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AUDIO FORUMS >> D.I.Y. >> Lii F18 Bffles
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Message started by jgeeme on 05/19/21 at 03:41:57

Title: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by jgeeme on 05/19/21 at 03:41:57

I bought a couple of the Lii F18's and don't really want to build the enormous plans they offer for OB, so am curious if I can just scale up the Caintuck DIY plans that Steve made with the F15. Could I assume that the sound quality would be as good with the 18"s?

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by jgeeme on 05/23/21 at 19:07:50

Thanks anyway, figured it out - for the F18's baffle's will be 50.47" tall and 39.19" wide. BIG boys....

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by Archie on 05/23/21 at 19:15:06

In a thread on the F18, Steve talks about the F18 sound versus the F15 sound and gave the advantage to the F15. You might be able to find the tread by searching "F18."

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by Brian on 05/23/21 at 23:17:47

Hello, jgeeme.
I did not know the answer to your question, but I wanted to say hello, and welcome to the forum.

Brian

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by Geno on 05/23/21 at 23:46:45

jgeeme,

There is nothing “written in stone” as far as the size of the baffles. You should certainly make them as big as you can get away with, but your listening room should dictate the size that will work best for you.

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by Tooppy on 03/21/22 at 18:12:48

I believe the 18 may then lack a bit in the top end.

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by BaffleBoy on 03/18/24 at 16:37:12

Hi everyone,
I recently had some Betsy/Zen Master-style baffles made with the Lii F-18s, using 2" walnut. I have a friend who is a gifted furniture maker. We played around with Steve's plans for both the M and L ZM15 versions, thinking a little about aesthetics and the space, and here's what we came up with: They are 44.5" tall including subwoofer feet (I live in an apartment building, so not coupling to the hardwood floors to spare my downstairs neighbors) by 29.5" at their widest. The driver is above center by 2". I have it also tilted back a bit using Gingko arches. Walls behind are treated with acoustic panels to absorb reflected sound from the back. I posted about them a few weeks ago in the Decware Fans FB, but I can't link yet. I am brand new to this Forum, so I haven't figured out how to upload pics yet. The date of the post in January 29th, my name is Sean Kirkpatrick, if you want a peek.

I am also experimenting with the REL T/zero sub which is designed to extend bass for full-range drivers without compromising coherence, and I like it so far, crossed at around 75 hz I am using a 1961 Fisher X-101-B, have a SE84UFO on order. The REL adds just enough that you can't tell it's on until you turn it off, just enough umami in the mix.

All this to say it sounds amazing. So much is about placement, room-specific things, sound treatment. The imaging is unreal. I don't find any need for tweeter extension, probably couldn't hear it anyway. The amp is mostly set dead center for treble, any more trebly and I would have birds at my windows.

I can attest to the conversation in the Big Baffle thread about mass + stiffness being the thing. I am also going to try putting some acoustic foam over the back top of the base to see what that does. And the handle is genius for holding the stiffness at the top together - I originally thought it was mostly practical for moving them around, and cosmetic, but the more I think about it and listen, of course it plays an important sonic function.

Anyway, I am totally sold on this path of low watts + high efficiency full-range drivers with paper cones thing. I have never been more satisfied with my Frankensystem, and I have never been more enthusiastic and enraptured with the experience of music than I am now. I also have the TV playing via pre-out from a receiver into the aux of the Fisher, and it is going to be an immersive movie machine it seems like.

Am I at the journey's end? No more sound chasing?

~Sean

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by BaffleBoy on 03/18/24 at 16:57:19

I forgot to share the top and bottom of the baffle measure, 20.5", and the base is 11.5" deep from back of baffle by 17.5" wide. Front feet are about 5". so the base is 19" front to back.

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by Same Old DD on 03/18/24 at 19:45:51

Your baffles "sound" amazing.
I have been curious about the 18 inch Lii effort since I came to know of its existence.
I can't help but wonder how one of those 18s would do for me.

"... birds at your windows" is a clever bit of wordsmithing, but I get it.
I have similar taste in the higher treble area, especially.

I am in the process of combining my F15 and W15 into one baffle. I had them seperarted before.
Nothing as beautiful as walnut, though. My next try will be solid MDF. I found a place I could order two inch material and I stopped midway on my "plywood/MDF sandwich" baffle construction, where the new project had begun.

So, even with the 18 incher, you are still seeking an additional (almost silent) low end foundational bass and base.

Curious, are yours like the original F15 style design or are they the more current, upgraded Fast variety. Sorry if I missed you mentioning this previously.

Title: Re: Lii F18 Bffles
Post by BaffleBoy on 03/18/24 at 20:43:10

They are the standard F-18s, not the Fast ones.