Flamenco 1 Bass Extention

Loudspeaker kit Flamenco 1 bass extension

Is this a third Flamenco version, or the extended version of the 1? Both, because the Flamenco 1 with this bass extension is a construction concept of the Flamenco 3, a version that can be useful in some situations. On the one hand, the possibility of full power at the desk, if you imagine that the separate bass extension is under the desk and the small ones are on top. On the other hand, you can of course use only the small ones or the complete combination in the living room. So the split design offers a lot of flexibility.

The loudspeaker technical kit contains all electronic components, loudspeakers, parts and accessories, except for the wood for the cabinet.



Since I've already built the 2s, I'm wondering if there's any audible difference between them and this new version. The difference is supposed to be relatively small, but that wasn't the only reason for adding the power of the bass extension to the 1s. In the end, I was interested in expanding the possibilities, as described above, especially since the expansion is within a reasonably affordable range. It would be a shame not to build the bass extension if you have already built the ones.

In terms of style, I have taken a new approach by using two contrasting types of wood, so I have also made the small ones for the top. At first I had built them in beech. After my oak/black walnut combination for the Flamenco 2, I have now made them in cherry and birch. I changed the cabinet of the bass extension a bit and I had a reason for that. I'm thinking of actually using the F1+bass extension combination for the desk, and to do that, these cabinets would have to have space under the desk. And since the desk also has a drawer, I only have a little over 60 cm of space. The missing volume, due to the loss in height, I have added to the depth.





It's always a great pleasure when parcels arrive from Intertechnik.

Yes, of course, one is genuinely pleased when a parcel arrives from Intertechnik, that can certainly be compared to when women receive a parcel from a shoe or fashion shop. As always, neatly packed, the instructions immediately at hand, simply perfect. All parts of the crossover are also carefully packed separately.


 

Ready for first use

The two speakers develop a tremendous dynamic and are bursting with power, how will the new combination unfold?

I have already described what the ribbon is capable of with the Flamenco 1 and 2. In the F2s, two 7" are responsible for the mid and bass, in the F1+Bass the 5" of the F1 plays the mid-woofer and an 8" is responsible for the deep bass. If you ask me about the difference between Flamenco 2 and 1+Bass, what do you think is more powerful, a 7" supported by another 7" or an 8"? The 8" is even more powerful, for the first time in my building history I had to set the bass on the amplifier to minus - to minus 0.5 to be exact, with the F2s it's still just about 0.5 above zero. And even that is just enough to keep the glasses from clinking. The glasses in the room were, so to speak, the benchmark for both speaker variants for the bass setting. Although the room itself is not at all ideal for testing speakers. It is not a living room, but a room that is used for other purposes. But during the play-in period, my loudspeakers often stay in this room or even in the workshop for two to three weeks before they are "assigned" a living room or their task.


 

Sound, dynamics and experiments

Nevertheless, both versions play just as airy and cheerful, show no weaknesses, differ minimally in the mid-frequency range, where one could perhaps give the 3s preference. In the overall impression, however, I can't discriminate against the 2s at all, as they even seem a little more harmonious overall. This could also be due to the fact that the 3s have only just been finished and the 2s have been played for a few weeks. In the same way, I don't feel that the cabinet is completely without Sonofil, as recommended in the construction plan, but rather that half a mat is used behind the driver for the time being. But that doesn't mean that it will stay that way, because it could still change during the play-in phase. I also think that even this measure is more due to the room and that I will remove the Sonofil again when they are in the living room. As I said, the impressions are fresh now after the first rehearsals.



You can also experiment with closing the bass reflex port of the top-mounted Flamenco 1 with Sonofil. You can't see it anyway because the tube is at the back. With the Flamenco 3 as a floorstanding speaker, the bass-midrange driver also operates in a closed cabinet, so it's worth a try, I thought. In the room I mentioned, this resulted in an improvement, so I could even remove the sonofilm mat in the woofer cabinet, interesting!

I tried different styles of music, besides any pieces with plucked and stringed instruments, especially film music is terrific from both great flamencos. I have played some pieces by Gustavo Santaolalla ("The Last of us") and Alexander Jaen ("Stampede" with Lindsey Stirling), which is quite brilliant. I also rediscovered some pieces from the Avatar film score, like "Jake's First flight", "Jake enter his Avatar World" from minute 2:50 and "Catering all the Navi' Clans" from minute 2:20, well some pieces of music only start to become real highlights later on. Tommee Profitt is also one of my frequently listened to artists at the moment. "In the End" by Fleurie, as well as "Free" by Svrcina, for example, once again terrific. For vocals, perhaps minimal advantages for the Flamenco 3. In my opinion, the closed bass reflex tube has given the Flamenco 3 exactly what I mentioned before about the F2 having a slight advantage, they have gained in the overall harmonic impression. But as I said, for a real comparison I'll set them up in the living room and now I know where to start.

In the meantime, I have the impression that the two models look more and more alike. Which of course raises the question of whether it was necessary to develop both versions. I say, yes, both have their justification. The F3 or the F1+bass extension, that is the classic variant of the original development. And the F2s are unbeatable in their slim design, with the same performance as the F3 and possibly minimally more harmonious dynamics. The fact that I now happen to have built both variants is due to rather exceptional circumstances. First of all, I built the Einser for my parents, and out of sheer enthusiasm for it, the desire arose for a larger version, the Flamenco 2, so I got the Einser again for myself, as a computer loudspeaker. And finally, I wanted the solution with the bass extension.

Well, that's it once again, it only remains for me to give my recommendation. They are a price-performance tip, in any case, both or all Flamenco kits.


 

Loudspeaker construction from a different perspective

I recently read some older reports on loudspeaker construction and one opinion stuck in my mind. Someone wrote that building loudspeakers makes you feel like you're in your element and that you've put everyday life aside. Yes, for these building phases you really are in a world that we have long forgotten, namely in our own world of thought. As always, when we do something of our own accord, only very few do anything, but most let it be done and give the person money for it. But buying is not in our nature, it is MAKING. Buying distances us more and more from being human and turns us more and more into pure consumers.



There are many great building reports where people here realise their building projects with the simplest of means, people who don't have a workshop. I think that's really great. Not everyone is as lucky to have a workshop as I am and when I was still living in a flat, I longed for such an opportunity. At the time I didn't know anything about getting the components, the wooden parts, ready to assemble, maybe that didn't exist then. But if I didn't have a workshop, that would certainly be an option for me, and you can also assemble it in a flat. Painting is another matter. Especially with MDF, which most people use to build their cabinets, the surface treatment is relatively time-consuming, with insulating, priming and painting. Wooden panels are more expensive, but the surface only needs a simple "oiling" with a clean cloth, and that's it.