Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 70
  1. #1
    AR Newbie Registered Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    3

    No more EFE AudioREVIEW DIY Speakers at Madisound

    Sad to see such a great little speaker go, peerless apparently doesn't make the woofer any longer and Madisound dropped the kit

    I use all seven in my dedicated home theater and I listen to a lot of music, being a mid base junkie I've never been happier.

    I used just two of them for my deck party last summer and they had plenty of kick, even outside.

    So sad

  2. #2
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    California
    Posts
    3,717
    Mebbe we can get Ed to design another pair? I wonder if he knows the kit has been discontinued?

  3. #3
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications
    Posts
    9,025
    I spoke to Ed about this last year when Peerless discontinued the woofer/tweeter.
    He seemed to leave the door open to a new EFE DIY kit, though with the thousands of designs available now, I wouldn't blame for not bothering.
    I think he scans the DIY forum regularly, so perhaps moving this thread there or putting in a request would draw his attention?

    I built around 20 of those things. I have 7 of my own (though I finally made an MTM derivative for a center channel) I still use in my home theater. Since they were first made, a lot of new drivers and kits have hit the market and the bar has risen considerably as the DIY speaker market experienced a boom. That said, the ar.com is still not out of place beside many of them.

  4. #4
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    California
    Posts
    3,717
    Here's why Ed hasn't bothered:




    If you had one of these, you'd be too busy to design a new speaker too! Ed and I email each other all the time on car stuff (the guy's a dedicated gearhead as well as a great speaker designer). I'll ask him about the new design and let you know.

  5. #5
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications
    Posts
    9,025
    Yeah, I know all about Ed's toy...
    Trying aweful hard not to be envious...but he makes it pretty darn hard, sometimes!!!

  6. #6
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    California
    Posts
    3,717
    Quote Originally Posted by kexodusc
    Yeah, I know all about Ed's toy...
    Trying aweful hard not to be envious...but he makes it pretty darn hard, sometimes!!!
    If the car makes you envious, you'd just hate his house!

    Ed just told me that Brian at Madisound is sending him the new drivers. He's going to tinker around with them and see if the AR.com kit can be modified to work with the new drivers or if a new design will need to be made. Interestingly enough, Ed doesn't make a cent off those kits, only name recognition, so we should all be thankful there are people in this world that are nice enough to share their talents for free. He'll let us know how it all goes so check back.

  7. #7
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications
    Posts
    9,025
    Quote Originally Posted by topspeed
    If the car makes you envious, you'd just hate his house!

    Ed just told me that Brian at Madisound is sending him the new drivers. He's going to tinker around with them and see if the AR.com kit can be modified to work with the new drivers or if a new design will need to be made. Interestingly enough, Ed doesn't make a cent off those kits, only name recognition, so we should all be thankful there are people in this world that are nice enough to share their talents for free. He'll let us know how it all goes so check back.
    You have no idea - I probably get 10-12 PM's a month about those speakers (still) and some other models Ed sells...I can only assume Ed gets hundreds more. The time it takes to answer can not be insignificant. He's quite gracious taking time to troubleshoot and answer questions from noobs, without any expectation of compensation. I'm sure I asked a few zingers myself - I know Ed never treated me anything but first class.

    The new Peerless woofers are of higher quality - fs is different and the break-up nodes are moved as I recall - they might be salvageable in the design with tweaking - the tweeter is considerably better, and a whole new filter network will be needed there, I'm sure. I don't have the impedance and fr charts for them on my laptop here though.
    This would be a much improved design if the replacement drivers are used, methinks.

  8. #8
    AR Newbie Registered Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    3
    I agree Ed Frias is a very kind gentleman to say the least. I've only corresponded with him once and he answered all my questions promptly and without hesitation. As far as his design talents are concerned I can't say enough. The AR.Com is my favorite speaker to date, far exceeding my every expectation regardless of the price point. If Ed would be gracious enough "again" to design a version 2 around the newer/better drivers, all I can say is watch out!!

  9. #9
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Prescott, AZ
    Posts
    117

    AR.com DIY Speakers by Ed Frias

    Thanks for the kind words from all of you who have been supportive of me over the years, I'll always appreciate it!

    The DIY has been a great little speaker that has made a lot music lovers happy over the last 7 years, and it's unfortunate that Peerless will not be manufacturing the woofer any longer. That particular woofer was not very popular and actually disliked by some speaker builders until they discovered how good it could sound with the right crossover design, the DIY made it famous!

    I have received many e-mails from customers all around the country thanking me for the kit and asking if I will be designing anything to take its place. Of course Madisound has benefited greatly from this little speaker and they hate to see it disappear also. The manufacturer of the DIY cabinets has also gone out of business and that makes it even harder to replace the kit until they find another.

    I originally designed and posted the kit here on AR.com back in the late 1990's after receiving an overwhelming number of audio enthusiast asking if they could buy EFE speakers in kit form. I don't sell any of my speakers as kits but since the requests were made by so many (what I consider) "little guys" who couldn't afford audiophile speakers, I thought the DIY would be my contribution to this forum and the audio community at large. I never expected it to reach around the world with so much popularity, but it has and I'm thrilled so many music lovers appreciate it. The DIY also drew a lot of criticism from other speaker builders (and still does) but that hasn't stopped Madisound from listing it as their number "1" selling kit for the last several years, what does that say?

    As mentioned by one poster who contacted me a couple of weeks ago, I'm now working on a replacement with Madisound's generosity, they have sent me a couple of their last cabinets (different colors ) along with a Seas woofer (and same Peerless tweeter) to hopefully take the place of the discontinued Peerless driver. I've spent a lot of time measuring and listening to the new woofer to see if it will perform as good as the Peerless, and I'm revealing it here at AR.com first before I even let Madisound know the results. I'm very pleased with the sound and the crossover will need only a minor change to meet the standard that many have come to know from the DIY!

    Monday I'll notify Madisound, and as soon as they can have some new cabinets built the DIY should be up and running again! For those that may have been thinking of building it but didn't buy before Madisound's stock ran out, you'll soon have another chance!

    Thanks again for all your support and friendships!

    All the best,
    Ed Frias
    EFE TECHNOLOGY Speakers

  10. #10
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    5

    Talking New version coming - Seas H1350

    Hello Everyone,

    I just got a response from Josh over at Madisound that a new version will be using the Seas H1350. No other info was given. More importantly it's another positive indicator that something new is coming. The question is when???

    I'm curious about the speaker cabinet replacement... any one?

    PS. To Ed Frias - I've read about your DIY speakers for years and never had a chance to listen to them till last week. Wow! I await eagerly for your next DIY kit and commit to building one for myself and my father. Will you consider doing 2 kits - a bookshelf and tower floorstanding version?

    SoundWize - Nicholas

  11. #11
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Prescott, AZ
    Posts
    117
    Quote Originally Posted by SoundWize
    Will you consider doing 2 kits - a bookshelf and tower floorstanding version? SoundWize - Nicholas
    Sorry SoundWise,
    I've been asked many times if I would offer a tower kit and I tell everybody the same thing! If I offered a tower besides the bookshelf I probably wouldn't be able to sell my EFE speakers, most would have all they need!

    The DIY gives people a taste of EFE, if they want to graduate past that then they know where to go!

    As it is now, most find out that when they add a good subwoofer with the DIY it'll give them so much sound they'll probably not need to upgrade again.

    Thanks,
    EFE Speakers

  12. #12
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Prescott, AZ
    Posts
    117
    Quote Originally Posted by topspeed
    Here's why Ed hasn't bothered:
    By the way Topspeed, try this one, it's actually mine!

    EFE


    [IMG][/IMG]
    Last edited by EFE Speakers; 02-15-2007 at 02:08 PM.

  13. #13
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    5

    Smile No Tower, No problem

    Ed,

    While I was curious and partial to a possible tower design, it's a relief to know that you stand by the DIY as it is without a tower configuration. I was getting ahead of myself... and having a bookshelf configuration will definitely keep the price down. I'm looking forward to buying the new kit and checking here and Madisound daily for the release.

    PS. Gearhead here too! Even though I'm a Porsche owner (Florida's Gold Coast Porsche Club America Zone 12), I'm a big Chevy Corvette fan too.

    SoundWize

  14. #14
    Loving This kexodusc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Department of Heuristics and Research on Material Applications
    Posts
    9,025
    I've "modified" Ed's design several times over, including a tower design - it can be done if you want.
    But be aware that any modification does change the sound of the speaker and doesn't really hit the "value" and "easy" features of the kit design as well, and those were the two biggest sellers for me - this was my 2nd project and first solo project!!! The tower model with only 1 woofer probably sounded the "closest" to the original, though the bass gain isn't substantial and really isn't worth it IMO. All the other mods were good compromises to achieve certain goals, but still compromises. I'd only recommend them in specific situations over the original....trust the man.
    I used a dummy chamber in tower versions of another design to build dual subs into the lower compartment of them, thus keeping the original dimensions/design in tact except for the longer front baffle - not a big difference, but not zero, either. Suppose you could do that, but for the work/cost, you're better off with a separate sub and sticking with the original design.

  15. #15
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    5
    I've been checking madisound.com for the new kit... nothing yet.

    Does EFE Technologies or Ed Frias have a website?

  16. #16
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Prescott, AZ
    Posts
    117
    Quote Originally Posted by SoundWize
    I've been checking madisound.com for the new kit... nothing yet. Does EFE Technologies or Ed Frias have a website?
    If you can build your own cabinets, call Madisound and tell them you want the new DIY Ed Frias has designed. It's almost the exact crossover as before with just a couple of values changed on the tweeter circuit. I'm assuming they are waiting to find another cabinet manufacturer before they release it, but since they already have all the parts (including the new Seas woofer), they could start selling the new kit now. If they give you any run a round please let me know by posting on this thread, thanks!

    Success,
    Ed Frias
    EFE TECHNOLOGY Speakers
    EFESPEAKERS@commspeed.net

  17. #17
    AR Newbie Registered Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    1
    Has anyone compared these speakers to the B&W DM602 S3 speakers (which I currently have). I am thinking about buying a kit to replace my B&W's. Better, worse, opinions?

  18. #18
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    5
    Thanks Ed... it's going to be one of my goals in life to build my own speaker where I design & create the cabinet, cross-over, and select the drivers to my taste (dreaming of building a Wilson Audio Sophia or Watt/Puppy replica). I wanted to buy the AR.com speaker kit as a whole so I could get first had experience, as a novice, putting together a speaker and studying how it's all done up.

    As tempted as I am to go to the garage and put together a cabinet... the angel on my shoulder says "no, no... not until you learn from the master speaker builder." I'm going to wait till Madisound figures the right cabinet mfg for the kit. I'm hoping soon!!!

    The last post by cfwiggam is one of the reasons why I'm looking at the AR.com kit. I've auditioned the B&W 602 S3's and they are pretty darn good but they are $600 at my local dealer. I've listened to the AR.com speakers and I think they are darn good too... I've been itching to get a new set of speakers (currently have Magnepan MMGs which I'm a bit disappointed with).

    I've owned B&Ws in the past but in all honesty I'd like to try something that's a bit more personal... something I was involved in the creation.

    I'm a marketing director who sometimes wishes he was an engineer...

  19. #19
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Prescott, AZ
    Posts
    117

    DIY Cabinet specs

    For those interested, here are the AR.com Kit Cabinet specs:

    ¾ inch MDF material

    Outside dimensions are
    13 inches high x 8 ¾ inches wide x 9 ¼ inches deep

    Inside dimensions are
    11 ½ inches high x 7 ¼ inches wide x 7 ¾ deep

    Port size is 2 inches in diameter (ID) x 6 inches deep from rear surface.
    Rear Port hole is centered (widthwise) and 3 inches from top to center of port.

    Speaker input terminal hole is 1 15/16 inches in diameter. It is countersunk for the flange 1/8 inch deep x 3 inches in diameter. This can be changed if you desire another type or size speaker terminal. Rear Speaker terminal hole is centered (widthwise) and 3 inches from bottom to center of hole.

    Front Tweeter hole is 3 5/16 in diameter. Front tweeter hole is also centered widthwise and also 3 inches from top of cabinet to center of hole. If you opt to countersink the tweeter, cut 1/8 inch deep x 4 1/8 inches in diameter.

    Front woofer hole is 5 5/8 inches in diameter. If you opt to countersink, use 3/16 inches deep x 6 15/16 inches in diameter. This will now change with the new Seas driver.

    Front woofer is centered 4 ¼ inches from bottom of cabinet to center of hole.

    If you choose to increase the cabinet thickness to 1 inch, increase all the outer dimensions (WxHxD) by 1/2 inch and compensate for centering all holes!

    Although the discontinued Peerless and the new Seas driver used in the kit allow for a larger cabinet, I designed the DIY specifically to produce a very tight, clean upper bass and lower midrange and felt most builders would use a separate subwoofer for the deeper bass frequencies. This also is the reason why the speaker is able to play extremely loud and clean without distortion, figuring a good high current amp is used.

    Success!

    Ed Frias
    EFE TECHNOLOGY Speakers
    efespeakers@commspeed.net
    Last edited by EFE Speakers; 03-24-2007 at 12:01 PM.

  20. #20
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    5
    Ed, Now you got me very tempted to build the cabinets myself... Thanks for the detailed info on the cabinets.

    Nicholas

  21. #21
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    55
    Thank God I finally found you guys. I had been involved in this EFE Speaker kit conversation in 2005 when I thought I was ready to build them, but I wasn't. Now I am. :-) I am so relieved to hear the kits are available again at Madisound, and with new drivers too, nice.

    Has anyone drawn up a CAD or other picture of the speaker cabinets that I could work from? I'm a visual guy and pictures are much easier to work with for me. Also, is there a link somewhere to help with how to laminate or veneer the MDF?

    Thanks!
    Bryan

  22. #22
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    11
    Hi all,

    This thread kind of died while I was waiting (hoping) to hear details of what changes are necessary to use the Seas H1350 replacement for the old Peerless woofer. Ed Frias said that "It's almost the exact crossover as before with just a couple of values changed on the tweeter circuit", but he doesn't say what the changes are.

    I an hoping to build another set of these from scratch as I did before without using the Madisound kit. Does anyone know what the crossover changes are?

    Thanks!

    - Phil

  23. #23
    Suspended topspeed's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    California
    Posts
    3,717
    Use Ed's link to his e-mail. He'll get back to you, trust me.

  24. #24
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Prescott, AZ
    Posts
    117

    The New Ar.com Diy - Now Available

    For all interested, my new DIY is the same design (crossover) as the older model except for three changes!

    1. The new uses the Seas 7" woofer. Model is Prestige Series #1350-08 Type P18RNX/P
    2. The resistor for the tweeter installed on the circuit board is 7.5 ohm (10 watt).
    3. The resistor attached to the tweeters positive terminal (with QD's) is 2 ohm (10 watt).

    The new woofer requires a little larger hole (1/16 to 3/32 inch) to be cut in the cabinet or to bevel the inside edge of the previous woofer cut-out.

    I noticed Madisound is advertising the kit as "NOT AVAILABLE" on their website now, tell them you want the old kit with the new woofer and the new specified resistors. If they no longer offer the crossover, then tell them you'll buy the parts elsewhere and build it anyhow! I don't know why they are not selling the new version because it sounds just as good if not better than the old? They will probably need to hear that there are still many customers out there that want to build the kit before they make it available again? So, start calling and bugging them!

    EFE TECHNOLOGY DIY Parts list

    Tweeter - Peerless #812687

    Woofer - Seas #H1350-08

    Resistors
    7.5 ohm 10watt (1) For tweeter on circuit board
    2 ohm 10watt (1) For tweeter attached at tweeter
    1 ohm 10watt (1) For woofer secondary circuit

    Capacitors
    4.7uf 200v capacitor (2) For tweeter and woofer circuit

    Inductors
    2mh (.5 DCR) aircore inductor (1) For woofer circuit
    .4mh (.4 to .7 DCR) aircore inductor (1) For woofer secondary circuit
    .3mh (.4 to .7 DCR) aircore inductor) (1) For tweeter circuit

    Note: The variable values attached to the tweeter in the diagram below (.2 to .8 ohms), those were choices on the original DIY but are not to be used on the new version, only a 2 ohm should be used on the tweeter itself!

    Also the 5 ohm (on the board) is now to be changed to a 7.5 ohm.

    [IMG][/IMG]

    DIY Reviews
    http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speak...3_1594crx.aspx



    Success,
    Ed Frias
    EFE TECHNOLOGY Speakers
    efespeakers@commspeed.net
    Last edited by EFE Speakers; 10-06-2007 at 09:34 PM.

  25. #25
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    11
    Thanks a lot ED !!

    - Phil

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •