Tang Band W8-1808 Cabinet

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Calling all full-range guys! I need opinions. I am considering the purchase of a pair of Tang Band W8-1808 speakers. The only hands-on reports I can find are three short reviews at Parts Express. I know Bob Brines likes the W8-1772, but I believe the 1808 will work better for my situation. Has anyone on this forum used the 1808? How do you like it in your application? I plan to use it in a bass reflex cabinet with inside measurements of 8.5" wide by 20" deep by 46.5" high, with the driver and port mounted on the 8.5" panel. Will I need to be concerned about pipe resonances with these dimensions? Because of space considerations, I can not make any dimension larger, but I am open to suggestions for making them smaller. Can anyone help?
 
I was just simming this driver for a large ported box last night. I am not yet satisfied 100% with what i've found using WinISD... but i'm close. Feel free to email me for details at godzilla3@hotmail.com... i will send you the screen shots. Basically what i found was WinISD wants to put this driver in a large box of around 4 cf. Your inner dims suggest a 4.5 cf box so going smaller would be better imo bc i do not think you are gaining anything going bigger... and possibly making things worse. If i remember correctly the bass response went into the mid 30's in a 4cf ported box and was very flat. I decided to limit the response to mid 40s just to keep power handling in check since the driver is rated at 30 watts. In a small sealed (but lossy) box i see the driver moving a lot using my 65 watt onkyo amp. I may even want to start rolling off closer to 50hz but am still playing. When i am satisfied i will post cabinet and port dimensions.

When simming for a BIB, i noticed the spreadsheet wants to put this driver into a very big cabinet too... something like 80" tall x 10 wide x 20 deep... The back horn someone designed was shorter but deeper, so again, a big box. Even tho the software is telling us a big box, the cool thing about this driver is that it will also work amazingly well in a smaller box too. It sounded great in the .5 cf lossy box and even had enough bass to satisfy in my room which is approx 16 x 13 feet with 11 ft ceilings. I did not critically listen to the driver in this box but noticed it sounded really smooth and detailed.

Currently i have them on open baffles with bass support from two 15 Alphas... they sound great this way too.

Open Baffle Speaker - TangBand W8-1808 and Boomer Open Baffle Speaker Kit

I don't think it's too difficult to make this driver sound really great. It's one of those 'plop them into a box' drivers. But squeezing out all their potential is another story. A large ported box like what you are planning may be the best type of cabinet for them, just worried allowing them to go as deep as they can will ultimately result in muddier mids and less delicate treble than they are capable of when not being pushed into the bass.

After playing with the software, i am leaning towards building a sealed box of approx 1.25 cf and a 3 cf ported box. I believe one of these may be the best compromise overall... but they are only two of many box (and OB) designs that seem to allow this driver to show off it's excellent 'full range' abilities.

I will post my results here when i am done futzing but i think it's a pretty safe bet you will be able to use this driver in anything from a .5 to a 4 cf box.

Godzilla
 
I have a 14X14 room and listen primarily to jazz and acoustical music. The TB's reproduce the double bass notes with clarity and precision as well as the low pedal tones of the Hammond B-3 organ.

I tried the TB's paired with a fast little Sunfire sub but it just wasn't needed. Perhaps Zilla's boomers would offer a larger more dramatic presentation but I'm happy with the sound I'm getting.
 
Yes, powered Alpha's beneath the 1808s... i also have a tweeter on top to brighten things up. It's a great setup! I played with toeing them in but in my room i like them best straight ahead without toe in. My room is small so anywhere on the couch is the sweet spot. 1808 is best slightly off axis imo. Even tho i added woofers and tweeters the driver is great all by itself too.

Godzilla
 
I'd probably figure out something in the way of an efficient enclosure setup. I'd be lying if I said I didn't drool over your open baffle setup though, albeit me living in a smaller 3 bedroom apartment, I need something not too obtrusive that isn't as effected by room placement. I don't need the end all be all, I just need something to bring me back to truly amp to speaker connection.

Hmmm... Decisions decisions...
 
I see others have been playing around with the Tangband W8-1808. I too have them running in an OB at the moment with BSC (3.3mH/9ohms) and Zobel (1UF/8ohms) just to see if they sound good enough to go further. I'm not usually a fan of single driver speakers but these surprised me. For the couple of hours invested in cutting up some scrap plywood, they sound very good once the BSC was sorted. Not surprisingly though, they still need some help for that last bottom octave of bass. A sub or helper woofers would be totally acceptable if one wanted to stay with OB.

But it's now time to try a box enclosure to compare. They seem to model well for a sealed box but would still need a sub IMO. Bass reflex does not look so hot if using a high output Z (4 ohms or so) SE tube amp. Has anyone done a MJK sim for these in a TL enclosure design? I am not yet up to speed using MJK's software to figure out what would work but was curious if anyone else has modeled something that looks good. A TL design would be my only guess to get real full range bass from these over acheivers with no need for sub or excessive bass boost.

W8-1808 specs
http://www.parts-express.com/pdf/264-894s.pdf
 
They need BSC, but, when that's sorted, the sound they make is worth every penny. The jump from cheaper drivers to those isn't obvious, but when you pick up on them, you wouldn't want to go back again.

Chris

In what context?
Is this from experience?

I was thinking of taking advantage of the PE deal at the moment, its very tempting for us europeans.
 
I will design a small ported box for this driver in the coming days or weeks. I think i want to put them in my office and run off a t-amp + ipod. Sound should be 'good enough' for office work. It's a lovely looking and sounding driver! I will share everything asap but the design will be a compromise based on size requirements. While i am at it i will sim a few better performing ported cabinets too. They work great in OB... but i've noticed many other drivers do too.

Godzilla
 
Any further thoughts on the best cabinet design for this speaker? I'm planning to wait for superior minds and ears to point me to sonic nirvana. I'm thinking probably the best will be a large open baffle supplemented by an H framed dipole large pro audio driver and supertweeter, a large folded horn design, or in a sealed cab with a supplemental woofer. Anybody know of a specific folded horn design that really shines with this driver?
 
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