Scan-Speak B741 Speaker Kit by Peter Noerbaek - Pair

B741 Speaker Kit with Scan-Speak Illuminator drivers including the Beryllium tweeter

Price shown is for a PAIR

Peter Noerbaek of PBN Audio working with Scan-Speak of Denmark have developed this amazing DIY speaker kit. Few commercial systems incorporate parts of this quality and yet here is a kit that you can build on your own. 

The Loudspeakers

Scan-speak was founded in 1970 in Denmark - the birthplace of loudspeakers. Scan-speak has focused on developing, designing and manufacturing loudspeakers of the highest quality with their "no compromise" policy.

All Scan-speak drivers are hand built at their factory in Videbaek Denmark. Their focus has always been on quality of manufacture and quality of sound from beginning to end. For 40 years Scan-speak has worked on developing products to give the listener the optimum sound experience with minimal distortion and dissemination of the finest details. 

Scan-speak's endeavor to create speakers with "true to life" sound experience has not gone unnoticed, as you can see their loudspeakers in high end systems worldwide. 

The B741 kit uses all Scan-speak Illuminator drivers including the Beryllium dome D3004/6640 tweeter, the 12MU/4731T midrange and two of the 18WU/8741T woofers. More on the drivers can be found below.

The Designer

From the very start PBN was dedicated to produce high-end audio products for the aficionado. Each speaker is always a deft combination of art and science in which compromise was never a consideration. It is this refusal to compromise that moved Peter Bichel Noerbaek to attain that elusive perfection between electronic prowess and acoustic reality.

At the heart of each speaker and component is the true secret to PBN’s success. It can only be defined by one standard: What you actually hear – not what you’ve been told you heard, not what others claim they heard and not what instruments measure. At PBN “Hearing Is Believing” – always has been, always will be. It’s just that simple!

Review of the B741 by UltraAudio.com

Each B741 Kit Includes

• (2) D3004/6640 1" Beryllium Dome Tweeters
• (2) 12MU/4731T 4.5" Illuminator Midrange Drivers
• (4) 18WU/8741T 7" Illuminator Woofers
• (2) Professionally Assembled Crossovers (details below)

Scan-Speak product brochure PDF 

Optional Accessories Package Includes:

• (2) TD-CUP - Dual binding post input cup
• (2) 4FLARE - Precision Flared Port Tube
• (14ft) Supra Classic 2.5 - 13 awg tinned oxygen free copper internal speaker wire
• (14ft) Supra Classic 1.6 - 15 awg tinned oxygen free copper internal speaker wire
• (.5lb) Acousta-Stuf - fluff & fill mid chamber & behind woofers
• (3pcs) Foam Sheet - cut & line internal walls
• (1) GOOP - adhesive for foam sheet and port tubes
• (6) QC110B Quick Connects - for - mid & woofer tabs
• (16) QC205R - for + mid, woofer, tweeter & input cup tabs
• (10) QC205B - for - tweeter & input cup tabs
• (36) OXSOCKET8X1 - mount tweeters & woofers to baffle
• (12) OXSOCKET6x3/4 - mount mids to baffle
• (8) OX6OVAL3/4 - mount input cup to cabinet
• (24) OX6PAN3/4 - mount crossover inside cabinet
• (1pc) Kester silver solder - solder wires to crossovers (mandatory), drivers & input cup (optional)

Kit pricing shown includes a discount on all drivers and accessories package. If you already have the loudspeakers, the crossovers are available for seperate purchase here.

Measurements

Cabinet Plans In Inches

Pictures of B741 Cabinet During Construction (PDF)

Baffle width, baffle angle, and driver spacing are critical to the performance of the B741 speaker. Internal bracing and cuts for airflow within that bracing can be done to taste. 

Outside walls are 1" and internal bracing and front baffle backing board is 3/4"

The Crossovers

Madisound has chosen premium crossover parts to complement the exceptional Illuminator drivers. All crossovers are professonally assembled on our silver soldered copper circuit boards.

The tweeter section uses ClarityCap CSA CopperConnect capacitors (prior generation ESA pictured) in series with the D3004/6640, and Solen Fast caps in parallel. Mundorf MOX metal oxide film resistors are also used on the tweeter section.

The midrange section uses the ClarityCap PX series polypropylene capacitors and Mundorf CopperConnect resistors in series with the 12MU/4731T midrange. Solen Fast caps and Bennic electrolytic caps are used in the shunt circuits. 

The woofer section uses Goertz 14awg copper foil inductors in series with the paralleled 18WU/8741T woofers. Our steel laminate and Bennic electrolytic caps are used in parallel.

The High Frequency Transducer

The D3004/6640 Beryllium dome tweeter is one of Scan-Speak's finest creations. This tweeter has quickly become one of are favorites, and this is from folks who live in the candy store! It's performance really separates itself from the pack. This tweeter excels through it's entire frequency range. You might think that you can expect that from all tweeters, but it is actually difficult to achieve. The very high frequency reproduction is fantastic, as well as the clarity and detail of the lower frequencies. Although we all hate to admit it, we lose the ability to hear high frequencies as we age. A tweeter that really shines on the low end is a valuable asset, and this tweeter stands out.

The Midrange and Low Frequency Transducers

The 12MU/4731T midrange is part of the outstanding Illuminator line. Illuminator drivers were designed to take speaker design to a new level. These meticulously designed and tuned motor systems using Neodymium magnets are at the peak of their class. Everything has been done to reduce reflections and distortions to their lowest levels. 

The Illuminator drivers are in every aspect unusual designs:

• Wide open frame construction
• Extremely long linear excursion and patented under-hung SD-3  Symmetrical Drive neodymium motor system, which due to copper caps and its construction ensures very low distortion
• Unique patented cone
• Low-loss linear suspension 

The 18WU/8741T woofers are wired in parallel to provide higher efficiency. These woofers have the same exceptional features as the midrange. A linear excursion of 9mm provides fantastic bass output for a 7" driver. The unique motor systems assures a very tight and responsive low end. 

Conclusion

Everything about this system speaks to quality and accuracy. This speaker is immediate, live and real. You will find this speaker to provide true realism to your recordings, something a hi-fi enthusiasts mind will be comfortable with and thoroughly enjoy.

We provide you with the drivers, crossovers and a hookup diagram. You can use the cabinet drawing from this page. There is no instruction manual for this speaker system. You should have some prior experience with building loudspeakers kits before taking on this project. We also offer an optional accessories package, which provides all the misc. parts that are required for the build should you not already have your own stock.