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DIYESL'sVerison1.0

EversinceIstartedrebuildingQuadESL'sIwantedtotrytobuildmyownESL's.TheQuadESL'sarefundamentallyflawedin
severalways.First,theyaresectionalized.Thisdoesimprovedispersion,andwasnecessarytogettheefficiencyupforuse
withthelowpoweredamplifiersoftheday.Butthissectionalizationrequiresacrossovernetworkandcancauseresponse
anomalies(howevertheQuadESLcrossoverwasverywelldone).TheQuadESL'salsoplaythroughadustcover,whichacts
asapassiveradiatorofsorts.Asidefromtheadditionalfrequencyresponseanomalies,thedustcoverscanalsocauserattles
andbuzzes.TheQuadESLisafragilespeakerissomewhatlimitedindynamicsandbassauthority.IngeneraltheQuadESLis
a wonderful speaker, but I have always thought that some of it's fundamental limitations could be overcome while still
DIYESL1.0

retainingthatamazingclarityandneutralitythathasmadeitlegendary.Thispageisdedicatedtomyquestforaquadlike
soundwithmoremacrodynamicsandauthority.

SeasBookshelf
TidyTL
SDSOkara

Myinitialdesigngoalsweretoproduceaspeakerwhichcouldcovertheentireaudiblerange,andnotbelimitedinabsolute
SPL(totheextenttheoriginalQuadESLis).IwantedtouseasingleESLpaneltocoverallthecriticalaudiblerange.Iwanted
touseadynamicbassunittoovercomethelimitationsofdipolesinthebassarea,butIwantedtokeepthatdynamicdriver
crossover as low as possible to make it as nonintrusive as possible. For this initial project, final size and weight were a

Home

secondaryconcern.
Thisismyinitialdesign,andsofarisverypromising.Myinitialpaperdesignwastobuilda48"&nbspx&nbsp18"paneland
useatransmissionlineloadedwooferforthebass.Iwasn'tsureexactlywherethewooferwouldgetcutoff.Idecidedtobuild
panels,thentaylorthewoofertomatchthepanelsasneeded.
Afewyearsago,ItriedbuildingsomepanelswithLincainTMandLexanspacers.Ididn'tliketheLincainatall,it'sverythin
andpronetoresonate.TheLexanspacersworkwellbutepoxydoesn'tliketosticktoeithertheLincainortheLexanvery
well.SoIdecidedtotrytobuildasetofpanelseitheroutofwirestators(liketheAudiostaticES50speakersIhadrebuilt)or
frommorestandardandthickerperforatedmetal.Ialsowantedtotryusingtheeurathanebasedacrylicadhesivedoublesided
foamtapefrom3Masbothspacersandglue.ThistechniqueisusedbymanycommercialESLproducersandseemstowork
quitewell.
Backinlate1998,IhadpurchasedsomeverynicestepuptransformersfromTheESLInformationExchangeandIdesigned
my own high voltage supplies. These supplies are a fairly clever design. The standard household power (110 or 220) is
broughttotheboardandsteppeddown,rectifiedandfilteredtoformlowvoltageDC(15voltsorso).ThisDCpowersasmall
switchingsupplywhosefrequencyistunedtotheresonantpointofasecondarysmallrectifiertransformerwiredbackwards.
Theamplitudeofthedrivingsignalisregulatedandadjustabletovariableoutputlevels.Becausethissignalisattheresonant
pointofthetransformer,theoutputisabouttwicethevoltagelevelitwouldbeifanotherfrequencyhadbeenchosen.The
outputofthissecondtransformergoestoastandardCockroftWaltonvoltagemultiplier.Itmayseemodd,todroptheline
voltage,rectifyit,regulateit,chopit,andthenstepitup.butbyremovingthefirsttransformer,aplugintransformer(wall
wart)canbeused,andifaDCpowersupplyisused,therectifierandfiltercapcanalsoberemoved.ThismaybeabighelpifI
everdecidetosellaspeakerbasedonthisdesignbecauseIcanuseUL(orCE)listedpowersuppliesandnothavetoworry
aboutgettingmyspeakerULlisted.Becausetheswitchedsignalwhichisrectifiedissuchahighvoltage,thefiltercapsinthe
CockroftWaltonmultiplierfilterthenoiseoutverywell.Here'saphotoandtheplansformyhighvoltagesupplies:

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ESLPolarizingSupply
These speakers started with four nice pieces of perforated aluminum purchased from a local metal scrap yard here in
Albuquerque(Koenigs).ThepiecesIpurchasedwere48"&nbspx&nbsp20.375"theperfectsizeforwhatIwanted,Ididn't
evenhavetocutthem.Igotthemetalfor$2.00asquarefoot.Afterdegreasingitandpaintingitblack(noeasytask),Iwas
readytotrymyhandatbuilding.Iconstructedthesepanelsusing0.125"thick1"wide3Mfoamtape.Iusedcentraldotsto
supportthe1/2milMylarTMratherthanasolidstripdividingthepanelintotwocells.Thisactstokeeptheresonantpointof
theMylarlowwhilestillsupportingitforgoodpanelstability.EvenwiththedottechniqueIstillhavea1:75diaphragmto
statorspacingorbetter.Amovieofthebuildupprocessisavailablebelowforthoseofyouinterested.It'sfairlylarge(7.4
meg),sobewarned.

AnESLPanelConstructionSlideShow
Afterthepanelswereconstructed,itwastimetoseewhattheymeasuredandsoundedlike.withthehelpofLoudspeakerLab
I was able to get some good measurements of these panels. I constructed some temporary frames to hold the panels and
electronics.

The initial measurements showed that I had just built the world's largest tweeter. The pressure feedback around the panel
started to roll the panels off (6dB per octave) right at about 1&nbspKHz. This is an inroom sweep with no time window
gating. A graph of this response can be seen be clicking here. A semiechoic response is shown here (high frequency
differencesinthepanelsisafunctionofmytestsetup).Atthispointiswasprettyhappywiththepanelsandreadytoconstruct
asetofbasscabinets.
Idecidedtotrytheveryniftylooking(cosmeticallyandspecifications)SeasExcel&nbspW228"woofers.I'vealwaysbeen

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drawn to transmission line woofer loadings. The unboxiness of them and the low frequency supplement below Fs is very
attractivetome.SoIdecidedtotryatransmissionlineenclosureforthewoofers.TheyhaveanFsof27HzandanSdof220
squarecm.Thismeantthatmylinewouldneedtobeabout9feetlongandthetotalboxareawouldbeontheorder4cubic
feet(includingbaffles).Thisisahugebox,butIwantedmaximumperformanceoutofmyfirstattemptplusMDFischeap.I
usedimpedancemeasurementsofthewooferintheboxtohelpdeterminetheproperstuffingdensityalongwithsomebasic
stuffingrulesofthumb.TheimpedanceplotofthewooferintheunstuffedTLboxisshownhere.Thishastheappearanceofa
portedenclosureandseveralresonantspikesduetotheparallelwalls.Iaddedstuffinguntilthetwomainimpedancepeaks
hadjustdissapeared.ThiswasabitofajudgementcallandImayhavegoneatouchfartherthanacouldhave.Iendedup
usingabout24ozofdacronpolyfill.TheruleofthumbforTLstuffingsaidthatIshoulduseevenmore.Theimpedanceplot
of the woofer in the 24 oz. stuffed TL box is shown here. Note that this impedance curve now looks like an acoustic
suspensionenclosure.Theplansforthiswooferenclosureareprovidedbelow.

ESLwooferdesign
Myinitialdesignideawastocrossoverthewooferatabout700Hzandfairlysteeplytofillinthatpressurerolloffregionof
thepanelbelow1KHz.ButIbuilta700Hzpassivecrossoverandstartedlisteningtojustthewoofer,andIfeltthattherewas
tomuchmusicalinformationcomingoutofthewoofer.Thiscrossoverpointwasclearlytoohigh.Ididn'twanttohaveany
midrangeormidbassoverlapbetweenthepanelandthedynamicdriver.Thisconceptuallymadesensetometoo.Themoreof
theaudiblerangethatIcouldgetcoveredseamlesslywiththepanelthebetteroffIwas.SoIdecidedtoseeifIcouldequalize
thepaneltocompensateforthepressurerolloff.
Becauseofmyconstructiontechniquewiththecentraldotsratherthantwocells,mypanelresonantpointiswaydownaround
30Hz.ThismeansthatIcanrunthispanelessentiallyfullrangewithonlyashelvingEQcircuittotakecareofthatrolloff.So
Ibuiltasimpleshelvingcircuitusingasingleopamp(perchannel)andputthatcircuitbetweenmypreampandamp.Ithen
started listening and was very impressed at the potential of these panels. There was still a strain when they would try to
reproduce bass, but they were remarkably adept even full range. A measurement of this shelving circuit with the panel is
shownhere.Theshelvingcircuithasabout20&nbspdBoftotalgain,andacornerfrequencyofabout725&nbspHz.
Becausethepanelsweresopromisingfullrange,IdecidedthatIcouldsafelygoprettylowcrossingovertothedynamicbass
driver.Duetomysuccesswiththeshelvingcircuit,Idecidedthatdoingallthecrossoversactivewouldreallyworkwelland
allowmyamplifierstoreallycontrolthedrivers.Givenhownastyanimpedance,theESLpanelis(seehere),Ithoughtthatan
activecrossoverwasanextragoodidea.Myinitialdesignwastocrossoverthepanelandthewooferat200Hzusing4th
orderLinkwitzRileycrossovers.HoweverIdidnothaveenoughresistorstocompletetheneededcircuits,andIhadtofall
backtoanothervalue.ItturnedoutthatIhadplentyofresistorstogetmea160Hzcrossoverpoint,andthisiswhatItried.
After listening to the woofer with a 160&nbspHz 4th order lowpass crossover, I felt pretty good that this was a good
crossoverpoint.thewooferisaddingweightandfoundationwithoutimposingit'scharacteronanyofthemusicaldetail.This
isexactlywhatIwanted.Atthispointitwastimetodosomemoremeasurements.Ameasurementofoneofthewoofersinmy
room and the ideal 4th order crossover curve is shown here. You can see the room standing waves, but the crossover is
knockingitdownprettywell.Thepanelmeasurementwiththeshelvingeqand4thorderhighpassat160&nbspHzisshown
here(thehighfrequencyrolloffisduetomicplacement).Asemiechoicmeasurementofboththepanelandthebassmoduleis
shownhere.
Acouplepicturesofmyfirstlisteningtest(poweredbyaquartetofHeathW5M20wattamplifiers)isshownbelow,asisa
pictureofmybreadboardedactivecrossover.Belowisalsoalinktotheschematicofmyinitialcrossoverdesign.

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The initial listening tests were shocking. This is a speaker which is unlike any other I've heard. It has a clarity and a
transparencythatisalmosttoolifelike.ItishasaneaseandacrispnessthatIhadalwaysthoughttheQuadESLhadinspades,
butitturnsoutthattheQuadisonlyabout80%ofthewaythere.Thetrebleisjust"right"withoutbeingharshorsilibant.
DynamicswhicharetypicallyESL'sweakpointarealsoamazing.Acousticbassisreproducedwithaclarityandarealismthat
I'veneverheardinaloudspeakerbefore.Theweakpointtothisspeakersystemistheamazingdirectionality,thesespeakers
putoutlaserbeamsofsound.Ifyougetupfromthelisteningchair,it'slikesomebodyunhookedthem.Ibelievethatthisvery
directedenergyisoneofthereasonsforthegooddynamicpresentation.Togetafeelforjusthowdirectionalthesethingsare,
hereisacouplepolarplots.Thefirstplotisthepanelrotatedin1degreeincrements(yes,onedegree!).Thisplotcanbeseen
here.Thesecondpolarplotshowsamoretypicaldynamicspeakerpolarrange.Istoppedthistestatarotationof30degrees
becauseitwasgettingsilly.Theplotcanbeseenhere.
Iamcontinuingtotweakthedesignandcrossovertotrytomaximizeit'spotential.Iamalsobuildingamorepermanentactive
crossover,andplanningtorepackagethebassunitsandpanelsinamuchmoreaestheticallypleasingway.

September21,2002Update:
Ihavefinishedthebassmodules,theyhavebeenveneeredwithredoak.Iused10milpaperbackedveneeranditwasalot
easierandmoreforgivingthanIhadimagined.Beforeveneering,Iimplantedmagnetsonthefrontbaffleforattachingagrille.
Thebassunitssoundthesame,butlookawholelotbetter.thiswasalsomyfirstattemptwithaHVLPspraygunandspray
lacquer.Ihavetosaythatsprayingonwoodfinishesisreallythewaytogo.IgetbetterresultsthanI'veevergottenwitha
brushandittookalotlesstimetoo.Here'sapictureofacompletedbassmodule.It'sstillbig,andit'sstillheavy,butit's
lookingalotmorelikeaspeaker(orpieceoffurniture)andlesslikesomesortofMDFscienceprojectcreation.

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Theothermajoraccomplishmenttohappeninthelastweekorsoisthecompletionofthefinalactivecrossoverwhichwill
drivethesethings.It'sbasedonthesamecircuitthatusedtoappearabove.Idesignedacircuitboardfortheunit,andputitina
Sescomcase.ItusesSIPresistorpackstosetthecrossoverfrequency.Theseresistorpacksareonsocketsandcanbereplacedto
setwhatevercrossoverpointisneeded.ItriedhigherandlowerpointswithmycurrentESL'sandIkeepcomingbackto160
Hzasthebestcrossoverpoint,itwasagoodguessI'dsay.
It'sgotanoversizedpowersupplyandgoodstrongregulation.TheopampsareallBurrBrownOPA2134'swhicharevery
good sounding, especially in this unity (or nearly) gain configuration. The panel portion of the box is a 24 dB/octave
LinkwitzRileyhighpassfilterfollowedbyashelvingEQ(tocompensateforthepressurerolloffwhichalldipolesexhibit)
andthenaunitygaininverter(toinverttheinvertingshelfcircuit).Thebassleghasa24dB/octaveLinkwitzRileylowpass
filterfollowedbyabasslevelpotentiometer.thisisfollowedbyagainstageandthenanallpassnetworkforphasealigning
thebassdriverwiththepanel.
Theschematic,circuitboardartworkandapartslistareprovidedintheAcrobatfilebelow.Somepicturesofthefinished
crossoverarealsoshownbelow.
ESLactivecrossover

September24,2002Update:
IhavebeenworkingonasetofreplacementframesforthepoplartestframesthatareshownintheaboveshotsoftheESL
panels.Ifinallygotthemfinishedthisevening.I'mnotcompletelysatisfiedwiththelooksofthem,buttheywilldofornow.
Afterallthisisafinishedprototype,andnotmyabsolutefinaldesign.
Imodifiedaplasticinputcup(forthespeakerwireconnection)toincludeanIECconnectorandapowerindicatorLED.There
isalotofextraroomatthetopofoneofthoseinputcups,andthisisaperfectuseforthatspace.

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TheonlythingIhavelefttodoisbuildthegrilleframes,andinstallthegrilleclothontheframes.I'musingrareearthmagnets
toholdboththebassmodulegrilleandthepanelgrillesinplace.Thishasbeenworkingalotbetterformethananyother
methodI'vetriedbefore.

March19,2003Update
I'vebeenrebuildingQuadESL57andESL63electrostaticspeakersusingsomereallynice3.8micronthickpolyesterfilm
purchasedfromERAudio.Idecidedtohaveafreshsetofaluminumperforatedmetalstatormaterialpowdercoated,totrythis
superthinfilm.Thisfilmisroughlytwentyfivetimestinnerthanahumanhair.Themassofthe16"x46"diaphragmisabout
2.5grams.Afterbuildingasetofpanelswiththisfilm,andlisteningtothem,theyturnedouttobeHARSH.Itturnsoutthat
theESLInformationExchangetransformershaveabitofleakageinductanceproblemwhichiscausingarisingtrebleresponse
problem.ThismakesforthemostdetailedandrevealingspeakersI'veeverheard,butabit"teethdrilling".
AlltransformershavesomeleakageinductanceandwillcausearesonantpeakintheESLresponse.Thefrequencyresponse
changecanbeseenhere.Aresistorinserieswiththeprimarywilldampthisimpedancepeakandflattenthetrebleresponse.
However,themagnitudeofthepeakinthiscaseindicatesthatthesetransformersmayhaveabitofaproblem.Itriedanumber
ofdifferentresistorvaluesinserieswiththetransformerprimary,thefrequencyresponseofthesechangescanbeseenhere
Itisinterestingtonotethattheoriginalpanelsalsoexhibitedthisrisingresponse,butthemassofthediaphragmcausedthe
panel to start rolling off as the frequency response started increasing. However there was still some frequency response
anomalies.Thefrequencyresponseofthenewpanelswiththeshuntresistorversustheoldthickmylarpanelscanbeseen
here.
Theimpedanceofthepanelwiththeshuntresistorisalsoslightlybetter,asitdoesn'tdroptonearlyzeroathighfrequencies,
asseenhere.However,ESL'sarestillverynastyloadsascomparedtostandardconeanddomespeakersasseenhere.
AswithmostESL's,preciseconsistentpanelsareeasytoconstruct.Thispairofpanelsbothmeasuredatthesamepointinthe
roomandwiththepanelspositionedascloselythesameaspossibleareshownhere.Thepanelsaren'tpositionedexactlythe
same,sothereisaslightdeviationinresponse.Thepanelsmeasuredattheirstandardlisteningpositionswiththemeasurement
microphoneatthelisteningpositionareshownhere.

ToBeContinued...
QuadESL,DIYSpeakers,DACDesigns,Schematics,AudioLinks,MiscAudio,MacApps,Miata,Photography,Personal,OtherStuff,LabView
Code,MacintoshApps

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