Design of the Esquire

By Scott C. Blaier
10 Apr 1996

Sound

I will not begin with the usual cliche "this loudspeaker sounds as good as loudspeakers costing five to ten times as much". I never know exactly what that means, other than too many loudspeakers are overpriced. However, I seriously doubt you could find a commercial loudspeaker this good for $70.00.

In my opinion, the greatest strength of the system is its neutrality. It is exceptionally clean, resonance and peak free, with no emphasis on any frequency. It can play surprisingly loud for its size, without losing any its sonic composure. It likes all types of music. Cloth domes are back! The Vifa tweeters are silky and airy, and the fourth order crossover allows the tweeter to perform without "harshness" or "raspiness". The crossover transition between the drivers is seamless and smooth, while dispersion off-axis response is excellent, providing a very stable and credible stereo image. The P13WH exceeded all of my expectations reproducing midrange, but as you would expect, a 5.25 inch woofer can not reproduce the bottom octaves with authority. However, perceived bass is robust and taught, and quite satisfying. A quality subwoofer and crossover would remove bass from the Vifa woofer and further improve midrange performance, as well as provide the missing bass extension. I have already began design work on a large three-way floor monitor loudspeaker system for a friend using these two drivers and crossover teamed with the widely acclaimed NHT 1259 12 inch woofer/subwoofer. Stay tuned.

In addition to high fidelity, you will have a aesthetically pleasing loudspeaker, in contrast to the many wood- grained "vinyl siding" clad commercial loudspeaker in this price class.

Conclusions
Each loudspeaker costs approximately $70.00 to build. The Vifa drivers and their shipping make-up about 90 percent of that cost. Surplus items you have on hand will lower cost even more, while tweaks and "goldplating" will certainly add to the cost. I must say however, the basic loudspeaker described here yields unsurpassed "sonic" value when compared to available commercial models in its price class. Remember, this is a price class where one cheap electrolytic capacitor passes for a crossover, cheap cone tweeters are the status quo, and 1/8 or 1/4 inch unbraced undamped plastic or wood boxes pass for an enclosure.

The cabinet and crossover are easy to construct for any competent hobbyist, and I found the whole project quite enjoyable. In conclusion, if you need a set of very high quality loudspeakers, but your on a budget, these loudspeakers are an excellent choice. In addition, the basic design certainly leaves room for you to give it a personal touch by upgrading items such as the crossover components, to further refine overall performance. A word of caution though, the Vifa drivers and crossover design are fatally linked in this design, and they can not be changed or altered without penalty. Good luck.

Scott C. Blaier

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