New Speaker Project

Girls (including wife, who just gave me that crazy look like why would you do that) can tune out now if you like.

This last weekend when we left my parents house I decided to take a pair of old (~1970) Wharfedale Dovedale speakers home to see what they could do. This is a pair of speakers my Grandfather purchased in Hong Kong sometime around or before 1970.




The speakers still look good, although the design is obviously dated. Looks like solid hardwood on the sides and plywood/particleboard on the front and back. There is a set of stands, not shown, that match.

I did a quick search of the internet and didn't find out much. Several short posts by people who had later versions of this speaker and were looking for parts or comments. They have a 12" thin paper woofer, a 5" midrange in it's own sealed enclosure, and a dome tweeter. The rear of the cabinet has trim controls for the midrange and tweeter. The inside of the enclosure has some loose fiber fill. No additional damping or bracing on the walls.

I hooked them up to my Bryston amp / pre-amp combo and fired up the Ipod. They are in good working order. They have a vintage, warm sound that was characteristic of the time. The woofer is light and thin, so it is fairly quick and produces decent midrange. The low end is tight but there is very little extension. A modern equivalent would go at least an octave lower. They sound better with a bass boost for sure. Mids and highs are OK, but nothing outstanding. They lack sparkle and top end air, probably due in no small part to the thick grill cloth.

I haven't decided yet what to do with them. My initial thought, before I heard them, was to replace all of the drivers and crossover with new units. I think that would definitely improve the sound, but at a modest cost. At a minimum I'll measure their frequency response and see what I can uncover. I may also consider some basic bracing of the enclosure.

Maybe a better option would be to build a new version of this, and then do a comparison. I've always wanted to build a 3-way system.

Superman

Little man is potty trained. That is super.

Our Little Democrat

Madison wrote this at school on Monday. See if you can read what it says...

Halloween Pics

This years costumes were easy, but the kids enjoy them all the same. They had a blast trick-or-treating.

And here is the whole group just before we left.

What's on Berto's Mind

Some people would think nothing has been on my mind, since I haven't blogged for weeks. That is far from the truth. Work has been very busy and particularly stressful due to several tricky projects. That has occupied too much of my time recently, and it's time to shift my focus back to the family. Mostly what's on my mind are my kids. I am very proud as I watch them grow up.

At a recent parent teacher conference Madison's teacher told Kerry that Madison has on several occasions helped a special needs kid who joins their class - without prompting from the teacher. Madison is sensitive and caring, almost to a fault. Her favorite show in Jon & Kate Plus 8. She senses when Kerry or I need some help and is starting to step in and assist.

Collin continues his quest towards World Cup Soccer. Last week, during the first quarter, he scored 3 goals in a row. He added another goal soon after. Every play ends up with Collin doing a cartwheel and landing on the ground, whether it is a score, or the ball simply going out of bounds. Today Collin was very brave and was the first of the three to get their flu shot. No tears and no complaining.

Caden is just too much boy for his age. He thinks he can, and should do anything Collin does. He is a terror on a scooter, and enjoys riding his bike off the curb. He's learned to squeeze hard when he gives you a hug (sometimes you have to prompt him for the squeeze). And there is nothing cuter than than to see him clasp his hands and shut his eyes, as hard as he can, before he says "God thanks Mommy, Daddy, Madison, Collin."

soccer in the burbs

Kerry is officially a soccer mom. Collin is playing soccer and loves it. His team is the Buckin Broncos. We have had two games now and the team is 1-1, not that we are keeping score. Yes it's just pack-ball at this age, but they manage to stay headed the right direction most of the game. Collin scored a couple of goals in the first game, but nothing in this last game. He doesn't usually stay in the middle of the action, but prefers to stay on the perimeter and work on his positioning and strategy. He does good keeping himself between the ball and the goal. He will make a good defender just like his daddy.

The park where the games are played is just down the street. On Saturday mornings it is a mad house. It takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to park, and even longer to get out. I bet we spent 15-20 minutes just getting out of the parking lot today.

The Diner

I am a big fan of the diner. You can order breakfast anytime of the day. And the menu is large - you can get just about anything you want.

We eat at a local diner near work about once a month. We've come to expect being called 'honey' and 'sweetie', but it's those rare moments where the waitress sits next to you and rubs your leg that make these trips memorable.

When we worked on the Philadelphia Eagles stadium we ate at the same diner every day for a week. The bread pudding was awesome. This was a northeast diner, cleaner and nicer than you typically find down south. I like to think that the neighborhood mob boss sits in the corner and runs his business.

Every time we come to Virginia for the project I am working on we stay at the same hotel and eat at the same Diner. Today I was by myself, and tempted to venture out to find a Starbucks or IHOP, but I decided not to break with tradition.

The first thing that strikes me as odd is that this Diner, which is connected to a Holiday Inn, doesn't open until 7:30. Are you kidding me? I walked in at 7:40 and the lights were still off and the waitresses were still setting up tables.

Conversation at the Diner is always interesting. A few tidbits of what I heard today between the staff...

"I really like the way you run your tables. When you greet people and say can I start you off with Coffee, Tea or Water? That sounds so professional."

"My belly hurts. I feel like it's on fire. I need to run to the store and get some Malox". I listened to that through most of my breakfast.

"You live in the apartments across the street? Did yours catch on fire? Did you lose everything?"

As the morning progressed, and I slowly lossed my appetite, I limited myself to Coffee thinking that at least the intense heat of the brewing process offered some hope for sterilization.