Little British Monitors: DIY Transmission Line (?) Speaker Kit

Little British Monitors Kickstarter: kck.st/2TJQlil
24bit 192khz USB DAC: bit.ly/2QwMVjZ
Test Equipment: www.welectron.com
Patreon: / marcoreps
Samples from:
1:40 = • Igorrr - Cheval [OFFIC...
11:00 = • GRP A4 Jam
11:20 = • Ruby My Dear - Clinpf ...
11:36 = • CocoRosie - Lemonade (...
12:00 = • Harmonizing samoyeds

[@mbirth]

Your dogs sound like they could use a little bit of WD40 …

[@bashaaksema94]

😂

[@Ano_ny]

They sound like geese haha

[@setSCEtoAUX]

Glad to see Falstad's circuit simulator getting more exposure.

[@user-ec2jr6pv1s]

Good for qick hacks. For complex rf or audio i am using microcap, its free now and runs easily in wine. You can even loop wav file through your amp design, and hear it, if harmonics analisis is not enough

[@AmRadPodcast]

Fantastic video! I too have suffered from unwanted bongo drum artifacts in the past. Glad to hear that the situation has been remedied.

[@logitech4873]

The branch of aerodynamics you're thinking of is probably just called "acoustics" ;p

[@Yuzuki1337]

I prefer "airwave aerodynamics and surface reflection studies" myself

[@jaredknapp6832]

Fluid dynamics. Herro

[@Naomi-Wu]

Great to see them tested and reviewed properly😅

[@reps]

Had to bring in my 2 experts for this difficult task ;)

[@juststeve5542]

You didn't do a bad job Naomi, and I think Marco managed to use even more glue than you! ;-)

[@Audio_Simon]

You did a superb job and it's very much appreciated :)

[@Whiteseastudio]

Don't underestimate yourself ;-)

[@justin.campbell]

oh hello, i saw you in my make magazine lol

[@PhG1961]

Awesome ! Btw, 'the nuances of your signature bariton' and a 'level 4 audiofile'.... I couldn't explain it any better ! Wonderfull !

[@logitech4873]

Typo in thumbnail. I'll have to revoke your KZbin license.

[@reps]

What? Where? I see no typo 😇😇

[@Anonymouspock]

@@reps "litte"

[@reps]

(don't quote me on the port principles, it's probably all wrong) (first)

[@ccleorina]

Lolz

[@Mefistofy]

As a professional in having no Idea what I'm talking about I suppose you are perfectly right. I've seen rectangular designs for bass reflex ports but only in the context of subwoofers. May be extensible to full range speakers.

[@SianaGearz]

Fact of the matter is all principal port, channel and chamber constructions are idealised approximations. A real port is always all of these things plus extra surprises the designer never bargained for, at least not until he built the cabinet and fine-tuned it until it sounds and measures like it does the right thing. Narrow and long BR ports are not anyhow a rare idea, just inconvenient to design because you can't just keep sawing off pieces off like a tube until it does the right thing, and also ABS or cardboard pipe might come out cheaper than an extra piece of wood and then those extra channels to be routed for it. But with a wide, large-area slot like that and a long path you can reduce breathing noises from the port, and this is pretty much necessary in high-quality subwoofers. Not so critical in tiny little monitors, but i appreciate that the design is space saving.

[@Audio_Simon]

@@SianaGearz Great informed comment Siana :) The LBM uses an unusually long, folded and damped slot port. I call it a transmission line. Acoustics doesn't care what we call it however, and an element of all behaviours occur in most systems. I would add that in a tiny speaker (that goes relatively low), the port area is just as important as with a subwoofer - the whole scale is just somewhat reduced.

[@MCsCreations]

Firstn't.

[@MatthewSlaymaker]

I love the editing on your recent videos! It adds to the humor in a playful way, without any overkill.

[@TheDutyPaid]

Get some varnish or paint on them quick, before they look like bananas.

[@Sheevlord]

My thoughts exactly.

[@privat6077]

The last 4 videos were product placements..... I want to hear something about YOUR projects: what is the osmu doing ? What is your cnc doing ? What is your laser doing ? I don't want to see so many videos about products i dont need or cant afford. You rock 3 3d printers at the moment, but i haven't seen them in use since..... I dont know.... 22 videos (that would be the cnc spindle tolerance tester). Please do videos about your, not other peoples projects. Or at least modify i dont know your tesla coil to take analog signals or something like that.

[@ijskolibrietje]

I agree, the project and diy video's are more interesting to me. I highly despise ads and product placement.

[@jensharbers6702]

@@ijskolibrietje Well, the product he reviews are then "Garantiert gute Qualität, oder eben nicht". His own projects are also very interesting, but he must work as well and doesn't have time to do full-time project work. Also some projects needing much thinking and problem solving before "big progress" is made again. Without Marco I wouldn't have heard of the LBM's, now I know them and can order myself a pair.

[@Audio_Simon]

@@jensharbers6702 Thank you Jens!

[@jensharbers6702]

@@ijskolibrietje And I forgot, without Marco I wouldn't have heard from the mighty TS-100, the Cetus 3D and so on. Thanks Simon, it is the truth. Every project comes to the "Well, I'm fu**ed" Point. A misspell in thousands of lines of code, a Via you have forgotten (Or the manufacturer messed it up), it takes time. ^^

[@chooseymomschoose]

Oh good, looks like we have a Patreon whale! Fund him real good, Paul!

[@Markfps]

Absolutely briliant, as always. The attention to the details is outstanding. Congrats Marco.

[@stuartbassett3807]

Nice to see they included a Flux Capacitor. All you have to do is put them in your car and drive @88 miles an hour and you should be able to hear them. :)

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

I built loads of transmission line speakers in the 1990. It was a really fad at that time and everyone wanted them and built them.I have to say they did sound very impressive but they were a lot of work to build.

[@michaels3003]

Marco, FYI... High quality switch-mode amplifiers exist... I have a set of them built into my Pioneer receiver. The Pioneer engineers have done an amazing job. Obviously, no snob would ever buy amplifiers like that.

[@eddiebaby22]

Good demonstration of the 'woofers' at the end 🤣

[@Ownedyou]

11:46 for more woofers!

[@johannesparkmann3899]

Class A saves lifes, especially in the winter!

[@kattmonstret]

Actually, i expect more from this channel than building simple kits!

[@Kareggan]

Looking good! That is not a Transmission line.. It's simply a flat bassport, making it reflix:) Great job tough!

[@JasonCarlson]

The dogs in my room went nuts!! Thanks for the doggy moment! Great vid!

[@keeboudi]

You should feature your dogs in every video ... they are adorable!

[@Mosfet510]

Neat kit, looks well made. I like the doggy choir at the end too!

[@TednTin]

cant argue when even the dogs approve

[@Alex4n3r]

I think my 40€ ALDI 5.1 speakers from when 5.1 speakers were actually trending must serve a little while longer...

[@WaltonPete]

If they're good enough for your dogs then I'd, no doubt, be happy with them! 🐶🎶

[@eddhick]

Igorrr!!!! First video I've seen from yourself, very interesting and amusing. However, Cheval sealed the deal. Subbed.

[@erkn99]

You Kanal is pure gold

[@StefsEngineering]

Nice new speakers! It's really worth it to have some good audio at your desk, especially when you sit there for several hours each day. I've got a couple electrostats and really wouldn't want without anymore (or lower quality for that matter). Enjoy!

[@Audio_Simon]

ESL57's on your desk? :)

[@StefsEngineering]

@@Audio_Simon Nope, final 0.3 hybrids behind the desk. There is about 70cm space between the wall and the speakers and also a bit between the speakers and the desk. c1.staticflickr.com/5/4814/45455485364_5d818f0c53_h.jpg (picture of the setup)

[@leozendo3500]

Wow, I did not expect you actually making a video on your hi-fi system.

[@RobWhittlestone]

Very nice review, Marco, and also very nice English and refined humour! Let us know how you like them after burning them in for a while. All the best, Rob.

[@shaddixamigo]

certified Level 4 Audiophile here. i find the lack of new Videos very disappointing. Need moreeee Marco Reps Videos. Maybe one day you will build a steampunk Nixie Tube maschine that does a lot of things and also nothing usefull at all. :)

[@christiansprojects-cgmanuf1426]

1:35 Turbo molecular pump rotor on the desk between the monitors? Nice. I work with the bigger 250mm flange diameter ones on a big magnetron sputtering coater. There are 190 TMPs, 2300 L/s each. The coater is 100 meters long and has 32 target cathodes with 150kW Trumpf MF-generators on each and some old 60kW DC ones.

[@GeoffBernard]

Thank you for turning me on to Igorrr. I didn't realized I needed French death metal dusted with "operatic like" vocals in my life!

[@John_Smith__]

Lol, the "Wolf pack" reacting at the end is precious ! lol! (actually the two lovely dogs are more like a ""woof pack" :) Great video Marco!

[@964tractorboy]

Speakers and dogs: both very entertaining. Thanks!

[@garyseaman6105]

An excellent canine duet to test the new monitors

[@vl4dl3n]

How to find a similar ruler (8:17)? What is the accuracy?

[@AlainHubert]

The end of the video reminded me of the RCA Victor dog, sitting in front of a cylinder phonograph... ;-)

[@fredio54]

Dog trick was a good way to convey their linearity, nice touch! Meanwhile, here, the cat woke up, stood up, and stared at my laptop with WIDE eyes :-D I'm pretty sure that contradicts my statement about it being a valid test as these X1 Carbon speakers are not known for their realism and audio 'rasp' qualities :-D

[@TechBench]

You made my labrador sit up, turn and tilt her head and then stare at me accusingly. Nice vid - really nice speakers.

[@floodo1]

Yeah birch is good for speaker enclosures

[@mikesocha1734]

Who cares about the speakers when you have lovely dogs.

[@the-THORNSPAWN]

All my high end ($10k+) builds use birch ply. it has a higher resonant frequency, above the woofers range, compared to other common materials.

[@tcdontplay4914]

i can hear the difference its massive!

[@seanmangan2769]

I love the end of this video.

[@douglasgreen437]

Brilliant, You remind me if the Mike Myers comedic character Dieter Dirks. There are some clips of him on KZbin; Old SNL ( Saturday night live). Keep up the good work..

[@plueschAMAZONE]

Igorrr und Ruby My Dear sind wirklich ideal um Klangqualität zu testen ;)

[@PiperFishing]

Those dogs are so cute!

[@xaytana]

That is definitely a port and not a transmission line. Even the shortest of true t-lines are much longer than these. Not to mention that there is a full chamber before the 'line' which is incorrect to do on a true t-line. Although, I would be interested in seeing these drivers in a t-line box, just for comparison; though that does take driver information that isn't always easily accessible. Also, I understand most of the hi-fi comments were jokes, but have digital amplifiers not gotten to the point of being good enough for hi-fi?

[@SianaGearz]

What is that "digital amplifier" you speak of? If you mean Class D (actually analogue, value-discrete circuits, but time-continuous), they are easily good enough for HiFi today. Well at least for some categories of HiFi where viable solutions exist, certainly among low-power devices such as these. If you mean Direct Delta-Sigma, it is my understanding that this category only exists theoretically. Certainly someone built something like that but i can't find any solutions from major manufacturers with assured performance. Someone else has said that TI makes them, but i looked, didn't find, challenged them to provide an example, and haven't heard back on the topic yet. Perhaps there is a practical issue that existing and well-regarded delta-sigma modulators are all not designed with constraints of high-power switching in mind, they can assume almost infinitely fast switching because their outputs don't have to drive any current whatsoever, just the voltage. With power MOSFETs, you need to minimise switching frequency, you need to observe minimum duty cycle, every time you switch, you lose a good chunk of energy and generate a good chunk of heat, so your main leverage to achieve an exact output level becomes in fine adjustment of the duty cycle. This would also favour designs that don't run on a fixed clock, unlike delta-sigma.

[@megatech1966]

I love your sense of humour😃

[@screwf4ce1]

This guy is friggin AWESOME!!! So funny but at the same time accurate.

[@korgied]

I checked the Kickstarter.. no mention of the drivers used... Why? :( Are those full-rangers for tweeters? With a 3" woofer? Why? Tweeters are rarely using cones and instead use domes (and I use ring radiators in my own DIY speakers). Perhaps a Peerless PMT30N18AL04 full-range as the tweeter? Those things cost $4.90 each if so. Though I do like the brand. "Woofer" perhaps Aurasound NS3 (actually also a fullrange)? I like Aurasound too; I use a NS10-513-4A woofer in my DIY "subwoofer" module. Maybe that makes the tweeters Aurasound NSW1s. But the surround looks smaller hence my guess of the Peerless. I don't like pairing 2 full-ranges together. A full-range always has compromises in it; you have to keep a cone and motor assembly light to reproduce high notes, but that will limit bass output. You can easily pair a traditional 3.5"ish woofer with a traditional tweeter and not need full-ranges because those sizes are close enough. It gets a little bit tricker to pair a 6.5" woofer with a 3/4" or 1" tweeter when you have to worry about cone breakup in the woofer and/or low-end distortion in the tweeter but that's just not a big problem at speakers of this size and again I don't know why they'd use even one full-range driver let alone 2. I use 3/4" Vifa XT19s, 4" Hi-Vi M4Ns and 7" Adire Extremis in my DIY speakers and my tweeter/midrange difference in size is actually greater than the drivers in this speaker but it's not a problem because it is still well within reason of traditional speaker driver designs. I'd rather have something from DIYSG where specs and designs are actually discussed (DIY means DIY and why buy DIY speakers that go the commercial route of just talking about how the components are "high quality" but not their Thiele-Small specs, or even who actually makes them), but, hey, cool upgrade over the old stuff. Not sold on the vibration damping things at all. Lever effect from the base. Why. You want to prevent vibration from coupling into your desk (or speaker stands) but that idea looks like it's going to actually be creating problems as much as it solves them because the lever effect will amplify the vibrations (which it then has to also dampen). I'm sure the speakers sound reasonably good but you can do better for the price and these are "DIY speakers" that aren't actually in the proper spirit of DIY.

[@shazam6274]

Speakers in the video are Dayton, which is "house brand" of Parts Express, an on line retailer of electronic stuff www.parts-express.com There is a similar 4" speaker, which is much nicer and better built: # 300-458 for under $100 for a pair from them on their web site.

[@korgied]

​@@shazam6274 Good call. I've used some of their stuff, not that familiar with their full-rangers though. I bought my M4Ns from them (also have bought other speaker drivers from them, but still not full ranges). Are the tweeters (or "tweeter-sized full-ranges" anyway) also Dayton? I didn't see ones like that from Dayton on there. It still looks like Peerless to me. I'd rather have seen RS100 used over the ND91 or whatever that full-range is... There's even a paper version of some of the RS drivers which won't have the cone breakup the aluminum ones do (though I have only built systems with the RS125 and RS180, not RS100). (In my defense, Aurasound does sell a NS3 with a black cone that looks quite similar from the front! They have the white cone version also) Note that I recommended DIYSG which also uses lots of Dayton stuff. :) I like P-E.

[@shazam6274]

@@korgied Check out the Tang Band full range drivers at Parts Express. These have no phase or crossover distortions. There are several 4" which are quite good. Tang Band's web site has optimized box drawings.

[@SianaGearz]

Interesting catch on the fullrange tweeter. Well i think the idea is that he wanted to low XO frequency so that the excursion of the midbass driver doesn't translate to intermodulation across the vital parts of the midrange. The high excursion would result from a fairly low Fs of just over 60Hz together with a small area. Dayton crosses over at 2.5kHz (can't go lower due to its tweeters, and this is often considered the worst point to cross over, with 4KHz+ being preferred if sub-2KHz is not an option) and this at 1.5k. Then he mounts a diffuser plate to get rid of the mid-heaviness of the fullrange, or for some other reason?

[@Audio_Simon]

It's not worth getting hung up on the 'full range' buzz word in the datasheet headlines, it just helps sell more drivers to people who are scared of crossover design. If you want to design a great speaker there is no substitute for buying multiple drivers and extensively test them, then choosing the best for your application. Your credit card may not appreciate it but the end result should speak for itself.

[@MCsCreations]

Wow! What a pair of speakers! Fantastic! 😮

[@hightttech]

Very nice video on many levels, especially the doggy choir (very adorable pups). Thanks for sharing.

[@michaels3003]

Marco, LOL. I expected to see a sound spectrum analysis of the doggies' spontaneous performance. 😁

[@arthurwatts1680]

Between the black gloves and your accent, I feel like I've just woken up chained to a chair in a Stuttgart basement ;)

[@Sigmatechnica]

the single smoothing cap for all 4 channels looks a bit crappy, but apppart from that i'm even slightly tempted to get some

[@peetiegonzalez1845]

Also great vid... speakers loook like they sound great. I'll have a look

[@kirknelson156]

great, i got 5 dogs and they all started barking and howling thanks to you ;)

[@alexale8540]

plywood is great but cheap and accessible is simple hard white plastic foam which used to packaging electronics, also i've noticed that monitor stand is itself a great anti-vibration platform (a line which vertically fixed with center and all gravity to the circle stand, which is only side of triangle) - i put speakers in plastic foam on the top of monitor = no vibrations at all, not sure why, just works.

[@JEROENHAHAHA]

I would have never guessed you're an Igorrr fan. They're pretty amazing.

[@juststeve5542]

So many KZbin eastereggs ... DaveCAD - EEVBlog, Angry Pixies - AvE... Anymore? I can't remember the last time I had "toy" PC speakers... From the early years I've always hooked up to a HiFi amp. These days it's a class A amp and a pair of KEF speakers I saved from a skip! (Some people throw away some strange things!).

[@shauntronics]

I have a full 5.1 set of KEFs that I got from a skip. The lady that had the skip divorced her husband and chucked all his gear away ! I also have an Onkyo Receiver from a different skip to power them ! All in pretty much as new condition.

[@juststeve5542]

@@shauntronics nice find! My preamp and amp are separates that a friend was throwing out... A couple of classic Akai units, going in the bin? I think not! 5.1 is a bit of a luxury, I think my KEFs were so old they were originally sold as single units! Still, can't beat the sound. I do have occasional comments from friends about the size of my PC speakers... I just turn 'em up... Then I can't hear the friends ;-D

[@shauntronics]

@@juststeve5542 ha, drown em out ;-D My Onkyo goes all the way up to 75 but I can only cope with the volume up to about 45, after that it's just too loud :-o I work for a skip company so it's perks of the job for me :-D

[@Audio_Simon]

There's one more but I'm not sure it's visible in the video :)

[@smallmoneysalvia]

Could you please consider posting some merch? I’d really like to buy a branded t shirt or zippered hoodie, especially with Christmas coming up. A good friend and I are big fans of yours.

[@trublgrl]

Speakers really ought to be made with plywood or a layered panel construction. Speakers made with single thick wood panels have a greater tendency to change with the weather, and particle board deforms with humidity over time. Plywood board is not flawless, but the rigidity of the layers, combined with the perpendicular construction and the glue make them a very rigid choice. Luthiers create rigid wooden structures using layers and layers of lacquer and varnish, Drum manufacturers use layered woods and veneers or lacquers to create rigidity, but plywood creates a rigid structure without a skilled artisan's expertise. Of course, the more rigid your box, the more resonant the speaker, which will give you a uniform, long-lasting sonic character without variation due to time and weather. Just my two cents.

[@khominhvi]

Cool little project. Good job. Great video.

[@Paxmax]

So they pass the doggy sniff test and Doggy audio test! Success!

[@reaneya]

Those dogs are awesome.

[@matthewmaxwell-burton4549]

Expecting to hear you howl.

[@TheMessenger212]

PLEASE Elaborate more on the 3D Printing and concrete you mentioned would love to know more ???🤔

[@josephbergel5234]

First video ever watched so I’m not sure what your channels about .... but intriguing and subscribed for now ... thanks ! Hey

[@DoesNotGiveAF]

The end was adorable lmao

[@2BiggUS]

Wie immer sehr gut gemacht, Hut ab

[@MrKugelkopf]

Igorrr!!!! Du wirst mir immer symphatischer!

[@SoddingaboutSi]

Flux Capacitor at 6:48 !

[@markgreco1962]

Simon Spiers yup saw that! I wonder what value it is.

[@Audio_Simon]

Made by Vishay and 125c rated :) Should last more than a couple of jumps!

[@ws9186]

right angle strap wood clamps are good

[@czmik]

Didn't expect you to be an Igorrr fan.

[@JamesIII]

You forgot to mix gold nuggets and glue, it's not HIFI compatible without unnecessarily price and digital lines should be solid gold. :P

[@pileofstuff]

I thought the gold nuggets were to extrude your own audiophile quality speaker wires?

[@Mimerneos]

Gosh darn Marco, you're absolutely hilarious

[@nadirsalim7419]

I enjoyed watching this video. Thanks.

[@coldfinger459sub0]

Birch plywood does make a good cabinet speaker but usually starting at 19 mm for a small cabinet would be minimum 21+ mm sickness is preferred

[@Audio_Simon]

These speakers are 12cm wide ;)

[@forbiddenera]

That JS circuit simulator is also f*cking cool!

[@ChaosEmerald85]

they got the canine seal of approval

[@ZillionPrey]

Wuffers 🌚

[@ofsanjay]

Good video. Dog part is awesome.

[@avejst]

Impressive speaker Thanks for sharing 😀👍

[@danstiurca7963]

Those poor dogs... But Dayton audio is a good choice, they can't be too bad.

[@SianaGearz]

Link to the BBC study please? I recall a similar study by Visaton that concluded that MDF was close to the best beating plywood, short of going for something like concrete with rubber inlays. Unfortunately i can no longer find it since i read it about 20 years ago, so no link from me. You'll still have to give me yours. Not a fair exchange, i know, but perhaps you can just request it from Visaton.

[@reps]

downloads.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/reports/1977-03.pdf

[@SianaGearz]

​@@reps Thanks

[@Max_Marz]

Ruby my dear!!!! YES

[@brucebeverly2629]

My vote is for "fluid dynamics" (rather than "aerodynamics"). Air is a fluid and the well-developed field of fluid dynamics surely overlaps acoustics when dealing with enclosures. For example, an "orifice" in one field may be called a "port" in the other. Thanks for your interesting video.

[@johndude2726]

This guy is obviously at least a level 10 audiophile

[@jajaj33]

Danke szyn!

[@daskasspatzle2396]

Damn, without the famous Biegelehre...

[@2ndAveScents]

You know you're an audiophile when you have RCA dogs.

[@Whipster-Old]

Haha, comedy genius. Loved this video.

[@genoziderkanine2668]

1:07 lool I have those exact monacor crossovers built in a project

[@GeorgeTsiros]

yeah the egg crate foam does next to nothing. the standing waves you need to absorb have wavelengths much much longer than the thickness of the foam and the foam has not even close enough to the mass required to absorb it. There are better options.

[@yoramstein]

Top video. Nice lab.

[@matthewday7565]

OMG! Just looked at the price... I'll stick to my Altec Lansing 2.1 set

[@franciscorafael7975]

YO TAMBIEN

[@sepgorut2492]

Kraftwerk will sound perfect now.