Focal Audiom 6WM + Raven R1

[sardonx]

Hello All
I'm new to the forum and also a novice. I want to use the Focal Audiom 6WM and Raven R1 in a 2 way mini-monitor . They both have quite high efficiency (and similar too - score!) and from what i've read they might match very well soundwise too. But here's my problem. I know the 6WM starts breaking up quite quickly after 2Khz. And the literature for the Raven R1 says it can be crossed over at 2Khz but i really don't want to cross it over that low. I have read one thread (rob wells i believe) that he crossed the 6WM over at 2Khz. Has anyone else had experience with this driver? Is it possible to push the crossover frequency to 3 - 4 Khz withough running into break-up problems? If i could pull it off i have a feeling it would be a match made in heaven. Any knowledge and/or criticism is welcome!

sardonx

[PaulHilgeman]

Hey,

I don't know how new you are to building speakers, but you said that you were a novice. As a novice, I would never attempt to try those drivers. Even now, I wouldnt want to try to tackle a project like that. I have never seen a crossover for that Focal Audium, which probably means taht it is either really expensive, or hard to cross. I believe it is both.

Just to let you know, this driver is classified as a midrange, and will produce absolutely no bass.

I would look at a pre-designed speaker that you can build yourself. I would look over at www.speakerbuilder.net or if you are looking to use high-end focal drivers, look over at www.zalytron.com

-Paul

[thylantyr]

Any knowledge and/or criticism is welcome!

That 6WM driver is hard to worth with
and it kept scoring dead last on bench test
sound auditions.

If you want to use that Raven 1, I would mate
it to a PHL 1120, but doing so, creates new problems
as you need a solution to cover low pass 300hz...
(or dual 1120 for 200hz low pass). The PHL was
pleasant to the ears 'wide open" so it's easy
to integrate with any tweeter.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I believe this speaker
system uses R1 and PHL drivers, the solution
well executed.

http://www.passlabs.com/prodlit/rushmore.htm

or

The Focal 7K2 sounded better than 6WM, you
can take that driver down to 200hz. I believe
the 7K2 was replaced by a new model # ?

It appears you seek higher sensitivity drivers.. /heh

if not, there is other solutions, mid/woofer drivers.

[Peter Daniel]

I don't see 1120 listed on PHL site anymore.

[sardonx]

thanks guys... yeah i wanted to avoid the speaker kits precisely because that's what everyone else does and because I would like to experiment and create something of my own. I like the idea of using fairly high efficiency drivers because it's midway between the super low and super high efficiency stuff, giving me the best of both worlds. That's the idea anyway. And yeah i know it's a midrange but below 150hz, you can always add a sub, no?

btw.. the 6WM is $150. expensive or not.. you judge.

So it would be a hard driver to work with by the sounds of it... I wonder if anyone has actually has success with one....

[thylantyr]

I don't see 1120 listed on PHL site anymore.

When you click 6.5" drivers,
there is a sub-category above
called

"bass"
"extended"
"medium"
"coaxial"

1120 is under "extended" category.

viola' more drivers to check out...

/cool

[thylantyr]

I wonder if anyone has actually has success with one....

I bought my 6wm here;
http://www.e-speakers.com/

Perhaps you can send an email there
to see if Andre has some good
crossovers for the driver. He might
have some that will "tame the beast".

[sardonx]

heheh 'tame the beast'...

So you actually have a pair. Neat. How do they sound? I'm still looking around so no final decisions have been made yet. The PHL 1120 also does look nice.. but i hate the fact that i'd have to cross it over at 300hz. Isn't that like.. a really BAD thing?? I dont want any gaps in that area. That's why the focal looks cool.. 150 hz is just dandy. I may be wrong of course. I tend to get ahead of myself too much, which is why the raven/focal project just 'might' kick my *** back to reality. But if i do buy it i will ask about the crossover. Thanks...

sardonx

[thylantyr]

How do they sound?

Not as good as I expected from a premium driver.

The PHL 1120 also does look nice.. but i hate the fact that i'd have to cross it over at 300hz. Isn't that like.. a really BAD
thing??

Depends on system design, spl goals, and power input.
Some of these PHL's are pure midrange not ineffecient
midrange/midbass "combo-drivers" like other speakers found in
TMM or MTM designs. You trade low end for sensitivity. A different
design methodology. If you are building a 2 way plus subwoofer,
then you need a good "combo-driver" to go down to 80hz -
100hz, preferably a 7" - 8" diameter like a Seas Excel /hehe

You should look into a TMM or MTM to get more low end
extension to mate better with your subwoofer.

I dont want any gaps in that area. That's why the focal looks cool.. 150 hz is just dandy.

Filling the gap is the hard part of system design and it depends
on your "spl" goals. Do you want high output in the 150hz region?
If so, then 6.5" drivers in general won't give you much energy
at 80hz - 150hz, typically this job is for a larger driver, starting
at 8". If you don't need high spl, then cool, it's easy to design
something.

/weird thoughts/
Hypothetically, suppose that 6WM performs better between
150hz to 300hz, a 150hz differential "gap" in music.

Suppose the PHL sounds better than 6wm between 2khz - 4khz,
that is a 2000hz differential.

Would you rather have a 2000hz region of "ok" sonics
and 150hz differential of "good" sonics ... (6wm)

or

Would you rather have a 2000hz region of "great" sonics
and 150hz differential of "ok" sonics ... (phl)

I think you should look into TMM or MTM regardless of
which driver chosen. If you chose 6wm, get some good
crossovers, a must have.

[RobWells]

Hi,

I have the audioms, but have put them aside for a later project. - I'm using s-speak revelator mids instead.

If I get enough time I may build a box and xo for these to try with my current projects bass units.

FWIW I was going to use them xo'd at 1500Hz with a Linkwitz Reilly 24DB/oct x-over.

I'm not sure, but doesn't the Grand Utopia use a pair of these with an inverted dome tweet, x/o around 2500 (MTM)?


http://www.focal.tm.fr/gb/home/utopiabe/caract.htm

Cheers

Rob