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Design of the Esquire
By Scott C. Blaier
10 Apr 1996
Overview
The Esquire is a two-way loudspeaker system incorporating the Vifa P13WH-00-08 woofer/midrange and the Vifa D27TG-45-06 one inch fabric dome tweeter Fig. 1. Picture of The Esquire. The impetus for the project was a need for a pair of extension loudspeakers of high quality but low cost. Because I did not need bass performance below 80 Hz, I decided to build a pair small of "mini-monitors" to fit on a bookshelf. I set a budget of $140.00 per pair. The basic design presented allows room for individual tweaking and upgrading, and depending on how many carats your golden ears are, and how deep your pockets are, you may pursue them. I did not pursue them, citing the law of diminishing returns.
Driver Selection
I believe the first and most important step in designing any loudspeaker system is selecting good drivers. If a designer successfully chooses good drivers, designing the loudspeaker system becomes much easier than trying to correct deficiencies intrinsic to the drivers themselves with crossover manipulation. After considering many drivers I chose the Vifa P13WH-00-08 5.25 inch midrange/woofer. My ears are convinced that it is one of the best 5.25 inch midrange/woofers in existence, especially considering its price to performance ratio. It comes highly recommended by many designers, and has found a home in some very high-end, high dollar loudspeakers. I chose as its mate, the Vifa D27TG-45-06 silk dome tweeter. The D27TG's specifications showed it to be an excellent match for the P13WH woofer. It incorporates all the best features of the more expensive silk domes currently available, such as aperiodic resonance damping, smooth and extended frequency response, treated and doped silk dome, etc., but at a fraction of their cost. I have seen what looks to be the D27TG in at least one high end loudspeaker costing $1500.00 dollars per pair.
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