Fostex 167E’s
The recommended Fostex BR boxes as http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/speaker_comp/pdf/recom_enclose/167e_enclrev.pdf
This may not be the best design for the speaker but I just like the idea of using the speaker stands as port outlets.
I had planned to go on and build .... Martin Kings - Mass Loaded Tapered Quarter Wavelength Tube (ML TQWT for short) at http://www.quarter-wave.com/Project02/Project02.html
This will be a better cabinet than the above for sure but they are not small. If you look at Martins design you’ll see its for the FE 164 but this was replaced with the above.
However the desire to build the “Poor Mans Strad” has won the day, perhaps I’ll get around to Martins design later.
I’m out and about Australia for the next few weeks so any form of work on this lot will only start circa July at the earliest - stay tuned
I’m thinking of using all flush mitred joints on the project, see test
7 July 2007 - We’re off - I ripped out all the panels out of enough scrap 18 mm MDF the other day and today I sized and mitred the edges. The picture below is a “dry taped” test
Leg panels unraveled, ready for gluing up.
Mitring the legs and their glue up went really well, so I carried on with the mitre idea for the speaker boxes themselves.
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Four sides taped together ready for glue up .....
After the new “small” thors every speaker now gets a speaker front-back brace whether it’s in the original design or not (a la Planet10). This project stuff up was to miss align the trench on the back panel. But that was easily rectified with a filler piece and a new trench.
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Voila - I like this - NO CLAMPS!. I had thought about mitering the top/bottom panels in but thought that might be pushing my luck. So I plumbed for rebating them in.
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If you think that brace looks a bit rough your right it was a bit of tatty old ply but it will function perfectly and ultimately will be out of sight. Again rebated to give maximum glue joint.
I sneaked up on the final cut out for the speaker so that when its bolted in it sits tight onto its brace.
There seems to be enough “breathing space” through the opening for the speaker but I still put a small chamfer on the inner edge to assist.
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I’m actually only gluing the tops on here. Bases are in place but loose as I need to cut openings for legs and make leg fixture? The intention being, the box can be detached from it’s leg/port/base for transit (sale) if necessary.
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Dry fit - legs not secured to base and base in box not glued in
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My solution for a removable top box - 40 x 40 x 1.4 mm aluminum angle, mitred cut to fit snug into top of leg. I’m a bit worried that this may not be strong enough but I can always use 3 mm thick angle if I get too much deflection after a while. Again I think I might leave the base loose for a while to see it this happens.
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 I was going to use a hammered paint finish - but just might paint with a fire-engine red on these little babies!
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12/08/07 - finally got around to painting the cabinets, two undercoats and four (spray) coats of matt bright red - cute hey!
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Conclusion
I bought the FE167e’s as a comparison against the FE166es-r’s I bought but rashly sold due to space limitations for big horn boxes. I should have kept them as they were excellent speakers
Now it was over 2 years ago that I had the FE166es-r’s so it’s not really fair to say you could do a comparison unless you could line them up side by side. But from memory I’d say they were the better driver - well you’d hope so betting a “special” release and costing a bit more (but not much). How much better? well not greatly I really enjoy playing the FE167e’s and they are certainly not a disappointment.
The drives are extremely musical and as usual a revelation on voice. Like all full ranges a little is lost on the top end. And I really didn’t expect much bass from this design - and I didn’t get it. However this doesn’t mean the design sound bass light but it does benefit if you’ve got a subwoofer.
Sometime September/October I’ll put these on eBay for sale. but if they don’t go, I will not be disappointed I’ll be quite happy to keep them.
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