Making the Clarity deliver the goods

[gordonmenninger]

this is turning into a very strange thread... never seen mods like these before... I would think that Martin Logan would have put that plastic putty inside the speaker if they thought it would somehow improve their sound quality. Not taking away from your experiment, but I think they most likely know a little bit more about speaker building than most of us on here!

 

[JonFo]

this is turning into a very strange thread... never seen mods like these before... I would think that Martin Logan would have put that plastic putty inside the speaker if they thought it would somehow improve their sound quality. Not taking away from your experiment, but I think they most likely know a little bit more about speaker building than most of us on here!

Oh, they know a lot no doubt. But they are also running a business, and like all businesses, they need to make a profit. That means they will not go to extremes on their cheapest products.

When they go to extremes (i.e. Statements) you pay for it, and get what you pay for.

Mods like mass dampening are common and effective. Hang out a bit on the DIYAudio speaker forums and learn some of the tricks.

Most of the mods the OP describes are clearly yielding bigger results for him than similar expense in something like cables, which people discuss frequently on these forums. So I’d say if it’s working for him, then great, and thanks for sharing.

 

[hotroady]

Thanks for the explanation, JonFo. Most the things I'm doing are very practical means of reducing resonance in the cabinets. Ports, cab walls, crossovers, etc. will have there own frequency that they resonate(tuning fork effect). Even if they resonate outside of human audible range, they can muddle the music. Ideally, that plastic base should be made of thick hardwood. Short of making new bases, the plasti-clay is my next best solution. By testing for vibration, by placing fingers on the outside cabinet, a person can determine if these measures are working. The 3 layer absorption material handle different frequencies. Poly fill is not recommended for ported speakers.

 

[hotroady]

I rate the bass about a "D" on stock Clarity, with the mods I've done, I would rate them a solid "B''. Bass drivers are dipole, too! Sonic waves that are 180* out of phase, happen inside the cabinet. Thick or multi layer walls would be excellent. Not an option. Absorption is. It so happens that the aluminized driver with butyl rubber surround is a better barrier than paper with foam surround, a better sonic barrier to; the out of phase waves emitting out the front of the driver. There will be some cabinet volume reduction, by adding 3/4" triple layer foam and cross brace, but I believe there could be even more benefit with adding thicker 11/4" triple layer foam. I found the bass response; faster, tighter, deeper(front to back) so far. I plasti-clayed the out side of port tube. I think the port now does what it was designed to do. Now, when I placed the speakers about 3 ft from rear wall, there is some real nice lower bass ambience added to the sound stage. I think the velocity of the sound waves increased with the reduction in cabinet size. I don't think it really lost any lows either, the ports are supposed to produce them. Plasti-Clay really is great stuff for quelling vibration. Frank Van Alstine has been known to recommend it to both inexpensive and expensive speakers. I have only a hand full of fiberfill covering bare electronics inside the bottom chamber of the speakers. Something to keep in mind when using Poly fill; don't pack it in tight, it'll lose it's ability to absorb sound waves. The mid bass is so much tighter, I had to put 1" single layer foam in my Klipsch RW-12 sub to match up with the new found the punch and speed of the reworked Clarity. I can tell you these speakers used to sound thin, like tall bookshelf speakers. They sound like true floor standers , now. Next, I'll tell of more improvements in mid range.

 

[thevadrydens]

I think when Clarity first came out, Poly fill was thought to be best damping material. Times have changed. I installed 3/4" 3 layer acoustic foam from Parts Express. I did it in stages. There is three 'chambers' in each cab. The chamber directly behind the woofer benefits most by adding foam, next the bottom chamber. I also added the poly fill back in this area. The Plasti-clay stops resonance at the base. The fill helps with unwanted frequency absorption and sounds like adding volume to the cab(lower bass) I ended up lining the three chambers w the 3 layer foam..adding back the poly fill to top and bottom chambers. Midrange is much improved. I switched tubes in my Puresonic 410C amp. Telefunken smooth longplates 12AX7's were replaced with Valvo tilted getter 12AX7's. The Telefunken's have more sparkle on the top end. I can't believe how much better the Valvo's are for bass/mid bass. The tone is right. I decoupled the speakers from the floor, as they are set on 1" slate plates. I removed the spikes..they only contributed to amplifying false bass. The Clarity panels are both longer and taller than the Source or Purity, and are gen 2 design. I believe the cab is a better design, also. There are no parallel walls and the woofer is mounted higher for better line source. I'm not finished, yet...but these speakers sound very solid, and fuller. Tight, punchy mid bass, as you turn up the volume. Very full range and blending well w sub. "Sonic Barrier 3/4" 3-Layer Acoustic Sound Damping Material with PSA 18" x 24"" from www.parts-express.com!

 

[thevadrydens]

I think when Clarity first came out, Poly fill was thought to be best damping material. Times have changed. I installed 3/4" 3 layer acoustic foam from Parts Express. I did it in stages. There is three 'chambers' in each cab. The chamber directly behind the woofer benefits most by adding foam, next the bottom chamber. I also added the poly fill back in this area. The Plasti-clay stops resonance at the base. The fill helps with unwanted frequency absorption and sounds like adding volume to the cab(lower bass) I ended up lining the three chambers w the 3 layer foam..adding back the poly fill to top and bottom chambers. Midrange is much improved. I switched tubes in my Puresonic 410C amp. Telefunken smooth longplates 12AX7's were replaced with Valvo tilted getter 12AX7's. The Telefunken's have more sparkle on the top end. I can't believe how much better the Valvo's are for bass/mid bass. The tone is right. I decoupled the speakers from the floor, as they are set on 1" slate plates. I removed the spikes..they only contributed to amplifying false bass. The Clarity panels are both longer and taller than the Source or Purity, and are gen 2 design. I believe the cab is a better design, also. There are no parallel walls and the woofer is mounted higher for better line source. I'm not finished, yet...but these speakers sound very solid, and fuller. Tight, punchy mid bass, as you turn up the volume. Very full range and blending well w sub. "Sonic Barrier 3/4" 3-Layer Acoustic Sound Damping Material with PSA 18" x 24"" from www.parts-express.com!

Has anyone replaced the stock woofer in your clarity's. If so, with what speaker?