La Grande user feedback: FAILURE or Success! What makes the difference?!

[@ThePerkri]

Hi Janos. Thank you for your in depth response to my comment. I think I was the one who commented on recycling the wood from my build, and comparing the LaGrande to other speakers I have here... I mentioned the manifold horn in my comment more to acknowledge that a small driver can work in a big box, pending design and implementation. It is not, by any stretch, a fair comparison. I have put the 125 in a few enclosures that are smaller, and more in keeping with the LaGrande. Including, the Fostex recommended ported box - which neither my friend nor I have managed to get to sound right. The best I have heard the 125 here, is in a wide baffle 12ltr or so ported enclosure. The enclosure was built for another driver, but I like to try things, so I dropped the 125 into it, and it worked surprisingly well. I have the good fortune of having an inventory of amps that include SS and tube, single ended SS and tube, PP SS and tube, class A and class AB SS and tube. So I can swap stuff out and experiment with what works, and what doesn't. I also have the good fortune of having a variety of speakers on hand that include DIY speakers (Ported/sealed/coax Voigt pipes/full range Voigt pipes etc) as well as some commercial speakers (Klipsch Cornwalls, ESL-57's, Dynaco A25 and the oh so cute and fun to play with, Minimus 7). While my room is certainly not ideal, it is not terrible either. All that to say, I have some reference materials that I can make comparisons with. And as much as I wanted the LaGrande to work - wishing its parameters - it sadly didn't. I'm working my way towards a low powered single ended set up, incorporating a full range driver. I really love that combination. I picked up a Sony TC500A R2R that I harvested the Coral Honey Basket drivers from - which, if in good working order, are a fantastic sounding driver (built the Solo-103 enclosure which is a good match)- as well as the transformers. I am working towards building a 45 SET amp with the transformers, which by all accounts, are supposed to be wonderful transformers. I was hoping the 125/LaGrande could be a good match for the 45's. Plus, if I follow someone's channel, I like the idea of building something they have built as it provides a reference for their sensibilities. I have transformers here so I can build Skunkie Designs SE EL 34 amp for that reason. But with all the reference material I have on hand to compare it to, and with what I like from a speaker, it sadly isn't going to work for me. Next up for the 125 is the Planet-10 HiFi Fonken enclosure. I keep trying with the 125, though I fear it may be a losing proposition, as it could very well be a driver which is simply not for me :) Regarding the Olson/Nagaoka Manifolds, I have built the 8" version for a friend. It really is a wonderful sounding speaker. It is huge, however, and occupies a lot of visual real estate in my friends home. Thankfully, he has a large listening room to accommodate the big boxes. He replaced the Fe206En with the Fe208Ez driver, which really is an amazing driver! I just finished ripping wood yesterday for the Haruna enclosure. (the 6" version). Will be using the Fe168Ez driver in the build, so will make the enclosure slightly narrower than the plans call for because of the lower Vas of the 168. I feel like the Haruna might be the right fit for me sonically. I built the Bib enclosure for the 168, but it was lacking some of the "air" I like. Two speakers I want to work with are the GPA 604 and the Lowther Acousta. But those are big $$$'s, and out of reach for me at the moment. Thank you again for your in depth thoughts! Per

[@hugobloemers4425]

Hi Janos, all the best wishes for Silvester. And we can talk about audio the next time around.

[@realworldaudio]

Thank you Hugo! We so much appreciate your support. He is doing a lot better now. His anemia is gone, and is in a cheerful mood. Finally! :)

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@realworldaudio That is great to hear. It is amazing how animals can bounce back. He is lucky to be in your family.

[@realworldaudio]

The link to the frugal horns shown in this video: www.frugal-horn.com/spawn.html

[@jonlambert817]

Hi Janos. Quick question. A voight pipe is a resonator. Therefore wouldn't thin walls help with a resonator? Or will thin walls steal energy from the resonating air? Ty

[@realworldaudio]

Hi Jon, absolute superb question! It deserves a video answer. ;

[@jonlambert817]

@@realworldaudio thank you 😄 I look forward to hearing your knowledge on the question in the video 😁

[@middleearthltd]

My mom called me Janos aka John Grew up around Hungarians on my mom’s side I have been looking around for a speaker project with Tang Band W5-1611SAF 5” I was motivated by the quarter wave design but this seems like a better project/platform for me Still open to the pipe or horn style I run subwoofers so I am not looking for low end just sound quality I am a SE tube amplifier enthusiast so thank you 🙏 Let’s see how well I do this