I made some changes and more are on the way. I re-configured the compression drivers to get a better integration. It worked. I am slowly upgrading the parts in the crossovers. I put it some Jantzen 8awg copper foil in oil inductors for the mid and high frequency drivers. Soon, I will solder in some Mundorf VN-300 inductors for the low frequency. I will be upgrading the capacitors to Duelund Cast tinned copper ones. These speakers really respond to component changes. Going to the Jantzen inductors was like the system dropping acid. It was awesome. Can't wait to hear what 50lbs of iron core vacuum impregnated copper wound air core inductors brings to the party.
Thank you for saying that, cymbop. If weren't for the passion of the community and the deep knowledge within it and the desire to help, I would have never been able to achieve or acquire this level of audio reproduction.
Here's a link to the construction guide that I used for the Onkens. http://www.planet10-hifi.com/downloads/Hiraga-Onkens-English.pdf
I used 1" marine grade plywood. I selected it with a recording engineer. We tapped on it like a luthier listening for any anomalous resonances. We constructed them as close as we could to the plan.
Hello pcosta. Glad you asked. I built these speakers during quarantine because I had a lot of time on my hands. I was fascinated by Cessaro speakers. But I'll never be in the market for speakers that cost that much. I'd been reading about TAD drivers and their history. I would read the forums and ask some questions, just trying to learn from people way more knowledgeable than me. Even though I have the the biggest Horning speakers, I was still missing - for me - a bigger, more energetic and more effortless sound. I guess you could say I was trying to figure out how to build a poor-er man's Cessaro. Through my research I kept finding my way back to Altec. Through that journey I discovered the Onken cabinets and building instructions provided by Jean Hiraga. I decided to have a local woodworker help build them, pretty much to exact specifications. I mounted 416-8b woofers made by Great Plains Audio to the cabs. As for the midrange, I went with 288-8H compression drivers made by GPA, mounted to a 15 cell wooden horn made by Klughoerner. And for the high frequencies, I decided on TAD 2001 compression drivers mounted to a 15 cell high frequency horn. The first crossover I tried was a Hiraga designed one. I'm now using a series crossover as distinct from a parallel one. I prefer the series. I'm going build that one out with super premium Jantzen air core inductors and Duelund CAST caps. Beyond the fun and satisfaction of doing something yourself and beyond the critical listening required to get a three way seamlessly balanced from top to bottom, there is something about the sound of these speakers that FEELS right to me. I'm not exactly sure where that feeling comes from or where it resides but these speakers live there too.
In hindsight, I'd use IsoAcoustics. The Fabreeka are fine. They leak air, like a tire tube, which means eternal vigilance, which is a pain the ass. But they work. They support a turntable that weighs 150 lbs. They are some of the least expensive vibration control devices, can't remember what I paid for them.
Thank you for the comments. I really appreciate it. When I first posted the system, I got nothing but radio silence. So it was really nice to come back and see your appreciation. I was really curious if there are any "audiophile-shaped" listeners of the metal arts. I'm happy to find y'all. Pun intended, but "I get a peaceful easy feeling" when listening to Sunn O))) on my system. It's an epic black hole experience. What led me to this system is Jeffrey Catalano of High Water Sound. I used to live in NYC, and I would visit him almost weekly on my way home from work. He possesses the most impressive vinyl collection. We would listen to music for hours. It's the way music sounds through the choices he makes that led me to what I have.
