TAD midbass box recommendation

[homebuilder]

Greetings!

Does anyone have suggestions on the optimum size for a midbass sealed box for the TAD 1201 driver? I have read posts from Magnetar and Roddyama with great interest. This will be an active 4 way, with TDM crossovers and ARC tube gear.

I have new JBL 2404H for the high freq, and am trying to buy some JBL 2344a for the midrange. I may have to settle for the still available 2342, which crosses over at a higher point, about 1.2khz. For my TAD midbass, I was thinking of about 1.5 cf net. I have no tools for box calculation.

I'd also like to know what people think of using the bigger TAD woofers, such as the 1602, or 1801 in a sealed box. I had always planned on JBL, (vented) but have heard so many positive comments about TAD, but no box data.

Thanks!

[Magnetar]

You should contact Bruce Edgar and order some bass horn shells for the 1201. The bigger and the lower flare rate the better. The shells are like a kit where Edger builds the flares and you enclose and finish them the way you like. The 1201 is a horn driver and will not go low without a horn. It will however walk all over the TAD 16" bass drivers - it would take four (I used six!) of the 16's a channel to keep up with the 1201 in a horn. It's that good.

[Nelson Pass]

Slightly off topic, but when Cyclotronguy and I were playing
with 1201's, we decided to see what they would do if asked to go
lower with some Eq. Surprisingly, they made a very good woofers.

[Magnetar]

Originally posted by Nelson Pass
Slightly off topic, but when Cyclotronguy and I were playing
with 1201's, we decided to see what they would do if asked to go
lower with some Eq. Surprisingly, they made a very good woofers.

I would not do this if you plan on listening at realistic levels - it defeats the purpose of the 1201's high efficiency and low distortion. IOW why bother? there are plenty of other good 12's out there that will do bass in a box better.

[homebuilder]

Magnentar:

Thank you for the response...I will contact Bruce Edgar about the flares. What range would you expect to operate the TAD 1201 in, with those horn flares?

Can you give me an idea of the size, since this is for a home listening room? The baby cheek JBL 2404 are pretty compact, so that is no issue, but the mid horn may result in using separate bass cabinets. What is your opinion of that? I was shooting for the center of the midrange driver to be at about 40"-41"off the floor.

Thanks!

[homebuilder]

Nelson:


These TAD drivers are the unused ones you sold to a friend of mine in Iowa. I am just amazed at the quality of those drivers, and am anxious to get my test boxes built. My friend John commented that you stated "these were almost magical".

It occured to me to build a medium sized, massively braced 2 way with these, and then go all JBL on the other speakers. The JBL 2404H can get down to around 3k, but I wonder about the TAD 1201's ability to reach that high?

Thanks!

[homebuilder]

Magnetar:

I agree with you on that subject, however I find it very interesting what Nelson has done experimenting with that driver. I don't have the necessary tools to measure those boxes a person might experiment with.

So, I will build what will work, and will utilize the driver's best strengths. On that topic, Romy the Cat suggested a mid bass horn also, but did not have any specifics. Tomorrow, I will try to reach Bruce Edgar re your suggestion.

As a sideline, I am facinated by open baffle projects like the one you have posted. Most of the speakers I have loved in the past, with all of their various strength and weaknesses, have tended toward "openness". My current project for a 4 way is for dynamics and efficiency.

Thanks!

[Magnetar]

Originally posted by homebuilder
Magnentar:

Thank you for the response...I will contact Bruce Edgar about the flares. What range would you expect to operate the TAD 1201 in, with those horn flares?

Can you give me an idea of the size, since this is for a home listening room? The baby cheek JBL 2404 are pretty compact, so that is no issue, but the mid horn may result in using separate bass cabinets. What is your opinion of that? I was shooting for the center of the midrange driver to be at about 40"-41"off the floor.

Thanks!

He will know best. A 50 Hz hypex would be great. You'll need a horn sub to fill in the bottom. He can help you with that too. The hypex with the 1201 should make it out to 500-700 Hz. It will be limited on the bottom by the flare and placement. It will be decent size, maybe 28 wide by 34 high by 40-50 inches deep. You will need a large format compression driver and an Edgar tractrix to use above that and you can use the little 2404 for a tweeter if it has enough sensitivity. The 1201 in the right horn will be around 108db with a watt at a meter.

[Jmmlc]

Hello,

For a use as a 12" woofer, better to use the TAD reference 1102 which one was used in their discontinued 2-Way Professional Studio Monitor MODEL 2251

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...DEL+2251?tab=B

Best regards from Paris, France

Jean-Michel Le Cléac'h

Originally posted by Nelson Pass
Slightly off topic, but when Cyclotronguy and I were playing
with 1201's, we decided to see what they would do if asked to go
lower with some Eq. Surprisingly, they made a very good woofers.

[Magnetar]

Originally posted by Jmmlc
Hello,

For a use as a 12" woofer, better to use the TAD reference 1102 which one was used in their discontinued 2-Way Professional Studio Monitor MODEL 2251

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PU...DEL+2251?tab=B

Best regards from Paris, France

Jean-Michel Le Cléac'h

Hello, I think he should examine what his goals are for the end result are before using either of the drivers. Where does he want to be? What is important to the end result? Then choose drivers to get there. No doubt the 1102 is better for a much more compact 'practical' system. I have the 1201's here and they sit on the shelf waiting for a time I feel a proper midbass horn will take me to the results I want to achieve.

Another choice is to use the 1201 as a direct radiator between bass drivers and a compression driver for highs. Maybe 300 to 1.2K.