4 inch Tang Bands.....

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type

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Joined 2004
Can someone help me figure out what the difference is between the Tang Band Bamboo W4-1320sb and the other TB 4 inchers. Let's use the W4-616s for this example. What in the specs or the design lets the 1320 reach 20khz while the 616s can only go to 14Khz? The cone shape looks the same. The Diameter is the same. Even the phaseplug s look the same. Could it really be the addition of "Bamboo" in the paper?

Here's a link to both:
W4-1320sb:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-846

W4-616s:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=264-818
 
Corloc

Corloc

Member
Joined 2004
I own both drivers. The 616 has decent bottom and mid, but it is very different than the 1320. I use the 616 as dummy and test loads, and use the 1320's for critical near field listening. Bamboo in cone. You might want to look at Godzilla sit for the BIB boxes. I have tried it, but look intresting.

Chris
 
C

chuck55

Member
Joined 2003
While TB drivers may MEASURE full range, they cannot be used full range IMHO.
The 616 has nasty breakup modes around 6 and 12kHz which are audible. Bamboo has rising FR which sounded unpleasantly bright to me.
So I'd recommend 2-way with x-over around 3kHz.

YMMV
 
T

type

Member
Joined 2004
Corloc said:
I own both drivers. The 616 has decent bottom and mid, but it is very different than the 1320. I use the 616 as dummy and test loads, and use the 1320's for critical near field listening. Bamboo in cone. You might want to look at Godzilla sit for the BIB boxes. I have tried it, but look intresting.

Chris
Click to expand...


So in comparing the 2 drivers, do you feel that the 616s is missing some high frequency information or is it just that the 1320 sounds better over all?
 
B

BAM

Member
Joined 2001
optionalnecessity.tripod.com
Some time ago, one of the crossovers came unglued from inside one of my two-way mains, and so the only alternative was a pair of single-driver vented bookshelves with the W4-616. Before then, they had been doing surround duty in a home theater set. So I swapped them out, and began noticing the things that single driver enthusiasts always rave about (no audible crossover points, amazing imaging). But I did notice that they were missing the top end sparkle that I had found so satisfying from my two-ways. They did have some air to them. I'm sure with a little bit of filter work, they would be a good-sounding driver for the enthusiast who is just starting with single-driver loudspeakers. I eventually repaired my two-ways, and went back to them, but I still remember my short single-driver fling with the W4-616.
 
BWRX

BWRX

Ex-Moderator
Joined 2005
Have a look at the Fostex FE103E which is another very nice full range driver. It has similar specs to the 1320, but the FE103E has a lighter moving mass with about the same motor strength. The 1320 has more xmax, and they both have just about the same sensitivity. The FE103E is a bit cheaper too when comparing prices from Madisound and Parts Express. The Tang Bands look nicer but the Fostex drivers certainly aren't ugly. The sound is all that matters of course ;)
 
lineup

lineup

Member
Joined 2005
hi
planet10 knows a lot of them TangBand
I am sure he will drop in here with some comments.
And he also likes them Fostex 103, 4 inch
he calls this old version F103A
Save the FE103A (alnico 4" fullrange)
http://www.t-linespeakers.org/drivers/tunnelreflex/index.html

if you search forum you will find old projects on tangband, mostly 3 inch, like: W3-871S
for example:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=310271
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=8054

Her is a topic with some 4 inch tangband
last post from this summer
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21615

Here is pictures of a W4-616S
from audiophile36 from Ohio one week ago, but I guess you have already seen this!
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=86096

... and there are a lot more topics from past years on
Tangband nice wide frequency range drivers!
 
Godzilla

Godzilla

Member
Joined 2005
speakerprojects.wordpress.com
http://www.zillaspeak.com/Bamboo.asp

The Bamboo is pretty great little driver. I use mine with a piezo on the back to extend the hi frequencies.

All of the Fostex drivers i've heard are livelier sounding than any of the TBs. Different sound but equally good.

TB Bamboo has better bass and recessed mids... Fostex has better hi's and forward mids ...

Pick your poison.
 
B

BAM

Member
Joined 2001
optionalnecessity.tripod.com
I don't know what could be more surprising than finding someone who enjoys the "liveliness" of piezos. I really can't stand them at all, though the problem may not be in the ceramic actuator but in the marginal design of most horn-loaded piezo tweeters, as well as their capacitive nature. Community (a professional loudspeaker manufacturer) used to use a small isolation transformer, wound on a typical air-core inductor bobbin, to keep the amplifier from seeing ultra-low loads and becoming unstable. It improved the sound somewhat, as Community's CSX line (which used these piezos) don't really sound as piezo-ish as other piezos.

If it suits you, I suppose I can't judge, but I'll stick to my dynamic tweeters for now.

Are you doing anything special (like Community) to tame the harshness of the piezos you use?
 
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