Vortex Speaker Kits

Discussion in 'Home Theater Speaker Kit Information' started by Erich H, Jul 20, 2019.

  1. You don't have to be super accurate with the tuning, I usually round things to whole or common fractional numbers when giving ports sizes and lengths. The woofer will work in a wide variety of enclosure volumes and different tuning frequencies. Where the speaker is placed in the room likely has much more impact on the bass response then the tuning being off by a few hz.
     
    m4bgringo likes this.
  2. It's all coming together!

    SmartSelect_20211029-132335_Gallery.jpgSmartSelect_20211029-132401_Gallery.jpg
    I did end unfortunately end up with about a 1/8 to 1/16" gap on my face/back panels in one corner.

    Do you all think extra wood glue and sawdust will create a good enough seal? Or should I go for bondo, liquid nails, silicone etc?
     
    m4bgringo likes this.
  3. Sawdust and wood glue should be enough, there isn't much pressure in the cabinet and you don't need it to be 100% air tight. Small leaks won't hurt performance the only issue they may pose if the gaps are big enough may be slight whistling or cuffing at low frequencies as the air rushes in and out.
     
    Wags likes this.
  4. I like the miter cuts! I will build my cabinets from MDF and veneer them, if I don't like them then it will be BB, but I am sure the MDF will be fine.
     
    Wags likes this.
  5. @Matt Grant Would you be able to suggest an angled enclosure to use Vortex 15s as surrounds
     
  6. Perhaps I missed it somewhere. TS specs for the 12" were listed in post 39, however it is missing the fs.

    Does anyone know the fs of the 12" Hyperlite coaxial?
     
  7. How's the progress? I don't know how I missed all those wood clamps. Reminds me of wood shop in high school.
    If you can get down inside the enclosure run some PL adhesive along the seams, that stuff will seal anything, and help hold it together, otherwise good old caulk will seal any possible air leaks, but as Matt mentioned, not a big deal, it is not a sealed enclosure.

    What port(s) do you have on the back?
     
  8. 44Hz.

    I updated that post. I original listed just those values needed to be entered into WinISD to auto calculate the remaining parameters but if someone wasn't using WinISD those listed values might not help much.
     
    matt996 likes this.
  9. Thanks Matt. I am using hornresp, and it asks for fs in order to derive some of the parameters.
     
  10. I just noticed a Vortex 12 clearance section on the DIYSG site, looks like Erich has decided to sell them as well now? Hopefully they aren't all gone already, I can't find any posts anywhere about them compared to how much interest there was when the 15's were being cleared. And those sure went quickly.
     
  11. Matt - Could you give us more details on the Vortex 12" to benefit everyone who missed the Vortex 15" and are considering the 12". Is there a difference in sound? I'm assuming the difference is in the midbass between the 12 vs 15.
     
    Braden likes this.
  12. For lack of better words the 15" had a slightly bigger sound to it with more full bottom end. Otherwise pretty similar.
     
    Braden likes this.
  13. What was the baffle width you used when voicing the crossover?
     
  14. Yep, having a lot of clamps is really nice for the glue up, the local woodshop here made it all a lot easier than at home. That being said, I think I'll use flat packs for the next project!

    I used 4" precision port flares (just the flare) I like them but have no comparison.

    SmartSelect_20211117-202105_Gallery.jpg

    The speakers have actually been finished for 2 weeks now! I've mocked up grills, but haven't mounted them on yet, and right now the only finish is a coat of shellac. I'm still not sure what the final finish will be, but for now I'm content with the look and reluctant to unplug them!
    SmartSelect_20211117-202146_Gallery.jpg

    I haven't done much DSP aside from a mild bass bump, I've crossed to my Ultimax Martycube around 40 Hz with the eq the bass is more than good enough for music and I usually leave the sub off.

    Overall I love them, it's been a joy to see them in the room and re-listen to all my music. The vocal clarity I get is miles ahead of what I'm used to which is great for music and TV. Its very transparent and very dynamic, drum kits are also way more live sounding. Two caviots for anyone undecided, it's a pretty revealing speaker compared to my old Cerwin Vegas. Some of the flaws in my lower quality vinyl are much more apparent, still good, but definitely not for listening loud anymore. Also it's very directive, sounds great in and outside of the sweet spot, but that off-axis roll off is real and the sound doesn't radiate to my other rooms like I'm used to. I was originally planning of using these as fronts in a 5.2 setup, but now I think I'll buy something from the HT series and save these for 2 channel exclusively.

    Great design and great fun! Thanks so much Eric and Matt!
     
    m4bgringo and matt996 like this.


  15. WOW - they are massive. I've seen a few postings of the Vortex 15s but seeing it with the martycube and other things on the table gives me the actual scale of the speaker. Great job on the build
     
    Wags likes this.
  16. Now you did it! Made nice cabinets and don't want to disconnect them to finish them.........
    I wanted to hear my GSG Devestators when I had them finished, but knew if I didn't paint them before I hooked them up I may never actually finish them!
    I am still building my 1099's. The cabinets are glued together and sanded smooth. Still need to see if I can actually pull-off veneering the entire cabinet or not...... I bought some spare veneer to see if I can do the front cutouts or not. If I can't, then I will paint the front panel black and possibly clear coat it and wet sand / polish it for a really nice gloss finish, then veneer the rest.

    Then it's on to the Vortex-15's.
     
    Wags likes this.
  17. Does the "slightly" bigger sound be still audible if you pair the vortex (12 vs 15) with 2 18" subs?
     
  18. In for 4 Vortex-12s!
     
  19. Less so but part of it may be minor differences in the response through the lower midrange.
     
  20. Well I couldn't help myself, grabbed 4 of the Vortex 12's on the sale! Plan is to use them for surrounds with something like 1299's or JTR for LCR. Although getting 3 more and running all Vortex 12 bed layer is kind of interesting too...

    Matt, since I'm planning on using these as surrounds, I'm wondering how the design would do in a smaller box, and possibly sealed? Something in the 1-2 cuft range that I could wall mount would be nice, and I would be crossing over to subs at 80-100hz likely. I don't know much of anything about crossover design or baffle step, so I'm not sure how easy the design change would be. I'm running a Denon X3600H with Audyssey XT32, so is that enough to EQ any potential issues or would the crossover require changes for what I'm looking at doing?
     
    MDuyck1292 likes this.
  21. No the crossover should not require adjustment if you have Audyssey XT32, that should help smooth out any ripples in low midrange and upper bass caused by the enclosure change and mounting configuration. The Vortex-12's will work well down to about 1cuft, they should reach near 100hz in a sealed box like that or if you get lucky with boundary reinforcement even allow for an 80hz crossover.
     
    Braden likes this.
  22. Are all the Vortex 15's and 12's gone?

    Or is there a wait for the next shipment of compression drivers?
     
  23. Matt -
    Vortex 2.5 cu ft ported vs 3 cu ft ported. Both with a sub - does 80hz sound different between the 2 enclosure sizes? In general, is it better to have the low frequency headroom even if you filter the sound to the sub below 80hz?

    Also, Erich mentioned HT-88 Center. Will that be coming any time soon? I have another movie area that is vertically challenged and horizontal LCR is ideal.

    Thank you sir
     
  24. The smaller cabinet won't change much if crossing at 80hz, not until you go below about 2cuft will it start to make a difference around 80hz. If you are specifically using them crossed to subs it may be beneficial to increase tuning to ~50-55hz.
     

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