Building a Transmission Line SPEAKER - by SoundBlab

[@jayfitmob5945]

As a car audio enthusiast that has built transmission lines and a carpenter, I said hell yeah so many times during this video I can't even recall. Excellent build, beautiful work by the way... Remember the speed of sound that's all you need to know LOL

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@careucabe]

Gracias again SoundLab...beautiful way of teaching and sharing...I really do hope you receive the blessings back in the way you need them most. Gracias desde Colombia

[@jeremytravis360]

Nice job. I used to build transmission line loudspeakers myself but I used a design that as copyright free. It was based on a paper written in Wireless World in 1969 and used a triangulated path rather than parallel panels with tend to produce more resonance. I also mounted the crossover on a pice of PCB and fastened it to the cabinet.

[@lcwin1]

Jeremy i also have one exactly like yours using Audax speaker during the 90s. Still using it paired with Yamaha 3020 AV. it still sound great.

[@clintbartenstein6876]

Awesome build! I love transmission lines, they just seem to sound so good to me

[@carlosazambuja1742]

....what a wonderful and neat work, it's a musical instrument. Listening to the report in the video I imagine that listening to them should be an impressive and unique experience...

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. Jip, I like them!

[@janousekjakob6408]

your workshop looks like a dream come true

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. It took many years to gather the tools that I have and fortunate enough to have acquired the studio space in which I can work and live. I wish though that I had more time to organise everything better. But all with time I suppose!

[@David_P132]

Very nice speakers and congrats on the RWC win!

[@SoundBlab]

Thank you! Yes, the team played well and we are all very proud of them!

[@sunantoro2692]

Musics recorded in the "past" do not in average have such a high dynamic range that during replay, we need speaker systems that capable of re-producing Lower Freq. more distinct. I believe Transmission Line is the answer. Long time wanting to build one but still have no chance to make it. Thanks for this good video.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@twistedsphere]

I love the music in this video. Reminds me almost of 90's computer adventure games.

[@alainduquenois3812]

Comme toujours vous faites de très belles enceintes acoustique et excellente qualité

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@totalbliss1]

Amazing. Never knew how much work goes into this.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@TheFRiNgEguitars]

A superb job, workmanship counts! some good sounding synth music along the way, thanks!

[@SoundBlab]

Thx

[@AdryDoic]

TML speaker builds are one of the most exciting diy builds. i have made a lot with TB speakers..these companies speakers offers a very interesting price quality but need a little little crossover build even in TML setup to sound well...like a Noch filter.

[@oldbatwit5102]

Congratulations, and thank you, for actually constructing the enclosures where others might have just 3d-bloody-printed them.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks!

[@oldbatwit5102]

@Spirit Oh you poor little boy. You can't make basic things, can you? How sad that you have to print the simplest things instead of just making them.

[@sidneyalves1556]

very good job. it was beautiful

[@SoundBlab]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@44amanaplanacanalpanama44]

Congratulations on the nice build! My first TL was a 10" for a 3-way that I designed. I found the bass quality and speed of dynamics to be unmatched by anything I have heard previously. I'm fairly particular, but when it's right, there is something to the quality of bass that is unlike a closed or regular ported box. Every note sounds even with a walking bass line, and kick drum transients seem instantaneous.

[@SoundBlab]

Cool, thanks!

[@bhearts77]

i cant believe how good these sound. ill have to build a pair.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@Iron_Thunderstorm]

I've been designing and building Transmission Line boxes for subwoofers, and I must say, they make the absolute most bang for your buck when you can make cheap 10s on low wattage sound like high-powered 15s. I've always wondered about running mids/highs t-lines through their own t-line setup. You did a great job on this.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@electronicshelpcare]

This is good idea for sharing to each other that plays in youtube so that other know how to build good speaker thanks for making this kind of video

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@hafinyhaf3403]

Super pěkná práce.Klobouk dolů.

[@RobinLewisMakes]

Awesome looking speakers. Reminds me of my dad's floor standing NAD's he built when he was younger, they have the same kind of reflex. Great job bro

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks man!

[@yerrakrishnarao8041]

Dear Robin I apologize for hurting , these idiots never mention the dimensions they want to to touch the soft corner of our heart. Without proper tuning you will get only noise , believe me I am the industry for past 3 decades

[@lazyh-online4839]

@@yerrakrishnarao8041 transmission lines are difficult to make, and giving dimensions can only help someone so far. As it stands though the dimensions and plans ARE included in the description of the video.

[@warlockboyburns]

your dad might want to see a dr for that :D

[@johannienel1]

Goeie werk! Baie netjies. Talk about irony... a South African living in New Zealand, watching a video of a South African building speakers in South Africa and only realizing it at the end of the video when you started talking. Well done! Ek wonder nou al baie lank hoe sal n full range speaker aleen in n goeie boks klink. Ek hou nogals van Eminance se speakers.

[@SoundBlab]

Dankie!

[@grandmasterjo1]

Class workmanship. Reminds me of my youth when I admired the Transmission line speaker design and always hoped I could build one or buy one. The TLS80. From IMF My dream I think they used KEF drivers

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@justinmurphy2227]

Do you have a link to the adjustable bladed hole cutting tool you're using on your drill press? I want to call it a hole saw but it's more like a hole "knife".....lol! Thank you and I love your channel!!!! I know this is an older video but wow....just wow! I'm really into car audio fabrication so I'm loving the idea of using less speakers in the car like you're doing in your cabinets. More of a full range or wide band approach. Once again. thank you!

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks man! Try this link to a few options: www.amazon.com/s?k=Adjustable+Circle+Cutter&ref=nb_sb_noss

[@timmiee32]

Great build! Apologies if you’ve answered this before but why do you install a crossover if it’s a single driver speaker?

[@chrishollar6080]

Craftsmanship at its finest

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@name273]

Danke! Sehr informativ dargestellt. Interessant wären wie Materialien wie Marmorgehäuse oder Stahlgehäuse, Aluminiumgehäuse, sieht bestimmt Eddl Space futuristisch aus, Interessant wie Plexiglas sich im Klang verhält, das aussehen kann nur ein sehr Edles sein! Grüße aus Nord Germany✌

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks!

[@sezgincetin9916]

So awesome absolutely great 👏👏👏👏👏

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@paulhsueh66]

Can you show us the circuit of the Cap and Resistors connect with the input socket internally? thanks.

[@SoundBlab]

That is unfortunately only available in the build plans you can purchase from my website at soundblab.net

[@siddharthakataki]

Brilliant work.

[@SoundBlab]

thanks

[@buzzcrushtrendkill]

I am also very interested in the TL designs along with back loaded horn. Experiment and then some...which is really part of the fun of it all.

[@genarovega5236]

Good work ,but it seems to me what are they only for bass ? Thanks

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. No, they cover from 50Hz to 20000Hz

[@g89gurpreet]

Very good job 🎉👍

[@SoundBlab]

Thank you 👍

[@jorgelima5695]

What is the crossover doing there? I see only one loudspeaker.

[@indigobaloon8091]

Baffle step.

[@SoundBlab]

It is a simple compensation circuit to flatten out the frequency response. Once you put a driver in an enclosure, it affects the response and needs to be tuned.

[@billsmith5166]

Very handsome enclosures.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@B2T7RID2QGLEHH5UZFB0T]

Those are really really nice 👍🏼

[@SoundBlab]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jimthvac100]

When one determines what the internal volume of the box needs to be; dose one also have to add add volume to make up for the sound damping material that is used?

[@SoundBlab]

I never do, but I do take into consideration the volume of the driver, the crossover and the port (if it is a ported enclosure).

[@jasonmoyers7236]

I’m sure there is a master woodworking engineer on here that’s going to disagree with me, but you did a beautiful job on the veneer.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. I think the footage might be misleading just a bit. There are a few imperfections and I actually struggled with this veneer job. I have done much better jobs of it in the past. It can be tricky if you do not clamp down on the entire surface.

[@dam4274]

What’s with the crossover for a single speaker? I have some plans for some transmission line speakers and a crossover is not mentioned.

[@SoundBlab]

Full range drivers will not measure a flat frequency response once mounted on a speaker baffle and put into an enclosure, even if it has a flat response as measured on a large infinite baffle as specified by IEC standards. For this reason I needed to compensate for the higher midrange that I measured in this enclosure with a compensation network to get the FQ response as flat as possible.

[@dam4274]

SoundBlab Okay; interesting.

[@sidneyalves1556]

what are the parameters of the air passage measurements?

[@amirshokati6377]

Awesome, can you explain since there is one drive why you used cross over? what is pole frequency?

[@SoundBlab]

It is a compensation circuit to flatten the frequency response in certain aresa of the passband.

[@bdc211]

jesus.. you got a garage for all those clamps???

[@cavebeastdemon3631]

Dude! If he had 100- clamps it would not be enough!!

[@lazyh-online4839]

@@cavebeastdemon3631 agreed, you can never have too many clamps, as I find out the hard way all the time.

[@iamjackalope]

Every time I go to Harbor Freight to get something I buy at least two clamps because you can never have to many.

[@noonecz5201]

A twenty clamps later.

[@xjohnlangerijs527]

Nice build.

[@SoundBlab]

Thank you

[@TheRattleSnake3145]

I never knew you needed a crossover for a full range speaker.

[@jerichotm2122]

Yeah... this is a new type of enclosure to me! I must say that I have no idea how in might sound, since I have never seen these Transmission Line Systems in action. Thanks for the video! A study is needed [ for me, of course :) ]! As usual, an incredible demonstration of building enclosures!

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks!

[@mightress]

Look up cyburgs needle TL speakers. Small speakers, cheap and way more sound than you will expect

[@kimchee94112]

Regarding speakers, there was a write up on it in 1965, the actual execution way before that. The full understanding (as in physics and mathematics), acoustic waveguides which what this is, should have gone back a hundred or more years.

[@pilotdog68]

Have you done any comparisons with or without all of the damping material? seems like quite a lot of volume is being taken up

[@SoundBlab]

The damping material is integral to the working of the transmission line to assist in slowing down the sound and energy coming from the rear of the driver. It works together with a specific line length for this driver and it's specifications. There is a lot more to it, but this is the basics of its function.

[@myanev]

Good looking floor stander. But isn't this a full range driver? Why the crossover?

[@mikegerling6874]

Nice build but why not use contact cement for the veneer? It's a lot faster and doesn't require the clamps. Are there concerns with durability of the contact cement?

[@SoundBlab]

The PVA wood glue is a much better bonding agent. I have used contact cement before with variable levels of success.

[@maikeru303]

Why do you mount the oscillating SP on the top? It is more effective to lengthen the back of the SP than to lengthen the box of the SP downward without a box ringing.

[@kevinhanley3023]

I built folded transmission line 20 years ago. In my design, the cross section of pipe tapers providing a lower Q and flatter response at low frequencies.

[@SoundBlab]

It is interesting to play around with tapered vs straight line pipes. A lot of experimentation is normally needed to get a T-line to perform correctly.

[@piworower]

why is the foam only on one side of the baffle? thanks looks great

[@deejaygfunka2599]

Name Of The Cutter Did You Used In 1:49 Sec To Make A Circle...Please...

[@SoundBlab]

It's a circle cutter. Should find many versions of it on Amazon.

[@jashton8710]

Great build...love the double layer baffle. Please explain the electronic components. I don't understand why these would be used on a full range driver.

[@ryanneuberger9171]

My guess is it is some sort of power reducer? These speakers have a low power rating so if hooked up to a regular stereo it may be too much? Just my guess.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. Full range drivers will not measure a flat frequency response once mounted on a speaker baffle and put into an enclosure, even if it has a flat response as measured on a large infinite baffle as specified by IEC standards. For this reason I needed to compensate for the higher midrange that I measured in this enclosure with a compensation network to get the FQ response as flat as possible.

[@timschutte6924]

Nice work. But I would have the port exit either on the bottom or on the back side of the cabnet. Not on the top where it is visible and such a dust collector !!!!!! Other than that, very well put together and an excellent job. !!!

[@rajeshwarchoudhary3103]

Excellent work

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks!

[@DiscoverRajivVlogs]

Why that cross over thing for single full range speaker build?

[@a0r0a7]

Beautiful work. I hope they sound as good as they look 👍

[@electronicshelpcare]

Right

[@kishorekr3541]

I really love your work sir 🙂

[@SoundBlab]

Thank you so much 😀

[@94XJ]

I'm assuming that crossover circuitry was to keep the highs in check, right?

[@jordesign]

I was wondering myself. I thought Full range did not need a crossover.

[@SoundBlab]

It flattens out the response curve around the midrange mostly. It has to do with baffle step compensation where you loose SPL because of the narrow front baffle. It's not a typical BSC circuit, since I also needed to flatten out the FQ in general.

[@dhummel2089]

Curious why is there a crossover circuit for a full range driver?

[@Wolfgang3418]

Because it needs none, it is none ...

[@saturnsl21999]

Nice build from 👍 Texas

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks 👍

[@mahmoodbhattp5823]

Awesome work i should rate you . salute you , what a lovely job

[@SoundBlab]

Tx

[@ΠαναγιώτηςΠαναγιώτου-μ1ψ]

Hi. You have done a very nice work !! Does this circuit have to do with the size of the driver ? if we have a 8'' driver [VISATON] ,do we need such a filter necessarily or it depends on the ''ear'' of the owner? thanks in advance.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. Each driver in its enclosure will perform differently. Only the measurement in the box will tell you if it will require a filter., but there are some drivers that perform very flat in an enclosure and will not necessarily require a filter.

[@zokonjazokonja]

what is a purpose of corssover in this design?

[@hoobsgroove]

what was the value of the parallel filter, was that for high and low frequencies

[@SoundBlab]

It is just a correction filter that flattens the response of the driver in this enclosure, mostly around the midrange

[@nothanks9205]

When bonding 2 flat surfaces together, one should always clamp or fasten from the middle outwards to avoid trapping air and creating voids that can lead to delamination.

[@SoundBlab]

Good tip!

[@alexisking4316]

Or use a good contact adhesive that has a slow set time and iron out all air pockets...

[@tonyfauker3411]

Great build. Can you list what capacitors you used for the crossover. Thanks

[@byronrudnik2621]

Satisfying... Nice build.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@NeilBlanchard]

Nice build - but I am curious: why is there a crossover with a single driver system?

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks! It's just a few parts that helps to flatten the frequency response of the driver. When you mount a driver into an enclosure, the frequency response is affected and it needs a bit of help in the from of a few parts to flatten it out again.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@SoundBlab Okay, that makes sense. I think transmission line cabinets are under appreciated. I have some Linaeum LT1000, that have an 8" woofer in a 5 foot transmission line and the bass is fabulous. Really clear and clean and great extension into the mid 30's. I swapped the Vifa for a Dayton Audio, and the dynamics and ease are second to none.

[@only126db]

Doesnt the crossover unit mounted on that terminal cup extend quite far into the port/line of the enclosure?

[@lucastonoli3256]

Came for the speaker instructions, stayed for the sped-up gameboy advanced music.

[@richardbmw320]

Nice to see a new video from you Hanri. A pair of transmission line speakers are on my to do list. I think I am going to make a pair of frugal horns as my design skills don’t quite match yours.

[@SoundBlab]

Hi Richard, thanks man!

[@RenderMeThis]

Would like to know what this design is idea for.

[@brucetaylor7095]

Hi, just curious why you added those electronic bits. Isn't that unnecessary for a single full range driver?

[@SoundBlab]

The full range driver response is not 100% flat in when mounted in the enclosure. Therefore i added a compensation circuit to flatten the overall response.

[@keithmarquardt7025]

You do REALLY good work!!

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks!

[@jedunboxing4127]

the computation of fullrange speaker box is different from a subwoofer or same ?

[@SoundBlab]

I use the same software for both. The principle is the same. However, for this TL speaker I used different math to determine the enclosure.

[@jedunboxing4127]

@@SoundBlab have you ever heard of a audio labs full range speaker?this is the only one i can find from my location, im looking for box plans but could not find any, and these software calculator programs that you can download needs a file to be loaded first before you can compute, and could not find any, I dont have experience with computing so not sure where to start.

[@Fontsman]

Would the cabinets benefit from using ply rather than MDF then V grooved and folded, for greater structural rigidity?

[@SoundBlab]

I don't think that will make much difference on this particular cabinet design.

[@brianraulerson5037]

This might be a dumb question but why wouldn't there be rounded corners inside? Does the matting round the corners or is that something that has no effect on the sound? There is still so much of this hobby that I don't understand.

[@SoundBlab]

Rounded corners will be better, but not essential.

[@mcpurbadidi1409]

Why xover? is for a subwoover or fulrange, the hole for sub better down to the floor?

[@SoundBlab]

Its a circuit to flatten the FQ response around the midrange.

[@rays9719]

After all that work is there are reason we cant have 2 or 3 speakers in the box?

[@SoundBlab]

It was designed to be a single full range speaker enclosure. More drivers will make for a larger box. That was not the aim of the project.

[@MrTruth111]

single source loudspeaker have less issues with phase coherence and can have bigger and wider soundstages.

[@muhammedorak3004]

hello, you can share air inline putting sponge?

[@robint6582]

At end of the video u make some filter circuit, what's the use?

[@SoundBlab]

Compensation circuit to flatten the response curve.

[@robint6582]

@@SoundBlab notch filter?

[@zoltankaparthy9095]

Really good!

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks!

[@scottyulnick7018]

When building a T-Line enclosure, do you know if there is a difference between mounting the speaker parallel or perpendicular to the line? I don't know if I'm describing it properly, but I would describe your speaker as being mounted perpendicular to the line.

[@SoundBlab]

The placement of the driver along the length of the line does have some influence on the frequency response, but it is possible to mount it at the end of the line.

[@anthonyvanstaden3662]

love your channel and builds why dont you try the Tline box with omni directional speakers? should be beautiful bass with flat respons ?

[@SoundBlab]

Yeah, I like he idea. Maybe a future project...

[@AndyPanda9]

Are you combining the resistors/choke/capacitor as a mid cut filter? There is no reason for a crossover so I can only assume you are using those components to passively reduce some frequency range by shunting the mids to ground thru the resistors?

[@SoundBlab]

Yes, its a passive filter to flatten out the overall frequency response.

[@arrepuess]

Very nice! However, id figure the port would sound much better if it were pointing downward? Ive always gotten better resonance from having subs or ports closer to the ground. Also, wish you would’ve shown them playing

[@zh3401]

Did you measure the frequency response on these? Published is 70 Hz to 20 KHz. I built 2 pair from a damaged PMC AB2 I purchased as salvage and disassembled it. It showed me exactly the proper measurements and damping. You did a fine job sir.

[@SoundBlab]

I think I did, but don't have it on file. Thanks.

[@iamjackalope]

Nice project. One suggestion though. Instead of using wood glue to attach the veneers use a solvent based contact cement. Not the green water based crap but the clear solvent based stuff. (Weldon red can, not the green can) That stuff grabs and doesn't let go. It gives perfect 100% adhesion and doesn't require any clamping and you can work the piece right away. No waiting for the glue to dry. Plus some veneers can swell up and form ripples in the veneer when you use water based glues like PVA's.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. I've tried that before and I still prefer the wood glue. However, I have also used a polyurethane wood glue before for some veneers that are more difficult and cause ripples. The wood glue IMO just provides a much nicer solid feel, almost as if the veneer becomes part of whatever you glue it to.

[@hififriend4512]

Hi I would recommend not glueing the resistors on to the Capacitors and Coils because the resistors can get very hot and can influence the capacity and inductance. Nevertheless your builds are nice👍

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@ianglennorbunaos2627]

5:39 what are those grey and white stuff called?

[@SoundBlab]

The grey is underfloor carpet felt, and the white stuff is Dacron.

[@theodorerooseveltiii4199]

Have you experimented with some drivers made with Kevlar/Pulp? I built a pair with the HiVi F6. I was impressed with the Kevlar driver. Mine is paired with a Peerless 3/4 silk textile dome tweeter. I wanted to ask about the crossover, what roll-off point and rate?

[@SoundBlab]

Have not yet used this driver. From the specs it looks like some rough sections in the 3-4KHz range could complicate the crossover, but will also depend on the tweeter you select. I think you should be able to get away with a 2nd order crossover on the woofer somewhere between 2 and 3KHz, also depending on the tweeter you select.

[@theodorerooseveltiii4199]

I paired the F6 with a Peerless/Tymphany 19 mm soft dome NE19VTS-04.

[@YonghwanShin]

Could you let me know why this speaker system needs a network, although it has only one full-range speaker?

[@SoundBlab]

Its a compensation filter that flatten outs the frequency response in cetain areas of the passband.

[@YonghwanShin]

@@SoundBlab thank you

[@nuttyl283]

Oh my god. so nice and seem sound very very good.

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks

[@dalibor90able]

Wonderful build, but i didn't understood, why you didn't secured cables inside... Just letting them float around looks annoying... :D if it touches the front baffle, it may rumble a bit. But after all, it must sound amazing, love these TB speakers ;-)

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. So far the wires has not posed to be a problem. Normally the stuffing in the enclosure keeps it from rattling or making any noise.

[@dalibor90able]

@@SoundBlab Well... i think, i should also build some nice fullrange. Few ideas are bubbling in my mind :-) problem is only with parts, which are harder to get in Czech republic. I'd like to try TangBands, but the prices are absurd here.

[@TheSimonarne]

can i put speakers down the lenght of the speaker that "specializes" in different frequencies? or is that a stupid idea

[@SoundBlab]

You can add drivers, but you will have to also adapt the transmission line length to suit the addition of more drivers. Along with many other factors which will take some time to explain.

[@TheSimonarne]

@@SoundBlab so if i for example build 2 different transmission line in one speaker box. then it would give me "specialization" so if i have one long port for my sub then one shorter one for the high end. would that be better maybe than buidling one longer one and putting the first speaker at the end of the port and the second one the port lenght it needs for beeing tuned to that frequency i guess

[@mikos321]

cool speaker! But wouldn't filling the base pillar with sand or such be preferable for both stability and acoustics?

[@SoundBlab]

Thanks. It's such a small volume that I felt it was not necessary and would not make any significant difference to either.

[@tritowns]

Why do you need a crossover with a full range driver?

[@SoundBlab]

The driver in the enclosure does not produce a flat frequency response, so we have to use a compensation filter to flatten out the curve in some areas of the response.

[@thaaudio2432]

what is that glue that you use between veneer and mdf wood? is it latex glue? thx

[@SoundBlab]

It is normal PVA wood glue

[@deejeemadrox1866]

How do you deal with the pressure buildup at the start of your TM?? This is a very oldschool design, with a little alteration this box will perform much better; place the driver 1/3 of the pipe lenght. You will lose unwanten resonance frequencies without have to worry to filter them out.

[@SoundBlab]

Transmission line design in my opinion is a bit of an art, and though there are some basic principles that define a good TL design, it comes down to experimenting with the variables to get a good result. I will definitely experiment some more with other variations in the future. This is my beginning of that journey, although I am happy with the outcome, but so much more to explore.

[@deejeemadrox1866]

@@SoundBlab It can be art, but some things are already discovered and proven. Putting the driver at the start is not recommended anymore. That is proven to be a not very optimal position to start. By placing the driver 1/3 of the line lenght, you instantly exclude unwanted high Hz buildup, which would occur otherwise if you place the driver at the start of the line. It will passive remove most if not all of the frenquency range you do not want to hear. So, with a total line lenght of 200cm for example, the optimal place for the driver is 1/3 of 200cm, about 65~70cm from the start of the "pipe". This is a rule of thumb, recommended by some of the best artist in transmissionline designs.