tangband 3" full range w/ wood phase plug?

[audiotang]

Anyone heard/tested the new TANGBAND W3-517SA, which appears to have a wooden, Lowther type phase plug?

i just ordered a pair of W3-871 for a DIY project, but noticed on the TB web site the new 3" with the big wood phase plug and am wondering what the story is with that.

Also, any reason why TANGBAND doesn't design their full range speakers to be as sensitive/efficient as Fostex or Lowther? Seems to limit their application to SET based systems if sensitivity is at only 86 spl

Thanks


W3-517SA
http://www.tb-speaker.com/detail/1208_03/w3-517sa.asp

[Stocker]

X-Max 0.20mm = no bass. no midbass even. typo?

[audiotang]

thanks. you're right, 0.20 mm doesn't seem possible.... it may be a typo ? but that figure is repeated in specs for several other TB 3" spkrs.

I dunno... how can it push enough air to get any SPL if the x-max is so low? But this appears to be the speaker of choice for some DIY builders who claim good bass output.... ???????

[audiotang]

oops... let me clarify.... the TB 3" spkr commonly used in DIY projects is the W3-871 with the aluminum phase plug, not the W3-517SA with the wood plug. It's the W3-517SA i'm interested in learning about.

[Rudolf]

The specs say, the W3-517SA has an underhung design and an air gap height of 6 mm. So FWIW Xmax HAS to be much more than 0.2 mm.

Haven´t I seen this phase plug as a knob on some drawers?

Rudolf

[audiotang]

HA ! you are right, it DOES kinda look like a drawer knob. Wonder if it really does what is intended.... increase high end dispersion. Definitely lacks the refined look of a LOWTHER with a wood phase plug.

[Stocker]

that was my first comment as well "that's not a phase plug, it's KNOB! "

anyhow, it occurs to me that if it's not a typo, it's because the motor can't hack all that MASS all over the place. Come to think of it, the xmax make sense unless the wood is balsa or something light like that. Small magnet, high mass, let's just limit travel mechanically so it won't flop around eh?

If you want to change the response of the driver, just go down to your local Home Depot...

[joe carrow]

Originally posted by Stocker
that was my first comment as well "that's not a phase plug, it's KNOB! "

anyhow, it occurs to me that if it's not a typo, it's because the motor can't hack all that MASS all over the place. Come to think of it, the xmax make sense unless the wood is balsa or something light like that. Small magnet, high mass, let's just limit travel mechanically so it won't flop around eh?

If you want to change the response of the driver, just go down to your local Home Depot...

as far as I know, the phase plug doesn't move; it's stationary and is attached to the motor assembly through the voice coil.

[Stocker]

Ah, then it's just a tweeter.

[audiotang]

for what it's worth, there is at least one DIY veteran who claims lower x-max sounds better:

http://home.new.rr.com/zaph/audio/lowxmax.html