Auratone DIY

[TomS]

I get that they aren't meant go high up or low down its a band-limited design but in that band, it might as well sound really good and flat if I'm building my own version.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Don't over think it.... Another feature of the classic one driver small box, is lack of crossover shenanigans.

JR

 

[TomS]

So I decided, I went for the Monacor sp-4/60PRO. Since it's the flattest driver out of them all the peak at 6.5k that I thought was 10db is only 5db so it's relatively reasonable for all the other speakers this was way worse. I will keep you all up to date on how it sounds. The pictures attached is my enclosure.

Thanks everyone,

Tom

 

[TomS]

Attached here is the calculated frequency response in the box I designed.

 

[TomS]

And I added this internal padding in my calculations.

 

[wjmwpg]

Attached here is the calculated frequency response in the box I designed.

Please keep us updated. I’m about to order a driver and buy wood for my own project and am now keenly following your progress as your concerns/reasoning/decision-making up to this point has all seemed bang-on to me.

I’m guessing you’re not in North America, but if you are can you tell me where you sourced the Monacor driver?

Cheers!

 

[TomS]

Please keep us updated. I’m about to order a driver and buy wood for my own project and am now keenly following your progress as your concerns/reasoning/decision-making up to this point has all seemed bang-on to me.

I’m guessing you’re not in North America, but if you are can you tell me where you sourced the Monacor driver?

Cheers!

Hey,

I'm sorry no I'm from The Netherlands where I bought it at soundimports.eu
I'm receiving the parts tomorrow, I hope it will sound the way I expected. I've only used the Avantone mixcubes once or twice but I have some idea on how those sound. Maybe in a month or so I will take my Auratone to a studio where they have the Avantones. If I for some reason forget to respond to this thread just send me a PM so I get an email.

 

[wjmwpg]

Hey,

I'm sorry no I'm from The Netherlands where I bought it at soundimports.eu
I'm receiving the parts tomorrow, I hope it will sound the way I expected. I've only used the Avantone mixcubes once or twice but I have some idea on how those sound. Maybe in a month or so I will take my Auratone to a studio where they have the Avantones. If I for some reason forget to respond to this thread just send me a PM so I get an email.

I will do. Thanks for the reply.

I’m actually not a big fan of the Avantones. I find there’s a strong peak around 1K that distorts my perception of the midrange. Oddly sometimes I don’t hear it so much as a strong peak at around 1K, so much as I perceive it as a deep trough around 600/800hz. Anyway it throws me off and I’m interested in something flatter . . . so making my own!

Good luck on the build.

 

[wjmwpg]

Hey,

I'm sorry no I'm from The Netherlands where I bought it at soundimports.eu
I'm receiving the parts tomorrow, I hope it will sound the way I expected. I've only used the Avantone mixcubes once or twice but I have some idea on how those sound. Maybe in a month or so I will take my Auratone to a studio where they have the Avantones. If I for some reason forget to respond to this thread just send me a PM so I get an email.

Thanks! I was thrilled to find out that soundimports.eu ships to Canada! Two drivers on the way!!!

 

[mhelin]

So I decided, I went for the Monacor sp-4/60PRO.

That's midrange driver, it's HF reproduction is falling too early. I think Auratone used Bose drivers, about 4.5" blue 8 ohms, 90 Hz fs, 60W, they went to about 15 kHz. These days there are lots of good small full range drivers but they are max. 15W or so. They are pretty popular now, their prices are climbing. A modern 2.5" - 3.5" inch full-range driver could actually sound pretty good if eq'd properly but they are not loud(speakers).


Btw. in U.S. this GSR driver might be good replacement as someone comments there:
https://www.parts-express.com/full-range-4-1-2-speaker-pioneer-type-a11ec80-02f-8-ohm--292-434

Thats also available in EU:
https://www.soundimports.eu/en/grs-4fr-8.html

Someone likes them:
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/272145-sleeper-pioneer-a11-substitute.html

Would like to mention also this Dayton 5" PA driver:
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-pa130-8-5-full-range-pa-driver--295-010

The Peerless TC9FD18-08 would be nice driver for Auratone clone as well.
https://www.soundimports.eu/en/peerless-by-tymphany-tc9fd18-08.html

It would be nice to design a proper small speaker but it's another story. I would use something like a 3.5" subwoofer with a 2.5" inch full-range as mid-tweeter (that principle is called FAST, meaning " Fullrange And Subwoofer Technology"). Here are some drivers I might consider:

Sub: https://www.soundimports.eu/en/peerless-by-tymphany-sls-85s25cp04-04.html
FR: https://www.soundimports.eu/en/fountek-fr58ex.html
or https://www.soundimports.eu/en/fountek-fr88ex.html

 

[mhelin]

Some folks put those small full-range drivers into tapped horn kind of boxes ("Karlsonators") to extend the bass range and SPL:
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/239338-mini-karlsonator-0-53x-dual-tc9fds.html

Might be nice project, on the first post there's a pic of someone using them as studio monitors, see
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/full-range/239338-mini-karlsonator-0-53x-dual-tc9fds-212.html#post5185462

He compares them to Event monitors. Those Karlsonators could according to his comments serve the same purpose as Auratones (to get better separation of instruments in midrange).

 

[TomS]

Actually, I did quite a bit of research, and from what all the frequency response charts of original Auratones say they only go up to 10K. (this is what I found) Apart from that I just finished mine with the Monacor Driver and it sounds really great. Tried remixing some old mixes I had and found setting levels quite easy with it. It doesn't lack too much low end that it makes everything sound like absolute **** but it does remove quite a bit of it so it doesn't bother you. I'm really happy with it at least and the Monacor driver definitely is a recommendation! Attached is a picture of mine, I'm probably going to build a small stand for it so it doesn't have to sit where it's sitting right now.

I'm painting mine tomorrow and I'll also round off the edges.

Thanks for everyone trying to help figure this out!

If you have any questions about my build feel free to ask!

 

[mhelin]

Congrats on your new pair of speakers!

Anyway, there were multiple different drivers used on the small boxes, might be the first generation drivers didn't go that high as the later. Anyway this ad lists 90-15000 Hz (dB not mentioned but I guess it's +/- 6 dB) and 200-12500 Hz +/- 3.5 dB.

https://dt7v1i9vyp3mf.cloudfront.net/styles/news_large/s3/imagelibrary/a/auratone5c02-Yfm21dsY36sQ6Cf8QSDZfQRKFSPfRFYE.jpg

 

[wjmwpg]

The attached graph shows the frequency response of of two Auratone models (green + blue) and the Avantaone Mixcubes (red). All of them peak around 1-1.2K and have fallen by 10-12dB by 10K. In this regard I believe the Monacor SP-4/60PRO is perfectly suited for these purposes, (the high end drop-off actually appears a smidge less steep on the Monacor) and better really because it’s flatter through the midrange than all three of these options.

That's midrange driver, it's HF reproduction is falling too early.

 

[wjmwpg]

Actually, I did quite a bit of research, and from what all the frequency response charts of original Auratones say they only go up to 10K. (this is what I found) Apart from that I just finished mine with the Monacor Driver and it sounds really great. Tried remixing some old mixes I had and found setting levels quite easy with it. It doesn't lack too much low end that it makes everything sound like absolute sh*t but it does remove quite a bit of it so it doesn't bother you. I'm really happy with it at least and the Monacor driver definitely is a recommendation! Attached is a picture of mine, I'm probably going to build a small stand for it so it doesn't have to sit where it's sitting right now.

I'm painting mine tomorrow and I'll also round off the edges.

Thanks for everyone trying to help figure this out!

If you have any questions about my build feel free to ask!

That’s great news - thanks for sharing.

Any advice for someone attempting the exact same build this weekend (well nearly the same as I could only source 3/4" MDF in my backward burg)?

Did you predrill and screw the panels as well as gluing, or only glue?

Just out of curiosity, what are you amping it with? 

 

[TomS]

That’s great news - thanks for sharing.

Any advice for someone attempting the exact same build this weekend (well nearly the same as I could only source 3/4" MDF in my backward burg)?

Did you predrill and screw the panels as well as gluing, or only glue?

Just out of curiosity, what are you amping it with?

I just glued it and filled the cracks left with wood filler. I'm right now powering them with a sh*tty pioneer SA-301 since that's what I had laying around. Once the paint dries I'll try it out on my propper amp which is a NAD 3400. It sounds fine on the Pioneer but I suspect the NAD will make it sound better and at least flatter and less colored.
I eventually couldn't get 15mm MDF so I went for 12mm MDF 3/4inch will most likely work fine too!

Only advice I have is use enough clamps and don't rush it. I didn't have to cut the wood myself since the store where I bought my MDF cut it for me.

 

[wjmwpg]

I just glued it and filled the cracks left with wood filler. I'm right now powering them with a sh*tty pioneer SA-301 since that's what I had laying around. Once the paint dries I'll try it out on my propper amp which is a NAD 3400. It sounds fine on the Pioneer but I suspect the NAD will make it sound better and at least flatter and less colored.
I eventually couldn't get 15mm MDF so I went for 12mm MDF 3/4inch will most likely work fine too!

Only advice I have is use enough clamps and don't rush it. I didn't have to cut the wood myself since the store where I bought my MDF cut it for me.

Clamps . . . right . . . I knew I was forgetting something.  ;D

All my MDF is also being cut by the store, except the hole for the driver which I’ll have to do myself with a jigsaw. (I had to increase some of the lengths to accommodate the added MDF thickness whilst maintaining the same inner volume.)

What did you use for inner dampening?

I’m going to try running mine off an Allo Volt+ (https://www.allo.com/sparky/volt-plus-stepped-attenuator.html) as I’m curious about this newer generation of Class D amps and it’s small and cheap and very well reviewed - if I don’t like it I’ve got an old Yamaha stored away that’ll do the trick.

 

[TomS]

Clamps . . . right . . . I knew I was forgetting something.  ;D

All my MDF is also being cut by the store, except the hole for the driver which I’ll have to do myself with a jigsaw. (I had to increase some of the lengths to accommodate the added MDF thickness whilst maintaining the same inner volume.)

What did you use for inner dampening?

I’m going to try running mine off an Allo Volt+ (https://www.allo.com/sparky/volt-plus-stepped-attenuator.html) as I’m curious about this newer generation of Class D amps and it’s small and cheap and very well reviewed - if I don’t like it I’ve got an old Yamaha stored away that’ll do the trick.

Yeah, I had to cut the holes myself too. As for dampening I used Visaton dam­ping mate­rial (this is the actual name) I still had it laying around it's specifically made for speakers but you are probably also able to get any other type of material like wool or maybe even rock wool but don't quote me on that. I filled my cabinet to the brim with the material.

 

[TomS]

Here it is finished!

 

[TomS]

And in my setup!