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I am building the Corner horns! (Read 31888 times)
Alex from Oz
Ex Member



I am building the Corner horns!
10/31/07 at 09:27:49
 
G'day All,

I’ve ordered the Decware corner horn plans. Should be here very soon - Yipee! Smiley

I’m currently breaking in a pair of Fostex FE167E drivers– about 240 hours so far.

This will be my second DIY speaker build and my first horn (well, second if you count a 'cardboard' Buschorn MkII I built for my son  ;D).

I would love to hear from anyone with some useful hints and tips for the build.

Regards,

Alex from Oz


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musgofasa
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Where is that
monkey? I want to
shoot something!

Posts: 556
Re: I building the Corner horns!
Reply #1 - 10/31/07 at 12:43:12
 
Awesome!!!!!!!!!

Keep us posted and put up pics often!

About three posts down there is a thread by Wild69 (?) That says Corner Horns X4 or something like that. To date, I believe it is the only comprehensive thread on them. I know that if you have very specific questions, he or Steve are the most experienced. I believe I saw a post from someone else stating that they had a pair, but I can't remember who it was.

Can't wait to hear your review! I want a pair of these so bad I can taste it!

Take care,
Robert
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The graveyard is full of important men
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DaveCan
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Re: I building the Corner horns!
Reply #2 - 10/31/07 at 22:01:59
 
Great to hear someone is going to take these on Cool...  You may want to get the Decware modded drivers for these along with the plans you have as Steve really recommends them for the Corner Horns.    Dave Smiley
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serenechaos
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Re: I building the Corner horns!
Reply #3 - 11/01/07 at 01:19:20
 
Cool; have fun!  
They take a while, keep at it...  :)  
I didn't get the Decware modded drivers, just used the vacuum tube phase plug, then tried a FE166ES-R.  
A few of the dimensions aren't exact, the drawing is more of a guide than an exact blueprint--If you try to measure it from side to side, top & bottom, the measurements won't always jive, but use common sense, and it really isn't that difficult a build.  It just takes time.  
I'll try to keep an eye onthis thread & relate experiences.
Robert  :)
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60_and_up
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Re: I building the Corner horns!
Reply #4 - 11/01/07 at 01:46:29
 
caulk.
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Alex from Oz
Ex Member



Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #5 - 11/07/07 at 09:02:53
 
Hi Guys,

Sorry for not replying sooner. I am new to being a contributor to on-line forums.
So I'm not in the habbit of checking regularly.

Usually, any spare time I have I spend listening to music !  :) Smiley

Plans have not arrived yet. I will post lots of pics as soon as I get underway.

musgofasa - I have read the Corner Horns x 4 thread - awesome pics.
A little intimidating given the number of hours he spent building these.
I don't have a table saw, air finish nailer, belt sander or a band saw.
I'm going to see if a bloke like me with 'average' woodworking skills and tools can build these.
I only have these basic power tools - circular saw (buying one soon), router, drill and 1/4 sheet sander.



serenechaos wrote on 11/01/07 at 01:19:20:
I didn't get the Decware modded drivers, just used the vacuum tube phase plug, then tried a FE166ES-R.  
What tube should I try in the FE167E? Do you have some instructions on how to cut out the dust caps?
Also, have you sorted the room problems you were having? If so, what treatment did you use?


Cheers,

Alex



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DaveCan
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Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #6 - 11/07/07 at 17:39:31
 
Hi Alex,  You should talk to or e-mail Steve to see if the 167 is even worth trying in the C-Horns. It's a totally different animal than the 166, here's a few specs;

fe167                  fe166
Qms 4.63             Qms 3.89
Qes 0.33               Qes 0.22
Qts 0.31                Qts 0.21
Vas 35.94L            Vas 45.11L  

 It would seem a shame to take on the complexity of the C-Horns and not use the driver that is recommended for them. In any case check with the man that designed them to see if your ok with the 167 etc...   Looking forward to the progress of your build.......         Dave Smiley
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Alex from Oz
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Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #7 - 11/07/07 at 21:03:57
 


G'day Dave,

I bought a pair of FE167E before the new DFR65 was available.

I was also considering some other designs which used the FE167E that were much easier to build.
This gave me a 'plan B' in case I decided to wimp out of building the corner horns  ;D

I also read Steve's "Corner Horn Drivers" post on this forum:

Steve Deckert wrote on 09/17/05 at 00:57:43:
I have recently created a driver for the Corner Horns that beats out everything I've tried to date.  It is a highly modified Fostex fe167e where the QMS has been raised by the addition of a second surround (convex poly foam).  Frankly I was shocked at the improvement this made.  The bass tightened up and flattened out.  The mids lost the small peaks and the efficiency went unchanged.  The unmodified Fostex was okay in these horns, but a bit wooly in the bass.  

I will be making these drivers and offering them on the web site soon.  I will also be able to rebuild yours if you send them in.

...These drivers are an absolutely MUST have for anyone building these cabinets.

Steve



And this one from the Speaker Builder forum "NEW DECWARE FULL RANGE DRIVER" post:

Chris K wrote on 06/30/07 at 20:02:40:
Geewhizz,
I thought the driver you based this modded driver was the FE167E and not the 166. What changed your selection Steve? Do you feel the that both drivers are OK or does the 166 have an advantage due to a touch lower QTS?


Steve Deckert wrote on 07/01/07 at 01:51:04:
Chris,

I think either driver is okay.  I  use the 167's in my corner horns but found the 166 to sound the same with perhaps a touch lower bass.  Since the DFR8 is based on the non-sheilded FE206E I thought it would be wise to do the same with the DFR65.  That said, the mods can be done on either the 166 or the 167, buyer's choice.

Steve



So I can still get the drivers I have modded at some stage.
Having said all of that, if I had a time machine, I'd go back and get DFR65's instead! Grin Grin Grin

Cheers,

Alex



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DaveCan
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Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #8 - 11/07/07 at 22:02:41
 
Thanks for the education, I should have re-read some stuff Embarrassed.  I thought for sure it was the 166 as it's mostly recommended for horn type enclosures and the 167 is used by many in ported type enclosures etc... Funny on the page for the DFR65 the specs are the same as the fe166...   In any event it will be cool to follow your build Cool      Dave Smiley
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serenechaos
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Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #9 - 11/08/07 at 00:04:54
 
Alex from Oz wrote on 11/07/07 at 09:02:53:

What tube should I try in the FE167E? Do you have some instructions on how to cut out the dust caps?
Also, have you sorted the room problems you were having? If so, what treatment did you use?

Something about the size of a 6DJ8; so the front of the tube is about flush with the front of the driver worked for me.  
An x-acto knife or scaple works well, just go slow.  The tube pins stick to the magnet.  

I built a clone of Steve's old listening room
https://www.decware.com/myroom/myroom.htm
in height, width, depth and the alcove.  the walls around the corner horns are sand filled.  
I tore the carpet out and put in a tile floor, and a suspended 8" thick fiberglass "cloud" hanging from the ceiling.  
(Much better).  
I built Quadratic Residue Diffusor Panels on stands so I could try them in different locations.  
I got 2' x 4' x 4" & 8" mineral wool "pads" and made absorbers for the side and back walls, which again I could move around to find the best locations.  
I built huge bass traps in the rear corners.  
This site & their forum helped a lot: http://ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html  

Lotta work, took a lotta time, lost interest, didn't post much for a while.  
Robert  :)  
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Alex from Oz
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Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #10 - 11/08/07 at 13:01:47
 

DaveCan wrote on 11/07/07 at 22:02:41:
I thought for sure it was the 166 as it's mostly recommended for horn type enclosures and the 167 is used by many in ported type enclosures etc... Funny on the page for the DFR65 the specs are the same as the fe166...


G'day Dave,

You are right - the DFR65 is a modded FE166.
I was answering the question about whether the FE167E would be suitable in the corner horns.

The main difference is that the FE167E is sheilded and the FE166 is non-sheilded.
The DFR8 is based on a non-sheilded driver, so for consistency Steve opted for the FE166 for the DFR65.


G'day Robert,

Good stuff - thankyou. I'll see how the horns sound in my room when I've built them, then the fun will begin dealing with room accoustics! Smiley
So, now you've done your room, how do the corner horns sound?

Cheers,

Alex

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serenechaos
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Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #11 - 11/09/07 at 00:01:39
 
well...
Actually I'm using different corner horns in that room now.  
http://www.frugal-horn.com/ronhorns.html
http://homepage.mac.com/tlinespeakers/FH/download/Austin-A166Mk2-plans.pdf
I like these even better, but it's probably best not to talk about them here, in a manufacture's forum.  
It seems to make entire threads dissapear.  
Robert  :)
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wild_6_99
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Corner horns X 4=
awesome

Posts: 22
Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #12 - 11/19/07 at 04:31:20
 
hey everyone  ive been busy since last winter/spring moved 2 more times

i have 2 horns with me now and the other 2 are back home in the garage sadly collecting dust Sad plan to bring them here to ottawa soon.....but til then...i may be willing to sell them for the right price





ohh btw the second alcove sounds sweet,  even with both horns running off 1 channel of a crapy old amp i had lying around

heres a pic of how i had them set up in the place i lived over the the past 8 months
i made a pair for 4 1/2 inch high kerfed Mdf toe kicks for them once night
just so i can raise it up past the baseboard  i also picked up some of the great black plastic adjustable feet and put them under the horns  easy leveling and making it tight to the walls , gasket was also added against the walls and 1 batt per side of horn of  Ruxul Safe n'sound 4 total


i worked at a commercial millwork shop building things like recpetion desks and many other things , loved that kind of work... now am in a partnership do more install cabinets and renos and tile work...busy busy

but soon enough ill take a pic of my current setup

ill try to keep up with this thread

its gonna be hard to make the 67.5 degree angle cuts over 42 " without a reliable table saw

not to mention the small angled and tapered peices from part V to the landing , i made a taper jig on the table saw and used a chop saw and cut each angle til it was right then made sure it taperd and sat tight on the sides.
the only way to put this piece in is to glue, and use tape  or

i got a lil impatient and got out some window insulation spray foam and foamed it in from the underside( was the only way i could hold it ....is quite narrow inside the horn , couldn't even get a nail gun inside there)

ohh Trick  for the sail curves i used  a belt sander with 24 and 36 grit and mounted it upside down(makita is best for this) used it like a jointer and ran it across until i was close and started to do the compond curved angle

have u thought about finishing ideas?
painting is the way to go far as im concerned  

veneering this monster would be a real b!tch
and ive done my share of veneering, especially curves

well ill check back and give some more advise as u go along

hope things work out for ya
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Alex from Oz
Ex Member



Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #13 - 11/19/07 at 11:41:51
 

G'day wild_6_99,

Great to have you on this forum again.
Thankyou for the posts and pics of your build - really gave me some idea as to the challenge  :-/

Still waiting for my plans to come  :(

My room has two alcoves as well - I'll post pics and dimensions soon.
I have some ideas about how to cut the difficult angles without a table saw. I'll explore these further when the plans arrive.
I plan to paint the horns - the sails will be the same as the walls. Oh yeah, I will steer clear of water based paints  ;D

Look forward to getting some advice from you as i go along!!

Cheers,

Alex from Oz
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Young_SC
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I love Decware 1G -
SP1!

Posts: 111
Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #14 - 10/28/08 at 08:32:05
 
Hi Alex,

Did these ever get off the ground?
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Alex from Oz
Ex Member



Re: I am building the Corner horns!
Reply #15 - 11/10/08 at 11:02:26
 
G'day Young_SC,

Well...not yet.

About every month or two I pull out the plans and get excited, but then get intimidated by the woodwork and shelve them again.
Life has thrown a few curve balls which keeps this project on the back-burner.
I still plan to build these because my lounge room has alcoves at both ends.

Just bought a Decware preamp kit (first tube gear for me!), so this will take my focus for now.

Cheers,

Alex
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