- Μηνύματα
- 2.331
- Reaction score
- 3.635
The LX521 loudspeakers are no longer alone in their ability to render in stereo a detailed 3D auditory scene with clarity, dynamism and neutral timbre for any kind of music.
The LXmini, at smaller size and lower cost, is a close match to its bigger brother, except for lower maximum sound capability below 200 Hz and rolling off the bass below 45 Hz. While the LX521 needs at least a 25 m2 room and open space around it, the LXmini was designed to work well in any size room. The standard stereo triangle formed by loudspeakers and listener can be as small as 1 m for each side and be close to a wall. But unlike with headphones the auditory illusion is in front and stays there with head movement as is natural. Of course the size and distance to the auditory illusion increases with spreading out the triangle, limited only by the space available.
The LXmini is easy to build. No soldering is required, just sawing, sanding, drilling holes, screwing parts together and crimping wire connections.
The LX521- Reference Loudspeaker has received much applause from music lovers all over the world. But it has also caused disappointment because it requires a fair amount of space and breathing room, which many housings do not provide. On top of that the LX521 is too expensive for many and/or its acoustically defined shape is not pleasing to someone in the household. Such objections are particularly aggravating, when the near life like sound volume capability, for which the LX521 was designed, is neither wanted nor could be tolerated in the given living space, or if they were willing to give up bass below 45 Hz for a much smaller loudspeaker.
In the past I would have recommended to build PLUTO 2.1 instead of the LX521, but now the LXmini will exceed what PLUTO 2.1 had to offer and be a true alternative to the LX521, except for the bigger speaker's extended bass. The low frequency portion of the LXmini's frequency response is similar to the PLUTO's. With a 700 Hz LR2 crossover to a small, full-range and open-baffle driver, and with a diffusing as well as attenuating structure for controlling the rear radiation, the polar response tends towards cardioid behavior and reduces reflections from objects behind the speaker.
With directivity controlled in this way the LXmini becomes much less sensitive to room placement, while also gaining in 3D imaging precision. The small, full-range driver on top is superbly smooth and detailed. It blends flawlessly with the pistonic, infinite transmission line woofer for a completely neutral sound in a reverberant room. The speaker stands 40" (1 m) tall. It requires two stereo power amplifiers of 80 W for woofer and full-range drivers. The four input signals to the power amplifiers are generated in a miniDSP 2x4 processor from the left and right outputs of a preamplifier or other device with a volume control.
The LXmini is a most remarkable loudspeaker. It converts electrical signal voltages into acoustic pressure variations, which are perceived as completely neutral and detailed even in a reverberant environment. With this design I want to give every music lover the opportunity to build and enjoy a reference quality sound system singing in their own living space.
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/LXmini/Introduction.htm
http://www.linkwitzlab.com/LXmini/Design.htm
LXmini Construction Plans: $105
4 SEAS drivers: $320
miniDSP 2x4 in a box: $115
USB power supply: $15
PVC/ABS pipes, couplers, cups: $60
Hardboard, Plywood, Rod: $25
Screws, spade lugs, cable clamps, terminal blocks, grip handle: $20
60 ft of18 Gauge speaker cable, plugs: $30
.... which adds up to $690. In addition you need four identical power amplifiers with 50 W to 100 W into 8 ohm capability and with high (>30) damping factor. More power is not necessary.
