SKU: V-5895-VIB170-BP VIB 170 BP Speaker Kit

Visaton Speaker Kit - VIB 170 BP
Art. No. 5895

Visaton VIB170BP - shown assembled with suggested cabinets, not supplied.

Characteristics and Sound Properties
When developing the VIB 170 BP, the main objective was to create a fairly compact column speaker with an extremely deep bass output, which is capable of reproducing the deepest regions of the audible frequency spectrum. A common bassreflex housing can reach this aim only partly. Therefore, a very rare type of cabinet has been realized, at least when looking at fullrange-loudspeakers: A double-sided ventilated bandpass. In this layout, a woofer which is mounted on an inner separation wall, is operating on two bassreflex-tuned volumes, a larger one and a smaller one. By means of a subtle tuning of the two cavities, a linear frequency response down to 35 Hz (-3 dB) could be obtained with a housing of only 75 litres. Not until then, the sound pressure level starts to drop rather quickly. The lower cut-off frequency (-10 dB) is located around 24 Hz. Some very large bassreflex speakers are capable of reaching similar cut-off frequencies, but the SPL already starts dropping at much higher frequencies. This is why those kinds of loudspeakers sound less voluminous and deep. Due to the exceptionally high excursion limit of the TIW 200 XS - 8 Ohm, the maximum obtainable sound pressure level is already physically tangible and more than sufficient even for large listening rooms.

Another design feature of the VIB 170 BP is the wide frequency range of the AL 170 - 8 Ohm. By means of a sophisticated crossover set-up, we have been successful in taking advantage of the outstanding acoustical properties of the AL 170 - 8 Ohm from 100 Hz up to 8 kHz. Not until then, the established ceramic tweeter KE 25 SC - 8 Ohm takes over to render the uppermost 1-2 octaves. By this layout, the widest part of the audible spectrum is reproduced by only one driver, which helps acoustical imaging and leads to a strikingly precise stage arrangement.

So how does such a fancy build sound like? Like the best of both worlds: The spatial precision and dynamic of a good fullrange driver, paired with the brute bass power of the TIW 200 XS - 8 Ohm in the bandpass cabinet and the silky, delicate treble of the excellent ceramic calotte. At the same time, the whole loudspeaker plays all of a piece and acts absolutely neutral in terms of tonality. Moreover, not a hint of the often-cited "sponginess" of the bandpass principle could be observed, far from it: the low tones sound firm and massive, fully grown, thus becoming to many a much larger boxes.

All around, the VIB 170 BP can be said to be a felicitous loudspeaker, which combines the advantages of a high class fullrange speaker, a multiple way box and a strong subwoofer in one slim cabinet.

TIP: The low frequency part of the VIB 170 BP, without the tweeter and the midwoofer, and without the crossover network, makes a superb subwoofer to complement even large home cinema systems, single- or pairwise.

Extract from Klang & Ton: “We would never have anticipated the quality of sound that we heard – amazingly three-dimensional mid-range sound, both tangible and direct, as one expects from very good full-range speakers. The tweeter was even more transparent than we have seen it perform in the past, thanks to the high separating frequency. And what part does material resonance play? This range certainly does not sound unpleasant or intrusive, probably because it fades away so quickly and is within a very narrow bandwidth. Vocal “s” sounds come across completely naturally and at a reasonable volume, but what you notice is that they are very energy-charged without being at all intrusive. This sound is, after all, being radiated by a large cone area rather than being generated by a comparatively tiny diaphragm. Dynamic attacks on guitar strings explode with sound while cymbals acquire real substance. This whole tapestry is founded on a carefully balanced lower frequency range and fantastically deep, taught bass. Up to now, we have never had the pleasure of hearing that from a bandpass cabinet. The drivers complement each other perfectly and the transitions are absolutely seamless.
As we have often noticed with other systems based on full-range speakers, the three-dimensional soundstage is very accurate and clearly defined; the low-bass and broad-range treatment allow the listener to concentrate on the musicians. The icing on the cake is the highly surprising level accuracy: when a very large, powerful church organ floods the listening room with deep bass, it is enough to put one in awe. Okay, this does require a fair amount of amplifier power – with a 60 watt symasym amplifier, this Visaton speaker sounds great, but if you want to make it really shine, go for a good 200 watts and more.
Conclusion: The introductory initials of the VIB 170 BP could stand for “very interesting box”, which puts it in very good company if one looks back over its family tree: this VIB really deserves to be bear the title “very interesting”."

Technical Specifications

Frequency and Impedance Response

Frequency Response and Impedance Graph

Exploded Cabinet Drawing

Exploded Speaker Box Drawing

Assembly
Building a double-sided ventilated bandpass cabinet isn't as facile as for example a closed box. However, if one follows the instructions step by step, even this build can be accomplished without problems.

Beginning with one side panel, the baffle, the upper rear panel, the top panel and the bottom panel as well as the reflex channels and the panels for the midrange cabinet are glued on top. A hole of about 6mm in diameter is to be drilled into the midrange cabinet to wire the AL 170 - 8 Ohm (seal properly!). In order to keep the width of the box as small as possible, the separation wall, on which the TIW 200 XS - 8 Ohm is mounted, is tilted through 30°. This board is previously provided with two triangular plates to ensure the right mounting angle. Again, a hole of about 10 mm must be drilled through the mounting plate of the woofer to rout the wires for the three chassis. This hole also needs to be sealed well. The whole construction can now be slid into the box and glued on.

Before doing so, it is strongly recommended to double-check the exact position of the woofer's cutout. A displacement of only 1 or 2 millimetres to the top or the bottom can already cause the TIW 200 XS - 8 Ohm to not fit any more. A trial fitting of the woofer should be carried out by all means before gluing the frame into the cabinet. Moreover, the mounting holes must be drilled and the screws should be screwed in and out once to facilitate the mounting of the woofer later under the cramped conditions inside the cabinet. Finally, the mounting frame for the lower rear panel is glued in with a recess of 19 mm, and the second side panel can be attached.

The chamfer is discontinued around the reflex channels only for optical reasons. If no router is on hand, the chamfer can also be cut continuously over the whole height of the box with a circular saw.

Optionally, a wooden baffle can be added as can be seen in the picture (here: Acacia). The rest of the build is not affected by this addendum, except for the chamfer and the recesses of the chassis, which now are located on the additional front plate. For optimal clearance it is well proven to mill out the holes for the reflex channels with a profile miller after attaching the front plate. Lastly, a shadow gap makes for a neat transition between the corpus and the baffle.

Through the opening at the rear side of the box, the woofer can later on be mounted with hexagon socket screws and a small, cranked hexagon socket key. The crossover network is seated on top of the lower reflex channel. After the assembly is completed, the cabinet is sealed by screwing on the detachable rear panel with 9 hexagon socket screws and some sealing tape.

Internal Damping
One mat of damping material is divided lengthwise and each of the two stripes is coiled up and stuffed into the midrange cabinet. In order not to compromise the efficiency factor in the low frequency range, the bandpass cabinet receives no damping at all.

Component Parts List for Each Box - Supplied with Kit
The kit comes with all necessary components (see list below for one box), one set if the speaker is an each, or two sets for a pair, see price above for details.

Speaker Cabinet Material List to Make 1 Box - Not Supplied with Kit

Speaker Cabinet Dimensions

Crossover - Supplied with Kit Already Assembled

Speaker Kit Crossover Circuit