Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

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erlhage
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Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by erlhage »

IMG_3221.jpeg
...

I'm building new boxes for a pair of Linn IW10 inwall speakers.

Anybody here who happen to know the port tuning frequency for these speakers?

I've had this pair of IW10s laying around for a few years... Fantastic sounding speakers. They were never wall-integrated as intended, and due to the somewhat challenging form-factor they have not been on display much. So, I decided to build a pair of boxes that will fit in-shelf, and also be decent looking. The picture shows one semi-finshed (sorry for the masking-tape) and the original product, in an effort to a rough side-by-side comparison. Sonically thay are not far off, bass perhaps a little more solid, but I'm not quite sure I've nailed the port. New box has slightly more volume, and port diameter also differs, so port lenght had to be altered.

Any ideas/ advice appreciated!

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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by Matteo »

Interesting

I can see that the speakers are driven in aktiv (M6100?).

The IW10 are now discontinued and the only Linn in-wall speakers are now the 104/106c, that can also be driven in aktiv (but I wonder how, with a single wire connectors …)

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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by erlhage »

It's an experiment, yes :)

They are driven Aktiv by Exaktbox-I. Mostly, of course, since it's a vast improvement over passive on these speakers. But also partly as I have not dug the filters out of the old boxes.

I understand the IW10s did not sell very well. Nevertheless, they sound quite awesome.

E.

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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by sunbeamgls »

If you have a laptop you can buy DATSv3 hardware and software to measure their impedence by frequency. You will get a plot that has 2 peaks below about 120Hz. The minimum impendence point in the dip is the port resonance frequency.
KSH/0; KEBox/2; 3x Tundra Stereo 2.5; PMC fact.12. Blogger. Exakt Design. SO measuring.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by erlhage »

That would be the way to go about it. Will check out. Thanks!
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by tpetsch »

Very cool, I have wanted to know for quite some time now how these sound, I currently have a pair of early UK Built Linn Sekrit inwalls for my TV system driven by a Kairn & Klout along with a JL Audio e110 Sub and they are surprisingly good, a nice balance for TV/Movies/Voices. I once Tried the Linn 106c inwalls -Made in China, I found out after I purchased them- and I was horrified by how bad they were, sounded like a cheap clock radio, couldn't believe Linn would market such crap, seriously. Was happy to unload them on Ebay soon after.

But Those IW10's look the real deal, please post some clips when your done, thanks and good luck! -- BTW, That Midrange driver they choose here always reminded me of the great ATC SM75's.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by lejonklou »

sunbeamgls wrote: 2022-08-30 16:41 If you have a laptop you can buy DATSv3 hardware and software to measure their impedence by frequency. You will get a plot that has 2 peaks below about 120Hz. The minimum impendence point in the dip is the port resonance frequency.
Can you explain why the dip in the impedance corresponds to the port resonance?

I would rather expect the port resonance to be close to the lowest (in frequency) of the two peaks and the dip in between the peaks to be the system resonance (compliance of air in box+mass of air in port).

But I am no expert in this field.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by sunbeamgls »

lejonklou wrote: 2022-08-30 21:20
sunbeamgls wrote: 2022-08-30 16:41 If you have a laptop you can buy DATSv3 hardware and software to measure their impedence by frequency. You will get a plot that has 2 peaks below about 120Hz. The minimum impendence point in the dip is the port resonance frequency.
Can you explain why the dip in the impedance corresponds to the port resonance?

I would rather expect the port resonance to be close to the lowest (in frequency) of the two peaks and the dip in between the peaks to be the system resonance (compliance of air in box+mass of air in port).

But I am no expert in this field.
I'm not either, which maybe a surprise to some, not so much to others. When I do the Exakt filter designs, the electrical measurements I take are put into a spreadsheet of TS parameters and measured impedance curve data. The magic of the spreadsheet is a mystery to me, but it works to produce data that is then transferred into Exakt.Design. That does the basics and all the phase correction calcs, then I design crossover points, slopes etc and deal with baffle step, relative volume levels, and deal with major humps and dips in the FR, using a combination of acoustic measurement and listening - these elements being the bit that takes the time.

Lots of stuff from Gravesen where he uses the saddle in the impedance curve to demonstrate how the port resonance changes with port length changes.
http://troelsgravesen.dk/vent_tuning.htm

Stereophile talk about the "saddle" being the port resonance frequency here:
https://www.stereophile.com/content/mea ... 0loudness.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by lejonklou »

I think this is just a difference in terminology.

What they call the port resonance is what I would call system resonance. It depends on both cabinet volume and port dimensions.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by sunbeamgls »

lejonklou wrote: 2022-08-30 23:42 I think this is just a difference in terminology.

What they call the port resonance is what I would call system resonance. It depends on both cabinet volume and port dimensions.
Fair enough
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by erlhage »

sunbeamgls wrote: 2022-08-30 16:41 If you have a laptop you can buy DATSv3 hardware and software to measure their impedence by frequency. You will get a plot that has 2 peaks below about 120Hz. The minimum impendence point in the dip is the port resonance frequency.
Thought I'd update this thread.

I got the DATS, and measured system / "port" resonance to ~50 Hz. (Bass driver in box, without filter. As in aktiv configuration.)

Great tool! Proved invaluable when adjusting the new boxes.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by erlhage »

This is the finshed "product". Carpentry turned out decent. And they sound great (to my ears :)
Especially love that Morel midrange.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by Tendaberry »

Nice work!
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by ThomasOK »

Looks good. Glad you sorted out the port frequency.

I can't help but notice that the smallish midrange dome driver and largish low mid/bass driver, with the tweeter mounted in between them, seems quite similar to the top three drivers and layout on the new 360 speakers.
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Re: Hacking Linn IW10 in-wall speakers..

Post by sunbeamgls »

Cool
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