High efficiency 15"

[TomatoBangBang]

Hello everyone ^^

I would like to know what are for you among the best 15" high efficiency (98/99dB) drivers available on the market today

Vintage drivers can't be put here, only ones that are currently produce

Thanx !

[BHTX]

Before anyone else does, I guess I'll go ahead and say it ..

Acoustic Elegance Lambda Series TD15M
http://www.aespeakers.com/drivers.php?driver_id=4

I haven't personally heard it btw. I want to own it, but have now decided that I probably never will.

[TomatoBangBang]

Originally posted by BHTX
Before anyone else does, I guess I'll go ahead and say it ..

Acoustic Elegance Lambda Series TD15M
http://www.aespeakers.com/drivers.php?driver_id=4

I haven't personally heard it btw. I want to own it, but have now decided that I probably never will.

You advice a driver that you have never heard, but that you want to get but in the same time that you have decided not to purchase

Are you doing a public nervous break down ?

Furthermore i am searching for an audiophile driver not the kind that can take 500W with 98dB of effeciency i don't need that kind of caracteristic

[CLS]

Originally posted by BHTX
I want to own it, but have now decided that I probably never will.

That's quite interesting. Why?

I want to own it, too, and had already requested the quotation including shipping... Now just waiting for the right time. Couple of days ago, Lynn posted a custom OB version. That of course grabbed my attention, and seemed more interesting than the "normal" one.

I got a feeling that there's a set of compromises in the overall design of TD15M which do not fit in my requirements perfectly. It's still an excellent driver though.

If the voice coil is shorter and the motor is stronger, I'd be more eager to to own it. As it can not produce the very bottom octaves, then why not just leave them to other dedicated (sub)woofer(s)? I'll only need it to do 80Hz or so.

[CLS]

Or you my refer to my collections (on paper) here:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showt...37#post1649537



Not specifically for 15"ers, though.

I got a feeling that many decent brands in pro sound do a nice job in keeping their products close enough to the datasheets. So the data should be useful (to an extent).

However I'm still confused by some of the numbers, will post another thread for discussion.

[BHTX]

Originally posted by TomatoBangBang
You advice a driver that you have never heard, but that you want to get but in the same time that you have decided not to purchase

Are you doing a public nervous break down ?

Furthermore i am searching for an audiophile driver not the kind that can take 500W with 98dB of effeciency i don't need that kind of caracteristic

Correct, I stated that I haven't heard it. Hearing it would certainly be nice, but in some cases, I don't think listening to a driver is always a mandatory prerequisite to suggesting it. I feel as though this is definitely one of those occasions. I don't have to hear it to know that it's an outstanding driver, and neither did anyone else who's dished out a good price for any of the Lambda drivers. I'm sure they've all been very satisfied with them, or at least I have yet to really hear of anyone completely dissatisfied with their purchase.

Yes, I've decided not to purchase them. Some might consider these kinds of things to be no one else's business but my own, but I don't mind admitting my lack of riches to the public. Yes, I must remain on a fairly strict budget. Their price is just a bit out of my league right now, and probably for a long time to come. Sure, I could shell out all the cash for them, but it definitely wouldn't be in my best interest at this time. And it isn't that they aren't worth it. If my finances more than allowed me to make that kind of investment in woofers, I'd most definitely have them sitting here right now.

I fail to understand your point regarding the 500w power rating of these drivers. You say that you're searching for an "audiophile" driver. wtf is an "audiophile" woofer, and what constitutes as such a device? ********?? Because when I hear anyone mention the word "audiophile", I think of just that.. ********. I believe the thermal power rating of these drivers being higher than your average little hi-fi toys is simply a side benefit of the design, rather than a worthless characteristic which suggests it's automatically a piece of ****. Were you looking for a new driver with vintage characteristics? Paper voice coil former perhaps? If that's the case, I don't think there's really very many choices out there, and the ones that exist usually aren't very cost effective.. IOW you'll spend a lot for what you get. Aside from that, I can't remember where you're located, but availability of products might be an issue. Regardless, you never stated anything about what these drivers would be used for, or what characteristics you were looking for in a 15" woofer. Rather than being an ******* and stating the obvious right off the bat, like so many people around here often do, I decided not to jump to that this time, and instead provided a suggestion, which is what you asked for.

I'm guessing there's a good chance Mr. Janowitz will post at some point.

My apologies for providing you with a suggestion as requested.. have fun, and goodluck.

Originally posted by CLS


That's quite interesting. Why?

I want to own it, too, and had already requested the quotation including shipping... Now just waiting for the right time. Couple of days ago, Lynn posted a custom OB version. That of course grabbed my attention, and seemed more interesting than the "normal" one.

I got a feeling that there's a set of compromises in the overall design of TD15M which do not fit in my requirements perfectly. It's still an excellent driver though.

If the voice coil is shorter and the motor is stronger, I'd be more eager to to own it. As it can not produce the very bottom octaves, then why not just leave them to other dedicated (sub)woofer(s)? I'll only need it to do 80Hz or so.

IMO, they're absolutely perfect for mating with subwoofers. I would likely use them in 5-6+ cubic foot vented cabs tuned near Fs, mated to subwoofers at 50Hz. A lowpass xover point of 40-50 Hz is often my preference, and always has been.. and I know I'm far from the only person around here who shares this opinion. For the intended application, a crossover point of 80 Hz is usually far too high for me, especially with the 4th order LR xover causing a significant increase in group delay within that region. The lowpass crossover point is best left to do those things as low as possible. A 15" woofer with a -3dB point of 40-50 Hz is a good compromise. Subwoofers crossed at 80 Hz 4th order usually sound pretty terrible to me.

edit: I do remember that the -3dB point in a sealed enclosure with .707 Qtc is right at 80 Hz. So, what's the problem, anyway? If you wanna cross as high as 80 Hz, then why not do it? They're perfect for that, too. Having said that, they're absolutely perfect for mating with subwoofers with either an 80 Hz crossover point, or a 40-60 Hz crossover point.. depending on if it's sealed or ported and highpassed and whatnot. I don't see what the deal is. Is 98 dB/watt not enough? You want less moving mass and higher Bl for LESS low freq output and MORE efficiency than that? Strange..

[tech.knockout]

Originally posted by CLS
I want to own it, too, and had already requested the quotation including shipping... Now just waiting for the right time. Couple of days ago, Lynn posted a custom OB version. That of course grabbed my attention, and seemed more interesting than the "normal" one.

I got a feeling that there's a set of compromises in the overall design of TD15M which do not fit in my requirements perfectly. It's still an excellent driver though.

The shipping quote alone would make it unaffordable to many people overseas. Excellent value(compared to Skaaning, etc) if you live in the US and can afford them.

The TD15M(with apollo option) is the best 15" high efficiency driver I've seen by the specs.

I'm not sure what compromise you are thinking of; for its intended application there is no compromise I can think of(subject to limitations of physics).

[Brett]

Originally posted by tech.knockout

The shipping quote alone would make it unaffordable to many people overseas. Excellent value(compared to Skaaning, etc) if you live in the US and can afford them.

Bollocks. I'm in Sydney and imported 8 AE drivers recently. I can get Pro drivers at trade and I chose these because they look like the best drivers and best value.

[tech.knockout]

Originally posted by Brett
Bollocks. I'm in Sydney and imported 8 AE drivers recently. I can get Pro drivers at trade and I chose these because they look like the best drivers and best value.

Im curious at how you managed this and kept costs low.

You probably sent them here by sea which would take months, and even then you need to ship a container load minimum unless you are lucky enough to be part of a group buy or group shipment. Then theres all the somewhat arbitrary fees and taxes which comprise the bulk of the cost (the actual shipping cost is actually small).

Then theres the hassle of getting them through customs, etc and filing out forms which theres is almost no information about as hardly anyone does it (outside of business). Hiring a broker to do it leads to more expense.

[Brett]

You pay for what you get. Suck it up and pay the bill or sit and bitch about it. I have posted many times on the import process into Oz.

Hint: use USPS.