| Designer | Type | Build | Versions |
|---|---|---|---|
| SB Acoustics (open source) | Tifa 6: 2-way stand-mount, ported. Tifa 8: 3-way floor-stander | You build the crossover and cabinet from SB's schematic and drawings | Tifa 6, Tifa 8 |
Short answer: the Tifa 6 and Tifa 8 are a pair of open-source designs from SB Acoustics, sharing a slanted, Danish-styled cabinet look. The Tifa 6 is a compact 2-way stand-mount: a 6" natural-fibre mid-woofer and a 26 mm fabric-dome tweeter in a small ported box. The Tifa 8 is a 3-way floor-stander: the same tweeter, a 5" midrange in its own sealed chamber, and two 8" woofers. SB publishes the crossover schematics and full cabinet drawings and you're free to use them, but there's no kit to buy. You build the crossovers and the cabinets yourself.
A quick note before I start: I haven't built or listened to either Tifa. This is an overview of what's involved, not a review. Everything about how they're designed and how they perform on paper comes from SB Acoustics' own pages, schematics and drawings.
What SB says about them
Tifa 6. SB describes it as a small speaker built for living rooms, with a slanted cabinet to keep standing waves and reflections down. The drawing shows the front and sides tapering in towards the top, with an internal brace and a rear port.
Tifa 8. A 3-way that keeps the Tifa styling. The points SB makes:
- A dedicated midrange in its own sealed chamber, so the woofers' box doesn't affect it.
- Two 8" woofers handling the bass, in a bass-reflex section with two rear ports.
- An inclined cabinet for time alignment between the drivers. The drawing shows the whole cabinet leaning back on its pedestal (85° on the drawing).
- MDF construction with bracing to keep panel vibration down.
One thing to note: SB's text calls the Tifa 8 midrange a 6-inch driver, but its driver list, the schematic and the cabinet drawing all name the 5" SB13PFCR25-8. I've gone with the 5".
SB's published specs
| Tifa 6 | Tifa 8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | 2-way stand-mount | 3-way floor-stander |
| Tweeter | SB26ST-C000-5, 26 mm fabric dome | SB26ST-C000-5 |
| Midrange | 5" SB13PFCR25-8 (sealed chamber) | |
| Woofer | 6" SB16PFCR25-4 | 2 x 8" SB20PFCR30-4 |
| Crossover frequency | 2,600 Hz | 400 Hz and 2,600 Hz |
| Frequency range | 36 Hz to 26 kHz | 38 Hz to 26 kHz |
| Sensitivity (2.83 V/1 m) | 85 dB | 87.5 dB |
| Nominal impedance | 4 Ω | 8 Ω |
| Max SPL | 105 dB | 108 dB |
| Recommended amplifier | 50 to 150 W | 50 to 200 W |
| Enclosure | Bass reflex, tuned to 37 Hz | Bass reflex woofers (40 Hz), sealed midrange |
| Internal volume (drawing) | 16.1 L | 62.7 L woofer + 9.4 L midrange |
| Cabinet (from drawing) | 380 mm tall; 220 x 330 mm at the base (W x D), 180 x 270 mm at the top | 1,220 mm cabinet (about 1,270 mm on its pedestal), 260 mm wide |
All figures are SB Acoustics' own, from its product pages and drawings.
Tifa 6 or Tifa 8?
- Tifa 6: the easier build by a fair margin: fewer parts, a small box, one port. Suits stands or a smaller room.
- Tifa 8: a much bigger job: a 3-way crossover, a tall braced cabinet with two chambers, two ports and a pedestal. In return you get two 8" woofers and a dedicated midrange.
Only the tweeter is shared, and each crossover suits its own drivers and box. Pick one and build to its schematic.
The parts
Drivers for a pair of speakers. Each link shows today's price:
| Drivers for a pair | |
|---|---|
| Tifa 6 | 2 x SB26ST-C000-5 tweeters |
| 2 x SB16PFCR25-4 mid-woofers | |
| Tifa 8 | 2 x SB26ST-C000-5 tweeters |
| 2 x SB13PFCR25-8 midranges | |
| 4 x SB20PFCR30-4 woofers |
Then add:
- Crossovers: you build them from SB's schematics. There's no ready-made Tifa crossover.
- Cabinets: you build them from SB's drawings. There's no ready-made Tifa cabinet.
- Port tubes, terminals, damping (SB specifies 20 mm Dacron) and wire.
SB's plans and the drivers for the Tifa 6 in one place: SB Acoustics Tifa 6 kit, plans and drivers.
What's involved
Building the crossovers
From SB's schematics:
- Tifa 6: 11 parts per speaker: five resistors, three capacitors and three inductors. Note: the schematic connects the tweeter in reversed polarity. That's deliberate, so follow the schematic.
- Tifa 8: 15 parts per speaker: four resistors, six capacitors and five inductors (the two biggest, 3.3 mH and 5.6 mH, are drawn as cored inductors). The midrange is connected in reversed polarity, and the two 4 Ω woofers are wired in series, which is where the 8 Ω nominal impedance comes from.
Passive crossovers explained covers parts, layout and wiring. Use SB's values exactly.
Building the cabinets
Neither is a plain box. The Tifa 6 tapers on the front and both sides and has an angled internal brace, so you're into compound angles on a small cabinet. The Tifa 8 adds a separate sealed midrange chamber, several internal braces, two ports and a pedestal it leans back on. Both are doable with good tools and patience, but neither is a first woodworking project. Keep the internal volumes, port sizes and driver positions as drawn: the crossovers were designed around these boxes. Building the cabinet covers the techniques.
Who they suit
- Good fit: builders who are happy making a crossover and a cabinet from drawings and want a documented SB design without paying for a ready-made kit. The Tifa 6 is the sensible place to start.
- Think about: the Tifa 6 is 4 Ω at 85 dB, so give it an amp happy with 4 Ω loads. The Tifa 8 is easier on amps at 8 Ω and 87.5 dB, but it's a big build. If you'd rather start with a ready-made crossover and cabinet, look at a full kit like the Ara.
SB's documents
- Tifa 6 crossover schematic and cabinet drawing
- Tifa 8 crossover schematic and cabinet drawing
- SB's Tifa 6 and Tifa 8 pages