# DIY Reference Studio



## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

I'm moving this here from the General Tech 101 section; it is a continuation of the Reference System Design thread.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

I'll regain postature when the Manley ML-10 speakers arrive mid-week.


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## maikol (Nov 7, 2008)

Hi Fractile,

Just to let you know that I added a link to the original thread in your first post, for better clarity.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

Thought I'd cover a little background waiting for the speakers, since dealing with this room is not a standard approach and I should cover the structural and acoustical situation. And to cover a little of my background, I began as an artist/techie, worked in a custom built radio station's studios, theatre, live club/theater music, at an architectural/acoustic engineering office...

I have a pretty sketchy background, but to give an idea of my actual skills, I walked into The Great American Music Hall http://www.gamh.com/ [it is not configured like that picture now] and within 5 minutes demonstrated to the house sound guy with EQ how great the sound _could_ be. Ok my bragging right has just expired.

I'll try not to be wordy, but this is a complex situation, so it will be convoluted. I'm working in/on about one of the least desirable spaces, an old apartment with plaster walls, wooden floor and no insulation; so the building is a lot like an acoustic guitar. Rather than go into detail about the configuration, I'll wait and post a photo when things are 1/2 way in place. As an aside I'm also setting things up so I can do remote work in big rooms, be a little mobile.

My first attempts at sound control have been an intuitive approach to attempting constructing an acoustic diode to keep sound from escaping to the rest of the building. [note: i also have a simple technical degree in A/D electronics] I'm doing this on about zero budget, since I spent about all the money on equipment. So it's an urban scrounger hack.

I may be exercising futility, but I have the idea to decouple the front plaster wall [behind where the speakers will sit] from the hallway and rest of the building. So I put up 4x8 sheets of 1/2" sound batte behind 1/4" masonite, rough side out. These are only attached around the bottom 3 edges and decoupled resting on the bottom moulding. Three feet out from the wall, where the speakers will sit is carpet pad, 1/2" HDP board, carpet pad, and carpet. I'm thinking about putting a decorative, dense cotton quilt over the wall, also. The rest of the room, the front door, etc, is another story for later.

I'm posting these details so that someone may tell me what I'm doing totally wrong, before it's set in stone; I hate having to redo things, but I do like to keep things easy to break out if necessary...


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

To elaborate on the general concept is a front deadish space evolving live toward the back, where there are bay windows that can be opened into a space between two buildings, for air. I intend to do mainly acoustic instrument based production here; small ensemble modern music with some electronics. Sort of how good the music is vs. who complains.


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

Do we have pictures?


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

Sonnie said:


> Do we have pictures?


I'll get some pics in a bit when it is 1/2-way presentable. I still have to get the phase 3 configuration in place. I'm really slow because I come up with a simpler way of doing complex things... in time.:scratch:

Right now it is a bunch of prototype eqpt setup in the middle of a construction zone.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

I did my first few hours of listening to my new Manley ML-10 monitors. They are showing excellent detail, discovering new things in CD's that I have heard many times. It is kinda scary sometimes when those things jump out; strange distortion noises, and I have to remind myself that it is on the CD and not in my system.

These speakers, at least in the design description at http://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/ml10a99.html embody about all the qualities I see as valuable in a monitor. There is pointsource localization of the acoustic output in a concentric driver. There is time alignment and phase alignment and low frequency impedance correction in the Mastering Lab crossover. Plus the 10" woofer provides adequate acoustic output.

The sensitivity is rated at 90dB W/meter which I assume also contributes to dynamic range. The frequency response is listed as 50-20kHz; I don't know if this is measured in an anechoic chamber for +/-1dB, flat, or what. This is unusual, since Manley electronics is generally rated 10Hz-30kHz minimum. At any rate these speakers outperform my ProAc Studio 100 speakers at moderate loudness, and they are rated 35-30kHz, with 88dB sensitivity. I guess it all gets down to not being able to cheat physics.

The geometry of the concentric woofer with horn loaded tweeter looked good on paper [in picture], but I was still leery from my experience with 8" square horn tweeters having a resonant honk, and have been on the popular boat of soft-dome tweeters, because they sound good to me compared with, say ribbon tweeters. [As an aside, I can understand how people doing a lot of heavy music can use something like Adams with kevlar and ribbon] I was able to hear the resonance of the paper tweeter cones and was worried about upper frequency range [think supertweeter] at first, but maybe as the Manley Snapper tubes warmed up, or something, the speakers got more transparent.

With this project I am learning how to balance vacuum tubes with solid-state and digital, each in their place. At this point, behind the Snappers I have a Manley Massive Passive EQ, and SPL Qure EQ out of an SSL X-Desk mixer. At this rate we're talking $3-4k per component. I'm sure there is plenty of fine equipment out there for less, if done right, but what I'm listening for is if something messes up the signal.

Everyone has their own space and budget. My beginning experience with this is not to underestimate the requirements of a decent studio. You cannot fool the laws of physics, so the speakers need to have adequate size and the room will take a lot of work.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

At this point I am resigned to modding some Infntity minitower boxes and tuning some sort of speaker system toward what is acceptable. Any off the shelf speaker seems to have unacceptable limitations to my ears, at my el cheapo budget.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

I'm starting with testing some 10" drivers on the bottom, since this has been working for some demonstration; I dunno, I've seen 3 10" drivers per position fill a huge room. The two intro models arrive next week.

I'm thinking there is a balance of balance and control in cone size. The full-range speakers I've seen lately add more 10" drivers for volume and don't use 12 15 or 18" drivers.

My limited experience.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

Well, it looks (sounds) like I've achieved a reference system. It's not completely DIY, since I don't have a cabinet shop or yet the acoustical and electronic expertise to whip out a set; tho' I think I'll continue to practice on the side. This is using "off-the-shelf" components.

I got a pair of Manley ML10's and was impressed with the coherence and depth, yet disappointed with high frequency response/definition. Well, I decided to give them one more test And had the flash of an idea to run my ProAc Studio 100's in parallel and stacked on top. Perfection. I'll test it for the third day tomorrow to make sure I'm not dreaming. Some more technical details I added in the What Monitors are you using? thread.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

And BTW, I've admitted to myself that this is a continuous in-my-head prototyping exercise and not a pre-planned and designed construction. Otherwise I tend to get into the infinite regression of a Zeno's paradox.

So I've about arrived at a fast-track concept of getting the skeleton in place for this phase three floorplan transition. I intend to get the ~130 lbs of power gear bolted in tomorrow. The amps and some other basic gear follow. Then I can swing the speakers, video monitor, etc. into place underneath that overhead bridge rack. The fancy architectural/aesthetic details can follow. Pictures at 11


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

Ok, I'll post some more notes I have:
I thought of a new test and stacked ProAc Studio 100's [and attempting Space-Time alignment of all the voice coils] in parallel with the ML10's and Snappers.
This may seem counterproductive, but the ProAcs even out the high end and add definition. And they are transparent enough to not get in the way. I think the 6.5" paper driver also complements the 10" Tannoy.
They go together seamlessly and tend to disappear in the room. In their final location they'll be sitting on powered subs.
...
Here is a picture of the next test phase; currently the bottom, ML-10 port is toward the inside and I'll need to swap the speakers side to side. I flipped the ProAc end to end today; it's set back 2.5" from the front of the ML-10. The idea is to assemble a synergistically coherent collection of wave sources; a sort of concentrically echoed arrangement of frequencies:

|.o*| |*o.| . = port, o = 6" woofer, * = tweeter, @ = Tannoy
|[email protected] | | @.| 9k switch on boost; 2k knob at 6 o'clock
|<-------- 7' -------->|
| O | 15" Rythmik Sub| O | [to be assembled]

It's sounding flat and articulate at -10dB into the Snappers. I can see why these are popular, being able to hear front to back as well as side to side.


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