Millercarbon's Mega Moab Mod Meander


One of the all time great automotive engineers, Norbert Singer, was a key player in every one of the 16 Porsche LeMans victories from 1970 to 1998. His dominance was such that at one point Porsche had won LeMans more than all other marques combined. This was all accomplished by building on the already solid foundation of Porsche production models. The air cooled flat 12 in the 917 was really two flat sixes combined to make 12. This car so dominated motorsport the rules had to be changed to stop it!  

So Norbert Singer modified Porsche production technology to extract the absolute most for racing. His legacy is today’s Singer Vehicle Design https://singervehicledesign.com Norbert doesn’t make for a very good car name so they called it Singer. What is a Singer? It is a modified Porsche. It is in essence a hot rod. What Norbert Singer did was make the most hot rod racing Porsche. What Singer does is take that to the next level, capturing every aspect of Porsche right down to excellence of design and aesthetics.  

I am not anywhere near the level of Singer. But that is the spirit of what we are doing: taking an already world-class design and hot-rodding it to be even better. Well, better for me anyway- or so we hope!

The early modders started with substituting off the shelf parts to get more power or less weight. That is pretty much all we are doing here. Would be cool if some day people are doing this with a lot more sophisticated approach. Maybe they will. Maybe even I will. For now though we have the current crossover project.

My approach is pretty simple: better parts sound better.  

This lesson was learned back in the late 90’s with Linaeum Model 10 speakers. The designer had a new tweeter and told me how to modify the crossover for it. Simple mod, one cap, one resistor. Bought the parts from Radio Shack, put it together, sounded like crap. Absolute horrid crap! Called him up, he said those parts are crap. Said Musicap, Vishay. But they measure the same? Just do it. I did. It worked. Even though they measure exactly the same, the sound difference is off the charts.  

Even though they measure exactly the same. There is a lesson here. For those willing to learn.

So this is the essence of it: Eric Alexander has made a speaker the equivalent of a Porsche 911. Even better: an affordable Porsche 911! But after a while with my 911, after learning what makes it drive and feel the way it does, it was only natural to change the shocks and torsion bar and other items to bring out even more of what I like so much about the 911.  

That is what we are doing here. Hot-rodding a speaker. Thank you Rick for the metaphor!  

The parts are on order. Next week the fun begins!
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Showing 10 responses by theaudiotweak

Send out all the parts to be cryo treated twice..and when they return  heat treat for an hour in your oven at 200 degrees like any good NASA engineer. Tom
I loved the time I passed a 911 on a exit ramp in my 72 Lotus Europa TC..scared me almost to death.. Tom
Yes to make it unreal. Thats how I run almost all my parts for audio and musical instruments. Tom
Glupson specfic to debating one must have a general understanding of the factual use and implementation of material and methods if not science of the subject, in this thread it is audio.  In your case you have demonstrated a failing grade on virtually any audio subject. Your commentary has limited use here or on any audio subject because you seem to lack a broad knowledge of anything that is part of the chain of sound. Tom
Rix it was not me who mentioned the Erse inductors it was Carpathian. I use ribbons originally from Solo electronics which I have since wound down for use with different driver updates.
Tom
 
I have had platforms inside my speakers for many years and inside my power amps for the last 6 all tensioned..resonant energy directed to mechanical ground to and thru platforms on the outside of all. A stable reactive conduit for noise to get out of town. The drivers chassis are also part of this exit path strategy.  Different concept than what you are employing..I guess we are both tied together at opposite extremes. I am certain all that hard work will be worth the effort. Another great project to describe and build.
Good listening. Tom
I can understand how the coatings will alter the sound. I do have a couple large value 10 gauge Solo not Solen foils I can wind down to a loose wind which I prefer to a tight machine wind More air in between the layers and less skin affect I would believe.  Tom
My new crossover under much consideration will have no caps and will rely on 2 inductors and a resistor. Right now looking at Solen Litz wire inductors of 12 gauge or less. I can purchase 10 gauge and they can wind down to the values I need .2 mh on the woofer and .4mh on the ribbon tweeter. Not sure of the wire length but with these small values it should be short enough.
The Litz wire will have less skin effect than a comparable solid core or ribbon inductor and less  mutual capacitance and therefore more extended response..Only listening will tell for sure. Tom


My test for my many mechanical grounded platforms under everything was to have a friend stop over and play some tunes.
While that was going on I had my 2 grandsons use their pogo sticks on my carpet over concrete floor and jump around..
My friend and I could nor hear nor feel the influence of the pogo stick on vibrational transfer thru any grounded device. Which is everything even the Argent Room Lenses.  Tom
Well I did allow for the use of springs in my audio room just this 1 time. On the pogo sticks but they left when the boys did.  Oh I forgot to mention  the 3 inside my Linn but it is on a grounded Sistrum rack apparently undisturbed by pogo sticks. Tom