bobbin is 25 mm. For this size, approx. 180 turns of 22 AWG in 6 layers (30 turns per layer) gives 0.75 mH inductance. If you want more inductance, 240 turns in 8 layers will give approx. 1.33 mH inductance.

The capacitor is optional, and is meant to re-emphasize the highs alone without affecting the mids. Something in the range of 0.47 to 3.3 uF may be obtained by trial-and-error, starting at the low value and progressing higher.
 
I have found a Bangalore based online website ElectronComponents.com and shortlisted the following. Please advise if they are fine to use. Thank you for your patience.

4.7 ohm [4.7 ? 2W], 2 Watt Resistor (Pack of 5)
1mH Inductor
0.47uf/100V (474j) Myler Capacitor - Polyester [High Quality]
 
I have found a Bangalore based online website ElectronComponents.com and shortlisted the following. Please advise if they are fine to use. Thank you for your patience.

4.7 ohm [4.7 ? 2W], 2 Watt Resistor (Pack of 5)
1mH Inductor
0.47uf/100V (474j) Myler Capacitor - Polyester [High Quality]

4.7, 2W should be OK in a pinch, but you may want to look for 3W or 5W rated resistors (for additional margin of safety).

For the inductor, the current rating is important - the small resistor-like inductors have current ratings only in the region of 10s to 100s of mA, which won't be sufficient in XO/BSC applications, where you will need a minimum rating of 10+ Amps. Your best option is to wind it, or find a vendor who is willing to wind it (a good place to look is small-scale transformer manufacturers - ask if they're willing to make air-core inductors to specifications). You'll need maybe 200 - 250 gm of 22 AWG to wind two 1 mH inductors; if you go with 20 AWG wire, the weight and size of the inductors will increase, but the DC resistance will also drop, giving higher Q inductors. Another alternative is to use thinner wire like 24 AWG, and use bifilar or trifilar winding.

The capacitor should be OK, and it's optional at any rate. Axial will probably have better sonics than box-type capacitors.
 
I have found a Bangalore based online website ElectronComponents.com and shortlisted the following. Please advise if they are fine to use. Thank you for your patience.

4.7 ohm [4.7 ? 2W], 2 Watt Resistor (Pack of 5)
1mH Inductor
0.47uf/100V (474j) Myler Capacitor - Polyester [High Quality]

Vinay, try here - X-over Parts - it's closer home too for you
 
Thanks a lot Siva. I was about to order them. You saved me :). I am not sure if I could hand wind, hence looking for ready to use product.

Keith Sir - This looks like a great place. Your suggestions are spot on..First Tabaq and now this. Salute.

Great help indeed.
 
Siva - What do you think of below? Should I go for it? Bjorn suggested 3.9 Ohm, 1mH
and 6.8 ohm, 1.5 mH. I thought of between the two..i.e 5.6 ohm resistor. 1mH inductor in 22 or 20 AWG seems unavailable though it is available in steel laminate with 16 AWG.

Air core inductor 0.80mH

Low Inductive wire wound resistor 5.6 OHM

0.8 mH air-core inductor should be OK and close enough to the 0.75 mH that I've verified. For the resistor, 5.6 should be fine - it's close enough to the DC resistance of the Tymphany, and also close to the 5 ohms that I've verified.

Steel laminate may cause distortion due to hysteresis and eddy currents at moderate to high signal levels, so it's best to stay with air core inductors.
 
Hi Siva- I connected the BSC and listened few tracks. I observed mid bass and overall bass improved even if speakers are placed far from the wall so it works. Definitely worth it. However, I felt little spark missing in the high frequency. Also, need to increase the volume as compared to no BSC.

Can you please suggest how I should connect the capacitor. Is it the same way I connected the inductor and resistor in the red (+ wire) of speaker. Also is there any need to take care of + and - in these (resistor, inductor & capacitor). Sorry again for the dumb questions.

Thanks a lot.
 
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