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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> GIZMO EXPERIMENT
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Message started by 4krow on 03/13/15 at 01:52:30

Title: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/13/15 at 01:52:30

Guys, Some of you may not be familiar with the 'Gizmo' offered by Decware in the catalog. It is a transformer device put in series with drivers that tend to have that harsh midrange. I have just purchased a pair of Audio Nirvana drivers that I will be working with, but I happen to know that they tend to have a bit of this midrange problem. Thing is, the Gizmo eliminates that completely, and I'm wondering if it isn't also a better load for the amp. Finally, it occurs to me that the FRX2 drivers utilize a transformer as well. I will not guess as to whether it is the exact same thing going on, but it enhances the performance of the FRX2 there is no doubt about that. Photos to follow when things get rolling. I already have the drivers and have barely begun break in. "Giz-Guts" is what I ordered last week, and they will arrive next week.

Title: Re: GIZMO EAXPERIMENT
Post by will on 03/13/15 at 02:19:23

Looking forward! I have been thinking about Audio Nirvana for some time.

Thanks,

Will

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/13/15 at 04:04:20

Here are the drivers side by side. I want to see if I can get the AN speakers to perform anywhere near what I would like.

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/18/15 at 00:45:39

Unfortunately, you can't see what I am going to comment on about the AN drivers, but I will post photos when I have made a change to the binding post arrangement of the speaker. The thing is that the tweeter has a perfectly good push button connector for wiring, but the woofer has those smaller than you think Chinese 5-way binding posts that make wiring a challenge for me. What looks to be a binding post actually can't use the banana plugs that we are accustomed to using here in the US, and even if it did, they are placed under the magnet structure that prevents them from being used anyway. You guessed it, this led to one more of my alterations that fit my needs. I just happened to have a set of push button posts that all are tall, but with a little ingenuity, they should be a good change for the driver.
Today I received the GIZMO kit for the drivers, and sometime soon all of this will be implemented.
In the D.I.Y. section of the Decware site, the GIZMO units are not mentioned. This is the second pair of these that I have purchased, and they really fill the bill for taming certain drivers (they even have a variable control that adjust to a certain driver, making them versatile for more than just the Lowther drivers for which they were designed).

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/18/15 at 21:56:33

Drivers are done. A few photos that show the new bass driver binding posts. I will show the original posts in the next episode, as well as the finished product.

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/18/15 at 21:59:07

a few more

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/18/15 at 22:00:26

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/18/15 at 22:01:37

last one[font=Georgia][/font]

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by will on 03/18/15 at 22:46:44

Looking good!

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/19/15 at 01:33:30

Thanks Will. It was a bit more trouble than I would like, but now, the drivers are more user friendly for me. I got them finished today and hooked them up. No fair making any judgements yet, as the drivers are not broken in and I probably haven't found the optimal load for the GIZMO. It will all come in time. I have done this experiment before, but with the top of the AN line for 8" drivers. They were not co-axial, and used ALNICO magnets.

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/24/15 at 19:51:46

A little update. Got most everything set up to break in the new drivers. Have a choice of two caps so far. The 2.2uf is a little too bright, and now the .47uf is a bit too dull. Waiting for a 1.0, 1.5 and a 1.8 to arrive.

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/24/15 at 20:38:36

One more thing....here is a shot of the BSC circuit that I made, designed by Bottlehead. It works at the line level, and not the speaker level, so power is not wasted by the power amp. It accomplishes needed EQ by dropping the midrange level, shelved at particular frequencies as chosen per the black knobs. No amplification involved that way.

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 03/29/15 at 18:06:48

This will be the last post for awhile on this experiment. The short time that I have listened to the new drivers with the Gizmo and 1.5 uf caps, has led me to be very positive about the outcome that the Gizmo has.
Not stopping there, because I did a really crazy thing and bought a set of Audio Nirvana 12" drivers. The reason for this is simply that I have never heard larger diameter, full range drivers. Yup, I gotta build cabinets for them, and I will start another thread to document the build. You know me, it's not going to be 'standard'.

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by will on 03/29/15 at 18:36:07

4K,

So are the new speakers keepers! Any possibility of pics?

Thanks for keeping us in the loop. Interesting the gizmo. It would seem the 12 inch may not need them...will be interesting if you find any need?

Have fun!

Will

Title: Re: GIZMO EXPERIMENT
Post by 4krow on 04/07/15 at 15:23:06

At this point, I have decided to build a set of cabinets as recommended by the designer. Because of a low Xmax and a low Q, these drivers were actually designed for a bass reflex enclosure. The Gizmo however, was a success at arriving to a decent frequency balance. Interestingly, though it made sense, I changed the setting of the Gizmo as the drivers continue to break in. For the cabinet build, I will start another thread in the project and modification DIY thread. This project won't start until I complete the 12" driver project.