budget driver recommendations for Line Array

[bhorstkotte]

I'm planning on building a pair of line arrays, starting with the BFM TLAH plans. I'd like to keep the budget down, while hopefully getting a nice result (duh). I've been shopping for midwoofer and tweeter drivers, and would like to get some feedback from those who may have used some of these (successfully or unsuccessfully), or have any other suggestions I should be looking at.

Places I've checked so far - please let me know of other possible sources:

• Parts Express
• Madisound
• Apex Jr.

Woofers I'm considering:

• Peerless India W5-KA538A-SH - FR 70-6000, fs 74, qts 0.80, xmax 3.5mm, 86.5 db, 4 ohm - $5 each
• Sony 5" Dynamic Bass Replacement Speaker 299-011 - FR 60-4000, fs 86, qts 0.97, xmax 3mm, 85 db, 8 ohm (concerned about 4K top end) - $2.50 each
• SAS Bazooka 5" midbass - FR 60-3000, fs 73, qts .51, xmax 2.5mm, 85.6 db, 2 ohm (concerned about 3K top end) - $3 each

Tweeters I'm considering:

• Peerless India T25FG-04-02 1" Silk Dome Tweeter - FR 2000-20000, fs 1942, 89 db, 4 ohm - $2.50 each
• (BFM recommended tweeter) - $2.50 each
• Apex Jr. cheapies (concerned they may not go low enough to crossover well) - $0.50 - $1.00 each

Design: 8 or 9 woofers + 12 tweeters per speaker; about 5' tall.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts

 

[Kahooli]

If you're doing fitzTLAHs, I have 4 cases of the 5.25 sony neos that were sold on PE for $.69.

How many do you want?

 

[mdocod]

Maybe this: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=299-289

I tend to shy away from drivers with poor dampening characteristics (very high Qts, anything over 0.55 and I am generally suspect). They often sound sloppy IMO. And I think for good reason, high Qts means high impedance spike and weak motor structure, which all means less control over the cone movement, lower precision, and higher distortion.

Lots of guitar guys love those really sloppy guitar speakers with a Qts of like 1.9 or something nuts because they "color" the sound in a way that the guitar player is often looking for. When building a speaker to reproduce the already colored and recorded guitar, you don't generally want to add any more of your own color.

 

[bhorstkotte]

If you're doing fitzTLAHs, I have 4 cases of the 5.25 sony neos that were sold on PE for $.69.

How many do you want?

Oooh, I'd take a case - or maybe two - if you're willing to part them? Thanks for the offer - I'll PM you as well in case you don't catch my post here.

Maybe this: 5" Concave Paper Cone Woofer Speaker 2 Ohm 299-289

I tend to shy away from drivers with poor dampening characteristics (very high Qts, anything over 0.55 and I am generally suspect). They often sound sloppy IMO. And I think for good reason, high Qts means high impedance spike and weak motor structure, which all means less control over the cone movement, lower precision, and higher distortion.

Lots of guitar guys love those really sloppy guitar speakers with a Qts of like 1.9 or something nuts because they "color" the sound in a way that the guitar player is often looking for. When building a speaker to reproduce the already colored and recorded guitar, you don't generally want to add any more of your own color.

Thanks, I'll check that one out too. Bill's plan specifies ~0.5 qts, but the recommended driver is 0.69, and the Sony closeouts that reportedly work well are 0.96. I'm sure you have a point, but to my current level of understanding (speaker building books on order ), its just a number and going by what others have used.