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Grounding speaker frame?!!

 
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ThosHIFI



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Connecticut

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:55 am    Post subject: Grounding speaker frame?!! Reply with quote

I was browsing around the web and found a site where Fostex FE206E speakers were being optimized in a horn enclosure.

http://www.humblehomemadehifi.com/Solo206.html

One of the tweaks was to short the chassis (frame) of the driver to the minus pole of the connecting wires. According to the author: "This gave improved midrange clarity with a smoother treble and more punch in the bass – amazing for a 5-minute tweak that costs absolutely nothing!"

I was wondering if anyone has tried this... Why would this tweak actually make a difference to the sound? Do I want to try this with my AN Super 12s?
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steve dixon



Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 5
Location: preston, lancs, uk

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:55 pm    Post subject: grounding what grounding? Reply with quote

is that safe? i'm not sure i'd like to try that myself but if your brave/rich enough, go for it and let me know how it goes.
does that really work? afterall the cabinet is mdf/wood so should play no part whatsoever electrically speaking, it seems to me the frame would be grounded by the screws holding the driver to the cabinet if i understand it right, which i might add isn't guaranteed.
steve
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steve dixon



Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 5
Location: preston, lancs, uk

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:04 pm    Post subject: grounding what grounding? Reply with quote

is that safe? i'm not sure i'd like to try that myself but if your brave/rich enough, go for it and let me know how it goes.
does that really work? afterall the cabinet is mdf/wood so should play no part whatsoever electrically speaking, it seems to me the frame would be grounded by the screws holding the driver to the cabinet if i understand it right, which i might add isn't guaranteed.
steve
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ThosHIFI



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Connecticut

PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello Steve,

I believe the discussion was about grounding the metal speaker frame, either stamped steel or cast, to the minus speaker lead. We're not talking about the speaker cabinet... although stranger things have been done in the name of HiFi.
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Brad Kizer
Site Admin


Joined: 20 Jun 2009
Posts: 166
Location: Toledo, OH

PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Guys,

This is what David had to say...

Hi,

You're going to have to color me VERY skeptical on this one, but I have not done it.

And I won't do it because of #1 below. Even if it did improve the sound somewhat, it's not worth the potential damage to the amplifier and/or speaker. My objections:

1. If you do this, it will be a lot easier to short the amplifier leads, which could lead to a blown amplifier or damaged speaker.

2. Why would it help? The amplifer is trying to send a signal through the speaker voicecoil. How is a larger negative 'lug' or 'terminal' going to improve things? (That's what using the frame would really be......a larger lug or terminal)

3. I don't like the idea of any part of the electrical siganl going through the magnet. If you do this, you have the voicecoil going through the magnetic field (which is made up of the positive and negative wires from the amp). You also have the negative signal going through the permanent fixed magnet. I can't say why this bothers me, but it does.

4. If there was some positive outcome from this, you'd think that some of the billions of speakers that have been made would have done it, right?

Fostex FE206E speakers have an Xmax, or excursion. of plus or minus 1.5 mm. I think this is too long for a bass horn driver. By comparison, Lowthers use plus or minus .75 mm. Audio Nirvanas use plus or minus 1.0 mm. So, either of these two brands will work better in bass horns.

Our Audio Nirvana 8's work well in any of the Lowther bass horn cabinet designs. I have not tried them in other ones, but many customers have and they report excellent results.

David

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Brad Kizer
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ThosHIFI



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 7
Location: Connecticut

PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

David/Brad, thanks for the info. One of the reasons for posting this in the forum was to get feedback, pros and cons.

I agree with David's concerns and will therefore NOT attempt to do this.
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human.bin



Joined: 15 Oct 2009
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i did it and it apparently worked. but overall i didn't like the sound of them (super8") in an not rightly matched big spiral horn design, so i took them apart and started experimenting OB, with supporting bass. the driver was so better this way that i stopped seeing any need to tweak it.

reagarding the worries: the guy at humblehifi is not an uncoscious one, i trusted him on the word, but i was using a t-amp, so no worry about the amplifier at all, perhaps if you have a cheap amp at hand, it is certainly worth a try...

the argument about what 99.9% of people is doing is not an argument at all.
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