So I started building a speaker set for my studio a couple years ago... A large ported box with a 10" woofer which will be powered by a plate amp (adjustable crossover), and a small sealed box sectioned off inside the larger box. I bought some 4" bamboo tangband drivers, and built some small enclosures for testing. Some how those test enclosures ended up by my computer, now they seem to have grown ports, and I don't think I can handle loosing my computer speakers now
.
So I still need speakers for my studio. I've got 150Hz down covered, and a built in enclosure for a 4" driver. The budget is a little tighter now though and I don't think I can spring for the bamboo drivers again. These seem like the best alternative: Tang Band W4-656SC. I was just curious if anybody was familiar with any other options.
requirements: ~$20-30 range, 4 liter sealed enclosure, enough x-max to be able to run in a sealed enclosure with out worry of over excursion every time I turn it up. I don't need the highest fidelity, just want something enjoyable to listen to that can be cranked up to play over various equipment I might be using at the time. It seems like there should be something more effecient with a Fs higher than the 65-75Hz that most full range 4" drivers have. I just haven't found it yet.
thanks
Joe
.So I still need speakers for my studio. I've got 150Hz down covered, and a built in enclosure for a 4" driver. The budget is a little tighter now though and I don't think I can spring for the bamboo drivers again. These seem like the best alternative: Tang Band W4-656SC. I was just curious if anybody was familiar with any other options.
requirements: ~$20-30 range, 4 liter sealed enclosure, enough x-max to be able to run in a sealed enclosure with out worry of over excursion every time I turn it up. I don't need the highest fidelity, just want something enjoyable to listen to that can be cranked up to play over various equipment I might be using at the time. It seems like there should be something more effecient with a Fs higher than the 65-75Hz that most full range 4" drivers have. I just haven't found it yet.
thanks
Joe
https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=45_241_309&products_id=8802
How about this driver... looks like a good choice to me.
Zilla
How about this driver... looks like a good choice to me.
Zilla
I'll 2nd the W4-930sf. I've owned them and they are overall, a nice smooth driver. A bargain at the price.
Cheaper, and more effecient? That certainly looks like the best choice so far... less x-max... only 2 mm.... still I do like the looks of it. Thanks.
I also came across this: FAITAL PRO 4FE30 (sorry I'm unable to link directly to the driver, is enough to find though under 6-8" drivers... even though it's only 4"). I think this would be perfect: higher fs of 100Hz, higher sensitivity, and decent x-max. Unfortunately it's $40, more than I really want to spend...
Joe
I also came across this: FAITAL PRO 4FE30 (sorry I'm unable to link directly to the driver, is enough to find though under 6-8" drivers... even though it's only 4"). I think this would be perfect: higher fs of 100Hz, higher sensitivity, and decent x-max. Unfortunately it's $40, more than I really want to spend...
Joe
Nice piece ,the Faital . I used something similar to the 3" ,not the 4" .But it works together with a smaller woofer ,and smaller cabinet too . So ,if asking me ,I would choose the smaller ,being more treble-oriented because of the smaller radiating area . I guess the baffle for the mid-hi driver should be very 'narrow' ..
picowallspeaker
the 3" FAITAL PRO speaker does look nice, I just don't think I could run it wide open without over excursion. My home speakers have a 4" full range crossed over at 300Hz. Crossovers at those frequencies become pretty expensive. So I'm trying to find a driver I can run wide open in a small sealed enclosure, simply blending in the sub where the full ranger rolls off.... certainly if I had the money a crossover a little higher 300-500Hz with a 3" Faital Pro would be nice.
As far as beaming from a larger cone I'm not too concerned about it. I'm just trying to build an enjoyable pair of speakers on a budget... If I loose a little info at 5-20kHz... mehh... as long as I can still enjoy the music I'm happy.
Joe
the 3" FAITAL PRO speaker does look nice, I just don't think I could run it wide open without over excursion. My home speakers have a 4" full range crossed over at 300Hz. Crossovers at those frequencies become pretty expensive. So I'm trying to find a driver I can run wide open in a small sealed enclosure, simply blending in the sub where the full ranger rolls off.... certainly if I had the money a crossover a little higher 300-500Hz with a 3" Faital Pro would be nice.
As far as beaming from a larger cone I'm not too concerned about it. I'm just trying to build an enjoyable pair of speakers on a budget... If I loose a little info at 5-20kHz... mehh... as long as I can still enjoy the music I'm happy.
Joe
33 uF + 2.2 mH worked for me ...
Certainly you won't find any arguments from me that this project would be well served with a crossover. It would probably lead to more dynamics, less distortion.... however when looking at a crossover in the 300-500Hz range you find that the $25 driver needs $35 worth of crossover components, not to mention the crossover needed for the woofer. I spent a long time tweaking the crossover on my speakers at home and am quite satisfied with the results.
However this is a different project. I've got some 10" drivers with a plate amp. I just want to slap some 4" drivers in the enclosure. Maybe spend a couple of minutes adjusting the frequency and gain on the plate amp, crank up the music, and get back to work in my studio.
Joe
Here's a cheepie but your cutout may need to be made larger by a teensy bit... which is not always easy.
Dayton Audio PA130-8 5" Full Range PA Driver
I found this driver fit the same opening as the fostex 127e and plan to swap the drivers in and out to hear if $40 buys much more than $17.
The Dayton Reference physically looks so good but i don't care for 85db per watt rating. I don't care for the metal cone either. I tend to like the sound of paper cones.
>>> I've got some 10" drivers with a plate amp. I just want to slap some 4" drivers in the enclosure. Maybe spend a couple of minutes adjusting the frequency and gain on the plate amp, crank up the music, and get back to work in my studio.
I feel the same way and think the simplicity could result in excellent sound.
Zilla
Dayton Audio PA130-8 5" Full Range PA Driver
I found this driver fit the same opening as the fostex 127e and plan to swap the drivers in and out to hear if $40 buys much more than $17.
The Dayton Reference physically looks so good but i don't care for 85db per watt rating. I don't care for the metal cone either. I tend to like the sound of paper cones.
>>> I've got some 10" drivers with a plate amp. I just want to slap some 4" drivers in the enclosure. Maybe spend a couple of minutes adjusting the frequency and gain on the plate amp, crank up the music, and get back to work in my studio.
I feel the same way and think the simplicity could result in excellent sound.
Zilla
AEIOU--
thanks for the suggestion the dayton audio driver does look very nice, I'm inclined to agree with Godzilla though... 85db efficiency does seem quite low, otherwise it does look nice.
Godzilla--
I'll be interested in hearing your listening impressions of the driver when you get it. Looking at the published specs things don't look pretty above 3kHz. Who knows maybe they will still sound good fullrange? My fostex 108's don't look pretty when measured either with a huge suck out at 1kHz and a little ragged on top, they certainly sound nice though. The daytons look like they may get pretty harsh in the top octaves. Keep us posted on your thoughts when you get them.
Thanks everybody for all the suggestions. For my budget the Tang Band W4-930SF still looks the best to me... I'm certainly open to more suggestions though
thanks y'all
Joe
thanks for the suggestion the dayton audio driver does look very nice, I'm inclined to agree with Godzilla though... 85db efficiency does seem quite low, otherwise it does look nice.
Godzilla--
I'll be interested in hearing your listening impressions of the driver when you get it. Looking at the published specs things don't look pretty above 3kHz. Who knows maybe they will still sound good fullrange? My fostex 108's don't look pretty when measured either with a huge suck out at 1kHz and a little ragged on top, they certainly sound nice though. The daytons look like they may get pretty harsh in the top octaves. Keep us posted on your thoughts when you get them.
Thanks everybody for all the suggestions. For my budget the Tang Band W4-930SF still looks the best to me... I'm certainly open to more suggestions though
thanks y'all
Joe
I'll throw another one out there; the TB W4-1052SD. I had this one for a while too - sounded pretty good - more bass than the 930sf & it's a bit prettier with the phase plug.
Tang Band W4-1052SD 4" Driver 4 Ohm
There was a lot of talk about it on this forum for a while - do a search. It was also used in the Omega Loudspeakers "Mini-me".
Tang Band W4-1052SD 4" Driver 4 Ohm
There was a lot of talk about it on this forum for a while - do a search. It was also used in the Omega Loudspeakers "Mini-me".
Type--
Am I of the understanding then that you've listened to both the 1052's and the 930's ? I'm more inclined to go with the 930's as they are more effecient, and I don't really need the extra bass that the 1052's offer. I would be interested in your listening impressions though if you have heard them both. The 1052's do have twice the x-max.... though with out any personal experience on this front I'm still more inclined to go with the paper cones as opposed to the plastic...
larryldspkr--
certainly the 4" bamboo drivers are very nice. Which is precisely why I can't give them up as computer speakers. They don't have quite the musicality of my fostex 108's, but they also cost half as much and are more versatile as full range drivers due to their larger x-max.
Joe
Am I of the understanding then that you've listened to both the 1052's and the 930's ? I'm more inclined to go with the 930's as they are more effecient, and I don't really need the extra bass that the 1052's offer. I would be interested in your listening impressions though if you have heard them both. The 1052's do have twice the x-max.... though with out any personal experience on this front I'm still more inclined to go with the paper cones as opposed to the plastic...
larryldspkr--
certainly the 4" bamboo drivers are very nice. Which is precisely why I can't give them up as computer speakers
. They don't have quite the musicality of my fostex 108's, but they also cost half as much and are more versatile as full range drivers due to their larger x-max.Joe
I think there are some serious problems from misunderstanding how this driver might work well with that woofer ,assuming the fact that it has to be powered by the same amp thus impossible to create a line level XO , but don't take too much confidence in the mechanical cut done by size and suspensions of the mid-treble unit , since it is going to have some serious distortions induced by the extra cone movement at LF . Moreover , if a driver with <90 dB sensitivity is chosen , because of the Iron Law .... You'll end in needing an autoformer 
for keeping equal sensitivities between the LF driver , and the necessary cap & coil needed to limit excursion for the MidTreble unit .
You'll end in needing an autoformer for keeping equal sensitivities between the LF driver , and the necessary cap & coil needed to limit excursion for the MidTreble unit .
I'm not using the same amp to power both speakers. I'm using a plate amp with an adjustable low pass filter to power the 10" woofer. I understand that running the 4" tang band (or whatever I end up with) wide open will introduce some compromises. My home speakers are 4" fostex drivers crossover at 300Hz to an Eminence 12" woofer. I experimented with quite a few crossover options when I was building these including running the fostex wide open. I understand the compromises I'm making, and am OK with them for now. Maybe in the future, I will put the time and money into a crossover for this project. Maybe a single capacitor sized to create a -6db at 150Hz would be enough, as I can then adjust the plate amp up to 150Hz... something to consider. Though you might run into impedence issues... For now though as I have mentioned I just want something to listen to music on.
As far as sensitivities go you are right, if I am ever going to switch to a crossover I should keep the 4" sensitivity higher than the woofer.
Joe
As far as sensitivities go you are right, if I am ever going to switch to a crossover I should keep the 4" sensitivity higher than the woofer.
Joe
Yes, I've had both but not at the same time so it's hard to do a real comparison. I'll say that if you don't need the extra bass then go for the 930sf as IMO it has slightly better highs and was better balanced - YMMV.
However, if you're happy with the Bamboo, why not wait and save for it, as you already know it's a home run? Though I would be interested in hearing how the 930 & bamboo compare myself
I stopped by Madisound yesterday and picked up a pair of 930sf drivers. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, much appreciated!
Type--
I'll see if I can't figure out a good way to compare the 930's with my bamboo drivers. Certainly on looks alone the bamboo driver does appear to be of sturdier construction.
Type--
I'll see if I can't figure out a good way to compare the 930's with my bamboo drivers. Certainly on looks alone the bamboo driver does appear to be of sturdier construction.
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